The History of the Supermarket: How Grocery Shopping Changed Forever

By: Elira Fontayne

Narrated by: Eric Brown

The way we buy our food today feels so ordinary, so effortless, that it’s easy to forget what an extraordinary invention the supermarket really is. Once upon a time, shopping for essentials meant visiting a half-dozen different shops, waiting for clerks to fetch and weigh each item, and relying on personal relationships with local merchants. Fast-forward to the modern world, and the weekly shop takes place under bright lights in vast aisles stocked with everything imaginable — a world of instant choice, convenience, and abundance. The History of the Supermarket reveals how that transformation happened and why it changed not just how we shop, but how we live.

This richly written exploration traces the story from humble village stores to today’s global retail empires. It looks at how economic forces, industrial innovation, and shifting lifestyles came together to reshape everyday life. More than just a tale of commerce, it’s a chronicle of modern society itself — how the supermarket became a mirror of progress, technology, and human behaviour.

Inside the Audiobook

Introduction: The Evolution of Everyday Shopping
Step back in time to a world where groceries were weighed by hand and conversation was as important as the food itself. Discover how a growing urban population, new transport systems, and packaged goods paved the way for a shopping revolution.

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