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The Very First 'Freezer Sections'??

Posted: 29 Nov 2005 21:48
by Dan488
When did the "Freezer Section" first started appearing in grocery stores as we know them today?

Who about, was the first grocery chain to have them?

Posted: 04 Dec 2005 20:48
by Dave
I suppose that the answer lies partly in how you define "as we know them today". Birdseye began retail sales in 18 groceries in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1930 (I haven't been able to find out which ones so far). On their website, HillPhoenix shows a picture of a freezer case in a style that I might have seen as a kid in the 1960's, but certainly not today (it's fairly small), and notes that they worked with Birdseye in 1929 to develop a case.

Whether or not that's a picture of a 1929 case is not known to me. Birdsye began leasing freezer cases in the mid 1930's to grocers for their products. Until this occurred, their retail sales were pretty small. They needed to provide the grocer with a relatively inexpensive way to store and merchandise the product.

Posted: 01 Mar 2006 23:52
by Jared
Hey. I work for a supermarket chain located in the Northeast. PathMark supermarkets. I've been working there for few yeas. I worked in 3 stores, And currently still work for the chain. I was transfered to this old, really old store that was put up in the early 50's. And this was a few years ago. So its about 50 years old. And I work in frozen foods. The cases in the isle were so old, that the paint was pealing off the units showing layers of previous colors. It was terrable. These cases were orginal or that is what I heard. I had problems with them every week. I would lose air flow, Or they would get stuck in defrost. I would lose multipul 5door strips. I'm guessing around in the 40's is when the frozen foods isle came around.