History of the "super market"
Posted: 22 Apr 2006 19:45
Looking for something else, I found a very readble early history of supermarkets, in the Hofstra Law jounral of all places: http://www.hofstra.edu/pdf/law_helper.pdf
The focus is on use of the term"super market", but they describe the early efforts at super markets---large store experiments, esp, in LA, as well as Michael Cullen's "King Kullen" prototype in Jamaica, Queens, NY. Cullen had tried to sell Kroger (his former employer) on the idea, but could never get an audience with William Albers, the company president. Later, Albers left Kroger and started his own super market chain in Cincinnati; he's credited with coining the term "super market". An early super was the "Big Bear" in New Jersey. A number of early super market operators adopted the "Big Bear" name (including the most famous one in Columbus, Ohio), although they had no direct family or financial relationship to the original store of that name.
The focus is on use of the term"super market", but they describe the early efforts at super markets---large store experiments, esp, in LA, as well as Michael Cullen's "King Kullen" prototype in Jamaica, Queens, NY. Cullen had tried to sell Kroger (his former employer) on the idea, but could never get an audience with William Albers, the company president. Later, Albers left Kroger and started his own super market chain in Cincinnati; he's credited with coining the term "super market". An early super was the "Big Bear" in New Jersey. A number of early super market operators adopted the "Big Bear" name (including the most famous one in Columbus, Ohio), although they had no direct family or financial relationship to the original store of that name.