Victorian shops

Croydon branch, c.1900

In Victorian times many shopkeepers traded through open windows at the front of their shop. The customer would stand in the street and be served by the shopkeeper from inside. Dirt from the street would blow into the shop and flies would settle on the food in summer. The floors and counters were made of wood which was difficult to keep clean.  Mice and rats were always a problem.

This picture shows the inside of a Sainsbury’s shop around 1900.  Sainsbury’s first used this design for their shops in 1882. The shop is long and thin so that the food inside is kept as cool as possible. The counters are made of marble and the walls are tiled. These could be scrubbed down thoroughly every night. The only way to keep food cold was in an ice box in the basement.

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