The Victorians
Chapel Street Market, Islington, 1894In Victorian times there were no big supermarkets like today. Instead there were lots of smaller shops, all selling different types of food. Grocers’ shops for instance, sold dried goods such as tea, coffee, sugar and rice; butchers’ shops sold meat; and dairy shops sold milk, cream, butter, eggs and cheese.
Who worked in Victorian shops?
Shops were usually run by a male shopkeeper and his wife, if he was married. Larger shops employed young men as salesmen or assistants and boys to do various odd jobs. Most shopkeepers and their families lived in rooms above or behind their shops. If they employed salesmen they would often live with the family too. Sometimes women and girls worked for the family or company as housekeepers or maids.
What were shops like?
Most Victorian shops were on busy streets. Shops opened early in the morning and stayed open until late at night. Shopkeepers put trestle tables in the streets and traded from these stalls, as well as from inside the shops. Salesmen stood outside, shouting out to customers, like market traders do today, to encourage them to buy. At Christmas, shops had elaborate displays of turkey, geese and all sorts of seasonal food.
How did you go shopping?
Customers queued up to be served. The shopkeeper, or his assistants, would weigh or measure each item and then wrap it up in paper. Shoppers would take these packages home in baskets. Larger shops offered home delivery to their customers; the customer would bring in a list and then a delivery man or boy would deliver the items.
What did Victorians eat and drink?
The poorest Victorians had very little to eat or drink. They might buy bread from a baker’s shop, hot potatoes from a street stall and vegetables from a market. However, their diet did gradually improve because of cheap imported food from other countries. Tea and sugar became much cheaper so strong, sweet tea became a popular drink. Rich people enjoyed a greater variety of food than ever before.