Victorian shopping

In the Victorian period, before refrigeration, rapid expiration of fresh foods dictated that people had to shop two or three times a week.

This meant that meals had to be carefully planned. Shops would specialise in a particular area, as Sainsbury's did in dairy and meats, so customers would visit several smaller shops rather than one large one.

All shops during this period were counter service. Customers had to ask for how much of each product they wanted, and it was then weighed and cut accordingly.

There was little opportunity to browse and so customers did not usually buy more than they needed. A much higher proportion of wages were spent on food than by today's standards, and much more care was taken in not creating waste.

Find out more about counter service shops