Memorabilia: Big Bear's Price-Wrecking Grocery Features!

Big Bear was arguably the nation's first supermarket, and its original location was right here in good ol' Elizabeth, NJ. (You can read more history on it over at this article from the Star-Ledger.) It became a local chain, before going out of business by the 1950s or so. This ad comes from the July 15, 1937 edition of the Elizabeth Daily Journal.

Notice that many of the prices are not divisible, so that to get the 3 cans of tomato sauce for 8 cents, you'd have to buy 3 cans. This was, of course, a tradition challenged by some good Pathmarking -- that is, giving a single item a single price, which of course became the norm with sale pricing. Now, it's unusual to see more than a few items for 3/$5, for instance, in any given circular.