Our grocery stores. We live in an age when we need them.
We haven’t always had them, you know. The first “General Stores” started to appear in the first half of the 1800s.
But grocery stores as we know them today? Where you walk up and down the aisles and pick things out on your own? Well. The first true self-service grocery store—what we think of today as a modern supermarket—opened on September 6, 1916, in Memphis, Tennessee. Yes indeed. It was none other than a Piggly Wiggly.
Since that time, we just wouldn’t know what to do without having a local grocery store or two. Although here in Preble County, Ohio, we’ve come pretty close.
Anyway. We need any item and we hop over to the good, good store. But. In recent history, many of our grocery store items have been difficult to come by, like eggs, for instance. And remember the toilet paper scare during COVID?
When those common household goods have been in short supply, it usually led to major price increases and strains on consumers.
It doesn’t really matter to us if cold cream is out of stock. Or pistachio pudding.
But when our “go-to” items cannot be found, things get a little tricky.
It made me wonder what the most popular items in grocery stores might be. And here they are.
1. Bananas – Consistently the #1 selling produce item.
2. Milk – A staple in most households.
3. Bread – Especially white and whole wheat varieties.
4. Eggs – Used in breakfast, baking, and beyond.
5. Bottled Water – A major seller in the beverage aisle.
6. Snack Foods – Chips, crackers, and pretzels are always in high demand.
7. Cereal – Both sugary kids’ cereals and healthy adult options.
8. Cheese – Sliced, shredded, block—cheese in all forms is big.
9. Soft Drinks – Coca-Cola and Pepsi products are often among the top beverage sales.
10. Toilet Paper – Technically not food, but one of the most essential non-food items.
How about those bananas? I thought it was funny that this fruit topped the list. But here is the thing. The average American consumes around 90 percent of the potassium-filled bananas every year. This equates to roughly 27 pounds of bananas.
I don’t eat bananas that often. So someone must be picking up the slack for me. Perhaps they aren’t from around here.
It turns out that Iowa, South Dakota, Minnesota, Colorado, and Pennsylvania are the top five states that have the highest share of banana purchases. A lot of banana bread is passing hands in Iowa, I think.
Meanwhile, Hawaii, Louisiana, Alaska, Alabama, and Maine have the lowest share of banana purchases. Maine. They hate banana splits, I bet.
No matter who the top banana is. We need grocery stores. We rely on them. All of us. And I, for one, am very thankful for our groceries and the good food they provide. And to ALL the people who make this magic happen. It is a golden luxury and we should never forget this.
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“Groceries are one of the most intimate things we buy — they tell the story of our days, our cravings, our budgets, and our lives.” — Amanda Mull
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“In a grocery store, every shelf is a vote. Every choice we make shapes what stays and what goes.” — Michael Pollan
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“A full pantry is a quiet kind of security, the kind that speaks to our primal need for survival and our modern desire for comfort.” — Tamar Adler
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