Thursday, February 4, 2010

4 February 1968: Pretty, Pretty, Pretty

On this day in 1968, the following ad for Bell's supermarkets ran in the "For and About Women" section of the Athens Daily News on page 16:

Pretty Inexpensive

Bell's believes in treating a lady like a lady. That's why we've made our stores pretty while we've kept our prices low. At our 5 points store we've even rolled out the red carpet. We think you pretty housewives will enjoy shopping more in Bell's pretty stores...where you save a pretty penny.

Bell's puts more in your pocket
Prince Plaze, 5 Points, & East Plaza

Sales that week at Bell's included 29 cents for a 1-pound box of Nabisco Saltines, 59 cents for a 10-pound bag of baking potatoes, 25 cents per pound for "local fresh whole fryers." Bell's typically had three to four pages of specials advertised in the Thursday food and recipe section of the paper, while other supermarkets in town only had one page each of ads. Only grocery sales at supermarkets were advertised in the newspaper. At least two dozen smaller, family-owned stores are also listed around Athens in the city directory in 1968.

Other sales that week were a "Sliced Bacon Sale!" at Kroger's locations on Prince Avenue and Beechwood shopping center. A&P's three locations (on Alps, Oconee, and Dougherty Streets) offered fully cooked boneless hams for $1.23 per pound. Colonial Stores (known as Big Star) in Alps Shopping Center clailmed "Red Carpet Values" that included bananas for 9 cents per pound, and 2-pound packages of Velveeta for 99 cents.

The ad image on the microfilm is in black and white, but includes a picture of a woman walking down a grocery aisle that appears to have a red carpet. Did you shop on a red carpet at Bell's in Five Points in 1968? Or experience "Red Carpet Values" at Big Star?

Learn More:

Athens Daily News. Jan. 13, 1968 - Mar. 15, 1968 on Microfilm in the Heritage collection.
Athens Georgia Directory 1968 in the Heritage collection.
A Postcard History of Athens, Georgia by Gary L. Doster in the Heritage and general collections.
Strolls Around Athens by William Tate in the Heritage and general collections.
Stores page on Groceteria.com

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