PONTEFRACT IN 1955

"This is just what we’ve been needing in Pontefract", was the verdict of one housewife as, with laden basket she made her way towards the cash desk shortly after the opening of the first self-service store in Beastfair, on Wednesday. Judging by the steady stream of shoppers, she expressed the feelings of many more. Crowds watched the ceremonial opening of the innovation and many who stopped to stare stayed to buy.

A conventional, small-time store had been converted into the housewife’s dream of modern shopping conditions, in bright, airy, hygienic surroundings. A frontage of thick lead glass ensured maximum light and an overall impression of spaciousness, while white enamel fixtures, and rows of potted plants, enhanced the scene. Armed with wire baskets, shoppers could wander at will and select from a wide range of goods. Queuing, the bugbear of many a housewife, was dispensed with. Time was saved for the busy shopper, and those with leisure could select at will, wasting no time but their own.

The self-service system extends to all except a small percentage of foods such as bacon, cooked meats and dairy produce. Prices were clearly marked, and the wares offered ranged from tinned vegetables, soups and fruits for the family to popular brands of pet foods, detergents and cleaning materials, tonics and pills. Fresh vegetables, with a well-scrubbed look, lay in wire compartments, and frozen food stuffs stocked in a neighbouring refrigerator, while cellophane-wrapped confectionery and freshly baked bread lined the shelves and counter. Trained assistants were in attendance, trim in white overalls and caps, and at the checkout desk, purchases completed, a cash register automatically totted up the items, with no margin for human error, and the customer received an itemised bill.