#1
LET’S READ!
Back in caveman times, before society became more civilized and people learned how to trade, we hunted for our food. Eating a meal consisted of going out into the treacherous world and finding an animal to kill and cook, and if you couldn’t do that for any reason, you didn’t get to have food! Imagine a world in which your parents left every single morning to hunt down food for the day. What if there was a big rainstorm one day and the animals were hiding? What if rocks fell in front of the cave you lived in and you couldn’t get out? It was a brutal world out there!
Nowadays, we have something called a grocery store. Grocery stores are big buildings full of food we need. People from all across the world use trucks and planes to ship food to these stores, and because of them, we get to eat it! We no longer have to go out and hunt down our food; we just have to go buy it from the supermarket.
LET’S TALK!
1. Do you enjoy going to the grocery store? Why or why not?
2. Do you use a budget when you go to the grocery store? Do you think about how much you’ll spend before going?
3. Why do we need grocery stores?
#2
LET’S READ!
Grocery stores don’t just have food, though; they also have household items that we need! Back when humans hunted their food, they didn’t have houses to take care of. But now, we do! So grocery stores provide food and supplies to people who need them.
One example of the household items the grocery store carries is cleaner. There are separate cleaners for counters, for metal, and for wood. And to use those cleaners, you often have to sweep, mop, or use a cleaning tool like a brush with hard bristles–or even just paper towels.
Another example is decor! When you go to your local Walmart or Target, you won’t just find food; you’ll find chairs, couches, storage bins, plates, cookware, and more. If you have a window without curtains, the store will have them! If a light goes out in your home, the store will have a replacement! If your plates, silverware, or cups break, the store is the place to find more. If you run out of hangers in your closet, you’ll need to take a trip to the store for more! The grocery store has everything you could need to keep your home nice and comfortable.
LET’S TALK!
1. Tell your child how you decide what you need from the grocery store. Do you make a list of what you’re missing from the house? Do you have a weekly menu?
2. What do you usually go to the grocery store for? What do you end up needing the most? For lots of people, it’s milk or eggs. What is it for you?
3. What is the best part about going to the grocery store?
#3
LET’S READ!
Grocery stores as we know them started in 1930. Called King Kullen, the store redefined what a grocery store was, changing the typical stock of dry goods to thousands of products, including fresh-baked bread, an on-staff butcher, and produce. This was the very first supermarket that offered a variety of products in one store, and since then, grocery stores have evolved more and more!
One of those evolutions was the invention of the shopping cart, which happened in 1937 and allowed people to bring their goods with them as they perused the market’s asisles. Then, in 1974, the price scanner allowed people to go through checkouts faster. And did you know that in 2020, Amazon opened its first cashier-less grocery store? It’s called Amazon Go, and it’s in Seattle, Washington. No one works there; it’s all done through Amazon’s technology!
But that being said, other supermarkets throughout the world provide jobs to all kinds of people. Those who need a first-time job, immigrants who are new to the country, and seniors who just need a little extra cash often enjoy grocery store jobs! In fact, nearly 3 million people in the U.S. alone work in supermarkets! So we don’t want every grocery store to go staffless; people definitely need and appreciate the work.
LET’S TALK!
1. What’s your typical trip to the store like? Where do you start your shopping? Do you use the deli or the bakery? Tell your child what things you usually get and what parts of the store you go to.
2. Talk about the store you go to the most. Is it close to you? Do you drive there or walk? What’s the name of the store? Why do you go to that one the most–is it because of the prices, the products, the distance, the service, or something else?
3. Have you ever worked at a grocery store? If so, tell your child what it was like. If not, do you know someone who did? Tell your child about them!
#4
LET’S READ!
So how does the grocery store industry work? Earlier, we talked about how goods are transported from many different states and countries throughout the world. Let’s take a second to talk more about how that process happens!
California is one of the biggest producers of nuts, fruits, and vegetables in the U.S. They produce 99% of our artichokes and walnuts, 97% of our kiwis and plums, 95% of our celery and garlic, 89% of our cauliflower, 71% of our spinach, and 69% of our carrots. They’re also known for producing a whole lot of lemons and oranges! Since they have so many orchards, it would take a long time for the rest of the world to make as many nuts and fruits as California does regularly.
Farms and orchards across California, as well as in other states and countries, have to plan when they plant their seeds. Certain foods and crops only grow well in certain times of the year, so farmers have to be meticulous about when they plant and harvest things. Then once the food is mature and harvested, it’s transported to whatever place needs it. Trucks go to many states and planes take products even further than that! Agriculture keeps our local grocery stores stocked for us.
LET’S TALK!
1. Finally, talk about the check-out with your child. Do you usually have a lot of items by the time you reach the cashier? Do you know any of the cashiers at your regular store? What form of payment do you use? Do you ever grab that pack of gum or the candy bar that sits at the cash register as a last minute decision, or just as a treat?
2. What do you see when you go to the grocery store?
3. What would you do if there were no stores close by? Would you grow your own garden and raise animals like farmers do?
VOCABULARY WORDS:
cart, aisles, lane, product, brand, register, employee, deli, bakery, department, produce, dairy, box, can, jar, price, list, ingredients, stock, shelf, money, cash, check, credit card, debit card, plastic, paper, sack, bags, service
ACTIVITIES:
• Take a trip to the grocery store! Show your child every part of the process, from making a list of the foods/things you need to a budget of how you’re going to pay for them. Let them come with you as you peruse the aisles and get what you need. While you’re there, tell your child why you chose to go to that store. Then let them see the very last part of the process: putting away the groceries in your home.
• Next time you go to the grocery store or bring home produce from a grocery store, search the items and the boxes on the shelves for locations. Do any oranges or apples have stickers from California? Do any boxes or bags of vegetables have the names of the farms they came from?
• Try taking an “unusual” trip to the grocery store. With your child, the aisles you rarely go down and try to buy one thing from each. Have fun seeing how those things fit into your life at home!
• Play grocery store at home. Pick out a handful of non-perishable items (so there is no rush) and have your child purchase the grocery items with real money–or if you want, you can use money from a game like Pay Day or Monopoly. Make sure you have bags for the groceries to go into after your child has paid!
• Have your child draw their own grocery store! Have them include what items their store would carry and help them think about how much those items would cost. Then have them pick and draw a name for their store!
RESOURCES:
1. Anna Goes To The Supermarket (YouTube Video)
2. The Carter Family 5 – The Grocery Store (YouTube Video)
3. Grocery Shopping – The Kiboomers Preschool Song (YouTube Video)
4. Grocery Store Song (YouTube Video)
5. Ryan Grocery Store Shopping Pretend Play with Supermarket Toys! (YouTube Video)
6. At the Supermarket by Anne Rockwell (Henry Holt and Co., 2010)
7. Put it on the List by Kristen Darbyshire (Dutton Juvenile, 2009)
8. To Market, To Market by Anne Miranda (Sandpiper, 2001)
