Springfield native Clarence Wheeler founded Consumers Markets in 1948. It was the largest grocery chain in the Ozarks with 38 stores in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.

In 1990, Consumers Markets was bought by Fleming Companies, Inc.

Curtis Jared, the grandson of Wheeler who died in 1997, says Fleming sold the smaller stores and focused on the bigger ones. Two years later, there were no more Consumer Markets.

Before plastics and cans, soda came in glass bottles.

Imagine how moms felt with their kids running up and down the soda aisle!

Plastic eventually took over but still, there is an oddly better taste when soda comes from a glass bottle.

Before there was so much drama in the world, there was the seventies.

Look closely and check out the prices. Then head on down to your local grocery and compare the numbers. It’s been 42 years.

It was a simpler time. No internet, no social media, and no online buying. Moms had to drive down to the supermarket and purchase everything they needed for the house. Vintage.

Wow, talk about family-sized portions!

Luckily, it wasn’t so hard to put that all into the car since without cell phones, everyone had two free hands.

This must have been heaven for buyers who wanted to save a lot while buying a lot more.

Imagine the number of people frequenting this place. Or better yet, ask your parents if they remember.

Discounts every day must have had that parking lot full. Then shoppers would come out with so much stuff that their car’s trunks were full.

We’ve always loved stocking up!

Imagine waiting in line because someone in front is writing a check as payment for their groceries. No phones then, so chances are people actually spoke to each other.

There was way more patience back then.

And if the seventies were fun, the sixties must have been so cool.

Life was so much simpler, and all the entertainment was on the radio. Kids went to school, played sports, came back home, and enjoyed dinner after mom and dad’s run to the local supermarket.

Notice how in old movies everyone just seemed to be smoking? Well, it looks like people back then had all the choices in the world for their smokes.

Imagine what the liquor section looked like.

Now this is cool. Someone’s great grandfather in a photo from 1960.

This gentleman must have had so many stories. Especially compared to today’s lifestyles.

Anyone have a time machine?

Bicycles, bubblegum, baseball.

Of course, life seemed better with a bottle of coke back then too.

The hair. This could only be explained by grandma or someone of her age.

Imagine how all those curlers felt!

And we criticize people for going out in pajama pants now.

This photo just screams vintage. Dads and grandfathers are going to love the cars in this one.

Just be ready for a whole lot of stories over beer when you show them.

Now that’s an interesting name for a grocery store.

Then again words and phrases back then would baffle most of us today. It was a different time, with a different culture.

Jayne Mansfield (April 19, 1933 – June 29, 1967) was an actress, singer, nightclub entertainer, and Playboy Playmate.

She was controversial for wardrobe malfunctions and her many famous boyfriends.

She passed away in a car accident at the age of 34.

He’s the ultimate cultural icon of teenage disillusionment and social estrangement. Just look at the clothes and the sunglasses. He was a cool rebel in his day.

But he wasn’t too cool to stop by the grocery store.

Looks like they were having a great conversation until the kids got bored and came running back.

Just look at how “interactive” this shot is. Those kids must have gotten lots of candy!

It’s that kind of buzzing, busy sound we no longer hear nowadays that this photo seems to generate.

Looks like a busy Sunday afternoon.

1947. Just 2 years after WW2. Imagine how happy and peaceful everyone must have been then.

A simple hello at a grocery store surely brought smiles.

Another high quality vintage shot.

The colors, the hair, that bow tie, and the apron bring you back – well, at least if you were born before 1958.

These ladies went about their work daily with bright smiles on their faces. Especially if this was taken right when the war ended.

And would you look at those cash registers!

This photo looks like a painting. There’s just something about the way things were that exudes a romantic vibe.

Imagine having your money now with the prices back then though.

Bottles and cans stack the shelves here. It would be embarrassing to hit a stack only for them to come crashing down on the floor.

Imagine having the job of bringing out the sticks and stacking them up daily.

The woman just immediately catches the eye. She looks stunning, and the photo’s finish only adds to the mystique.

We’d love to know what she’s buying!

Whoever he was, he must have been a nice fellow. The type to smile at you and ask about your day.

Any man who loves his dogs can’t be that bad, right?

The photographer obviously asked everyone to smile but the lady in black wasn’t paying attention.

It’s a pretty straightforward-looking grocery. You’ll find everything on the shelves, plus a smile from the owners and clerks.

Not a bad day to buy your necessities.

This one is even older. 1920. It’s hard to imagine what it must have been like. Even the store looks the part.

The challenge here is imagining the shot in full color.

Now try to imagine 1918. Forget about all your gadgets. Just look at those railings and those shelves. The labels on those cans and boxes would be so alien to us.

This was 103 years ago. Let that sink in.