What Are The Greatest Changes In Shopping In Your Lifetime

What are the greatest changes in shopping in your lifetime? So asked my 9 year old grandson.

As I thought of the question the local Green Grocer came to mind. Because that is what the greatest change in shopping in my lifetime is.

That was the first place to start with the question of what are the greatest changes in shopping in your lifetime.

Our local green grocer was the most important change in shopping in my lifetime. Beside him was our butcher, a hairdresser and a chemist.

Looking back, we were well catered for as we had quite a few in our suburb. And yes, the greatest changes in shopping in my lifetime were with the small family owned businesses.

Entertainment While Shopping Has Changed
Buying butter was an entertainment in itself.
My sister and I often had to go to a favourite family grocer close by. We were always polite as we asked for a pound or two of butter and other small items.

Out came a big block of wet butter wrapped in grease-proof paper. Brought from the back of the shop, placed on a huge counter top and included two grooved pates.

That was a big change in our shopping in my lifetime… you don’t come across butter bashing nowadays.

Our old friendly Mr. Mahon with the moustache, would cut a square of butter. Lift it to another piece of greaseproof paper with his pates. On it went to the weighing scales, a bit sliced off or added here and there.

Our old grocer would then bash it with gusto, turning it over and over. Upside down and sideways it went, so that it had grooves from the pates, splashes going everywhere, including our faces.

My sister and I thought this was great fun and it always cracked us up. We loved it, as we loved Mahon’s, on the corner, our very favourite grocery shop.

Grocery Shopping
Further afield, we often had to go to another of my mother’s favourite, not so local, green grocer’s. Mr. McKessie, ( spelt phonetically) would take our list, gather the groceries and put them all in a big cardboard box.

And because we were good customers he always delivered them to our house free of charge. But he wasn’t nearly as much fun as old Mr. Mahon. Even so, he was a nice man.

All Things Fresh
So there were very many common services such as home deliveries like:

• Farm eggs

• Fresh vegetables

• Cow’s milk

• Freshly baked bread

• Coal for our open fires

Delivery Services
A man used to come to our house a couple of times a week with farm fresh eggs.

Another used to come every day with fresh vegetables, although my father loved growing his own.

Our milk, topped with beautiful cream, was delivered to our doorstep every single morning.

Unbelievably, come think of it now, our bread came to us in a huge van driven by our “bread-man” named Jerry who became a family friend.

My parents always invited Jerry and his wife to their parties, and there were many during the summer months. Kids and adults all thoroughly enjoyed these times. Alcohol was never included, my parents were teetotallers. Lemonade was a treat, with home made sandwiches and cakes.

The coal-man was another who delivered bags of coal for our open fires. I can still see his sooty face under his tweed cap but I can’t remember his name. We knew them all by name but most of them escape me now.

Mr. Higgins, a service man from the Hoover Company always came to our house to replace our old vacuum cleaner with an updated model.

Our insurance company even sent a man to collect the weekly premium.

People then only paid for their shopping with cash. This in itself has been a huge change in shopping in my lifetime.

In some department stores there was a system whereby the money from the cash registers was transported in a small cylinder on a moving wire track to the central office.

Some Of The Bigger Changes
Some of the bigger changes in shopping were the opening of supermarkets.

• Supermarkets replaced many individual smaller grocery shops. Cash and bank cheques have given way to credit and key cards.

• Internet shopping… the latest trend, but in many minds, doing more harm, to book shops.

• Not many written shopping lists, because mobile phones have taken over.

On a more optimistic note, I hear that book shops are popular again after a decline.

Personal Service Has Most Definitely Changed
So, no one really has to leave home, to purchase almost anything, technology makes it so easy to do online.
And we have a much bigger range of products now, to choose from, and credit cards have given us the greatest ease of payment.

We have longer shopping hours, and weekend shopping. But we have lost the personal service that we oldies had taken for granted and also appreciated.

Because of their frenetic lifestyles, I have heard people say they find shopping very stressful, that is grocery shopping. I’m sure it is when you have to dash home and cook dinner after a days work. I often think there has to be a better, less stressful way.

My mother had the best of both worlds, in the services she had at her disposal. With a full time job looking after 9 people, 7 children plus her and my dad, she was very lucky. Lucky too that she did not have 2 jobs.

Are Compounding Pharmacies Safe?

Compounding pharmacies work to create pharmaceutical products which are specifically designed to fit the unique needs of each patient. They specialise in preparing and dispensing bespoke pharmaceutical products to patients who cannot or do not want to (for whatever reason) take standard, mass produced medication. Many consumers are turning to these pharmacies because they have previously had problems with standard prescription drugs.Because the compounded prescription medications that they sell are different from those that are already available on the rest of the market, some consumers may be worried about whether or not using a compounding pharmacy is safe. However, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have stated that compounding is perfectly legal and ethical so long as the pharmacy is fully licensed and the pharmacist who carried out the compounding is also fully trained and licensed.Because of the potential health implications associated with all medicinal drugs, compounding pharmaceuticals is a heavily regulated business, and the FDA and individual state boards of pharmacy have introduced strict guidelines to help ensure that customers and patients using these compounding pharmacies should remain safe. All bulk drug substances that are used in these types of pharmacies should be on an approved-list of substances that it is legal and safe to compound with. Any previously marketed substances which have been proven to be ineffective or unsafe do not make the approved-list of substances suitable for compounding. Pharmacists are not supposed to compound with any substance that is not on the approved-list. Although many states do not require practices to report any newly discovered side-effects associated with compounded drugs, ethical pharmacies will voluntarily report them.The compounding pharmacy itself is also subject to strict guidelines, as well as the substances that they compound with. The pharmacy must meet high quality control standards and each individual laboratory must meet strict facility guidelines, to ensure safety and consistency in each batch of drugs produced. Pharmacies in America are regulated by individual “state boards of pharmacy”, and therefore each state has slightly different sets of regulations. It is possible to check with the board of pharmacy in your state if you are still unsure. Inspectors from the state board will carry out regular checks on licensed pharmacies and random sampling checks may be carried out on batches of drugs that are being dispensed to check the safety and potency.Pharmacists who practice in compounding pharmacies are heavily regulated as well. They must be fully trained and licensed in order to dispense medicine that they have compounded, so that they are able to fully understand the drugs that they are making.If you still have doubts, you can contact your chosen pharmacy and they will be able to explain the standards, testing and quality control exercises that are used by their practice in order to ensure the safety of their customers. If you are in any doubt, you do not have to use that pharmacy. Remember that it is the interest of pharmacies to ensure that their products are safe, legal, ethical and effective.

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The right workout clothes will inspire you to push a little harder and reach a little farther as you work to attain the physique of your dreams. The two most important properties fitness wear must have are a comfortable fit and proper support. You must be comfortable during your workout so you can focus on your routine versus adjusting your clothing; the fit must be right so that accidental exposure doesn’t become a problem. You also need proper support so you don’t feel exposed or uncomfortable due to too much bounce or jiggle. Lucy workout clothes are the best choice out there because they offer a variety of tops, bottoms and accessories to inspire any fitness enthusiast to lead an active lifestyle.The Lucy brand of workout clothes is a stylishly made, functional line of women’s active wear. The cuts and designs are all very attractive and flattering to the female form without being too revealing. This line is made from materials that allow air to flow through the clothing keeping your skin dryer which helps to keep you comfortable as the sweat really begins to flow. You can easily mix and match the clothes from their line which makes it easy to create many different outfits from a hand full of items.Lucy workout clothes come not only in basic black but in a rainbow of greens, oranges, pinks, purples and blues. This wonderful splash of color adds beauty and vibrancy to this clothing line that is sorely missed from other brands.There are also accessories available that you may need such as sweatbands, headbands, socks and more.
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