Grocery Shopping at A&P – Life in America

A look back at the grocery store retailer A&P through the years.

The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, better known as A&P, originally focused on selling tea, and they opened their first small grocery store in 1912.

A&P had no telephone, offered no credit lines and had no delivery options, but what they did have was lower prices.

By 1930, A&P had opened up almost 16,000 more stores. The stores had also expanded in size and selection.

Through the 1950s, A&P continued to be America’s dominant grocery retailer, but they were largely concentrated in urban areas rather than the growing suburbs. This would be a major issue for the company in the ensuing years.

Through the 1970s sales continued to decline. By the end of the decade, A&P was operating a little over 1500 stores in the US.

After bankruptcy in 2010, the final A&P locations closed in 2016 after 156 years in the retail business.