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Stratford's first discount grocery store, Food City, opened in June 1967.
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Guest column by Jennifer Georgiou, Stratford Perth Archive
Published on May 24, 2024 • 3 min read
The location of Stratford's Food City in 1982. Stratford Perth Archive
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Finding ways to save on a family's grocery budget is nothing new. On June 14, 1967, Stratford was rocked with the grand opening of its first-ever discount grocery store, Food City. The 15,000-square-foot store was located at 1007 Ontario St., near where Stratford Mall is today.
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The Stratford Beacon Herald reported: “The $1 million Food City and Right Eye discount store complex in the city's east end officially opened this morning, and the battle of the traders appears to have begun. More than 400 shoppers crowded under the canopy at the store's entrance as Mayor CH Meyer cut the ribbon, saying the company would collect $40,000 in taxes annually, “which will be a great help to our citizens.” Mayor Meyer said the complex would definitely be an asset to the city. Earlier, the mayor went on a shopping spree at Food City, collecting $108 worth of groceries, which will be donated to the Salvation Army for distribution to needy families in the city. RG Melhado, president of Oshawa Wholesalers, presented a $1,000 cheque to DN Root, vice-president of the Perth County chapter of the Canadian Mental Health Association, saying, “This is the first citizen donation to this area.” Inside the store, floor walkers, salespeople and cashiers prepared for a rush of bargain-seeking customers.
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Prior to its grand opening, Food City advertised its low prices in the Beacon Herald. One ad boasted, “When this sign (Food City) goes up, food prices go down. Everyone in the food industry talks about low prices, but Food City is doing something about it.” The ad went on to say, “Lots of stores advertise discounts, but what they really mean by a sale is lowering the price of a few items for a few days. At Rightway Food City, our everyday low prices are valid every day. Prices are valid Monday through Saturday, so there are no weekend specials.”
Advertisement in the Beacon Herald announcing the opening of new Food Cities in Stratford and Woodstock. (Stratford Perth Archive) jpg, SF, apsmc
What were the prices, you may ask? Well, here are some examples of everyday low prices that appeared in the newspaper on opening day: Grade A Canadian butter, normally 72 cents a pound, was 66 cents; Campbell's vegetable soup, normally 33 cents, was 25 cents for two cans, and normally 73 cents for two boxes of Kleenex, was 55 cents for two boxes. Food City was careful to emphasize that these prices were regular prices, not special prices.
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Food City was built in the winter of 1967. Two stores opened on the same day, one in Stratford and one in Woodstock. The Stratford store was part of a 68,000 square foot shopping center that combined Riteway department store and Food City. Riteway was 53,000 square feet and included 31,000 square feet of retail space, as well as a restaurant and a hair salon. This mega plaza was known as the “One Stop Family Shopping Store.”
Sadly, on April 12, 1986, 19 years after it opened, the Stratford Food City location closed.
Stratford Perth Archives welcomes donations to its collections and accepts drop-in research by appointment Tuesday through Friday and other times, including Saturdays. For more information about what is available during drop-in hours in the reading room or to make an appointment for further research, visit www.perthcounty.ca/StratfordPerthArchives, call 519-271-0531 ext. 259, or email archives@perthcounty.ca.
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