By Ed Stozek
For the Herald

In 1929 Safeway opened its first five Canadian stores in Manitoba.

Stores typically encompassed 1,000 square feet and customers bought only several days’ worth of food as quick-melting ice blocks were the standard source of home refrigeration. Customers provided a list to the clerks behind the counter who selected the items and bagged them. The cashier would then ring up the total and hand the customer the groceries and a carbon copy handwritten bill.

In the July 11, 1929 edition of the Dauphin Herald and Press an announcement confirmed that Safeway Stores Limited, an American chain store with headquarters in Oakland, California and branches all over Canada and the United States, was in the process of negotiating the purchase of a vacant lot on Main Street between the Burrows and the Malcolm Blocks.

Safeway’s policy included the construction of its own stores, “standardized for service and convenience and ten contracts for such have already been let in the city of Winnipeg.” By mid-September excavation had commenced by local contractors, the Craig Brothers, as they had secured the $15,000 contract to build Dauphin’s first Safeway store.

The official opening of the new store occurred on Friday, January 31, 1930.

“They are large immaculate, conveniently arranged, ultra-modern and complete food stores. Business is transacted on a strictly cash and carry basis. Stocks are complete and widely varied, consisting of known brands of highest quality and every item sold carries a money-back guarantee should it fail to satisfy.” (January 30,1930, Dauphin Herald and Press)

It was interesting to note some of the prices with Chuck roast at 15 cents per pound., a 24-pound sack of flour at $1.14 and three cans of pork and beans sold for 23 cents. Orders amounting over $3 included free delivery. At this time Safeway was promoting the buying of Canadian products to help solve the unemployment problem caused by the Great Depression.

“A purchase in a Safeway store is your contribution toward keeping men and women of Canada employed.”

Ad Balcaen started his career with Safeway in his hometown of Selkirk in December 1929. One year later he transferred to Winnipeg where he worked for nine years as a store manager. In July 1939, Balcaen was appointed manager of the Safeway store in Dauphin.

In 1959 he left Dauphin and spent 10 months at the Portage la Prairie Safeway supermarket. This proved as a valuable time to gain experience before coming back to operate Dauphin’s new Safeway supermarket location.

An investment of more than $300,000 had been made into the construction of the building featuring “new store equipment with wide, spacious aisles, automatic opening and exit doors, equipped with six modern check stands to speed customers on their way.” (July 13,1960, Dauphin Herald and Press)

The grand opening of Safeway’s new store location on the northeast corner of Main Street and Fourth Avenue North occurred on Tuesday, July 12, 1960. Shoppers were welcomed at the store with free gifts and many advertised specials.

Some of the free gifts included penny banks, needle kits and balloons. As advertised, “savings galore” included 10 tins of Taste Tells peas, beans with pork or Townhouse corn for $1. The meat sale included t-bone, sirloin and wing steak at 79 cents per pound.

In December 1967, after 28 years as manager of the Safeway store at Dauphin, Ad Balcaen retired. He continued as a member of the town council, as well as being involved with community activities including association with the Rotary Club, the Boy Scouts, and an advisory board member for the St. Paul’s Personal Care Home.

Eugene Derhak, who had completed 14 years of service with Safeway, was appointed as the new manager and Nick Chita became the assistant manager.

There have been many changes since 1929 in shopping habits, however, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, many customers avoided in-person shopping and reverted to phoning in their lists to the grocery store. Store personnel filled the lists with the needed items and readied them for deliverey to the customer’s residence.

We even started using good old-fashioned recyclable paper grocery bags again.

Where's my carbon copy handwritten bill?