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.

Penis Rash From the Gym: Work Out Without the Itch

Working out at the gym – now that’s something that makes a guy feel good! Sure, there’s sweat and effort, but it pays off when a guy looks in the mirror and sees the results. (And it helps that a guy’s partners like to see the results, too.) What isn’t so positive is when a guy ends up with a little penis rash from his visits to the gym. Since penis health should never be sacrificed for getting buffed, it pays to take steps to prevent a penis rash from the gym (and to treat it if one sneaks in anyway).Not unusual It’s no surprise that a penis rash sometimes crops up among gym rats (or even just the guy who occasionally stops in for a workout). The physical outlay, whether from taking a yoga class, hitting the weights or spending time on a bike, brings about sweat, and sweat encourages bacteria. In addition, some men with very sensitive penis skin can get rashy just from exposure to too much heat. And of course there’s the problem of germs, bacteria and fungi brought onto the premises by other gym residents.Tips So the conditions are ripe for penis rash development. What are some steps a guy can take to help protect his penis?- Use towels. Nowadays, most gyms are generous in making available a large supply of fresh, clean towels and guys need to use them. (If towels aren’t supplied by the gym, a guy needs to be sure to bring his own.) Many men use these towels to wipe down machines after they have used them, which is good; but they also need to wipe them down before use – just in case the previous guy wasn’t so thoughtful or missed some sweaty residue.But it isn’t enough to use those towels when on the gym floor. Be sure to use them in the locker room, too. Lay one down on the bench before sitting, especially after removing clothes. And guys who like to relax in the sauna or steam room in the nude should definitely bring a towel and sit on that. With all the bare feet in locker rooms, any guy with athlete’s foot may be accidentally spreading his fungus around the area – and that’s the same fungus that causes jock itch.- Be selfish. We’re taught as children that sharing is important, but it’s okay to be a little selfish when it comes to the gym. If a man lends a guy a towel, it might come back with a fungus on it. Let some dude borrow that razor and the owner may regret it – especially if he decides to do a little manscaping with it later on and end up with a rash. Even something as seemingly harmless as sharing soap can be problematic; guys with sensitive skin can develop an allergic reaction to skin cells left on the cleanser. Never borrow another guy’s jock or underwear; that’s just begging for a penis rash!- Keep fresh. A man shouldn’t start his workout in that same t-shirt and shorts he wore to mow the lawn or rake the leaves. Starting off with sweaty clothing, especially clingy underwear and shorts, will increase the rash potential at the gym. Use fresh clothes for the workout and bring along another set of fresh clothes (including underwear) for after the shower – and be sure to dry the man-parts off thoroughly after showering.A guy will also be less likely to pick up a penis rash at the gym if his manhood is kept in tiptop shape. Regular use of a top notch penis health crème (health professionals recommend Man1 Man Oil, which is clinically proven mild and safe for skin) can help. Definitely select a crème that includes vitamin A. Also known as retinol, vitamin A has fierce antibacterial properties that attack the bacteria that thrive in dark, warm, moist places. The crème should also include a combination of moisturizers, such as natural Shea butter and vitamin E, which can lock-in the healthy moisturizing oils that keep skin from becoming chapped and prone to rashiness.

How To Minimize Stress During World Travel and Tours

With world travel the very first thing you can do to reduce your stress levels is to have a travel agent you can trust. This is because you have no idea of all the rules and regulations that are going to come up during your world tours. Having an agent that you trust is a great source of stress reduction. This is because you do not have to worry about all the little details and the infinite amount of paperwork and changes that come up. A good travel agent can advise of things like your passports, visas, shots and immunizations, as well as providing tips on local customs and culture so that you can fit in more easily when you arrive.There are a number of travel sites out there and the most popular ones deal with getting you the cheapest flights and hotels. This is great and wonderful for what they do and they are good at it. They however will not make sure that all the little details are taken care of or provide the personal touch that other sites and agencies can. I have found that world-travel-tour.com is one of those sites that does a good job of keeping their eye on all the small details.World travel these days can be a very scary thing filled with all kinds of stress because of the events in the news. A good agent is aware of all those things and will do everything to make sure that you are safe. Your world tour will be enjoyable and relaxing when you have the assistance of a knowledgeable agent. Here are some other things to consider while on your world tour.Make sure you have your schedule set and that you did allow yourself some “me time” in all the hustle and bustle of the trip that is something that can be easily forgotten. Keep your schedule realistic, these tour spots have been there for thousands of years and they will be there when you get to come back. Make sure you have a list of your medications and doctors so that if something should happen you can get proper treatment.Bring a good book to read since the flights are long and you will have plenty of time to read and sleep. Make sure you get a good night’s sleep before you head out on your flight. Even if your world travel is for business, schedule yourself some time for yourself to enjoy the new location you are in, instead of just trying to cram in back to back meetings and appointments. You will be able to enjoy being in the place you’re at for the meeting and be well rested and be able to work better in the end.Relax and enjoy your world tour and find all the secrets the world has to offer. If you go to world-travel-tour.com it will be a good start to finding what the secrets are. The secret after all is that this world travel stuff really does not have to be filled with stress and doubt. If you want that, then go to work, world travel is about stress free time for you.