The Golden Rule

Food Fair, also known by its successor name Pantry Pride, was a large supermarket chain in the United States. It was founded by Samuel N. Friedland, who opened the first store in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in the late 1920s. As of 1957, Food Fair had 275 stores, and at its peak, the chain had more than 500 stores. Friedland's family retained control of the firm through 1978, when the chain entered bankruptcy.

In 1958, Food Fair purchased Setzer's Supermarkets, a 40-store chain in the Jacksonville, Florida, area. In 1961, Food Fair bought J.M. Fields Department Stores, a chain of discount department stores in New England. The latter chain grew substantially, expanding to areas already served by Food Fair, particularly in Florida. By the 1960s, most J.M. Fields stores featured a J.M. Fields, Food Fair, or Pantry Pride grocery store.

In the early 60’s I was wandering through a Food Fair, the new one recently opened in Reisterstown Plaza in Baltimore.

 The Reisterstown Road Plaza, usually known since its inception simply as "The Plaza," is a shopping center and mall located near the Reisterstown Plaza Metro Subway Station. Originally built as an outdoor shopping center (with two parallel rows of stores between the original anchors Hecht's and Stewarts), in recent years, much of its structure has been converted into an indoor mall and outdoor shopping center with big box stores. The Reisterstown Road Plaza opened in 1962.

So it was a new, impressive shopping center and a new, huge Food Fair and here I was shopping when I saw a flurry of activity. It was a moving crowd, not unlike a later one I saw in the Vatican when I watched the Dali Lama walking through surrounded by an entourage.

In this case, it was Mr. Friedland moving through the store. Given the time (1963), this might have been the original Mr. Friedland as he was very old. He was followed by suits (at least 2), a store manager (he had on a tie but no coat, and several stock boys. They moved down the aisle in unison, following Mr. Friedland, while he barked orders to the group. “Move the soda’s up, the Coke’s don’t go there!” he pointed and barked. “Move the dishwashing soap down to the other side”! he commented. There seemed to be a dust storm involved in this moving mass of individuals, and I could only stand and stare.

I realized that afted he was gone, the boys would spend hours re-shelving all the stock they’d just moved, but for the moment, Mr. Friedland was the king!

It was the day I also learned the Golden Rule, “He Who Has The Gold, Rules!”