St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1886-11-27
THE GROCER.
Origin of the Word and Its Application ri
the Present DAY.

the origin of the word "grocer" was
read before the Michigan State Grocers'
Association by Mr.. Robert M. Floyd,
of Chicago: Of all lines of trade there
is, perhaps, none more generally in
teresting than the grocery business
as conducted in the United States. The
extent and variety of the stock repre-
sented in grocery store is not paral-
leled in any other line of business, and
the various points from which mer-
chandlse Is drawn are almost incredi-
BILE. Take some of the simple articles
which come readily to mind Sugar
from Cuba; raisins from Spain; teas
from China; coffees from Brazil; punch
from Sweden; pepper from Turkey;
spermaceti from the polar regions;
honey from California and wooden nut
megs from Connecticut 1t will no
doubt interest you to know where the
word grocer came from. Wrights'
dictionary of obsolete words and terms
gives grocer. wholesale merchant.
as one who speculates at markets and
fairs, and claims this is the origin of
the word. Now, this may be so, but
on further and more careful examina-
ton we find that at this same period as
mentioned by Wright, a grocer meant
a general dealer in goods, and was
known as a ''grosser, one who sells
by the gross or by wholesale. John
son says that it came from grosser
from gross). So according to the
direct definition and etymology of the
word. if meant any one who sold in
Wholesale quantities or by the gross.
Dealers in merchandise were of two
kinds: Wholesalers, called grossers
or enCrosSerS. and retailers, called re-
orators (huckstcrs}. An old work,
called ''putnam's Worlds Progress"
gives the following: Grocers, one of
the Oldest trades in England, and an
GENTLY meant engrossers or monopo-
lizers, rs appears by statute, 81 Edward
Ill. The Grocery Company is one
of the twelve chief companies in the
city of London, incorporated in 1929.
Now. as you readil Y see, this does not
refer in any way to your present line
of business, but rather, as have said,
TO any general wholesale merchandise
business, and did not refer as it does
now to the sale of sugar, teas and
other edible commodities. Such deal
ers, or rather dealers in such COM
modities, were then called ''spicers.
Richard Grant White in his essay OH
misspelled words, calls attention to-
ward the word ''grosser," and says it
should be used in that way instead
of grocer. But now, as it seems
very good word, and as We
have grown used to it, we
had better leave it as it is. / can
recall an old sign in New York City
that read ''Grocers and spicers," but
when s'spicers and grossers'' first
merged into ..grocers'' l am at a loss
to ascertain. As peoples needs in
creased, and with them a desire for
more convenient place to buy general
stocks of food, it is natural the grocer
has absorbed, by degrees, the many
branches which were at one time dis
tinctive trades, and we find now under
the general head grocer what was
formerly known as: The chandler
dealer and manufacturer of soap,
candles, oil. etc. The tish-monger-
dealer in all varieties of dried, fresh
and smoked fish. The wine and
spirit merchant, whose occupa-
ton we can well Judge from
the name. The green-grocer, or
dealer in fresh garden products, or
butter, eggs. etc. The poulterer, or
dealer in live or dressed poultry, game,
etc. The spicer or dealer in teas,
sugars, spices, etc. The tobacconist;
the name fully indicates the business.
The Italian warehouse man, who sold
fine oils, dried and preserved fruits.
prunes, olives, sardines, etc. The
fruiter, who deals exclusively in trop-
ical and domestic fresh fruits. The
cheese-monger or dealer in cheese.
You can readily see that in country
like America, where the progressive
element predominates, and there being
no time for barter, the merchant has
gradually drawn all these several lines
under his care and merged them into
of to-day is a representative buyer of
the food products of all countries. He
is, perforce, an educator of tastes in
the food people eat. 1t is through his
industries and persuasions that even
Americans were taught that it was just |
the thing to eat Russian caviare, al |
though no one after the first month could |
possibly prefer it to old Boston baked |
beans. The grocer Of to-day is far
different man to the spicer of three or
four centuries ago. Then he was only
one of the many trades, now the many
trades center in him. You have rea.
son to feel proud of your business, and
of being grocer. The step from the
retailer to the wholesaler is but short I
one. The Intelligence required in re-