Fifty years ago my family moved to a small Surrey village where regular deliveries of food and drink direct to the house were the norm. These were presented at the back of the house, via a purpose designed window that opened outwards towards the arriving trader – a trader at the front door unthinkable at the time.

Home delivery in 1960

The baker would arrive twice a week with a basket of unwrapped breads and cakes that all seemed safe to consume despite the lack of a wrapper. The greengrocer would deliver fresh fruit and veg and always try to peddle (often unsuccessfully) something exotic like grapes or a pomegranate.

The weekly “fizz man” would bring a selection of glass bottled soft drinks – not that many could afford it. The butcher’s boy would deliver the Sunday joint rather than have to carry it home (my first job by the way). The milkman would deliver fresh milk every day, placing the pint bottles into a recessed opening in the brick wall at the rear of the house that kept the milk cool.

Additional produce was available at the local shops a short walk away. Whatever the weather a trip to the off license was never too much trouble.

In short most of the food and drink that a family needed was delivered to home at a convenient time, the way of life, the window at the back door perhaps being the shoppers portal of the day.

Time has seen these services disappear. Initially replaced by small supermarkets and shops in an adjacent village, followed in later years by the premier league OOTS (out of town shops), resulting in the need for a car, or perhaps two. This became the way of the world for many years.

Home delivery in 2012

Now there is the internet, perhaps the modern day version of that old window behind the back gate, as a fifty year cycle sees the return of deliveries to home once again. No longer delivered at the back door, but to the front of the house – Grandma wouldn’t like that.

Having rambled on enough with my trip down memory lane, a thought for the day. What will the next fifty years bring for today’s young generation. How will the supply chain of food and drink to the home look in the future, in our “I need it now” world, how much will it cost, will we need a car, will the carbon footprint be relevant, or will the baker once again be knocking at the back door. Which would you prefer?