May I help You ?

This photograph was shared by a friend of mine and got me to thinking.

This picture is of Ralstons' Store on main street in East Hampton,New York. A typical dry goods store of the era. The grocers standing at the counter are waiting for their customers to place an order. What a concept. Tell them what you need and they will go to the shelves and retrieve it.
When I first looked at this picture I was amused at how spartan the store looked. I wondered about that bar  and all the stools lined up in front of it. Did they sell spirits as well ? I did, as I usually do with old photographs from my hometown,  ask my Mother about it. She remembered the store very well. She started by telling me my Great Grandfather was their delivery man for a number of years. That was pretty cool to know. Now,that bar was were you sat when placing your order. You just sat on the stool and read off your list as the grocer gathered your items and bagged them up. Just like on the Waltons tv show. They did this on Little House too as I recall. Very convenient. You could also leave your list as you ran some other chores in town and pick it up later or have it delivered.
I no longer live in East Hampton but am in touch with some of my relatives that still reside there. I heard some of them talking about a Peapod delivery. I had no idea what this was so I looked it up. Turns out its' a grocery delivery service. Apparently you order your goods on line and they get delivered right to your door.
Wow,what a concept that is. Very convienent. So it set me to wondering if this will someday spell the end of the grocery store as we know it ? Would be cheaper for the company to not have to maintain a store. Don't need any cashiers or customer service people. Annoying customers can just be deleted. You could even program the computer to say,"may I help you" every time a customer logged on.
I guess that is progress but I think I would have liked shopping at Ralstons' store.