SUPERMARKETS AND SHOPPING CENTRES
Below is a video from Channel 7 Flashback series, looking at high rise shopping in Brisbane in the 1970's...
This is a primary American source informative video, which clearly demonstrates the similarities between American and Australian shopping culture in the 1950's...
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The consumerist ideals of the American culture were a huge influence in Australia, particularly in the 1950’s and 1960’s, and resulted in a change of Australian shopping habits. This time period marked the introduction of supermarkets and shopping centres into the Australian way of life, which subsequently changed the way Australians shopped. Prior to the introduction of supermarkets, small local stores were the only way for Australians to buy all their food needs. Specialists such as the butcher for meat, baker for bread, greengrocer for fresh produce, were all part of the weekly shop (Pearson History, 2014). By the mid 1960’s supermarkets and shopping centres were common features all around suburban Australia. Bailey Matthew (2007), a postgraduate from the University of Newcastle, describes pre-planned shopping centres as “Based on American models… they followed a long history of retail development that had culminated in two dominant forms of commodity distribution – the department store and the supermarket.” The convenience of having a broad range and every shopping facility under one roof was extremely popular and tapped into the affluent post-war society in Australia (Skwirk, 2014). Australian shopping habits were changing at the realization of this American practicality. As a result of this the Australian identity and culture was changing because Australians began to adopt a more Americanized consumerist lifestyle, in terms of the way they received and purchased products. The eating habits of Australian were also changing in the 1960’s. Frozen dinners and pre-prepared foods, which were readily available at these supermarkets, were extremely popular (Pearson History, 2013). Reasons for this was the ease of it all and the fact that women, who were now more prominent figures in the workforce, could also balance the stereotypical task of cooking dinner on a time-poor schedule (Skwirk, 2014). Fast food was another one of the biggest American influences that changed the way Australians ate. Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) opened its doors in 1968, followed by McDonalds in 1971 (Osborn, 2006). Today, it is almost impossible to drive through any suburban area without seeing a supermarket, shopping centre or fast food outlet. Shopping centres, supermarkets, fast food and department stores are a direct response to consumer demand, supplying a wide variety of consumer goods and creating economic growth for the suburbanized culture in Australia (Matthew, 2007). The consumerist culture of America has been replicated in Australia because of the nations continued desire and demands to keep up with popular culture, and therefore has increased the popularity of American influenced products. Australia’s national identity and culture has changed since the introduction of the American consumerist ideals, and has adopted many more Americanized lifestyle choices into the Australian way of life.
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