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Part 2 of '100 years of retailing at W.M. Craig and Co., The Peoples Store'.
2 December 1898
Olds NWT Canada

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W.M.Craig & Co. "The Peoples Store" was a typical general store of the 1900's served the needs of the community. It had groceries, hardware, dry goods, and you could even order your first car. Folks bought all their supplies by the bulk. A grocery list could consist of 1200 lbs. of flour and 460 lbs. of sugar. There was no store bought bread in those times.
According to Norman Craig "the store acted as a banker and a wholesaler as well as the retail side. The customers would bring in their crops to pay for the credit they had for the year. There were huge storage sheds in the back. The store would then ship the crop to Calgary and get the credit or cash they needed for the transaction. The store was the lifeblood of commerce in the area. They were the bankers, and the brokers for the settlers. The store was only paid once a year with the settler's goods, and the settlers had a year's line of credit with the store."