Stores began selling fresh produce and meat. Chains had a produce rack which her father's store lacked. Not long after the appearance of chain grocery stores, larger produce and fruit markets also began to appear. “That started to take away some of our business.” People could buy in larger quantities at lower prices. Her father paid more because “his merchandise was more select.” “Multiple sales”--six items for 25 cents, for example--began appearing too, and were popular. “Dad couldn't compete with that.” After the 1929 stock market crash, more people bought on credit. “I said to Dad, 'You aren't going to be able to pull through this.'” “I said, 'I'd rather go to work and see a paycheck at the end of the week.'” This “hurt his pride.” He decided to close the store he had operated for about ten years. It closed in 1930. She began work at A & P; her father returned to working for the railroad. “We enjoyed what we were doing. We enjoyed the years that we had in the store. But when competition came, then it was an entirely different situation. He just couldn't compete with it.” Chain store brands especially hurt. Customers complained because his prices were so much higher. “I just couldn't stand that anymore.”
