Only 75, and still growing
In a world of merchandising changes, in a world that no longer has the A&P, First National, Woolworth’s Five and Ten, Montgomery Ward, Kresge’s, Barney’s, Edwards—you name your favorite—the local Price Chopper Stores Supermarket chain and its allied Golub Corporation headquarters is continuing to the exact date of its birth, 75 years ago, on Nov. 17, 1932.
The specific celebration to note this history Saturday will be a Founders Day program at the Ben and Bill’s Deli at the Slingerlands Price Chopper at 1395 New Scotland Rd., from 11 to 1. The third and fourth generations of the family will be at the store to share reminiscences with customers and friends.
The 107-year saga of the Golub family in this nation started in 1900 when Lewis Golub left Bialystock in Russia for Ellis Island, the United States and Schenectady. His lunch room, then dairy store became a grocery warehouse. He merged with Joseph Grosberg in 1930.
Sons, Ben (Bernard) and Bill (William), opened an all-purpose market in Green Island in 1932 and expanded to Schenectady in 1933. With the name of Central Markets, in 1943 they bought out Grosberg and started an expansion period, which today under the guidance again of respective sons and cousins, Lewis and Neil, has reached 116 stores in six states. From possibly fewer than 20 employees (now called associates) 75 years ago, there now are more than 20,000.
The fourth generation of Golubs are:
Jerry and David, sons of Lewis; and Mona, daughter of Neil. Neil Golub is president and chief executive. His wife, Jane, is director of vendor marketing. Lewis, who now lives in Florida with his wife, Colleen, half the year, is chairman of the board. The younger two are vice presidents. Eight members of the board are not members of the family.
With the innovation of the 1930s that customers selected their own groceries, which had been popularized by independent groceries of the period, called IGAs, and now is the system almost everywhere, the Price Chopper chain has a history of these firsts:
The egg program, buying from local farmers, work with youth and 4-H Clubs, scanning prices at checkouts, introduction of its own brand on shelves, opening stores for 24 hours, issuing S & H green stamps (the stamps and rewards system seems a victim of history), a delivery direct to homes (pharmaceuticals still are), customer self-scanning, selling tickets for community events, boosting organic products, first in the ‘70s, and again in the last few years.
Of course, of special interest to the kosher-observant residents of this region was the establishment in 1990 of the kosher market section of the Central Avenue supermarket in Colonie. Arrangements continue for providing kosher meat for other stores in the chain.
This was not a first—but it ended a trend that presaged the end of what had been a flourishing kosher foods industry here. The last independent was Myer and Ethel Kagan’s market on Madison Avenue. Price Chopper rebuilt a section for meats and brought in Kagan to supervise.