Cost of Membership

Membership into Rainbow Stores began in 1928. Local groceries were contacted and asked to join. The initial membership was in the form of a deposit. In the early years that deposit was $50. That is a $700 value in today's economy. The member signed a contract and was assigned a number. That number would correspond to a decal the store owner could place on the front window of his grocery. Below are images with links to the documents for the first member store, Broadway Market (Parducci, Menconi), 392 Broadway, San Francisco.

About 1936, the contract changed and members were required to make a $125 deposit (about $2,200 in today's currency).

All deposits were returned to all members if there were no outstanding bills. When the company finally closed its doors, all remaining businesses were sent checks in the amount of their initial deposit . . . even those who had been members since 1928.

The Grocer’s Answer Book Traverso Archives provides concise information for the provision dealer. Three hundred twenty-one grocery related questions and answers in the following twenty-one categories: canned fish and shellfish, canned fruits, canned milk, canned soups, canned vegetables, canned goods—general, cereals and beans, cocoa and chocolate, coffee, cooking oils, dried fruits, flavoring extracts, flour, honey, macaroni and kindred products, nuts and nut products, olives, pickles and kraut, preserves, salt fish, spices, sugar, syrups and molasses, tea, vinegar, how to prepare brine, miscellaneous, holiday items, and when to expect good news. From “What kind of cheese is the cheese known as American cheese?” and “How does coffee grow?” to “The labels of some food products state that the article is prepared with sulphur dioxide. What is the function of sulphur dioxide?” and “When may new goods of Apple Cider, Catsup, Cranberries, Maple Sugar, Maple Syrup, and Olive Oil be expected on the market?”

8 July 1943 | Office of War Information - Office of Price Administration