For many youngsters (and for many adults, for that matter), going to the grocery store was not exactly the most interesting of experiences. After all, it's hard to get enthusiastic over aisles of canned beans, frozen vegetables, and bathroom cleaners. But there was one section of the supermarket that many people, young and old, viewed more enthusiastically, and that was the Brach's Pick-A-Mix display.
Brach's introduced its Pick-A-Mix in 1958, borrowing the concept from the penny candy sections of drugstores and the candy barrels of the general stores of old. Customers could select their own mix of candies and bag them, and the price would be based on the weight of the bag, not the individual candies. Brach's had quite a few varieties to choose from, including Jelly Nougats, Starlight Mints, Butterscotch Disks, Starlight Mints, Neapolitan Coconut Squares, Royals in various flavors like Orange, Vanilla and Maple, Perkys (jelly candy squares covered in colored sugar), and Caramel Creams (sometimes called "Bulls-eyes" or "Bullies" for short). With Pick-A-Mix, each family member could select the varieties of candy they liked best, whether it be an entire bag of one kind of candy, evenly split among all the varieties available, or something in between.
As a child, my favorites were the Neapolitan Squares and the Royals, with the Caramel Creams not far behind. For some reason, I did not like the Jelly Nougats, although they did grow on me more with time.
Brach's Pick-A-Mix displays can still be found in some supermarkets. Some of the varieties of candy in them are the same ones offered many years ago, while others are new additions. It's interesting that a concept launched almost 60 years ago is still going strong today. But then again, most everyone loves candy!
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