Grocer

“Al Baqqal” (Grocer) is the owner of the small neighborhood shop known as the essential source of daily groceries for the people of the area. In his modest store, he sold vegetables, fruits, legumes, and other basic items that every home depended on.

Grocer had deep knowledge of product quality; he could distinguish the fresh from the old, knew how to store items properly, and kept his goods in cloth bags or wooden boxes. He was more than a seller; he was a trusted figure, the memory of his customers, managing handwritten debt notebooks with care and offering credit to his neighbors.

Grocer shops were spread across Baghdad’s alleys and popular markets, often family-run. Grocers relied on traditional scales like the two-pan balance and used copper or iron weights to measure goods precisely. Products were sold by the kilo or ratl, depending on the item.

Despite modern developments, the Grocer still exists in Baghdad’s neighborhoods though in new forms. Yesterday’s small shop has grown into larger grocery stores, supermarkets, and hypermarkets, and some even operate through mobile apps. Yet the image of the traditional Grocer remains alive in memory with his debt ledger, cloth bags, and old-fashioned scales.