With three branches, tens of thousands of products, and a robust clientele, who would believe that Kay’s Supermarket was once a small, struggling deli? Almost five decades after proprietor Avigdor Langberg took the helm, the iconic London establishment has morphed into a thriving modern supermarket. And yes, it still offers that old-time herring — along with a trademark personal touch.
With a computerized checkout system and multiple checkouts Kay’s of today is a far cry from the little deli of the past. But customers whose grandmothers bought their favorite candy here still check out at Mrs. Helen Langberg’s cash register (Photos: Mendel Photography)
Step inside Kay’s Supermarket and Delicatessen on Golders Green Road on a Thursday and you’re likely to find a curious sight. Three cashiers will be sitting at their cash registers serving a few customers while a long line of people snakes toward a single cash register manned by a dignified older woman. Somehow despite the advances of modern technology bar codes and scanners the long-time customers at Kay’s still seek out the personal touch of proprietor Mrs. Helen Langberg. “The ladies all line up telling me about their aches and pains ” she says. “They ask me about recipes how to stop the children crying at night — all sorts of things.”
Mr. Avigdor Langberg smiles. “The workers are all used to it already” he says. “They try encouraging the customers to move to the next till (cash register) but most of them say they’ll wait for my wife. She’ll remember to inquire after one customer’s knee replacement or the other’s einekel’s bar mitzvah.”
Nearly five decades after the Langbergs have taken the helm of the small Kay’s delicatessen growing it far beyond the original small confines they’ve managed to retain the personal touch that first gained them a following.
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