I’d say the “United States Controlled Prices” sign and it being wartime would prevent “dickering” the price of produce.

What I find interesting is that in that place and time it was considered appropriate to dicker over the price of fruit. Even my grandmother - bane of shopkeepers across the city, who never, ever paid retail - never dickered over groceries, that I knew.

If only all the commenters had waited an hour and twenty minutes, they could have seen the watermelons in the window of the shop in the very next post (https://www.shorpy.com/node/23715) as well as the sign advertising Water Mellon.

A misshapen watermelon like that won't make it to market these days, although I bet it tasted great. Nothing beats cold watermelon on a summer day!

Watermelons now resemble blimps: very ovoid, at least in the Deep South. I do remember them being more slender ages ago. The “green stripe” example, shown here, is still prized in Louisiana. We never worried about the seeds -- but if you ate one you were doomed!

The look on that young man's face is priceless.

[That young man is wearing a dress, because he's a girl. And that's a watermelon. I can't take you people anywhere! - Dave]

The trademark details define them as “frozen confections comprising a body composed of a frozen milk product and a coating of edible substance.” Where I come from, these were called Revels.

And what is that beast? A squash?

Just what is that fruit/vegetable?? I have no clue.