Although it appears to be a shop mainly for the well-heeled, I have seen plenty of men in blue overalls standing alongside managing directors in suits in the queue, takeaway lunches in hand, at the deli counter .
Charles Henry Thrupp opened his store at the corner of Eloff and President streets in central Johannesburg in 1892. It moved to Rosebank in the late 1960s and then in 1993 took up its present location as the main tenant in the Thrupps Illovo Centre.
General manager Alec Dunlop has some black-and-white photographs of the first premises on his wall. Men in hats pose in front of the shop. There is a woman with a pram, and perhaps she turned to rock the child because her face and bonnet are blurred. The delivery men pose off to one side. This was the age of shop attendants behind counters, such as in the "fancy" department, where the canned goods were kept.
Mike Mantz, the man "in charge of the food", shows me around the shop. We start at the hot deli, which serves about 1?000 people a day. There are chicken frikkadels, chicken thighs, kebabs, lamb chops, roast potatoes and roast butternut. At the antipasto section, you can buy small tubs of chakalaka (R6.30).
Mantz says: "You can't eat takeaways like Steers every day." He says the deli makes healthy food and there is no deep fryer in the shop. Everything is made "from scratch", including all the goods in the bakery.
Besides the array of cold meats, the cheese counter has products from all over the world: the delicious Manchego from Spain (R53 for 100g), Greek kefalotyri (R19.70 for 100g), English Stilton (R86 for 100g) and the extraordinary French reblochon (R204.99 for 100g).
The fantastically expensive truffles get their own glass display cabinet. R555.99 will get you 100g of chopped black truffles, or there is a 400g tin of truffle juice – useful for flavouring risotto – for R776.99.
Thrupps stocks – at the last count – about 30 000 products. The list is endless: rabbits, surprisingly thin without their skin and fur, curled up in vacuum bags (R119.99/kg) and local pheasants for R156.99/kg. There is duck breast, and duck leg confit (R170.99/kg) as well as something you're unlikely to run into in a Woolies aisle – meaty frogs legs – poised midway in a perpetual breaststroke kick (R414.99/kg).
Condiments have their own aisle. Some that I have found useful include sambal manis (a sweet chilli sauce), chermoula (the North African marinade) and harissa (a spicy chilli sauce). There are more vinegars and oils than you can shake a salad spoon at, including the excellent range of Rozendal vinegars (R95.89), which come in lavender, green tea, fynbos and hibiscus flavours.
Never having walked down the toiletries and cleaning products aisle (there is a special on washing powder, by the way), I was surprised to find scented, coloured toilet paper. Apparently black is the most popular. It is much more expensive than regular white toilet paper (R67.99 for a six-pack) and, according to Mantz, this is because it is stained with a special dye that won't, as he diplomatically puts it, "cause health issues".
Dunlop says he has seen a trend towards healthier and organic foods. Products known as "super foods" are also a recent phenomenon, such as baobab powder (R108.79). This is stirred into smoothies and contains antioxidants and essential minerals.
These days, customers are also demanding different cuts of meat. Fillet on the bone is a big thing, as well as exotic herbs and spices such as the Middle Eastern sumac.
During my tour, Dunlop was approached by a sweet old woman whom he addressed as "Blackie". She wanted to know when he was going to order Buchanan's Liquorice Toffees – especially for her. After some reassurances she walked off, as the saying goes, a happy customer.
Thrupps Illovo Centre, corner of Oxford and Rudd roads, Illovo