>>1587812I was mostly joking, but...
Back in the day they'd haul the stuff with carts, either pushed by a man or two, pulled by a horse, or with a primitive light motorized vehicle.
Bigger department stores, market-halls, and markets sometimes had their own rail spurs where goods could be delivered directly in bulk, straight to their storeroom. Of course, this was the time before "just-in-time" logistics, too, so most goods providers actually HAD storage space, therefore not being in need of constant resupplying for most things, reducing overall traffic.
Also, the average shop at the time tended to be smaller, more specialized, and quite local. They were also spread out quite evenly across a city, so the volume of things which needed to hauled to a single shop was similarly smaller, spreading out the total load.
