catalogs to wish books j. burns. remember? mail order in the us first catalog-er in us who solicited...
TRANSCRIPT
Catalogs to Wish Books
J. Burns
Remember?
Mail Order in the US
• First catalog-er in US who solicited orders through the mail?
• Montgomery Ward?• Sears?• LL Bean?• Of course, who else
could it be?
• In 1744, Franklin created the first catalog, which sold scientific and academic books.
• Hammacher Schlemmer is the oldest surviving mail order business, founded in 1848, but didn’t produce a catalog until 1881.
• Aaron Montgomery Ward produced his first catalog in 1872.
• Richard Sears and Alvah Roebuck founded Sears and Roebuck, publishing first catalog in 1888.
• Because they could buy large quantities directly from manufacturers and eliminate the middle men, Ward and Sears could offer many more products at much cheaper prices.
• Rural people now had access to a whole new world of goods, for home and farm, everything from clothes and books to medicines and veterinary supplies.
From the 1870s to 1950s and beyond,
• Rural families depended on catalogs to supplement what they bought from peddlers and general stores.
Starting in the Mid 1800s, urban went from General to Department
• Stores were large, multi-floors with different goods on each floor
• Each department had clerks, and customers could handle and sect merchandise
• The first in US was The Marble Palace in NYC
• 1846 Marble Palace, NYC
• 1852 Marshall Field’s, Chicago
• 1858 Macy’s, NYC• 1867, Rich’s, Atlanta• 1877 Wannamaker’s,
Philadelphia• 1881 Hudson’s, Detroit
Mr. Bean Goes Shopping