Super Shoppers
BY JOHN SUMMERS
t’s almost gift giving way. Local folk would pick based Piggly-Wiggly grocery
time. With the holidays them, choose the items store chain. The owner
upon us, it might be they wanted, and send their of the company, Sylvan
Iinteresting to look at orders back via the railroad Goldman, added two wire
the concept of modern day or postal delivery. A rancher baskets and wheels to a fold-
“shopping.” living in a “soddie” on ing chair!
the Wyoming plains could
We begin with the depart- have a new plow or sewing The first automated sliding
ment store. Let’s go back machine in rapid time, just door came from Horton
to the1870s when most like city dwellers. Automatics in Corpus
historians today argue as to Christi, Texas. That was
who really hatched the idea. A “key” invention in shop- 1960. It used what the
Was it John Wanamaker’s ping concepts was the first company referred to as a
“Grand Depot,” a six- working mechanical cash “mat actuator.” And from
story Philadelphia institu- register brought to us by the Silicon Valley came the
tion, or New York City’s James Ritty. The year was modern solution to one of
Bloomingdale brothers, 1884. the supermarket industry’s
Lyman and Joseph? Perhaps oldest problems: stolen
it came about through the In 1895, a Philadelphia shopping carts. Inventor
efforts of Chicago’s legend- pharmacist named Asa George Cokely, who gave us
ary Marshall Field. Candler came up with the the Pet Rock, developed the
idea of coupons. He’d “Stop Z-Cart.” It’s a simple
As we trace the develop- recently bought the Coca- concept ... a shopping cart
ment it’s known that John Cola Company from the wheel holds a device con-
Wanamaker created the original inventor, Dr. John taining a chip and some
white sale, the money- Pemberton, an Atlanta electronics. When the cart’s
back guarantee, price tags, pharmacist. Candler put rolled a certain distance
and the first in-store eat- coupons in newspapers for away from its home store,
ery. This leads us to the a free Coke from any drug the cart owners are notified
mail order catalog. Aaron store fountain location, to right away.
Montgomery Ward sent out help push his new bubbly
his first in 1872, for his mail soft drink. And of course, today’s
order business in Chicago. online shopping makes
Montgomery Ward had The next big “thing” in it even easier to get
worked for Marshall Field’s shopping was the shopping those items we want
Department Store as a store center, shopping plaza, or so badly. So, as you’re
clerk and traveling sales- shopping mall. It was mere- out and about this
man. During his sales trips ly the modern adaptation of Christmas season,
he realized rural custom- the historical marketplace. running up your
ers could be better served The year was 1922 when credit card
by the revolutionary idea the J.C. Nicholls Company balance, be
of mail order. This, tied to built Kansas City, Missouri’s sure to give
America’s rapidly develop- Country Club Plaza. The a word of thanks to John
ing railroad system, made first enclosed facility, called Biggins of the Flatbush
it an instant success. He’d Southdale, opened near National Bank in Brooklyn.
John Summers can be heard
place his free catalogs on Minneapolis in 1956. It He brought us the first bank-
weekdays from 5 am to 10 am
trains bound for every sec- might be worth mention- issued “Charge-It” credit
on KHTS AM-1220 radio
tor of the growing nation. ing here that the common card in 1946.
They would be dropped shopping cart was invented
off in towns along the in 1936 by the Oklahoma-
44 Canyon Country Magazine November 2008
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