Comments on: Cheryl St.John: Mail Order Merchandise

By: Patricia Barraclough

Patricia Barraclough — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 01:52:59 +0000

Animals are shipped in the mail all the time. My daughter received chicks. She and my husband work at the post office. People bring in roosters to mail all the time. Tadpoles and fish are shipped also.

By: Charlene Sands

Charlene Sands — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 15:42:13 +0000

Hi Cher – Oh, I’d heard the Sears had started to call Mongomery Wards, Monkey Wards and that’s how that old addage came to be. It was a way of disparaging them. I wondeer if that’s true. As kids, we all called it Monkey Wards, but in a fun-loving way because we all shopped there.

And we STILL have $1 stores!!

I love online shopping!!

By: Martha Lawson

Martha Lawson — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 01:29:17 +0000

I had a 1912 or thereabouts MW catalog at my library, and I was amazed at the prices! Much less all the things you could buy thru the mail! I used to eagerly await the Sears Xmas book every year, it was the thing. Heard today, on the radio our local Sears is closing its doors, sad.

By: Sue

Sue — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 20:43:44 +0000

MW & S/R were studied really hard (especially the Christmas ones) to decide which toys we really wanted or which Easter dress we liked best. After the final choice was made it would be a big disappointment if we got a refund because it was out of stock.

Live plants are the most adventurous things I have ever ordered by mail. I had to plant them in the mud when they arrived because we were leaving for a few days when they finally got to me.

Very interesting post.

By: Tracy Garrett

Tracy Garrett — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 17:12:18 +0000

Cheryl, this is an excellent piece! I’m with Karen – I thought Sears & Roebuck was first. Interesting that they both started out of Chicago.