Retailer

Nostalgic Retail Series #4 - F.W. WOOLWORTH COMPANY

Going old school here. Founded in 1879, Woolworth’s sold general merchandise and was called “five and dime” because everything sold for 10 cents or less (the precursor to dollar stores and Five Below). By 1929, there were 2,250 stores.

“Despite its growing to be one of the largest retail chains in the world through most of the 20th century, increased competition led to its decline beginning in the 1980s, even while its sporting goods division grew.” [Wikipedia]

The chain went out of business in July 1997, when the company decided to shift its primary focus to sporting goods (Footlocker believe it or not - so named in 2001).

Woolworth’s name survived internationally, even though it had nothing to do with the U.S. company. Woolworths was an innovator and trendsetter that created many retail practices still in use today including merchandising strategies, direct purchasing, sales and customer service practices!

Sales Was Never the Warning Light

I walked into a Nordstrom Rack recently, and a large chunk of the front of the store was sealed off. It wasn't a remodel or a pop-up. It was boxes, stacked and waiting for pickup customers. That space is still in the denominator of the store'

𝐍𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 #60 - 𝐌𝐎𝐕𝐈𝐄 𝐆𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐑𝐘 + 𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐘𝐖𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐕𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐎

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢'𝘴 𝘕𝘰. 2 𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘢, 𝘈𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘮𝘢. If you grew up in a small Southern town, your video store was probably a Movie Gallery. Empty boxes on the wall, the tapes behind the counter, a bin of Sega and Nintendo games by the register, and a late fee waiting for you on Monday. In 1985,

Nostalgic Retail Series #59: W.T. GRANT

Grants sat somewhere between the five-and-dime and the department store. It had a Bradford House restaurant inside and Bradford brand electronics in the back. Near the end, the clerk at the register was told to hand you a credit application whether you asked for one or not. William

The Household Has a Rent Roll Too

In 2024 the average American household spent $1,993 on vehicle insurance and $1,985 on all apparel and services combined. Shoes, coats, work clothes, school clothes, alterations, dry cleaning, the whole category. Car insurance edged it out by eight dollars. That number comes from the BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey,

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Sales Was Never the Warning Light

𝐍𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 #60 - 𝐌𝐎𝐕𝐈𝐄 𝐆𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐑𝐘 + 𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐘𝐖𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐕𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐎

Nostalgic Retail Series #59: W.T. GRANT

The Household Has a Rent Roll Too