Remember Mail order catalogues?

[Compo 10,328]

This must be about mid/late 1960s:

[Beefsteak 305]

My Mum used to run a "Grattans" catalogue. The commision she earned took us on holiday each year!

[jackson 301]

Beef steak, well done to your mum; I bet she felt a great sense of achievement at being able to treat her family out of the money she'd earnt by running a catalogue.

For some women at home with young children during the 50's / 60's, running a catalogue was their only way of earning a bit of money for themselves; also it provided a bit extra to boost dad's wages.

It could also be considered a community thing where the person running a catalogue would loan it out to the neighbours as well as to members of their extended family. Goods would be ordered from a hefty, illustrated - attractive I might add - catalogue and when received and approved of would be paid for, so much a week.

I used to order my dresses occasionally and eagerly await their arrival. I must say I was never disappointed, the clothes I'd ordered were always of a good quality / satisfactory. If you were disappointed with any goods ordered, you could send them back but I never sent anything back.

I still have in my possession a Prestige stainless steel kitchen outfit; with a bit of care in polishing up, it would still look as good as new.

I suppose you could say that during a period of time, the Mail Order catalogue became almost like an accepted piece of the furniture in many a home. :smile:

[.... 23]

Found this brilliant piece on the subject a while ago and laughed like a drain! I showcased it on my blog!

http://stuartfrew.wordpress.com/2008/02/10/shopping-at-j-c-penney-1977/

Shopping at J C Penney

It’s very much a rarity that I use the words of others on this site. I attempt at all times to be original and present the world with my own particular (and sometimes skewed!) vision of it. Today though, I have no compunction in transgressing that policy, for the below is just comic genius. It’s by blogger, Johnny Virgil at :

http://15minutelunch.blogspot.com/2007/10/strap-in-shut-up-and-hold-on-were-going.html.

Read on to explore this writer’s little surprise delve into the fashions of 1977…

Last weekend I put an exhaust fan in the ceiling for my wife’s grandfather. While my wife’s brother and I were fitting the fan in between the joists, we found something under the insulation. What we found was this:

A JC Penney catalog from 1977. It’s not often blog fodder just falls in my lap, but holy hell this was two solid inches of it, right there for the taking.

I thumbed through it quickly and found my next dining room set, which is apparently made by adding upholstery to old barrels:

Also, I am totally getting this for my bathroom:

There’s plenty more home furnishings where those came from, however I’m not going to bore you with that. Instead, I’m going to bore you with something else. The clothes.

The clothes are fantastic. Here’s how to get your ass kicked in elementary school:

Just look at that belt. It’s like a boob-job for your pants. He probably needed help just to lift it into place. The belt loops have to be three inches long. And way to pull them up to your armpits, grandpa

Here’s how to get your ass kicked in high school:

This kid looks like he’s pretending to be David Soul, who is pretending to be a cop who is pretending to be a pimp that everyone knows is really an undercover cop. Who is pretending to be 15.

[.... 23]

More:

Here’s how to get your ass kicked on the golf course:

This “all purpose jumpsuit” is, according to the description, equally appropriate for playing golf or simply relaxing around the house. Personally, I can’t see wearing this unless you happen to be relaxing around your cell in D-block. Even then, the only reason you should put this thing on is because the warden made you, and as a one-piece, it’s slightly more effective as a deterrent against ass-rapery.

Here’s how to get your ass kicked pretty much anywhere:

If you look at that picture quickly, it looks like Mr. Bob “No-pants” Saget has his hand in the other guy’s pocket. In this case, he doesn’t, although you can tell just by looking at them that it’s happened – or if it hasn’t happened it will. Oh yes. It will. As soon as he puts down his matching coffee cup.

Here’s how to get your ass kicked at the beach:

He looks like he’s reaching for a gun, but you know it’s probably just a bottle of suntan lotion in a holster.

How to get your ass kicked in a meeting: If you wear this suit and don’t sell used cars for a living, I believe you can be fined and face serious repercussions, up to and including termination. Or imprisonment, in which case you’d be forced to wear that orange jumpsuit.

How to get your ass kicked in a meeting:

If you wear this suit and don’t sell used cars for a living, I believe you can be fined and face serious repercussions, up to and including termination. Or imprisonment, in which case you’d be forced to wear that orange jumpsuit.

How to get your ass kicked on every day up to and including St. Patrick’s Day:

Dear god in heaven, I don’t believe that color exists in nature. There is NO excuse for wearing either of these ensembles unless you’re working as a body guard for the Lucky Charms leprechaun.

[.... 23]

More:

In this next one, Your Search For VALUE Ends at Penneys.

As does your search for chest hair.

And this — Seriously. No words.

Oh wait, it turns out that there are words after all. Those words are What the… I’m guessing the snap front gives you quick access to the chest hair. The little tie must be the pull tab.

Also, judging by the sheer amount of matching his/hers outfits, I’m guessing that in 1977 it was considered pretty stylish for couples to dress alike. This couple look happy, don’t they?

And nothing showcases your everlasting love more than the commitment of matching bathing suits. That, and a blonde girl with a look on her face that says “I love the way you fight against that fabric.”

Then, after the lovin’, you can relax in your one-piece matching terry cloth jumpsuits:

I could go on, but I’m tired, and my eyes hurt from this trip back in time. I think it’s the colors. That said, I will leave you with these tasteful little numbers:

Man, that’s sexy.

[jackson 301]

Stu, who's a Genius then? :smile:

[Compo 10,328]

\snip\

I used to order my dresses occasionally and eagerly await their arrival. I must say I was never disappointed, the clothes I'd ordered were always of a good quality / satisfactory.\snip\

Did you buy dresses (or stretch nylon covers) like this one?

[katyjay 5,091]

I honestly can't remember mail order catalogues as I was growing up. Maybe nobody on our street had one for us to look through, the first time I remember them, was working in a big office, and there were always girls who were agents and ran the catalogue. In my youth, all our stuff that we had 'on tick' was with credit cheques from places like the 'big Co-op' that mam paid weekly for once we'd got our stuff.

[mick2me 3,033]

I bet those covers were dreadful as soon as they had been sat on a few times!

[Compo 10,328]

Nylon - they'd create loads of static and make your hair stand on end, I'll wager.

[mick2me 3,033]

They would if I was next to her on the sofa

[denshaw 2,878]

careful Mick.

[dgbrit 258]

My Mom ran a Traffords Cataloque with a crew of about six people if i remember correctly

Didnt get to see her much

I wouldnt say i was a latch key kid ,They wouldnt give me a key lol

[piggy and babs 544]

no cataloques at our house we used to have the tally man who came to the house broght what you wanted and paid him weekly my mum had two mr ashton who came friday nights for years he was a very nice man and i even had my own account for cloth with him when i was a teenager you either went to the wearhouse he used and picked what you wanted or he would bring you aselection to choose from at home and then paid him weekly till it was paid for and then get something else. and he would only let you have what he thought you could confortly afford to pay him back my mum used him for years untill he retiered the other one came on a saturday morning his name was ralph chambers and he worked for his mum and dads buisness i did not like him he was a real pervert and i would not answere the door to him if my mum dad or brother wernt there.

[.... 23]

Does anyone remember the Royal Welsh catalogue? Never hear of it anywhere but I think that's the one my mum had.

[mick2me 3,033]

The only one I can remember is Littlewoods.

There were several big ones. Do they still exist?

[Fynger 841]

John Noble ( barrys brother ( whos 1st name was John as well ) had one.

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

My Ex ran a couple of catalogues in the early 70's, I bought a Fidelity multi band radio out of one, identical to the Fidelity radio with the wood case on that cat page above, I still have it too!! At the time it was near top of the line.

When we got bored with TV we'd listen to the police on the FM band, there was still police traffic on the FM broadcast band back in those days.

[mick2me 3,033]

Traffic Police Transmissions were on AM, which could be heard reasonably clearly on an FM radio by tuning carefully.

They were towards the end of the FM domestic radio band around 152mhz.

Police Section radio, I remember picking up Canning Circus Police on my mates TV, He lived at the top of Derby Rd behind the Drill Hall. I now know the Transmissions were coming from Clifford Court. These were UHF transmissions and in those days were around 463Mhz.

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

Some of the police cars back then were on the normal FM broadcast band Mick, there was only one BBC station on FM back when we bought that radio, wasn't very long after, a year or two, the police dropped those frequencies.

They used the 50Mhz band over here for patrol cars, I don't know what year they dropped them. Now most public authorities use the "low or high" bands, ie below and above the 2 metre Ham bands.

[mudgie49 401]

I can remember looking at those as a kid,making for the toy pages.Was I the only kid that thought Co-op in town had a better selection on toys?

[Cliff Ton 10,525]

Was it always the wife of the house who ran the catalogue? I don't remember any examples of the male as the one who took the orders and ran the system.

We didn't have one, but it seemed nearly everyone else did. As others have said here, it was a big social event to take the catalogue around to the various other houses to let them pick something. Anything bought from the catalogue was regarded as being a bit special; not some run-of-the-mill item which you could've got from any old shop in town.

And it seems strange now that you could buy eg, a jacket, and then be paying for it for the next 12 weeks. Somehow you'd got a bargain.

Names that come back :-

Littlewoods

Freemans

John Moores

Grattans

Trafford

Kays

Empire

[Compo 10,328]

\snip\ I bought a Fidelity multi band radio out of one, identical to the Fidelity radio with the wood case on that cat page above, I still have it too!! At the time it was near top of the line. \snip\

It is a Fidelity Rad 18 with Marine Band - that the one? I once had the Rad 19 but I blew it up when I connected a Victor tanker battery to it as a power source!

[Beefsteak 305]

A Christmas Card / gift tags/ decorations etc , that my mum also ran (For the local Scout / Cobs troop), ie no profit for her) was "Webb Ivory". She was most glad when I gave up on the Scouts and went to the Air Training Corps instead !!