Interesting history! I love these historical trips back along the road of consumerism and culture. I am not sure why I am so fascinated with it because I lean much more to minimalism and savings rather than consumerism and shopping.

Right now, i am re-reading a book published in 1994 called Fables of Abundance by Jackson Lears. He traces the role of advertising in consumerism and our society. It is fascinating.

So thank you for posting this. I really appreciated it not just because of my interest in the general subject matter but also because I grew up in the era (1950s-1970s) where so much of this change took place. Holidays began to be different. Black Friday moved from a nineteenth-century stock market crash to the retail captive role it is today.

In a way, it has also helped to shape our attention spans and the wasteful habits that are killing our planet today. Why wait and move product along at a pace that provides and proves a market when one can think it, make it, market it and trash it in the retail equivalent of a millisecond. The latter is likely a big part of all the discontent people feel regardless of how much or how often they shop.

So much to learn and so riveting to learn it.

Even though I was young, I could definitely sense a change, or flip of a switch, when Martha Stewart became famous. You started to see this move towards over the top decorating, specially with outside Christmas decorating and a feeling of neighbor trying to outshine neighbor. Not sure if Martha was solely to blame or it most likely coincided with new marketing communication/distribution channels and created a template for consumerism.

I'm another one who is fascinated by all things consumer, advertising, retail, lifestyle. I mean lifestyle as in way of life, before it became a buzzword for decor or affluence.

I really enjoyed your post about how long it took and how retail operated back then. I'm a bit older than you, ( born 1953) and I grew up in NYC. We definitely had our small neighborhood stores but also department stores.

So nice to see other people enjoy this topic as well. I' have read a lot on the topic but one book in particular really stands out. IT's about the advertising industry (and politics too) link--->

The Hidden Persuaders by Vance Packard published in 1957.

I saw this and had to save a copy of the article:

Now we don't think twice about losing a pin or a needle, but women in the 1800s couldn't just go buy a new needle, especially on the frontier. They stored their needles in boxes and may only own one needle or maybe 3 or 4 for different types of sewing, but they were precious commodities.

Ooh, I'll have to get The Hidden Persuaders from the library! Thanks for the recommendation.

By the way, if you have access to the New York Times they had a recent article on a new consumer trend that relies on social media to grow. Called "They Got to Live a Life of Luxury. Then Came the Fine Print.," it is a focus on companies that offer a Buy Now, Pay Later method of shopping that works for everything from a sandwich to vacations:

Affirm is one of several companies lending money to customers through a “Buy Now, Pay Later” model: Users make a fractional payment on a purchase while postponing the rest of the balance for several weeks, or sometimes even months or years. Under this delay-pay system, the lender typically scoops 2 to 9 percent of each transaction from the retailer, while the customer gets to enjoy her wares right away instead of having to wait until she’s paid them off in full, as was the case with layaway plans of decades past. When the time comes to cough up on an installment, the lender plucks the money automatically from the user’s linked financial account. Though B.N.P.L.s advertise “interest free” financing, the interest rate on longer-term plans can go as high as 36 percent; when payments fail to go through, late fees also pile up.

For those interested in the topic, it really is a wonderful and horrifying read, not a new credit practice but a new variation of it, enhanced and amplified by social media.

Very interesting. I'm not into consumerism but I love learning about how people lived "back in the day". So who among us has a darning needle and furthermore, uses it to repair worn out socks? Life is so easy now for so many people but you can understand why someone would have wanted household help back when we didn't have all the modern conveniences we have now.

Jennifer your story about the non-stick pans reminded me of this:

Many years ago I was at the Marshall Field's store (remember them?) on State Street in Chicago. They had a kitchen wares section in the lower level and I was in line to pay for something. The older gentleman in front of me was buying a Calphalon skillet as a gift for someone, and I remember that it rang up at about $150. He turned around to me and said, "My first car cost less than that!" I hope the recipient enjoyed the gift!

@salonva I'll look for that book! I spent most of my career in marketing, and I find it so interesting to hear how things used to be marketed. I was asked once to create a presentation on health claims made in advertising and how those have changed. I found an almost alarming number of old ads saying that doctors and dentists recommend certain cigarette brands.

"So who among us has a darning needle and furthermore, uses it to repair worn out socks?"

I have a sewing kit and much to my husband's amazement, sewed a button on a shirt recently. One would have thought I started speaking a foreign language out of nowhere, he was so shocked.

However, I have never darned a sock but I remember my dad talking about darning his socks in the Army back in the 60s.

I have my Mother's sewing basket that my oldest brother's wife gave to her one Christmas. My Mom wasn't a great seamstress because her Mother and her sisters all were. Also the lady that helped her with us and the house was an incredible seamstress. Anyway there are still all her spools of thread and her silver thimbles, scissors and many buttons. Prices are on the outside of many packets of things which is wonderful to see.

I am not a seamstress at all and can barely thread a needle because of poor depth perception ( near/far contacts) but I decided to take several finely woven wool sweaters that had developed holes from moths and wear and tear. One sweater was riddled with at least 100 places. I mended every single one. It took days of doing 10 or so and then quitting. I still can't believe I did it or that they turned out so well. They are all black so the tiny tiny stiches taken with fine thread from the backside don't even show. The one with SO MANY holes had an allover open weave so the many areas don't show either. It was definitely a meditation exercise and helped me get through somethings .

Guess this was a long unholy story made longer. :) c

I had a sewing class in middle/high school. Over the school year I made a dress (something an Amish girl would have loved!) and a giant stuffed polar bear (at least 3 ft long). I know we sewed a few other things, but those are the two I remember.

My mother was very good with the sewing machine, so I learned how to use one. When I was little she made clothing with a friend and they sold some of it. I have a sewing machine, but haven't used it for many years.

"So who among us has a darning needle and furthermore, uses it to repair worn out socks?"

I have a darning needle, as well as my maternal grandmother's "darning egg". And yes, i have darned socks. (But none in the last 30 years!)

My grandmother taught me to sew, starting with embroidery at about age 4, and on her Singer machine when I was about 5. I loved all the time I spent with her.,

As I got older, my mother much preferred cooking, so I got to do all the sewing.

Through high school, I made most of my own clothes. Since then, I've sewn everything from men's suits to wedding gowns to home decor (drapes, etc.).

I still love fabric, but the cost savings isn't there for most things anymore.

I had a few special pieces that I kept through the years, and recently, a couple of my granddaughters excitedly took them to wear, as "they're back in style"!!

Im a teacher. Granted in B.C. Canada but I do sewing with my students and all three of my kids did sewing in high school in Grade 8. So it’s all still out there for anyone who wants to stick with it and learn basic skills.

"I found an almost alarming number of old ads saying that doctors and dentists recommend certain cigarette brands."

You must not be a Mad Men fan. LOL!

Ah, Mary Elizabeth, I am just like you, except that I still love to sew and do a lot of it. Over the years I’ve sewn my three daughters’ wedding gowns, prom dresses for them and granddaughters, business apparel, made almost all my own tops and jackets, curtains, etc etc. Never made a man’s suit, though, but quite a few shirts for hub and sons. Now I make matching pajamas for our 11 grandchildren every Christmas, even though the oldest is a college graduate-she still loves it.

You’re absolutely correct that there are no more cost savings now, but it’s my gig 🤗

My children went to a Quaker school for 3rd and 4th and they all had to sew! My DH sews buttons. My father used to sew, and weave rugs; his mother was a talented seamstress who made us winter coats, DR drapes, and at one time ran a brassiere factory in Jamaica!

@Sheeshie, oh wow! So great you made your daughters' wedding gowns! And I love the Christmas pjs for all the grands!

I did make red flannel drop seat footed pj's for my husband, myself and our 5 boys for Christmas one year - maybe 1987?

@mtnrdredux_gw - I tried sewing lingerie once! So glad they have ready made for all that!

My grandmother used to knit argyle socks for my father--I can still see the bits of yarn wrapped around something that dangled from the color triangles--and she darned them too.

My mom and my aunts used to sit and watch a movie every evening while they sewed or did needlework. I was the only one of the 6 kids who had any interest in learning to sew. I like sewing, but don't have enough time to do everything, so my sewing is limited to repairs right now. In the past I have made outfits for kids, men's shirts and ties, barbie doll clothing, rag dolls, stuffed toys, bedding, curtains, shower curtains . . .

I retire next spring and plan on reupholstering a sofa, making something for myself with a length of fabric I fell in love with and bought without knowing what it will end up being and I just bought some coverlets from Overstock that I am going to make into covers for each section of my sectional sofa.

I own several darning needles. I haven't repaired a sock properly in a looooong time. But I do use them to repair knitted and crocheted things, some types of weaving, and the occasional threading ribbons into hair. I do a lot of different crafty stuff, so I have a pretty large array of needles.

I've gotten back into sewing more stuff. Mostly because I can't find what I want. Sometiimes it's surprisingly simple. Basic cotton nightgown, lightweight terry bathrobe.. so much of it is luxe, plush, has poly in it. More often it's because I want something different, and got a fabric stash.

Something I've noticed from when I was a kid is how we decorate for holidays, like today. Happy Halloween! I remember stuff getting boxed up and put away for next year, sometimes getting something new. Now it seems like every holiday, every year, one is supposed to be out with the old and buy a whole new round of decor.

There was a time when I sewed on a button or two and then I discovered the Buttoneer.

My mom and sister were very good at sewing; I tried when younger but had no patience. When I was pregnant with my oldest (she's now 29) it was harder to find inexpensive maternity clothes, so after spending way too much at A Pea In The Pod, I decided to buy some fabric and sew some maternity clothes. Ha ha ha! Those were still unfinished when my SECOND kid was born 2+ years later!

Both my kids had sewing in middle school and made quilts. My son ended up taking his home to finish (he was probably goofing around in class.) All he had left were a couple straight lines of stitches. He had the peddle of the sewing machine floored! I could swear there was smoke coming out of it. He got it done without stitching his finger to the quilt, so I'll take that as a win.

@beesneeds Like you, I box all my holiday decor and pull it out every year. I only buy new stuff if I find something really special, and I love the memories that go along with all the old stuff.

Many years ago, Costco sold apples in plastic cartons with big round compartments; like an egg carton but big enough for apples. Those are perfect for storing round ornaments!

Since I live alone and don't get or give many Christmas gifts, but enjoy the look of gifts under the tree, I have collected beautifully decorated boxes and place those under my tree. I use the same decor year in year out.

I actually need to go through all the Christmas stuff I have and get rid of 1/2 of it. I have collected far more than I can use without my home looking like the Christmas Department at Macy's.

For Halloween, autumn and Christmas decorating I use the tried-and-true method. I actually loathe Halloween so I only have a small nod to it, a kind of miniature haunted house/stark trees vignette that I found at Home Depot pre-Covid. I painted it and added plenty of dirt and my putka pod "pumpkins" around the gravestones, houses and trees and filled it in with some dirty and torn cheesecloth to make it a bit more creepy. I also have a small crystal vase filled with black (faux) roses and a small black-and-white pumpkin.

But autumn, yes, auturm, is a lot of pumpkins, real and faux, and wheat and other things. Christmas is tree-centered vignettes on tables and counters and stuff.

All of it was purchased or inherited a while ago. I think the last time I bought something other than a live pumpkin was at least four years ago, maybe as many as ten years ago. I enjoy browsing various websites from Neiman Marcus to Target but there is nothing that compels me to buy. I am content with what I have because it brings me so much joy. The frantic marketing that defines this time of year (more than any other) is lost on me. I am just not interested--and I don't bother even with my formerly favorite thrift store.

I took all the kid’s handmade school decorations and divided them up between the two , they each got some with their sweet brother Garett to remember him. I gave all my other beautiful decorations to my DD as my son and DIL weren’t interested. My DD entertains a lot so they get appreciated. I only have my wreaths that I used in AL as part of our Victorian Porch Tour . I only put those up. No tree anymore. I have an antique Weihnachts 4 tier candle holder Nativity scenes we bought in Germany in 1988. I light that. We never entertain anymore.