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Catalog Shopping
Posted by:
Kchi
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Date: June 20, 2011 12:58PM
Does anybody remember being able to go to places like McDades,First or Advance Catalog stores or even Sears on Homan, where you were able to place catalog orders and wait for the orders to be filled? Memories of the anticiaption of watching the packages come down on the conveyor belts. No shipping no waiting for deliveries almost instant gratification.
Re: Catalog Shopping
Posted by:
StrayKitten
(66.28.242.---)
Date: June 20, 2011 01:05PM
Also, Service Merchandise was like that!
Re: Catalog Shopping
Posted by:
Kchi
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Date: June 20, 2011 01:18PM
I think I also remember a places called Bell.
Re: Catalog Shopping
Posted by:
Jayg
(---.hsd1.il.comcast.net)
Date: May 26, 2013 03:30AM
I worked for the Sears catalog division at Midway in the 70s. When I started you could put in a paper order in the morning and have it ready for pickup in the afternoon,even if it came from another warehouse like Homan ave. Around 1972 they computerized their operation,it then took a minimum of 3 days to get your order.
Re: Catalog Shopping
Posted by:
Chipast
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Date: May 27, 2013 11:49PM
I DO remember going to Advance Sales on N.Milwaukee long ago.
Re: Catalog Shopping
Posted by:
the_mogra
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Date: April 17, 2015 11:52AM
yes, I remember shopping at all those aforenamed 'catalog' stores. they usually published yearly catalogs that described w/ pictures all they sold, but the item discounted price was contained in the bottom line and 'coded', a kind of gimmick so customers could imagine they were paying close to wholesale prices.
big Allied Radio @ 100 N. Western was certainly a kind of catalog store, you'd look up a part number (of whatever electronic device you wanted to buy) write it down on a form and wait until one of their wire baskets that traveled through their stock rooms brought it to the pick-up counter maybe in 45 mins? A contemporary version goes on @ McMaster-Carr in elmhurst
And excuse me for repeating but I've been trying to recall the name of another catalog store downtown on (north side of) Lake St east of Wells, that was a great place to look up and buy your Lionel Train accessories @ discount (this's mid-'60s)
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/17/2015 11:54AM by the_mogra.
big Allied Radio @ 100 N. Western was certainly a kind of catalog store, you'd look up a part number (of whatever electronic device you wanted to buy) write it down on a form and wait until one of their wire baskets that traveled through their stock rooms brought it to the pick-up counter maybe in 45 mins? A contemporary version goes on @ McMaster-Carr in elmhurst
And excuse me for repeating but I've been trying to recall the name of another catalog store downtown on (north side of) Lake St east of Wells, that was a great place to look up and buy your Lionel Train accessories @ discount (this's mid-'60s)
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/17/2015 11:54AM by the_mogra.
Re: Catalog Shopping
Posted by:
southwestsiderlaredo
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Date: April 20, 2015 02:19AM
After doing a dogpile search on "all nation hobby shop" , there was a catalog found at an estate sale and listed 182 North LA SALLE Street as the catalogu store location, this was in the 1960's, this shop relocated to West Madison in the 70's. COuld this be the one you are referring to for the Lionel.
Re: Catalog Shopping
Posted by:
the_mogra
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Date: April 20, 2015 12:18PM
no, the one i'm thinking of would've had a different name, was on the s-side of lake st in the shadow of the elevated.
plus the big hobby shop on madison jusr west of wells I went to in 1967
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/20/2015 12:49PM by the_mogra.
plus the big hobby shop on madison jusr west of wells I went to in 1967
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/20/2015 12:49PM by the_mogra.
Re: Catalog Shopping
Posted by:
southwestsiderlaredo
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Date: April 22, 2015 01:15AM
the all nation hobby flyer shown above in the post, is shown with an address of 182 north lasalle, which is just south of lake and east of wells. was there yet another shop which featured lionel in that area?
Re: Catalog Shopping
Posted by:
southwestsiderlaredo
(---.dsl.emhril.sbcglobal.net)
Date: April 22, 2015 01:27AM
Ben's Hobby Shop (advertised in Popular Mechanics) for trains, airplanes, at 72 West Washington (this would be several blocks south of Lake, and east of Wells)
Re: Catalog Shopping
Posted by:
the_mogra
(---.hfc.comcastbusiness.net)
Date: April 22, 2015 11:54AM
if ever again I bump into my old childhood friend Ernie V. he'll surely remember the name of the store on lake st that i've been referring to. but if I've termed it a 'hobby store' per se then I must modify my claim, that is it sold Lionel Trains and at a good discount but it may've really been a catalog discount store (which's after all the thread topic) that did a lot with model trains.
Re: Catalog Shopping
Posted by:
Elaine W
(192.175.17.---)
Date: April 27, 2015 10:35PM
mogra--I wonder if the place you're thinking of was Vaughn's Toy Store (or Vaughan's?). I've been trying to remember exactly where it was located downtown. I know it was west of State and north of Washington (that is, west of all the department stores on State, and north of the public library--now cultural center--on Washington) but I don't recall exactly where. It could have been on Lake Street. My recollection of Vaughn's was that it had three floors, and each specialized in a different thing. One floor was toys, including model trains; another was pet supplies and small pets (like parakeets); and I don't remember what the third was.
