It is often said that at the turn of the century the
Sears Catalog had become one of the two books that rural folks ever
read! Its contents described products which rural folks had never
even dreamed. Promises of "Free Trial Offer" and "Money-Back
Guarantee" enticed farmers and their families to buy products that
they could have never imagined nor afforded prior to Sears's
offerings. A new age of American consumer democracy enabled the
working poor and the geographically isolated to purchase items that
had never before been available to them.
Founders Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck began
producing a catalog-type mailing of their wares in 1888 which offered
mainly watches, jewelry and silverware, and later catalogs were
introduced periodically. Sears would release a new catalog when he
felt that he had enough merchandise to sell, or when the economy
dictated that prices needed to be changed.
Each year, the catalog's product line evolved. Sears had the ability
to identify new products that the market would embrace en masse, as
well as an uncanny capacity to know when to change a product or drop
it. Gradually it became obvious that the most popular items Sears
sold during the 1890s were sewing machines, bicycles (It is said that
the company sold 100,000 bicycles in one year!) and cream separators
-- durable, long-lasting items. This required Sears to also rely
heavily on sales from lower unit-price goods that needed to be
replaced more often, such as clothing, fishing tackle, and crockery,
etc. But in the beginning of the catalog era, Sears made his mark as
he had started: with watches.
1891
As the 1890s began, Sears's operation was still associated
specifically with the watch and jewelry market, and the 1891 catalog
was 32-pages of watches with an 8-page insert of jewelry and sewing
machines which fit into a business envelope. Customers were offered
the opportunity to purchase C.O.D., but all orders required a $1 good
faith deposit.
1892
The 1892 catalog included Smith & Wesson revolvers and some
miscellaneous items. It also had 55 pages of testimonials which
seemed to lend credence to the company's business ethics, plus added
a neighborly touch that the rural community responded to
favorably.
1893
Then in 1893 after various company incarnations had been formulated
and disbanded, the founders finally settled on a structure they
liked, and Sears, Roebuck & Company was formally incorporated.
Beginning that same year, the catalog was produced with regularity,
and the product line began to grow with great immensity, although
there was no real focus on a specific product line. Sears would buy
whatever surplus and distressed bargain merchandise he could from
manufacturers and wholesalers, and then resell it to the public. The
196-page 1893 catalog contained more firearms, as well as furniture,
appliances, men's clothing, buggies and bicycles. Customers could
still buy C.O.D., but Sears no longer required the $1 deposit. Even
so, for the first time customers had to pay 3 cents to receive a copy
of the catalog.
1894
Women's apparel was added in 1894 along with more furniture, books,
wagons and many other miscellaneous items. For the first time ever,
the rural population was given access to items that had been reserved
solely for the wealthy and those living in urban centers. Also in
1894, Sears, Roebuck & Company which was still located in
Minneapolis and employed 80 people, opened a branch location in
Chicago, which eventually became the home office. This enabled Sears
to utilize Chicago's central location to an advantage, also allowing
for better competition with Montgomery Ward.
1895
The 1895 catalog was the most ambitious to date. It was 507 pages and
offered a 3% discount if the customer paid in cash upon ordering. The
catalogs began including pictures of the building and the employees
and invited the customer to stop by and visit. They also encouraged
feedback and suggestions from the public. This was very much in line
with R. W. Sears's continuing strategy to be friendly and familiar to
his buying public, most of whom were located in communities in which
everyone knew everyone else. The catalog had become the
representative for the total corporation.
1896
Groceries became a part of the catalog in 1896 with items such as
sugar, flour, canned goods and preserves, cured meats, and coffee,
etc. Patented medicines, drugs and a variety of household remedies
were also part of the new product line.
The catalogs continued to develop through the 1890s and throughout
the majority of the next century. They provide an invaluable record
of material culture of American life by showing us what people needed
in everyday life and what they wished for in their everyday dreams.
The Sears catalogs are a vast diary of the times and provide a
glimpse into the not so distant past of our ancestors. They also are
a record of American progress and technological advances. The
catalogs were fondly referred to as "The Farmer's Bible" and "The
Nation's Wish Book," and are considered collectors
items today as well as valuable resources
for scholarly research.
