Remember when shopping ‘Mail Order’was considered low class?

Yeah. It was the last resort choice. Many sellers were reportedly dishonest or scams. Not to be trusted
and it came COD. If it was made in Japan, it was junk, cheap quality. This is the fifties, sixties.
 

Mail order being low class? It depended on where you lived.

In rural areas, mail order was the life-blood that made living there possible.

In my city, 'low class' shopping was when we had to do layaway - a dollar down and a dollar a week until paid. You hoped your neighbor didn't see you at the Service Desk making your weekly payment.
 
Living in rural Alberta, mail-order catalogue shopping was common. It was so thrilling to get a box delivered at the beginning of Fall, with new shoes to go back to school in. Mom made most of our clothes, but there would be sweaters or a dress that was on sale.
 

I loved and still do shopping from mail order catalogs. I still have some pieces of silverware that my mother ordered from Aldens (was actually Gamble- Aldens) for a gift for my first apartment. They are my favorite ones to use.
 
I've never considered mail order catalogs were low class. Wouldn't they have benefited people in more rural areas? Perhaps like online is also doing today. Not everyone has a craft store (thinking about what I buy) in their town so being able to order things is helpful for them.
 

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