Just a few words on the radio when I was half asleep took me back over sixty years ago to remind me that I used to enjoy shopping. At the time I was living in Maryland, and on some occasions I went into Baltimore to shop for clothing.
What was being discussed on the radio was a movie which had a scene in a high end clothing store. The activities of that scene were all new to the speaker as it is not done any more in clothing stores. The following is what I remember.
My mother was visiting from Kentucky and we went into the city to shop for something special. The store we visited had a nice cafe where one could have a leisurely lunch. While enjoying our lunch we noticed that we were being entertained with a soft sell approach to the nicer clothing sold there. Pretty models were walking through the tables modeling the ladies clothing which was sold in that store. I had never seen that done before so it was all very interesting to me, and to my mother also.
This memory jog caused me to pull out my journal from 1954. I found it very interesting to see the prices of things at that time. A washcloth was 27cents, thread 29 cents, and sailcloth $1.98 per yard. My husband needed a lamp and I found a wrought iron "bird cage" type of lamp, for $ 2.29 plus 5 cents tax. That lamp stayed in my family for many years and may still be in a den somewhere.
My husband was supplementing his teaching job by driving charter buses. The chauffeur's license was $3.00. I had made a note of the fact that a friend had bought a 1950 Chevy for $800.
A movie cost 75 cents. During this time I was expecting our first child so I purchased two dozen announcement cards for 72 cents.
My father had died the fall before and in a letter from my mother she had told me she bought a granite grave marker for him with room for her name on it later. The cost was $103.
Movies of that time were revealing. One was The Glenn Miller Story. Audry Hepburn was in Roman Holiday and William Holden in Stalag 17. The best picture of that year was From Here to Eternity.
This was long before the time of discount stores. Walmart has revolutionized shopping for everyone. I well remember the first time I was in a Walmart.
My daughter and I were on a mother/daughter week-end and we found a motel for the night. She was so excited when she saw a Walmart next to our motel. She knew what I did not, everything you could want is under the roof at Walmart. We had our evening entertainment all mapped out, we spent it in Walmart! It was a far cry from lunch in a high end department store where one could see the latest fashions float by on a comely model. But it does point out that our culture has changed in many ways. In general we have much more relaxed lifestyles. When I was a young lady I had one drawer in my bedroom devoted to dress gloves. It was what one wore when dressing up. I had white in many different styles, one pair came up to my elbows. My favorite pair had pearls all around the wrist. You just do not see them worn very often. Everyone is busy and taking the easy route. Still it is fun to think of a leisurely lunch while the latest fashions walk past you.
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