Harry Selfridge – The Man Who Invented Shopping
Posted by Rebekah Roy on December 26th, 2007
Selfridges is one of my favourite places to meet friends and go shopping!
Shopping is something we all do; it’s an activity that seems so natural we don’t realize that shopping for pleasure rather than necessity was invented, and much of that has to do with Harry George Selfridge. Harry George Selfridge was an American retailer who was unimpressed with the snooty shops of London. He understood the changing political climate and saw an opportunity to create a unique place for the female shopper. On March 15th, 1909, Selfridges Department Store opened on Oxford Street in London and changed the way we’d shop forever!
Selfridge put perfume counters near entrances to entice customers: he introduced the in-store library, restaurants, the roof garden and he turned the window display into an art form. Selfridge believed that a department store could be as important to the individual as great landmarks; he wanted his store to be a meeting place for people. He’s credited with creating the slogan “the customer is always right” and "…shopping days left until Christmas". He was a true genius!
The Selfridge legacy is greater than his wildest dreams. We go shopping for fun, we visit department stores for their architecture and design and of course for their sales! Ok, so it’s Boxing Day, let’s go shopping! Yahoo!!
It’s important to shop wisely though…after all, Selfridge also died penniless and the UK credit card debt is £56.35 billion and counting!
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