Mail Order Catalog

It may surprise you but mail order catalogs go back to the days of the American Revolution. During the late 1800s catalog shopping became a popular thing to do. Companies like Montgomery Ward, Sears Roebuck & Company, J.C. Penney's and others all produced mail order catalogs. The companies realized there was money to made by allowing customers to stay home and shop.

Mail order catalogs were delivered to customers around the country. The catalogs contained items for sale ranging from clothing, makeup, furniture, electronics, appliances, cookware, tools, toys, gardening products, books and other home needs. Orders rang up million of dollars of merchandise and the products were shipped through mail as well.

The one downfall to mail order catalogs has been the introduction to the digital world. Computers, tablets, cell phones and other sorts of modern day technologies all seemed to be able to put shopping in the hands of customers without need of paper catalogs. Thus the declination of paper mail order catalogs declined dramatically.