Service Merchandise

[barkley]

How about a new iteration of Amazon? Many regions, ours included, already have humongous Amazon warehouses. Say it becomes possible to go to them as retail outlets, choose what you want then-and-there, actually see and examine it, then take it home with you, rather than wait for delivery? I'd shop there for sure rather than on-line!

Regarding the OP, in Canada the store you're describing was called Consumer's Distributing. My engagement ring came from there.

I have no desire to physically shop at one but I wish they DID offer the option for pick-up when it's something that is in a local warehouse to the shopper. it frustrates me to no end to see something I ordered not arriving for several days only to see on the tracking that it started in the warehouse less than 30 minutes from me but then was flown across to west side of the state, down to the next state, back up to within a handful of miles of the same location on the west side of my state only to be trucked back to our local fed ex/ups/usps hubs

 

[antmaril]

Oh yes, Service Merchandise was very popular in our area. There was one less than a 1/2 mile from our home. Shopped there many, many times.

 

[sam_gordon]

I have no desire to physically shop at one but I wish they DID offer the option for pick-up when it's something that is in a local warehouse to the shopper. it frustrates me to no end to see something I ordered not arriving for several days only to see on the tracking that it started in the warehouse less than 30 minutes from me but then was flown across to west side of the state, down to the next state, back up to within a handful of miles of the same location on the west side of my state only to be trucked back to our local fed ex/ups/usps hubs

When I worked in a local television newsroom, we had a couple of printers (before internet) that ran pretty much 24/7. One time the print head failed on one and I was tasked with getting a replacement. I called the company to order the part and they told me it would arrive in 2-3 days. That's not great for something that's in use every day. I ask where it was shipping from. The printer manufacturer had a campus literally across the street from our offices and that's where it would come from. I couldn't convince them to just let me go to the loading dock and pick it up.

 

[kdonnel]

How about a new iteration of Amazon? Many regions, ours included, already have humongous Amazon warehouses. Say it becomes possible to go to them as retail outlets, choose what you want then-and-there, actually see and examine it, then take it home with you, rather than wait for delivery? I'd shop there for sure rather than on-line!

Regarding the OP, in Canada the store you're describing was called Consumer's Distributing. My engagement ring came from there.

There used to be an electronics company named Tiger Direct. Maybe they still exist but I don’t think so.

Anyway they had one of those enormous warehouses 20 minutes from my house. It had a small customer show room. But if what you wanted was in the warehouse, you placed an order and they would pull it for you right then.

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

Here is another name from the past: Montgomery Ward.

 

[RedAngie]

I remember a similar type of store named Basco. It was mainly jewelry but also had a selection of other merchandise. There was one of everything on display. You took a blank form from a kiosk and filled out the SKU numbers of the items you wished to purchase, paid at a cashier station, then went to a receiving area where your items came out of the back room on a conveyor belt.

Basco was acquired by Best in the early 1980s.

Service Merchandise didn’t come to my area until the early 1990s. I was only there once and bought a PDA, Personal Digital Assistant, the precursor to a Blackberry and smart phone.

The Service Merchandise in my area only lasted a few years. It closed before the whole chain did. The space has housed two or three other retailers over the years, with periods of vacancy in between. I think it’s vacant again now that Christmas Tree Shops went bankrupt.

 

[elgerber]

Loved Service Merchandise, we used to shop there all the time.

 

[barkley]

Here is another name from the past: Montgomery Ward.

we called it 'monkey-wards'. it still exists as an on-line store.

anyone remember Newberry's? they were around when I was a little kid and were big sponsors of the kid's show 'romper room'. they were the only store in our area that had the kind of christmas window displays you see in movies.

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

we called it 'monkey-wards'. it still exists as an on-line store.

anyone remember Newberry's? they were around when I was a little kid and were big sponsors of the kid's show 'romper room'. they were the only store in our area that had the kind of christmas window displays you see in movies.

We called it monkey-wards too.

 

[elgerber]

We called it monkey-wards too.

Us too

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

Yes, I absolutely remember that place! It was really cool. I also seem to remember they had a catalog as well.

 

[Babs Johnson]

Yes, I absolutely remember that place! It was really cool. I also seem to remember they had a catalog as well.

I never knew until the mid 1990s that Monkey Wards had brick and mortar stores. There were none in my area but my mother received their catalog and I thought it only existed that way.

 

[cabanafrau]

I remember Service Merchandise. I still have the small food chopper and magnifying mirror I bought from there in 1998! I did have 2 foldable futons I bought in 1990 too, but I loaned them to my sister in law and she ruined them.

For Michiganders, you may remember the local catalog showroom Witmark! I definitely remember going there during Christmastime when I was a young kid. Very fond memories.

I don't remember Witmark, but I do remember Service Merchandise and Foland's.

I never knew until the mid 1990s that Monkey Wards had brick and mortar stores. There were none in my area but my mother received their catalog and I thought it only existed that way.

I think Montgomery Wards was the very first catalog store. They inspired Sears. Both went into brick and mortar afterwards. Wards also is responsible for Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. It was created for one of their ad campaigns.

 

[Pooh2]

Still have my alarm clock from Service Merchandise and it works great!
Also have a clock on my kitchen wall from Lechmere.
Will be pretty bummed when either of those items die!

 

[BrianL]

I do remember shopping there - there were three in the city, one attached to the "good mall." I was in there a lot because that was the best place to park, as opposed to the main entrance side. I go back far enough to remember them using paper forms to fill out for merchandise to be fulfilled at the counters. I mostly remember getting video games from there.

 

[Mle8308]

Yes! As kids, we would fight over who got to look at the catalog first (toy section)! It was as popular as the Sears Wish Book!

 

[Jennabeth]

I remember Service Merchandise. I still have the small food chopper and magnifying mirror I bought from there in 1998! I did have 2 foldable futons I bought in 1990 too, but I loaned them to my sister in law and she ruined them.

For Michiganders, you may remember the local catalog showroom Witmark! I definitely remember going there during Christmastime when I was a young kid. Very fond memories.

I had to respond to this because I worked at Witmark during college (store #4). It helped me become a rock star with the keypad because we had to type all of those 9 digit numbers in for every item (before barcode scanners). If an item wasn't on the floor we typed the code into the computer and it went to our warehouse upstairs and they'd send it down on a conveyer belt. We were warned from day one not to get our long hair too close to the belt. I got my wedding bands from there!

 

[amcnj]

We had Service Merchandise and Consumers Distributing around when I was younger. I did shop at both back then. At the time they seemed so novel.