Argos Catalogue Kettle Pages, 1976/1985 (2017)
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Argos Catalogue Kettle Pages, 1976/1985 (2017)
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Re: Argos Catalogue Kettle Pages, 1976/1985 (2017)
#2I take the final paragraph with a huge grain of salt, having had an older relative who lived through it describe to me the hugely aspirational atmosphere of the U.K. in the 1950s and 1960s.
We cannot deduce history from the pages of one company's sales catalogue, merely the changing fortunes of that company; nor from a piece of fairy cake.
Re: Argos Catalogue Kettle Pages, 1976/1985 (2017)
#3I take the final paragraph with a huge grain of salt, having had an older relative who lived through it describe to me the hugely aspirational atmosphere of the U.K. in the 1950s and 1960s. We cannot deduce history from the pages of one company's sales catalogue, merely the changing fortunes of that company; nor from a piece of fairy cake.
But, since people who lived through this time are still alive we have oral history and other approaches.
I think this catalogue is illustrative of an ideal. And, other catalogues will tell a similar story.
As a child of prior times I certainly recognised social coding in the change from old kitchen ware to new. The utility function of Teflon was high but the ability to signal "I can afford to buy new things" was also high.
Tupperware was pure utility function in colours, but it failed to signify success. Snobs like me rather looked down on it (shamefully, I regret my past)
Re: Argos Catalogue Kettle Pages, 1976/1985 (2017)
#4Amongst the upper working class, the argos catalogue featured as a central part of holiday (christmas esp.) life until perhaps the mid-2000s.
You could walk into any argos and take one of the 1000pg+ catelogues of massive pallets of them, and paw them over days.
The working class, typically unsentimental in the UK, would then purchase the child's designated item for xmas. The pretence of "santa clause", i think, more often a middle class ritual.
Re: Argos Catalogue Kettle Pages, 1976/1985 (2017)
#5Argos pioneered a new form of catalogue retail where customers made their order in one of the company’s high-street shops before waiting for their items to be brought out from the warehouse at the rear.
Sounds a lot like the British version of the U. S.'s Service Merchandise[0]. Write down your order on a little sheet of paper, hand it to store personnel, wait for your items to come rolling down the roller ramp.
On an unrelated note, but from TFA:
In 1979, 42% of British citizens lived in council housing
Wait a minute, wut? Explain to this former colonist what cultural cue he's missing, because how is it possible that 42% of a country's population lives in public housing? Or is it not "public housing", as in U. S.-style subsidized housing? Or were times just that bad in Great Britain in the 70s? EDIT: thanks for the context, responders. Apologies if I worded it poorly.
Re: Argos Catalogue Kettle Pages, 1976/1985 (2017)
#6Argos pioneered a new form of catalogue retail where customers made their order in one of the company’s high-street shops before waiting for their items to be brought out from the warehouse at the rear. Sounds a lot like the British version of the U. S.'s Service Merchandise[0]. Write down your order on a little sheet of paper, hand it to store personnel, wait for your items to come rolling down the roller ramp. On a…
Not sure it's classed as "times that bad" (although the 70's weren't great), but more a political decision that people of less means could have affordable housing.
Then Thatcher allowed people to buy their council houses, and we are where we now are.
Re: Argos Catalogue Kettle Pages, 1976/1985 (2017)
#7Argos pioneered a new form of catalogue retail where customers made their order in one of the company’s high-street shops before waiting for their items to be brought out from the warehouse at the rear. Sounds a lot like the British version of the U. S.'s Service Merchandise[0]. Write down your order on a little sheet of paper, hand it to store personnel, wait for your items to come rolling down the roller ramp. On a…
Asking if things were 'just that bad' is a bit of a value judgement. Yes, they were 'just that bad', but from WWII to 70s the view that the government _should_ be involved in things like housing was a lot more prevalent in the UK than it is now.
Re: Argos Catalogue Kettle Pages, 1976/1985 (2017)
#8I take the final paragraph with a huge grain of salt, having had an older relative who lived through it describe to me the hugely aspirational atmosphere of the U.K. in the 1950s and 1960s. We cannot deduce history from the pages of one company's sales catalogue, merely the changing fortunes of that company; nor from a piece of fairy cake.
But, since people who lived through this time are still alive we have oral history and other approaches. I think this catalogue is illustrative of an ideal. And, other catalogues will tell a similar story. As a child of prior times I certainly recognised social coding in the change from old kitchen ware to new. The utility function of Teflon was high but the ability to signal "I can afford to buy new things" was also…
Tupperware was pure utility function in colours, but it failed to signify success. Snobs like me rather looked down on it (shamefully, I regret my past)
It is an unfortunate outcome of the sales and marketing of Tupperware (multi-level marketing). So the ecosystem of Tupperware was looked down upon, similar to Amway. And if you have Tupperware, then you have been to a Tupperware party. The upper crust, I am confident, do not attend Tupperware parties.
But the products themselves? Awesome quality and functionality...at least they used to be.
Re: Argos Catalogue Kettle Pages, 1976/1985 (2017)
#9Argos pioneered a new form of catalogue retail where customers made their order in one of the company’s high-street shops before waiting for their items to be brought out from the warehouse at the rear. Sounds a lot like the British version of the U. S.'s Service Merchandise[0]. Write down your order on a little sheet of paper, hand it to store personnel, wait for your items to come rolling down the roller ramp. On a…
That was in 1979, the 42%, it's nothing like that now. But yes they are / were greatly subsidised housing. This was after a period of massive home building and the introduction of the welfare state after WW2.
I don't think Britain was a shining economic example back then (it was known as the sick man of Europe), but council houses seemed rather a good thing.
My mother's parents were given one in the late 50's, where they raised four children and my grandparents resided until there deaths 50+ years later. Although council housing still exists it's much rarer now, and your chances of recreating what my grandparents had are slim to none.
Re: Argos Catalogue Kettle Pages, 1976/1985 (2017)
#10Argos pioneered a new form of catalogue retail where customers made their order in one of the company’s high-street shops before waiting for their items to be brought out from the warehouse at the rear. Sounds a lot like the British version of the U. S.'s Service Merchandise[0]. Write down your order on a little sheet of paper, hand it to store personnel, wait for your items to come rolling down the roller ramp. On a…
> Wait a minute, wut? Explain to this former colonist what cultural cue he's missing, because how is it possible that 42% of a country's population lives in public housing? Or is it not "public housing", as in U. S.-style subsidized housing? Or were times just that bad in Great Britain in the 70s?
There were a few factors.
1. Yes, many people were very poor. Today, many Britons are still very poor.
2. In the war, an awful lot of housing was destroyed. Entire towns (Harlow and Milton Keynes are prominent examples) were built from open countryside to house the displaced. The overwhelming majority of this housing remained in government ownership until Thatcher's 'Right to Buy' reforms, which are the origin of the present housing crisis in the UK.
3. Prior to the war, the United Kingdom was the most densely populated country on Earth; during the war, people 'mucked in' to help each other during the nationwide trauma of Total War[0], and after the war, returning servicemen and servicewomen demanded that the sacrifices made amount to something. The governments formed by the Labour Party from 1945 to 1980 instituted a great many social reforms - the National Health Service, expansion of state schooling, social care, and so on - that made good on these demands, and were seen as improvements to the nation, rather than government overreach.