Quick quiz. Name a discount chain store that grew to be one of the biggest retail chains in the world. This store developed merchandising, direct purchasing, sales, and customer service practices commonly used today. Your first guess might be Walmart, but this business began in 1879. It was known as Woolworth’s.
Frank Winfield Woolworth opened his first successful “Woolworth’s Great Five Cent Store” 1879 in Lancaster, PA and brought in his brother Charles Sumner. F.W. used the sign from the first Woolworth’s he opened in Utica, NY; one that was unsuccessful. The F.W. Woolworth Co. had the first five-and-dime stores, which sold discounted general merchandise and fixed price, usually five or ten cents, undercutting the prices of other local merchants. Woolworth, as the stores popularly became known, was one of the first American retailers to put merchandise out for the shopping public to handle and select without the assistance of a sales clerk.
- Many Americans grew up in a town with a Woolworth’s – they were as familiar as Walmart is today. We had our first local Woolworth’s on a major corner on a street that was considered our “Main Street” for shopping. Even though it closed years ago, the art deco terrazzo entrance remains at the old entrance!
What an amazing place Woolworth’s was for a child. There were toys, tiny turtles in a tank, candy, parakeets, and boxes of stiff Halloween costumes (with a strong chemical smell I don’t think I have smelled since.) As a teen, we were more interested in lipstick, school supplies, costume jewelry and the photo booth in the back of the store. Cramming into the tiny booth with friends for silly pictures was a regular part of the shopping experience.
Several memories date this time period. All of the items for sale were openly displayed. Fresh popped popcorn was a very welcoming aroma. From photo albums to bobby pins, from goldfish to zippers, there were 2 full floors of merchandise and of course all sales were made in cash.
F.W. Woolworth’s grew large – alongside the new century, changes in buying patterns and social shifts. Then there was decline. Diversification, international expansion, restructuring and numerous name changes were to come. Due to the decline of the signature stores, Woolworth began focusing on the sale of athletic goods. At present, the legal corporate name of the what was once “F.W. Woolworths Great Five Cent Store” on is now Foot Locker, Inc.
Here’s a link to the remaining Woolworth’s.