Why we don't value what we buy anymore
and how we can build shoppings habits that are sustainable for us and the planet
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Our shopping rituals before the Internet boom
Before e-commerce, catalogs were the way our moms and grandmas shopped. All of the biggest retailers in the world — think of Sears, JC Crew, Victoria's Secret, had their catalogs mailed to thousands of people every month.
The first catalogs registered were released in the 1800s, with Sears being the most popular retailer in the US, revolutionizing the way American families shopped. Everything we buy online today, was available in a catalog back then: cars, furniture, makeup, jewelry, even homes. Yes, Sears offered a catalog where you were able to pick your favorite home and they would ship the building plans of the house and all the materials for you to build it.
Catalog sales and women's empowerment
In the 90s and 00s, catalog sales were one of the few jobs that were acceptable for women to do, especially in Latin America. Companies like Avon, Fuller, Arabella, Jafra, and Ilusión were leaders in countries like Mexico and created a very particular network for women to thrive and make money. Catalog sales allowed housewives to bring home ‘extra’ income while still being able to execute their ‘main role’ in society which was taking care of their homes and families. Mary Key is one of the biggest names when it comes to this business model that allowed many women to go from housewives to businesswomen.
Although my mom never got into the catalog business, all of our neighbors in the block did and there were always so many catalogs around our house. Catalogs were the first shopping experience of my life (typing that makes me feel old lol). My mom used to let me order at least one thing from the Avon catalog every time our neighbor dropped them. Sometimes I was allowed to order some nail polish, hair accessories, kids’ makeup, or stationery.
I loved going through each page of the catalog, looking at the curated corny photography, reading all the product descriptions, comparing products, and smelling all the samples in the perfume section of the catalog.
How old shopping rituals died
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