Post-Mortar - The Retail History Show
Post-Mortar - The Retail History Show
  • Видео 29
  • Просмотров 200 558
Ann & Hope: The Original Discounter - Post-Mortar
Ann & Hope was the originator of the modern discount store. Walmart, Kmart, Target - you name any chains, and they all can thank Ann & Hope for their prosperity. The same goes for its founder, the late Martin Chase, who was referred to as "The Father of Discounting" and highly respected by industry titans like Sam Walton. Dubbed the "Granddaddy of all discounters," the rise of Ann & Hope was a meticulously planned affair, and its fall came much too early. Learn the history of this historic company here on Post-Mortar - The Retail History Show.
A special thanks to all those who stayed engaged with this channel and kept their hopes up during this recent period of drought. Thank you!
- Alex
Cre...
Просмотров: 1 531

Видео

Sam Goody: An American Music Standard - Post-Mortar
Просмотров 4,7 тыс.Год назад
Growing up with the modern music industry, Sam Goody gave countless customers the pleasure of a good deal and a positive shopping experience. Over the years, the chain deviated from these initial values. What happened? That's what we take a look at today how a king among record stores, a gold standard of music retail, became a hollow, overpriced shell of its former self. (This is a reupload of ...
Crestwood Plaza: The Ultra Mall That Had It All
Просмотров 16 тыс.Год назад
One of the most notable shopping centers, Crestwood Plaza was the first regional mall in St. Louis, Missouri. For travelers on Route 66, it was a country-wide attraction from its opening in the late 1950s, thru to the 1980s, when the dream began to fall apart. They took every step to keep their relevance, expanding the plaza multiple times, eventually even enclosing the strip into a mega mall, ...
Malls: New Series - Announcement
Просмотров 9552 года назад
Here's an official announcement for Malls, a new series about the history of shopping centers. Anything is up for discussion, from the Parisian arcades of the 19th century, the mid-modern Victor Gruen malls of the 20th century, and even the outlets and lifestyle centers of the 21st century. So long as the complex has been closed, it's fair game. Hope you're all as excited as we are for this new...
Rickel Home Centers: The Origins of 'Do-It-Yourself' - Post-Mortar
Просмотров 4 тыс.2 года назад
Rickel was one of the first do-it-yourself home improvement stores. It grew to nearly 100 stores before a recession, an unstable parent company, an ill-advised merger, and a growing Home Depot snuffed them out. Join this channel to get access to perks: ruclips.net/channel/UCCwy2xFe0lqDT_caQgX4B3wjoin Main Theme: Branches by DanoSongs danosongs.com/ "Lobby Time" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) L...
McKids: When McDonald's Opened a Store - Post-Mortar
Просмотров 2,6 тыс.2 года назад
Did you know McDonald's opened a store? Well, it seems most people either don't or choose not to. In 1986, the biggest burger chain joined forces with the most prominent retailer, Sears, to launch an exclusive brand of children's clothing, McKids. It ended up starting a sizable chain of specialty stores. Here's the brief history of McKids. Join this channel to get access to perks: ruclips.net/c...
Jamesway: When Kitsch Gets Out of Hand - Post-Mortar
Просмотров 4,9 тыс.2 года назад
The story of a discount chain that once shared big markets in the Northeast, synonymous with names like Ames, Zayre, Caldor, Bradlees, and Hills. Once Walmart came, the region was changed forever. Learn about the power struggle of a forgotten, once-dominant retail brand. Main Theme: Branches by DanoSongs danosongs.com/ Images: Aaron F. Stone, Club31, NJ.com, Phillip Pessar, Friedrich Magnussen,...
CompUSA: The Death of a Tech Giant - Post-Mortar
Просмотров 10 тыс.2 года назад
CompUSA was once the largest computer retailer in the world. Let's explore how bad management, obsolete practices, and possible corporate espionage killed a tech retail giant. Soft Warehouse 1989 Corporate Video from David Linder Select images from SouthernRetail.blogspot.com Other images: Jonesdr77, JJBers, Kirk Allen, Coolcaesar, v343790 Macworld Expo 1998 footage from 9to5mac.com Main Theme:...
The Forgotten Target Founder: John Geisse
Просмотров 2,5 тыс.2 года назад
What if I told you the man who co-founded Target was forgotten? Even his own company doesn't know his name. Millions of people have shopped at Target, but few have ever heard of John Geisse. His work didn't stop there, with a merchandising career spanning over 30 years, working with some of the biggest names in the history of the industry. This is his story... Special Thanks to Thomas Geisse, w...
F. W. Woolworth: From Nickels to Billions - Post-Mortar
Просмотров 3,8 тыс.2 года назад
Many of today's shoppers don't remember Woolworth’s, let alone any five-and-dime stores. Would you believe that it was once the biggest chain in the world, lasted over 100 years, and had a name so powerful it's still used today? Watch along to learn the history of one of America's finest retail operations. Main Theme: Branches by DanoSongs danosongs.com/ Special Credit to The Woolworths Museum:...
The History of Ames - Post-Mortar
Просмотров 4,4 тыс.2 года назад
How did Ames, the third-largest discounter in the United States, quickly drop from national fame into pure obscurity?? In short, unscrupulous buyouts, poor competitiveness, a lack of restraint, and bad management but that's only part of the story... Special Thanks to Mike Kalasnik, and the Former Ames employees who helped write this episode!! www.flickr.com/photos/10542402@N06/ Main Theme: Bran...
The History of Kay-Bee Toys - Post-Mortar
Просмотров 7 тыс.2 года назад
KB Toys was once one of the largest toy companies in the world. They held second place to Toys R Us for decades. You’ll see how a few key missteps and too many buyouts killed an 87-year-old toy giant. Main Theme: Branches by DanoSongs danosongs.com/ Special Thanks to Mike Kalasnik, The Caldor Rainbow (Flickr) Select images used from www.plaidstallions.com/ UnofficialKBToys, Random Commercial Bl...
Hollywood Video: The Story of Second Place - Post-Mortar
Просмотров 6 тыс.2 года назад
Founded with the mission of beating Blockbuster at its own game, Hollywood Video slowly and methodically grew to become their biggest competitor in a matter of a few years. How did the second-largest video rental chain simply disappear? Special Thanks to gameking3 (flickr) Main Theme: Branches by DanoSongs danosongs.com/ Videos and images used in this episode belong to their respective owners. ...
Sound Warehouse: More Than a Record Store - Post-Mortar
Просмотров 4,2 тыс.2 года назад
Sound Warehouse: More Than a Record Store - Post-Mortar
Grandpa Pidgeon’s: Discount's Last Stand - Post-Mortar
Просмотров 4,2 тыс.3 года назад
Grandpa Pidgeon’s: Discount's Last Stand - Post-Mortar
Waldenbooks: Eight Decades in Reading - Post-Mortar
Просмотров 7 тыс.3 года назад
Waldenbooks: Eight Decades in Reading - Post-Mortar
How Blockbuster Died - Post-Mortar
Просмотров 4,4 тыс.3 года назад
How Blockbuster Died - Post-Mortar
Babbage's: Inventing the Gaming Industry - Post-Mortar
Просмотров 7 тыс.3 года назад
Babbage's: Inventing the Gaming Industry - Post-Mortar
Service Merchandise: The Death of the Showroom - Post-Mortar
Просмотров 31 тыс.3 года назад
Service Merchandise: The Death of the Showroom - Post-Mortar
Famous-Barr: The Merger of a Lifetime - Post-Mortar
Просмотров 6 тыс.3 года назад
Famous-Barr: The Merger of a Lifetime - Post-Mortar
Cinemaphobia: James Rolfe's Take on Dementia
Просмотров 1,7 тыс.3 года назад
Cinemaphobia: James Rolfe's Take on Dementia
Caldor: Where Shopping is Always a Pleasure - Post-Mortar
Просмотров 14 тыс.3 года назад
Caldor: Where Shopping is Always a Pleasure - Post-Mortar
The History of Child World/Children's Palace - Post-Mortar
Просмотров 16 тыс.4 года назад
The History of Child World/Children's Palace - Post-Mortar
Venture Stores: The Forgotten Midwestern Giant - Post-Mortar
Просмотров 22 тыс.4 года назад
Venture Stores: The Forgotten Midwestern Giant - Post-Mortar
Toys R Us: The Life and Death of a "category killer" - Post-Mortar
Просмотров 6 тыс.4 года назад
Toys R Us: The Life and Death of a "category killer" - Post-Mortar
How Blockbuster became a video rental giant - Post-Mortar
Просмотров 5 тыс.4 года назад
How Blockbuster became a video rental giant - Post-Mortar

Комментарии

  • @camcordernonsense5264
    @camcordernonsense5264 2 дня назад

    Can anyone tell me of a St. Louis mall with elevators to a basement? On the left were restrooms. To the right a dimly lit cafeteria. Maybe late 1970s? I was tiny and barely remember it. I think on it all the time. It smelled awesome. There were bars to push your food tray along the food counters.

    • @PostMortar
      @PostMortar 2 дня назад

      Sounds an awful lot like Crestwood Plaza. The elevator went to the basement, except the cafeteria was on the left. Restrooms were further down the left, towards a lower-level exit at the back. On the right was Exhilarama.

  • @StefanoCap13
    @StefanoCap13 4 дня назад

    I remember going to Children’s Palace in south St. Louis County, MO with my mom when I was a kid.

  • @MikeeJoness956
    @MikeeJoness956 5 дней назад

    Proud to say one of the last blockbusters to closed was where I lived in weslaco tx. I would always take the extra drive to go to Hollywood though it just looked so cool as a kid

  • @jasonmcintyre3332
    @jasonmcintyre3332 6 дней назад

    Covid was very mismanaged. Closing stores like this while allowing Walmart and Target to remain open and further destroy their competition. Great job.

  • @BucsRaysBolts
    @BucsRaysBolts 7 дней назад

    The CompUSA near me (Clearwater, FL) was one of the last standing that got rebranded to TigerDirect, fond memories of that store

  • @BobRooney290
    @BobRooney290 8 дней назад

    my fondest memories were the craploads of free after rebate stuff. half my home was filled with it. the store in NYC was something i hit up every week. the rebate checks always came. basically free peripherals and free software. from printers, ink, scanners, mice, keyboards, surge protectors, gamepads, mouse pads, air in a can, everything that had a free-after-rebate sign, i grabbed. one year, they opened a new store and the free items were of higher caliber. there was a line outside forming at 5AM. i made sure i was in that line in the morning. they handed out tickets depending on the item you wanted, so when you got inside, you were guaranteed one. it was one of their craziest days. the free-after-rebate craze never ended there. it continued with TigerDirect. the 90's and 2000's were nuts!

  • @toddportice4997
    @toddportice4997 10 дней назад

    I used to work for them, and we saw the downfall and where they were going wrong. However, they never asked the staff. It is sad that the boots on the ground are never consulted, and those at the top that do not even work in a store make all the decisions. I loved working for them, but it was clear where they went wrong, and all the reasons are not listed in this video.

  • @deb7518
    @deb7518 11 дней назад

    Crestwood was my first Mall. We even went there for one of my birthdays, either the 7th or the 9th, which would have been mid 60s. I just thought it was the coolest place on the planet at that age. 😊🎉😊

    • @PostMortar
      @PostMortar 11 дней назад

      Same here, albeit for me it was the 2000s. Loved that mall. Thanks for sharing.

  • @kumingo
    @kumingo 11 дней назад

    Is that logan from tek syndicate ?

  • @kumingo
    @kumingo 11 дней назад

    purchased my first laptop from compUSA back in 2004.

  • @trueblueclue
    @trueblueclue 14 дней назад

    Those catalogs made for fun reading on the toilet. Every November or so I used to write down what I wanted for Christmas and give it to my dad for Santa to buy. We were well off so I got most of the stuff.

    • @PostMortar
      @PostMortar 13 дней назад

      Crazy how a store catalog can make such great memories. That’s great. Thanks for sharing.

  • @ajenning85
    @ajenning85 20 дней назад

    Your content is WAY too good to only have a few thousand views per video. I enjoy Company Man, but your content is so much better.

    • @PostMortar
      @PostMortar 20 дней назад

      Thank you very much! So glad you like it! Company Man covers some very interesting topics outside retail, which I like too.

  • @Dragunity69
    @Dragunity69 23 дня назад

    If you live around south Florida go check out Micro Center. It's pretty much the successer to this and it's a big store

    • @PostMortar
      @PostMortar 23 дня назад

      Got one in St Louis too. Great store, beat CompUSA at their own game.

  • @minigaragecanada
    @minigaragecanada 23 дня назад

    We have 18 Toys R Us locations about an hours drive from our house right now. Walmart Canada's toy sections have always been and still are pathetic compared to Toys R Us. This must be why they are still around here. Mastermind Toys on the hand are closing left and right.

  • @leslieshanley610
    @leslieshanley610 24 дня назад

    My go to Music Store as a kid in the 80s. Bought my Sony Walkman there as well. Everything we loved growing up seems to leave. Miss that Store.

  • @StLouis-yu9iz
    @StLouis-yu9iz 24 дня назад

    Great video, thanks for creating it! ⚜️👍

  • @Rwalt61
    @Rwalt61 25 дней назад

    This plaza was a second home in my youth. High school hangout.

  • @sixmax11
    @sixmax11 Месяц назад

    in the 1970's i worked at the first famous store that open in st. louis county. that would be the northland FB. i believe it opened in 1955. it was the perfect part time afterschool job. closed by 9pm and never open on sunday. there were people that bought soap or lightbulbs, just to get the famous-barr box. always free gift wrap too! the store was air conditioned, but i worked mostly on the loaded dock.

    • @PostMortar
      @PostMortar Месяц назад

      Northland FB was a great store. Back when service mattered. Thanks for sharing!

  • @macmaccourt
    @macmaccourt Месяц назад

    I worked for CompUSA in Overland Park KS from 1992 to 1999 - Sales then Corporate Trainer from '93 to '99. I loved working there. I was hired away by Gateway Country (Another sinking ship) and then the spiraling death of the Dot Com Bomb kicked in in 2001, killing that opportunity. I guess Comp lasted (somewhere) until 2006. Oh, and re-record this with some more volume on the voice over. It's really subdued and hard to hear. Eh??

  • @cindyrwagner6930
    @cindyrwagner6930 Месяц назад

    This is such an interesting find! I've been doing family research, and I just found that Jack W Holley is my 5th cousin 2x removed. Love seeing this.

    • @PostMortar
      @PostMortar Месяц назад

      Neato! You’ve got retail in your blood

  • @troynov1965
    @troynov1965 Месяц назад

    I grew up in Austin , I bought many records at Sound Warehouse. I liked it they were open 24 hours I could get buzzed and go browse the records in middle of night and just chill. One night I was there ( about 3am ) and freakin Meatloaf came in ( late 70s) he was filming a movie in town called Roadie. He was a BIG DUDE and was sweating like crazy, looked like he was coked out of his gourd. He had got a stack of records and bolted.

  • @thomasfx3190
    @thomasfx3190 Месяц назад

    I shopped at CompUsa in Addison, TX for several years in the 90’s including buying my copy of Windows ‘95 after waiting in line for several hours. Once buying computer components online really took off in 1997-1998 I didn’t need to go back to find things at higher prices than I could just get online.

  • @TruthAndMoreTruth
    @TruthAndMoreTruth Месяц назад

    I worked there in 89-90. It was a train wreck. They did have an incredible management training program at the time where they sent assistant managers to a dedicated training stores for a 6-8 weeks to complete training course with a dedicated training manager. I didn't know it at the time, but no other companies were investing a fraction of this on training and developing their management.

  • @StLProgressive
    @StLProgressive Месяц назад

    I remember when the renovation/expansion opened in 1984. I can’t even begin to count how many hours I spent in that mall when I was a teenager in the 80’s, through the late 2000’s. The recession and online shopping were the last nails on the coffin for most malls.

  • @jamescampanaro3762
    @jamescampanaro3762 Месяц назад

    I bought my GameCube from CompUSA

  • @E9oK9kMaV
    @E9oK9kMaV 2 месяца назад

    funny story. the local blockbuster by me closed and then hollywood video opened in the same building and then they closed down and blockbuster opened up again, ,lol.

    • @PostMortar
      @PostMortar 2 месяца назад

      Wow. That’s crazy. Must’ve been a tough location.

    • @E9oK9kMaV
      @E9oK9kMaV 2 месяца назад

      ​@@PostMortar the building is a restaurant now. only thing they changed to it was adding an overhang for an outdoor eating area.

  • @TruthAndMoreTruth
    @TruthAndMoreTruth 2 месяца назад

    Some corrections here: • Best buy reported $40 billion around the time of the Musicland Acquisition. • Best Buy Did add video games to Sam Goody stores, but took out musical instruments, licensed trend product, and other items to make room. Best Buy didn't add any significant electronics, and under purchased electronics, leaving most stores with empty shelves for months at a time. • Under Best Buy Music Land formed a partnership with Virgin Mobile, and became the number one source for Virgin Mobile customers. • Under Best buy, music and video inventory levels were greatly reduced to free up capital resulting in a loss of sales and customers. • Under Best Buy, stores were forced to push specific high margin categories, as well as specific metrics like memberships, pre-sells, magazine subscriptions, and warranties, taking most of the focus away from overall sales, inventory management, merchandising, shrink, and customer service. It was during this time that Best Buy stores themselves, developed a reputation for toxic sales tactics to sell more warranties and other metrics. • Best Buy were days away from just taking the financial hit, and just shutting down all Music Land stores before finding a much better alternative in giving the company away to Sun Capital. • While Sun Capital did make some improvements to undo the damage Best Buy had done, their efforts were minimal. The toxic environment of pushing metrics on customers above all else had only increased. Many of the problems caused by Best Buy continued, including under purchasing of electronics. • Transworld did NOT buy Music Land out of bankruptcy, the Music Land company was dissolved, the HQ offices were closed. Transworld purchased about 300 of the remaining locations, and the rights to the brand and website. Employees of purchased locations were hired by Transworld as new employees, losing all seniority, and some restructuring in pay was implemented. Additional info: • After the initial public offering, Musicland used the funds gained and implemented a tactic of over saturating markets with stores. Some shopping malls would have as many as three Music Land Stores, a Sam Goody, Musicland, and a Sun Coast store. in the mid-late nineties, they switched directions and consolidated stores into larger stores, doubling their average foot print in shopping malls making stores higher volume, more efficient and more profitable. It was around this time they launched their Media Play and On Cue concepts, both proved to be failures and almost drug the company down.

  • @unclefranklin4575
    @unclefranklin4575 2 месяца назад

    I live ten minutes away from one of the last two Sam Goody stores around. It'll break my heart if that place closes down

  • @badkatrising3918
    @badkatrising3918 2 месяца назад

    I sold cars right across from crestwood mall in the 90’s. It was so busy the whole month of December we couldn’t even do test drives until January. Good times in the 90’s. I drove by there 2 weeks ago and it is a dierbergs and little shotgun houses now. June 20, 2024.

  • @cdbttc8646
    @cdbttc8646 2 месяца назад

    This was the best mall and died when public transit busses had routes to the mall. This created a high crime and shoplifting issues. After a while everyone went to the Galleria where it protected its safety and reputation. Now the Galleria has gone the way of Crestwood. It still has nice stores, but I don't feel safe parking the garage (which feel like a neglected ghetto).

  • @BrownBagga
    @BrownBagga 2 месяца назад

    As a person that operated the shopping cart escalator, I can confidently say that no other job I had in my life has made more people so jealous. From a kid running up and down the stairs to beat the shopping cart to an employee watching children do the same thing many years later. It was a sad day when the escalator was shut down for good.

  • @sbrechegno
    @sbrechegno 2 месяца назад

    These videos are so teemingly researched to replace a six- hour seminar

  • @arvinsulejmani4336
    @arvinsulejmani4336 2 месяца назад

    You should do a video on Bradlees

  • @sacvideo1998
    @sacvideo1998 2 месяца назад

    Good video, though I don't think that the slowing pace of mall construction from the 1970s into the 1980s is evidence that malls were losing popularity in the 1980s, but rather that so many malls had already been built that they were running out of logical places to put new ones. I think the peak period for malls was in the 1990s or early 2000s not the 1970s. JC Penney saw its all-time peak revenue in 2006, for example

    • @PostMortar
      @PostMortar 2 месяца назад

      Agreed. That was meant to show how oversaturated things had become, illustrating the end of “mall mania” (as far as construction was concerned.) The demand was filled. There was only so far Waldenbooks could grow being mall-based. That explains why they explored the standalone concept. Wish they had leaned harder into the Waldenbooks & More stores. Good brand. Thanks for watching!

  • @maroon9273
    @maroon9273 2 месяца назад

    I remember they use to have one in Danvers liberty tree mall plaza. Great memories and it sucks there's not enough computer retail stores anymore.

  • @thatmetalchiick
    @thatmetalchiick 3 месяца назад

    went here so much during high school days. it wasn't ever that busy even 20 years ago.

  • @georgeprice4212
    @georgeprice4212 3 месяца назад

    I can tell you, it’s more like the middle to late 90’s….I remember buying Van Halen’s “Balance” album on vinyl at the now closed Humble location, which would place this around 1995-1997.

  • @fraggle67
    @fraggle67 3 месяца назад

    Have you heard of S&H greenstamps?

    • @PostMortar
      @PostMortar 3 месяца назад

      Absolutely. Green Stamps were classic. There were a ton of stamp programs. Another you’d see a lot was A&P’s Plaid Stamps. If you’re old enough, you’ll remember Eagle Stamps too.

    • @fraggle67
      @fraggle67 3 месяца назад

      @PostMortar eagle stamps? Never heard of them. Who put them out, And what Could you get with them?

    • @PostMortar
      @PostMortar 2 месяца назад

      Eagle Stamps were given by the May Company. You could redeem them for merchandise credit.

    • @leedaniels7196
      @leedaniels7196 Месяц назад

      @@PostMortarAnd don’t forget Grand Union’s Triple S Blue stamps,and Food Fair/Pantry Prides Merchants green stamps.There were quite a few supermarkets that had their own stamp programs.😊

  • @fraggle67
    @fraggle67 3 месяца назад

    How about one o Aldi's. Good stuff here.

    • @PostMortar
      @PostMortar 3 месяца назад

      I’d have to wait until they go out of business. I hope they don’t. Great store.

  • @Jaycaldwell1985
    @Jaycaldwell1985 3 месяца назад

    I was shocked and pleased when i was in medford Oregons mall and seen a sam goody still open just couple of months ago.

    • @PostMortar
      @PostMortar 3 месяца назад

      For sure. I still gotta visit it. Basically FYE now, but it would be cool to see.

  • @Jaycaldwell1985
    @Jaycaldwell1985 3 месяца назад

    I miss game crazy and Hollywood video.

    • @PostMortar
      @PostMortar 3 месяца назад

      Same here. Got my first game console from Game Crazy. Could rent them right in the store. Very convenient.

  • @somethingorother9263
    @somethingorother9263 3 месяца назад

    I'm a 3rd gen of st louis. It's so sad to see these locations fall. There's so much history to my life that happened here. James Town, river roads and northland too. Too bad drugs and gangs too over. Even my family had to flee after 150 years.

  • @Iggythemovieman
    @Iggythemovieman 3 месяца назад

    So glad to see a video on service merchandise to conveyor belt was the best part of going there.

  • @user-zx8de8op9l
    @user-zx8de8op9l 3 месяца назад

    We had one in our town of Waukegan Illinois. I believe it opened in 1985.

  • @scottwebster695
    @scottwebster695 3 месяца назад

    4:40 Grandpa lost his cane that he was pointing with.