You're about to experience something long hidden from the general public: the ads targeted at the people who sold you drugs and hamburgers. Chain Store Age was the trade publication for drug stores, and the magazine's ads are completely different than the ads seen by the general public. They're selling combs and anti-anxiety drugs.
Since lunch counters were a popular part of the drug store, the magazine had an entirely separate monthly publication for restaurant managers. What kind of bulk canned peaches should he buy? What kind of hot chocolate machine? What variety of cellophane-wrapped Saltines will yield the best profit?
It's all familiar, and also quite remote. Drug-store lunch counters are gone. The armies of downtown shoppers who stopped in for cottage cheese or soup are gone. Our towns and 'burbs are the worse for it, if you ask me.
Lileks 2025 |
