When I was a kid, whenever you bought groceries or gasoline, you were given a sheet of what looked like postage stamps. Trading Stamps. These were typically S&H Green Stamps, a marketing ploy of two gentlemen, Sperry and Hutchinson. Hutchinson actually lived here in Ypsilanti, Michigan (not to be confused with Ypsilanti, North Dakota, a frequent mistake) .
Hutchinson built the finest house in town (to this day I believe).
The story can be found here.
https://fornology.blogspot.com/2016/12/ypsilantis-hutchinson-house-built-with.html
It's a fascinating story.
When the books were filled, they would be taken to a store called a Redemption Center, where the stamps could be redeemed for objects (think of the prizes at Chuck E Cheese) like toasters, blankets, lamps, etc.
I always wondered why they were called redemption centers. Why not trading centers?
This morning, it occurred to me that the American Populace at the time was very familiar with the term Redemption from having heard it at church. Was it marketing genius to use that word association?
Redemption in the church is where you take your relatively worthless life and trade it with God for a shiny new, better life, with an unlimited warranty. Guaranteed by the Full Faith and Credit of Jesus Christ who paid for the trade on the cross.
That makes this the original Redemption Center.
Or better yet, here:
Or better yet, here:
It's a trade well worth making.
AMEN!! Good point about understanding of the word redemption.
ReplyDeleteEven when I was in high school (class of '71) this common language of biblical literacy was waning. Who today would say or comprehend you saying "he's a God fearing man?"
Our vet was a Christian who posted a "blessed resurrection" message in his lobby. I remember a boy my age standing in front of it, trying to read it. He could not figure out "resurrection" and kept saying things like "re-zection" and "re-zurction." The message was lost on him. I could see it coming.
Class of '71 myself.
DeleteI often say that when I got out of the Air Force I was reading Moby Dick and wondered what "Call me Ishmael" meant.
So I started reading the Bible for the literary references which laid the basis for my conversion.
I like the comparison. Good analogy.
ReplyDeleteBlessings to you and Sherie. xx
And to you and Mr. Sparky.
DeleteThat was a memory..yes, I recall the job of pasting in those stamps..not my favorite job. Good analogy...
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain. I can still taste them...
DeleteS&H stamps...wow, there’s a memory of a much simpler time. Yes, redemption...seems a lost concept on far too many. Great show, well done.
ReplyDeleteThank you sir!
DeleteEd,
ReplyDeleteI was responding to your comment on Discrimination in Biden’s America when the comment disappeared and WordPress posted "comment crashed." I did not delete your comment.
However, in response to your question "Was the repetition of the tweets a veiled reference to Groundhog Day?"
No and yes.
Primarily, I put in both a link to the liberal's tweet and a screen grab of their tweet because libs tend to delete their tweets when they find they have been trolled.
Yes in that all of those libs reacted the same way in their 14 responses to @CuomoWatch (but never condemned Maxine Waters for her words, which were quoted by @CuomoWatch). It would have been nice to have included an audio link to I got you babe in the coding of the last tweet, but WordPress might have taken offense.
That is, by the end of that part of my post, I was feeling like the Bill Murray character.
DeleteSome estimate that he spent at least ten years if not a thousand in that loop to learn everything he did.
DeleteRegarding this post, my parents collected and redeemed those S&H stamps by the book. I remember my mom got a Singer sewing machine with those. It seems that my dad may have gotten a Coleman camp stove there, too.
ReplyDeleteSince we lived in small towns across West Texas and East New Mexico, there was usually little choice of where we shopped for groceries. Still, the S&H stamps offered some extra way to save.
I also remember when S&H closed their stores. We still had two or three books of stamps and a roll or so of unfixed stamps. It was sad.
The Democratic Party is a diverse set of people whose way of thinking about the world is composed of a set of ethics, and diverse ideas about how people should live and act, accordingly.
ReplyDeleteWRONG, their ethics and morals based on radicalism, and racism. .
The left seems to be giving up on their liberal ideas of fairness and questioning authority. Liberals aren't liberals, they are now leftists.
In fact now that we have a Democratic administration, you can call it whatever Tittle you want to. I chouse to call it Progressive Socialists, Democratic Liberalism, Leftist Marxism
You can kiss Democratic Parties ass goodbye. We are Socialists now.
We are being told what to do and not do.
Our “Free Speech” the Freedom that we have Cherished is no longer permissible.
We can say NO LONGER say what we want to
.We are even told how to raise our children and how not to.
What to read and what not to read.
What we can watch on Social Madia is being censored.
The statues we like, and want see, we can no longer see, because that are no long there!
The old USA is now a fantasy.. .When the Media HIDES a story that may have swung the election... I can that Out, and Out Censorship. The kind of Censorship found in China, or Russia. . NO Free Press, NO Free Elections. NO DEMOCRACY.
Interesting story, and yes, I like the 'original' redemption center. More should look to that and less to the political parties!
ReplyDeleteBesides, churches were the original meeting places of patriots.
DeleteWhen I moved into my first little apartment, Green Stamps furnished a lot of the kitchen.
ReplyDeleteThat's pretty cool!
DeleteNice use of the word redemption Ed. It connects, almost immediately to anyone who lived during a certain generation. We had S&H Green Stamps out west but the majority of stores in my neck of the woods has Blue Chip Stamps.
ReplyDeleteRedemption Center sticks in my mind.
I hope the fith attempt to comment is the charm...
ReplyDeleteMom bought my first catcher's mitt with H&S Green Stamps.