How It Started
It started with a funny look back at how our parents use to let get our hopes up high looking through the Wish Book catalog during the holidays. We laughed about it in this video. That led to a conversation about other catalogs we used to love to look at. Someone brought up Green Stamp memories.
Enter Gen Z
My Gen Z daughter had no ideas what Green Stamps were so I had to try to explain them to her. The best explanation I could find involved a comparison to collecting Chuck E. Cheese tickets. It took a lot of stamps to get something good.
The Green Stamp Saver Books
Do seeing these images bring back your Green Stamp memories of the what the Saver Books looked like? And what would Green Stamp memories be without looking through the Green Stamp Idea Books?
Green Stamp – The First Loyalty Rewards Program?
Let’s start with a little history on why the name, S&H Green Stamps. The S and H stands for the people who founded the company in 1896, Thomas Sperry & Shelley Byron Hutchinson company; Sperry & Hutchinson, (S&H).
When you think about it, S&H Green Stamps were probably one of the first real loyalty rewards programs. These popular trading stamps had their hey day in the United States from 1896 until the late 1980s.
Filling the Saver Book, A Family Affair
Many of us remember our moms or grandmother’s getting Green Stamps after buying something at a retail operation like the grocery store, a department stores and even some gas stations.
The stamps were issued in denominations of one, ten, and fifty points. They were perforated with a sticky side on the back, once you moistened it. For many of us, our Green Stamp memories involve licking them (I can still taste them). If you were lucky, you got to use a sponge to moisten them. Then you stuck them them in the designated spots on the pages.
The books contained 24 pages and filling a page required 50 points, so each book contained 1,200 points.
The Green Stamp Idea Book
Once you filled enough books, you could exchange them for items in their catalog and/or at one of their stores. Items included stuff for your house, stuff for your hair and more. Each item showed the number of filled stamp books required to get that item.
My Favorite Green Stamp Memories
It’s hard to describe how popular Green Stamps were in their hey day. But consider this fact, during the 1960s, the company issued more stamps than the U.S. Postal Service, and distributed 35 million catalogs a year. We loved whenever the new catalogs came out! My favorite memories are ogling the toy section in the Idea Book.
Green Stamp or Blue Stamp Memories?
While many of us we have Green Stamp memories, others have Blue Stamp memories. That’s because S&H Green Stamps had several competitors. Other companies like Piggly Wiggly, and in Cleveland, where I grew up; May Company department store offered their own version.
Pink Stamp Memories?
Did you know people in the UK have Pink Stamp memories instead of Green Stamp memories? That’s because Pink Stamps were the British equivalent of the Green Stamps offered by S&H.
More Items from the Idea Book
For some of us, our mothers ordered things for her or for around the house. You could spend hours just looking at, circling and thinking about what you should get when you filled up the required number of books.
Do You Have a Favorite Green Stamp Memory?
Drop me a comment and let me know!
Until Next time,
Namaste,
Khadeeja
