Portrait of a Pioneer

Lesson learned: Because of the faith required on the shopper’s part for a transaction by mail, Sears used these types of guarantees to enhance trust levels. Obviously, customer trust was important to this cataloger.

• Loss leaders: In the last eight pages of the catalog—the bargain pages—Sears offered about 300 small items such as spoons and fans, priced at just 2 cents or 6 cents each.