Catalogue shopping from home - UK ordering guide

Catalogue shopping has being around for years - in fact, it dates right back to sixteenth century Europe, with the well-to-do folk ordering books, china and other items through catalogues.

Three hundred years later and the first general merchandise catalogue was started by Aaron Montgomery Ward in Chicago in 1872. Much of the population in the US at the time lived in rural areas and couldn't always make it into the nearest town to shop so Ward's catalogue was highly successful.

Subsequently the catalogue shopping business has grown to include anything from general merchandise to specialist catalogues selling items not available anywhere else, for instance collectors' items. These days we are inundated with catalogues dropping through the letter box. These cover a wide range of goods: there are catalogues for clothes and lingerie, hardware stores, household goods, Christmas gifts, gardening catalogues, office supplies...the list is endless!

Catalogue shopping allows customers to browse through a selection of goods in the comfort of their own home. Some catalogues advertise goods that are only available by mail order, usually because they are fairly obscure, such as Star Wars figures, or because they are supplied by someone working from home, i.e. home-made corsets, etc. However many major High Street shops have catalogues in addition to their shop premises, allowing customers to choose whether they would prefer to shop from a catalogue or visit their nearest branch. Some places charge a small fee for their catalogues; others give them away for free. Some companies send out their catalogues, sometimes with incentives to order such as discounts for your first purchase, free gifts or entry into a free draw.

Photographs of the goods are laid out in the catalogue with the price and choice of colour or size where appropriate, and a code. The customer then phones up the phone line to place their order, giving the codes and quantities for the items they want. Or they can order by filling out an order form and posting it, but this will take longer. The customer pays by cheque or by debit or credit card. The goods are sent to the customer's home, or to an alternative delivery address. It is possible to have items delivered at work. There may be an additional post and packaging fee, or delivery may be free. Allow for this in the returns policy: the catalogue company may claim that they offer a free returns policy but the customer would probably still be expected to pay for delivery both ways.

Catalogue shopping continues to be popular but may become overshadowed by shopping online. Internet shopping allows customers to view, select and purchase their goods online, and more and more people are getting Internet access from home. However it is easier to look at items in print than on screen, and there are still plenty of technophobes out there.

© The Pink Fridge Online Magazine 2008 - Catalogue Shopping

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