Service Merchandise

[opus]

Anyone ever shop there? Back in the pre internet days it combined the convenience of at home catalog shopping with the annoyance of still having to go to the store.



>>>Service Merchandise had an unusual ordering process which emphasized the catalog, even within the showrooms.

For non-jewelry orders, customers would enter the showroom and receive a carbon-paper order form and clipboard to record the catalog numbers of desired items. Items were displayed in working order in the showroom, allowing customers to test products as they shopped. Current Service Merchandise catalogs were placed on stands in strategic locations throughout the store to allow customers to shop for items not on display. When ready to place their orders, customers would take the order form to a clerk who would submit the order to the store's stockroom via his computer terminal cash register, as well as take payment for the items. The customer would then move to the "Merchandise Pickup Area" near the exit, where the order would emerge from the stockroom on a conveyor belt.<<<

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Service_Merchandise

[GentlemanJim]

I used to enjoy shopping there, back in the early 1980s. When our local mall got one I was there all the time.

They had an Akai cassette tape deck and stereo receiver I really wanted, but it was only in stock nearby in Indianapolis. So I drove down to get them.

The tape deck was great, the receiver had poor sound, so I decided to return it. But took it to the local Service Merchandise for the return. They were really "inconvenienced" having to accept a return of an item bought at another location, until I pointed out that it wasn't my fault they didn't have the item I thought I wanted, locally in their store, so I had gone the extra mile t be a Service Merchandise customer, and should not be punished because of that...it worked

[Babalu]

I heard the name. That's about it.

I'm assuming it's a discount store, which I don't patronize much.

[biffbronson]

There was one in my area all through the 1980s, in fact I knew someone whose mom was working there ca. 1991. It was a nice store, I used to buy some birthday & Christmas presents there. Service "MUNCH" andise, as my mom tried to pronounce it.

The retailer made a full exit as did Venture, Phar-Mor, Waccamaw, Builder's Square, Old Country Buffet, and Media Play, all of which at times held ground in the same 2 adjoining plazas. One of the last ones to go was OfficeMax, which then joined with Office Depot at a new freestanding location.

[opus]

Originally Posted by biffbronson

There was one in my area all through the 1980s, in fact I knew someone whose mom was working there ca. 1991. It was a nice store, I used to buy some birthday & Christmas presents there. Service "MUNCH" andise, as my mom tried to pronounce it.

The retailer made a full exit as did Venture, Phar-Mor, Waccamaw, Builder's Square, Old Country Buffet, and Media Play, all of which at times held ground in the same 2 adjoining plazas. One of the last ones to go was OfficeMax, which then joined with Office Depot at a new freestanding location.

Ah yes, Media Play. I spent a lot of money at that place.

[Hawkee]

I do remember Service Merchandise because that was one of my favorite places and I would buy some of my childhood toys there and I had never even heard of Service Merchandise before until my shopping center was gonna build one and when it opened Mom thought it was gonna be like Costco but Mom and I went inside Service Merchandise and I was surprised at how big the store was and it sold everything and even had jewelry too and that's where Mom bought some of her jewelry sometimes and it was so cool. I do remember that they also had the computer kiosks that were known as Silent Sam and you could use Silent Sam to search for items not sold in the store and when the item was found you went to the Silent Sam counter to pick up your item and it was so neat. It's a real shame that Service Merchandise closed all it's stores in California but I believe Service Merchandise still had some stores in Arizona. But it is surprising that you don't see stores like Service Merchandise today because before Amazon became king there were stores and wholesale clubs like Pace Price Club Shopko and Best "and no the store is not named after me" and with Costco and Sam's Club becoming kings of wholesale clubs now. Stores like Service Merchandise should be making a comeback today and I bet stores in a Service Merchandise like format could make more money today
Bestie

[stevea]

The only thing I remember buying there was one of those things that boiled a single cup of water for instant coffee, for my mother. I think it was the only place I could find one, at the time. Now for things no one else has, it's Amazon, of course.

Yes, of course there was Media Play, Camelot, etc. There was one called Peaches, which morphed into something else.

Builders Square was a Home Depot type place. On this side of town it was in a large three-building strip center, several blocks long, which also had a Venture store store on one end, a T J Maxx on the other, and an H H Gregg (a midwest former appliance dealer) in the middle. Of course there are other T J Maxxes in the area now. This large strip mall was across 38th Street from the failed Lafayette Square Mall.

[rusty spike]

Sacramento had one and my parents had a line of credit at the store. We went there to get a Uniden Bearcat programmable radio scanner. This was back when most radio scanners (police/fire calls) used individual crystals for each radio channel that you wanted to listen to. A real pain in the arse if you wanted to hear multiple towns or agencies. Of course, they didn't have it in stock after they billed us. They offered to check other stores and offered to bring it to that location; 3 Days Later

Instead, we drove to that location, I think it was Manteca or Modesto to pick it up. Good memories.

What I recall from the Sacramento location: The backroom warehouse was upstairs. That meant everything that was purchased slid down this giant chute. In true Leave it to Beaver form, most young people gathered to watch boxed items slide down. Because items were randomly ordered, big sized items would slide down after smaller items had dropped down. There were many crashes and it was the highlight of the day to witness a full size refrigerator wallop a small box containing a camera or telephone.

[1960'sTVfan]

I remember Service Merchandise but I didn't shop there or buy anything from them.

[Hawkee]

When it comes to retailers it's hard to be the new kid in town when you have other stores trying to compete with you that sell the same items for a cheaper price. What I think Service Merchandise was trying to do was be like a wholesale club like Sam's Club without the membership and try to be like Fingerhut in a store format. But as soon as the more popular stores like Target Walmart Kmart and Fred Mayer began having competition I think Service Merchandise started to go downhill and I think Amazon got inspiration from Service Merchandise to create the Amazon Go stores because I think Service Merchandise was the beginning of a new style of retailer that all stores would try to copy. I remember when Service Merchandise would have the holiday toy catalogues and I would circle what toys I wanted for Christmas each year and it was so neat. But like all retailers Service Merchandise would soon ride off into the sunset but if you look at the 80's and the 90's there was a ton of retailers that were huge like Homeclub/Homebase that was like Lowes Roses Phar-Mor and many other places but if Service Merchandise made a comeback someday it would be a hit store again
Bestie

[stevea]

Originally Posted by LaBestia

...if Service Merchandise made a comeback someday it would be a hit store again
Bestie

Amazon has plenty of warehouses all over the place, for fulfillment. They could open them to customer pickup; voila!

[KurtfromPitts]

Service Merchandise was a great store. Miss that along with Phar-Mor, Media Play, Borders Books and Music, and others.

[Yong Fang]

I remember Service Merchandise as a child in Memphis. There was one in my neighborhood and sometimes my mother and I would go in there.

It was a strange store, and since I was a child in the 1970's, was sort of vague in the setup, but unlike say, a Walmart, one chooses what they wanted, got a slip, and then got the item from the back and paid for it. The store just didnt have items one would just grab and go to the register, there was a process to it.

I do remember that the store used to mail these almost phone book sized catalogues to homes and we got one probably every year and would look in them, and especially the toys wanting stuff for Christmas my parents might or might not buy me (although I used to annoy my mother even as a child when she asked me what I wanted for Christmas and it sort of drew a blank with me).

The store I think had an idea, the problem was they were 30 to 40 years behind the times. If there was internet shopping in the 1970's, it would have exploded into something. But it wasn't. The last cool thing I saw at a Service Merchandise I wanted was in the Mall of Memphis and it was a tiny color TV the size of a modern Iphone. That was so cool! But the item was something like $200 in 1985 money. The store had high items like this and did sell jewelry and expensive items, hence this setup, it cut way down on theft. Get the ticket, wait for them to get it and walk the customer to the front.

But if any older people here knows better how this store works, tell us.

https://servicemerchandise.com/?

This is their current website so it is still around even if it is only online, unless there are still physical stores left.

[TSMIV]

We bought tons of stuff from there in the 1980s and early 1990s. As a little kid those little carbon slips and conveyor belt thing was cool! I remember going there on a spring Saturday and picking out a new bicycle when I was around 9 or 10.

[stevea]

Originally Posted by Yong Fang

I remember Service Merchandise as a child in Memphis. There was one in my neighborhood and sometimes my mother and I would go in there.

It was a strange store, and since I was a child in the 1970's, was sort of vague in the setup, but unlike say, a Walmart, one chooses what they wanted, got a slip, and then got the item from the back and paid for it. The store just didnt have items one would just grab and go to the register, there was a process to it.

I do remember that the store used to mail these almost phone book sized catalogues to homes and we got one probably every year and would look in them, and especially the toys wanting stuff for Christmas my parents might or might not buy me (although I used to annoy my mother even as a child when she asked me what I wanted for Christmas and it sort of drew a blank with me).

The store I think had an idea, the problem was they were 30 to 40 years behind the times. If there was internet shopping in the 1970's, it would have exploded into something. But it wasn't. The last cool thing I saw at a Service Merchandise I wanted was in the Mall of Memphis and it was a tiny color TV the size of a modern Iphone. That was so cool! But the item was something like $200 in 1985 money. The store had high items like this and did sell jewelry and expensive items, hence this setup, it cut way down on theft. Get the ticket, wait for them to get it and walk the customer to the front.

But if any older people here knows better how this store works, tell us.

https://servicemerchandise.com/?

This is their current website so it is still around even if it is only online, unless there are still physical stores left.

Their internet presence is jewelry. I wonder how many people evn know they're still in any kind of business.

https://servicemerchandise.com/?page=about