Wikipedia:Peer review/Department store/archive1

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Department store[edit]

This article is obviously far from FA status, and its in obvious need of expansion, but I don't know what to add to it. Not long ago I cleaned up this article, added some photos, and it doesn't look bad, it just needs more content. Any suggestions? — Wackymacs 13:19, 27 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

The first paragraph is a bit clunky - too much use of the work "retail", instead of "sell". Move the US-specific paragraph to a separate section, alongside the UK one. Perhaps have a separate section on discount department stores. Move the country-specific section out of "History". Explain why the Hudson Bay Company wouldn't be considered a department store nowadays. Bluap 13:33, 27 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
  • Thanks for the quick response, I have moved the US info to a new section as a subsection of a "Countries" section. I have added a reason for the statement made about Hudson Bay Company. I made a slight change to the lead paragraph. I'm not too sure what to write about discount department stores, I can't seem to find much about them around the Internet. — Wackymacs 15:06, 27 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
  • I've written a short section about discount department stores. — Wackymacs 15:39, 27 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
  • Dept. stores were high class places in the 1950s. Conspicuous consumption was rampant and appearances (symbols of wealth) meant a lot. Departments stores were built like palaces and offered extensive high class services. There would be elevator and bathroom attendants, men in tuxedos playing the piano in the make-up section and jazz in the dining room. Their target audience for their serices was married women (they had facilities to take care of the children while the women shopped). However, a lot of their advertising and outward appearance was oriented towards men. The dept. stores wanted the man to know his wife was well taken care of (and safe from the poor people in the city) while he was at work. However, as affluent people left the city for the suburbs, the businesses followed. Rents in the city declined and cheaper (lower-class) stores moved in. Many women became trapped in their suburban homes, others entered the workforce themselves. The dept. stores adapted by going into suburban malls ... and so forth.
I'd help out more but I won't get my school notes back for a few months (Jan?). The topic has a lot of overlap with women's studies and urban history. It really needs a trip to the library. There are many academic journal articles on the subject. Try these sources:
    • As a comment to what maclean25 wrote above: Please remember that the suburbanization of the middle class is mainly an American phenomenon. The situation is different in various European cities; I don't want to generalize as I have my own systemic bias, but please just keep this in mind when researching and writing. Uppland 11:06, 29 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
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