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A MAN WHO HELPED TO SHAPE RETAIL

Harry Gordon Selfridge (1858-1947) cut his teeth in retailing as a junior partner at Marshall Field’s in Chicago, but moved to London in 1906 with plans for a revolutionary store. Believing that shopping should be an experience, not a chore, for women, who had only recently begun to move around London unescorted, he coined a slogan: “Why not spend the day at Selfridges?” He was adamant that shopping should be about much more than buying, and his lavishly appointed store included comfortable seating, reasonably priced but high-quality restaurants, and even a library and silence room for reflection. He also coined the sayings “The customer is always right” and “… shopping days until Christmas.”