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Mass-Observation Archive: Topic Collections

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SHOPPING 1939-63

TC 4: 7 boxes

BOX 1 : SHOPPING-EFFECTS OF WAR 1939-40

4/1/A:

Trade organisations. Interviews, letters, addresses of Trade Secretaries 1939, 1940

Transport groups. Interviews 1939

4/1/B: Report on Business 1939

Position of retail trade, November 1939

Unorganised propaganda

Draft for book The Cash Front

Draft article on rationing for New Statesman, December 1939

Report on a 'Week on the Cash Front', December 1939

4/1/C:

Stepney : shopkeeper interviews (NM)

Hire purchase and the war : report (NM)

4/1/D: Trade in Wartime : Individual Reports

Survey of shops in Fulham (AH) Aug 1939

Business in wartime (JA)

Goldhawk Road October 1939

Observations and overheards (JA) Sept 1939

Report from AF Coles on local shops in Highams Park (1939)

'Metrop' shop report (KB) Sept 1939

Grocery trade under war conditions (NM)

4/1/E: Worktown

Worktown shopping habits 1939

Check counts Woolworths. Report

4/1/F: Prices and Regulations

Observer report from Mrs Dawson of Gateshead 1939

Report from Mrs Saunders of Birmingham

Report from L Beharrell of Colne, Lancs, and cuttings

Statutory Rules and Orders 1939 No. 1818. Prices of Goods (HMSO Board of Trade)

Price lists

Various reports

Extracts from diaries November 1939

4/1/G:

Advertising, advice and propaganda Jan 1940 (JA). Study conducted November 1939 in all parts of London

Worcester notices

Xmas posters

Fulham December 1939

Shop fronts

Sunday shopping

4/1/H:

Hammersmith Chamber of Trade (JA). Interviews with Secretary re Co-op/National Federation of Small Shopkeepers

4/1/I: National Union of Shop Assistants

Interviews (JA) November 1939

Shop hours

Wages

Distributive Trade Journal Vol 2 No 13, Jan 1940

Distributive Trade Journal Vol 1 No 11, Nov 1939

4/1/J:

Stockport Co-op. Butter rationing. Interviews, letters, press comment

4/1/K:

Press comment and announcement of effect of war

4/1/L:

Worcester : wartime business (JA). Counts 1939

4/1/M:

Bolton : wartime business (BA). Counts 1939

4/1/N:

Wartime business : Fulham (CP), counts and interviews; Notting Hill Gate; Kilburn; Shepherd's Bush; Portobello Market

4/1/O:

Xmas shops and January sales. Observations and cuttings. Observer report from Mrs Dawson. Fashion

4/1/P:

Catalogues and leaflets/notices with war references. Analysis of catalogues (JA)

4/1/Q:

Wartime Christmas in shops (NM)

4/1/R:

Window displays 1940. Observations of people looking at displays in London 1940

4/1/S:

Interviews with managers (JA) 1939. Sainsbury (Kensington High Street); Griegs (Shepherd's Bush)

4/1/T: Observations and Overheards

Report on fruit and vegetable stalls in Kilburn High Road. Aug 40 (CF)

The Shambles, Worcester. (August JA)

An afternoon at John Lewis, Oxford Street. (SS, May 1940)

Romford, overheards (NM)

4/1/U:

Uxbridge Road : observations and leaflets. Examination of notices and display 1939 (JA)

BOX 2 : BUSINESS IN WARTIME. SHOE SHOP SURVEY 1941

4/2/A:

Interviews with shopkeepers in Kentish Town (MT). Analysis. Reports (food, clothes, chemists, tobacconists, furniture shops, jewellers, stationers, florists, electrical goods, ironmongers) 1941

4/2/B:

Wartime effect on business : Worcester and London (CF). Interviews with shopkeepers (July 1941)

Department stores (VW), June 1941

'Morale' in Oldbury: 3 reports (DH, VT, MS) on shopping and morale 1941

Newspaper Weekly News, 5.12.41

4/2/C:

Winter sales 1941. Purchase tax. Department stores. Report : High Street Kensington and Oxford Street. Winter sales brochures

18 diary extracts 1941-42 on shopping difficulties

4/2/D:

Observations on shoe shops and interviews 1941

4/2/E:

Shoe shops : display and advertising 1941. Observations, letters and advertising memos

4/2/F:

Food and shoe shops. Interviews with consumers 1941. Observations, comments. Memory test on shoe names

4/2/G:

Advertising portfolio on Selberite Arch Preserver Shoes

4/2/H:

Preliminary survey on shoe shops 1941. Report. Observations (London)

4/2/I:

Shoe repairers 1941. Observations. Tabulations. Cards of quotes on display

BOX 3 : SHOPS SURVEY 1942

4/3/A:

Chester : questionnaire to shoppers

4/3/B:

Chester : questionnaire to shoppers

4/3/C:

Ealing : questionnaire to shoppers

4/3/D:

Ealing : questionnaire to shoppers

4/3/E:

Counts and interviews; Camden Town, Ealing, Nottingham

4/3/F

Ealing : tabulations

4/3/G:

Ealing, Chester and Bolton : analyses

4/3/H:

Shopping habits in Ealing, Chester and Bolton. Shopping "follows". Observations. Report

4/3/I:

Members and non-members of Multiple Shop Federation. Address lists

4/3/J:

Saving and expenditure 1942. Personal budgets

4/3/K:

Shopping habit changes. Questionnaire replies in Camden, Paddington September 1942

BOX 4 : SHOPS SURVEY 1942: EALING, BOLTON AND CHESTER

4/4/A:

Envelope of diary extracts on shopping 1942

4/4/B:

Bundles of cards relating to analysis of 1942 Survey

BOX 5 : SHOPPING : GENERAL 1939-51

4/5/A:

Window dressing 1940. Quotes from a book

4/5/B:

Window displays and weekend ration shopping June/July 1943. Observations

4/5/C:

Clothes buying Feb 1943. Overheard comments in Hampstead and Watford

4/5/D:

Window shopping 1946. Observations in Oxford Street

4/5/E:

A survey of shopping facilities. Leeds, Derby, Newport, and Rugby. Galley proof. No date. No author (OW Roskill ?)

4/5/F:

Norwich Survey 1951. Report by M-O. Correspondence. Bill

4/5/G:

Washing habits 1939. Use of washing products : interviews. Laundries

The Psychology of Housework (typescript). (This was apparently used in relation to housework/consumer demand, etc.)

4/5/H:

Survey reports on washing machines 1949. A typed "Report on a washing machine" (FR 3098) March 1949. Tabulations

4/5/I:

Water heaters. General notes and tabulations. Notes on fuel

4/5/J:

Two booklets: "M-O ... A Nationwide Intelligence Service" and "Your Store and Your Customers"

Note: Related material on shopping habits (1940-42) is included in the Topic Collection on Films (TC 17/11) as part of M-O's research into the MoI film "Rush Hour"

BOX 6 : HAT SURVEY 1948, DESIGN QUIZ 1946, SKIRTS 1948

4/6/A:

Hats questionnaire 1948. Tabulations and analysis sheets

4/6/B:

Men's hats. Questionnaire replies. London, St. Albans, Reading

4/6/C:

Hats survey. Results. Summary and tables. Report

4/6/D:

Hat wearing. Notes to sponsor. Correspondence

4/6/E:

Design Quiz 1946 (BW). Various articles pottery, glass, clocks, lights, heaters, gas cookers, fabrics, wall papers, furniture, radio. Personal comments

4/6/F:

Cost of living and skirt buying 1948. Tabulations

4/6/G:

Toilet paper. Computer print out (only)

BOX 7 : THE OFF SIDE OF THE COUNTER - PROPOSED BOOK 1963

4/7/A: The Off Side of the Counter

Introduction

Tabulations

4/7/B:

Shopping experiences and complaints. Letters

4/7/C:

Suggestions for book. Synopsis

Self-service/customer psychology etc

4/7/D:

Press cuts 1963

Financial Times on consumerism

4/7/E:

Drafts of book

4/7/F:

Drafts of book

Mass-Observation Studies 1937-55

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