Do you ever have a thought just pop into your head and you have no idea how it got there? That happened to me the other day. Actually, it happens a lot- but that’s another story. Anyway, Doug and Nate, (Amanda’s bf), are currently working together and came here to have lunch the other day. Out of the blue I asked Doug if he remembered Green Stamps. Much like the Spoolies, I hadn’t thought of Green Stamps since God was a child. But there they were in my mind.
Doug and I started talking about them, sharing our memories. Nate was inquisitive, having never heard of them before. Doug explained the whole concept to him. I told Nate I remembered when I was around 7 or so going through the catalog and picking out what I wanted to get. I knew right away- a mink coat! The mink was right at the beginning of the catalog. If I remember correctly it cost over 2,000 books. (It was just what every woman needed back then. Not to mention a 7 year old.) I’m sure the way the S&H company looked at it, it was better to keep people dreaming. My mom never said anything negative to me about saving for that. She just let me go on thinking one day I’d have enough to get that mink. (Of course now I wouldn’t wear a mink if you gave it to me.) However, back then, all the movie stars had mink coats. I even remember an old I Love Lucy where the storyline revolved around a mink coat.
Of course in the catalog there were toasters, glasses, can openers and all other manner of housewares. They had trikes, and bikes and bears- oh my! I don’t remember clothing, except for the mink. When I was growing up my dad was self-employed. We weren’t rich by any means, however we never really lacked for anything so my mom wasn’t really motivated to spend the time putting all those stamps in the books. Instead she told me if I wanted to do it, I could have them. Then when I had enough she would take me to the redemption center to get what I had chosen.
According to Wikipedia, Roger Ebert once wrote about redeeming Green Stamps for metal shelving for his room. In the movie Send Me No Flowers, Rock Hudson is given Green Stamps after buying a funeral plot. I asked my good friend Evelyn today if she remembered them. She said her mom used the Green Stamps to buy extra sets of white sheets she needed since they took in boarders.
Over the years I made many trips to redeem my books. Most of the stuff I got with them I can’t remember. However, the last trip was memorable. It was the fall of 1969 and I was heading of to the University of Texas in a few days. I was going to live in a private off-campus dorm room which had a small kitchen. With S&H Green Stamps I got almost everything I needed- a set of dishes and flatwear, glasses, a toaster, pot and pans, sheets (2 sets)+ towels, blanket, pillow and bedspread. I picked out an iron and ironing board. ( I haven’t ironed anything in over 20 years now.) I had to have a lighted makeup mirror and a fondue pot. Why did I need a fondue pot? That fondue pot is 40 years old now. If I hold onto another 10 years will it be an antique? I know it’s still somewhere in our storage unit. My final item was a matching set of baby blue Samsonite luggage. (Most of my clothes for college went to Austin in that luggage.)
I don’t remember how many books were required for all that- it must have been a lot. So other than my clothes, S&H Green Stamps outfitted me for college. I read today that a version of the program has resurfaced online as Greenpoints. However, I think I’ll leave my Green Stamps memories just the way they are.
