We work with many businesses in the retail industry, and the history of the retail world reaches throughout the 20th century.
Below are a few dates which mark the beginning of an industry change or when some of the most well-known companies started a trend or made a newsworthy move.
1966 – the term “Black Friday” enters the retail lexicon
1970 – Wal-Mart goes public and drastically expands the number of store locations
1971 – the first Starbucks opens in Seattle, Washington
1972 – Kroger rolls out its “superstore” prototype, which included specialty departments
1973 – Backhauling, a method of retail transportation, becomes legal
1974 – the very first scanning of a barcode was on a Wrigley’s pack of gum
1979 – Home Depot opens the first store in Atlanta
1984 – the prototype of an electronic shelf label (ESL) is introduced in Dallas
1988 – top products bought with coupons: cereal, dog/cat food, coffee and laundry detergent
1990 – the Food Guide Pyramid released
1990 – retailers experiment (successfully) with self-checkout lanes
1992 – Mall of America opens in Bloomington
1995 – Amazon and eBay launch online shopping websites
2001 – Apple opens its first store
2002 – Kraft is winning “war of the aisles”
…. More important dates to come!
