Remembering Green Stamps
Did you, your mother ,or grandmother ever collect stamps? Yes, stamps! Not the postal variety, but the green ones, S&H Green Stamps… “freebies”. And, if you know nothing about green stamps, you have been deprived, but, if you had the experience, you are blessed. For those of you who do not know what green stamps are, I will enlighten you. First, they were green as the name implies. Groceries and some other types of stores offered these stamps as a reward for buying their products. The amount of stamps given was in direct relationship with the amount of money spent (I can even remember getting one or two stamps for very small purchases). It made you want to spend more money, which, I’m sure was the point, after all. The stamps began circulating in the 1930’s but did not gain full scale popularity until the 1960’s, when they were seen everywhere. We enjoyed them on a lesser scale in the 1970’s and, during the recession of the 1980’s, we, sadly, saw them no more. The sheer collecting was fun. They were kept in books. We savored those books as if they were gold. And, in fact, they did spend like gold. Everyone had a catalog to drool over and everything was available: toys, household necessities, decorating items, kitchen musts, luggage… and more! The more costly the item, the more books were required. It was not uncommon to choose a wonderful item that required 30 or more books. We would save and save. Often, finding a willing collector to share in our endeavor. Personally, I drooled over the expensive stuff, thus, I was always saving. Ah, those were the days.
And if you did not have a passion for green stamps, maybe you remember getting free glasses in various products. Jellies were often put in juice glasses. Or, grape jelly could be bought in the jumbo variety in a water glass. Pimento cheese also sported small juice glasses as containers. But, my all-time favorite was the oatmeal. Tucked inside the oatmeal box was a drinking glass. What fun to submerge a hand into the oats and withdraw the glistening crystal. Many drinks have touched my lips from “freebie” glasses.
If you don’t remember the glasses, then, maybe you remember collecting beautiful sets of dishes, complete with serving bowls, from your favorite grocery store. Franklin’s Grocery Store in Jefferson City had a really beautiful set to collect. Kroger’s was a personal favorite of my mine also. They probably had the most serving pieces and the pattern was pretty. These were great “freebies” and many young brides started housekeeping with complete sets collected by family members. Yes … those were the days, my friend! But alas, they did end!
If you remember none of these, you have lived a life without the joy and wonder of “freebies”. In this day of high grocery prices, we could certainly use a few “freebies” to make us feel warm and fuzzy. Ah… but, the warm and fuzzy feelings will have to come from a source other than the marketplace. Food gets higher and higher, and I fear there is not a “freebie” in sight! Oh well… I still have my memories.
