When Shopping Was an Event | The Lost Department Store

A department store could be a day out: lunch upstairs, a visit to the toy department and Christmas windows worth stopping for. What did our towns lose when those familiar places closed? Explore how department stores changed shopping in Britain and America, from Selfridges and spectacular displays to suburban malls, specialist retailers and online shopping. Discover the work behind the polished counters, why individual stores struggled, and what happens to the enormous buildings they leave behind. Department stores have not all disappeared. This is the story of how their place in everyday life changed. Which store defined your town, and what occupies it now? CHAPTERS 00:00 When shopping was a day out 00:44 The department-store idea 02:04 Selfridges and shopping as spectacle 04:08 The people behind the displays 05:30 Malls and changing shopping habits 06:24 Online shopping and store closures 07:12 What happens to empty department stores 08:10 What our towns lost Watch next: The Crystal Palace, another lost destination built to astonish its visitors.    • The Crystal Palace: The Glass Giant London...   Subscribe to Lost History Revisited for more of the everyday places whose disappearance changed our streets. #DepartmentStores #ShoppingHistory #LostHistoryRevisited