Reply With QuoteFor anyone old enough to remember, they evolved from Green Shield Stamps stores so the concept of catalogue shopping (albeit with stamps not cash) wasn't completely new. The range may have increased greatly though, even I can't remember TBH.
It must have been pretty revolutionary when Argos unveiled its first catalogue in 1973 and opened its stores to the public. Maybe it was closer to the 'Amazon' of its day?
I was looking through the early catalogues which you can view online and it's amazing to see how some products have changed due to technology and changes in society while other products have hardly changed in almost 50 years.
This is what the first pages looked like in the first catalogue of 1973 - showing the new concept of shopping at an Argos store.
The rest of these pics are from the 1973-74 catalogues.
These were the watches for sale - quite a few from Smiths.
Exercise didn't seem to be that popular back then (as opposed to traditional sports) - just one measley barbell set and a pair of discus? And I don't think that's the best clothing for working out ;)
Wetsuit, harpoon, knife and airguns...
Cannot fault the range of cameras - much better than in more modern catalogues
For the hi-fi fans this was the state of music back then
And cool Akai reel to reel
Evel Knievel stunt cycle, Tonka toys, Space 1999 Eagle 1 and Action man
And the Six Million Dollar Man that I used to have
For anyone old enough to remember, they evolved from Green Shield Stamps stores so the concept of catalogue shopping (albeit with stamps not cash) wasn't completely new. The range may have increased greatly though, even I can't remember TBH.
The Argos catalogue is essentially what got me into watches- As a kid I used to love looking at all the different watches, couldn’t afford anything but loved looking all the same.
I stayed at my sisters early '80s and my 2-3yr old nephew loved nothing more than leafing through the well-worn copy - pronouncing whatever things he could recognise.
"Googoolock!" (Cuckoo Clock).
Argos had a winning formula in that they managed to quell the theft of stock by employees (as was prevalent in traditional stores), by their MO.
Well ahead of its time really. It should have been Argos leading the internet sales shopping revolution, not Amazon. They knew that customers didn't need to see the products before buying them, and they believed out of town shopping was viable.
First thing I ever bought in Argos was a Sharp radio cassette player, with APSS. Amazing to be able to fast forward to the next track! So important to have the right track playing at the lights in a '71 Chevy. (or so it seemed at the time)
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
Unfortunately it coincided with my first Access credit card.
You can guess the rest.
scooter
It says in the catalogue shown that one of each item was displayed in store.Originally Posted by chrisparker
They probably did in the early days. I wasn't around in '73 so couldn't say. They don't now, and didn't in the 90s.
The toy pages are amazing, my parents must have bought most of my toys from Argos! Super flight deck, the timpo cowboys and Indians, I still have the eagle transporter and the scorpion tank, and the bat mobile and trailer! And I remember friends having the weird ‘mutton’ figure. A real blast from the past!
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I can remember when Argos were competing with an similar company called Index.
They definitely did in the early days.
Don't forget the lingerie and swimwear sections.
And who or where did they copy the idea from. I expect it was seen abroad and copy and pasted to some degree.
Yup.
Index were in Littlewoods stores.
Cheers,
Neil.
The thing I always found with Argos is that if you wanted a camera, watch or similar stuff you could always find it cheaper in a specialist store.
Cheers,
Neil.
Wow, that brings back some memories. I think my first half decent watch must have come from Argos - pretty sure I had the gold version of that Smiths “digital” watch which is item number 5 in the second photo.
Thanks for posting this.
Regards
Jon.
The laminated book of dreams
I think in reality Argos were like those gigantic catalogues that you used to get in the past that people's Mum's would run (Kays, Empire stores etc etc) but you could pick the gear up right away.
It was cheaper than the catalogues but no payment over 20 weeks, although I believe Argos did HP on dearer articles.
Cheers,
Neil.
Yep - like the Marshall Ward catalogue where you paid a small amount every week. I know my mum got me one or two toys from there because many families in the late 70s just couldn't afford to buy things outright.
Argos, like WH Smith, is a place you only go in to in emergencies.
Crap assortment, terrible prices and awful service.
At sea the argos catalogue was known as the Filipinos Bible back in the day. First call in a uk port was the seaman's mission for a quick drink and wait for the minibus to take them into town. They'd then go mental in argos. Everything was cheaper and of better quality than back home. Not been in one for years myself but just to like thumbing through
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One bright Deck Foreman took a copy out to the rig in Mexico - and got a shopping list for next trip! I refused to supply anything for resale, but did bring two Seikos out for a lad for him and his brother. The sad thing was - that they expected us to apply a markup to the UK price. Such was life in Mexico.
Which is why over time WH Smith is transitioning away from High Street to captive audiences in hospitals and stations...
I became aware of Argos in the mid-late 70s, as I recall they were generally cheapest for most items. I remember buying a Sharp radio/cassette from Argos in 1977 to fit my recently acquired 5 year old Hillman Avenger, both the music and car were a huge step up from the battered mini with a cheap radio that I graduated from.
Argos should've been way ahead of the game when internet shopping started to develop but it hasn`t worked out that way.
my first air pistol was from argos, think it was a "gat"
I'm sure a good few (but not all) prayed on the crews to make a few extra quid. Sad really when you consider how much they're already generally exploited by their own employers.
That hasn't been my experience when I've used them in the recent past. Click and Collect works very well, and until recently they offered same day delivery for £3.95 (mostly on hold due to Covid).
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