green stamps

Trading stamps. The most popular of the trading stamps that shoppers collected from the end of the 19th century through the 1980s were S&H (Sperry & Hutchinson) Green Stamps. Supermarket chains, department stores, service stations, and other retailers bought the stamps, then gave them to shoppers in quantities and denominations based on how much the shoppers spent in the store. The object was to create customer loyalty. Shoppers then cashed in the stamps at redemption centers or by mail and received household and sporting goods as well as other items. “Do you give Green Stamps?” was a frequent question, and not always to retailers. A would-be wit might ask a dinner party hostess serving a platter of food, “Do I get Green Stamps with that?” Said often enough, it was enough to make the rest of the gathering lose their appetites.