1987

Gimbel Brothers (known simply as Gimbels) was an American department store corporation that operated for a century, from 1887 until 1987….Gimbels.

19th century

The company is known for creating the Gimbels Thanksgiving Day Parade, the oldest parade in the country. Gimbels was also once the largest department store chain in the country. By the time of its closure in 1987, Gimbels had 36 stores throughout the United States.

Fun fact: Producers wanted to feature the famous Macy’s 34th street location, the largest store in the world, but Macy’s refused to have their name used. So they settled on Gimbels, a now defunct NY department store–the exterior was shot at 5th Avenue and E 30th St and decorated with CGI.

John Wanamaker Department Store

John Wanamaker

Strawbridge’s, formerly Strawbridge & Clothier, was a department store in the northeastern United States, with stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. On September 9, 2006, the Strawbridge’s and Hecht’s nameplates were completely phased-out in favor of Macy’s.

Septe

Clover (store)

1977

After the chain closed in 1977, the full-block flagship store was vacant until the late 1980s.

In 2020, Macy’s was ranked as the the leading department store in the United States, with sales amounting to 17.35 billion U.S. dollars. Kohl’s followed, with sales reaching 15 billion. In December of that year, U.S. department store sales reached 14 billion U.S. dollars.

By comparison, Q2 2018 retail vacancies hit 10.2% nationally and 8.4% regionally. Center City’s 3,195 active storefronts in 2018 consist of 986 retail stores, 1,005 food establishments and 1,204 service providers.

1962

The Wanamaker Organ is played daily (except Sundays) at noon. It is also played on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 5:30 pm, and each Wednesday and Friday at 7pm. Note: this is the regular yearly schedule.

At the end of the fair, the sculpture was acquired by John Wanamaker for display in his store and has stood at that location (now Macy’s department store) ever since. In 2001, the Eagle was designated a historic object by the city’s Historical Commission.

TF Cornerstone

maker of winnowing baskets

Dutch

Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is, I don’t know which half.

John Wanamaker, (born July 11, 1838, Philadelphia, Pa., U.S.—died Dec. 12, 1922, Philadelphia), merchant and founder of one of the first American department stores. John Wanamaker was noted for his successful use of advertising, and he was one of the first major merchandisers to employ advertising agencies.

Philadelphia

John Wanamaker famously said, “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is, I don’t know which half.” You can replace the word advertising with the words tactics or projects and the statement would still be true for most companies.

In 1874 he placed the first half-page advertisement ever published in a newspaper, and in 1879 he ran the first full-page newspaper ad, beginning a schedule of such ads in 1888. His faith in the value of advertising helped his store become the largest retailer of men’s clothing by 1868.

Do you know which part of your advertising spend is working the hardest? It’s an age-old adage: “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half.” The quote, by department store mogul John Wanamaker, is over 100 years old.

In many cases, the answer is yes. Well implemented marketing campaigns absolutely deliver a worthwhile return on investment. Unfortunately, companies still waste millions of dollars on advertisements each and every year.