John Wanamaker Distributes One Million Copies of a Brochure on his Methods of Business in his New "Grand Depot" Department Store

In 1876 American merchant and religious, civic and political figure John Wanamaker of Philadelphia issued a pocket-sized brochure entitled Methods of Business of the Largest Establishment in the World for the Manufacture and Sale of Men's Wear. Notably the brochure stated at the foot of its printed wrapper and title page that it was "Printed at our own Steam-power Printing Office," and in a lower line printed in even smaller 6 point type: "One Million Copies Distributed Gratuitously." Because Wanamaker was known for honesty in marketing, we may presume that his claim of one million copies distributed was accurate. It was a particularly huge number relative to the entire population of the United States, which in 1876 was 45,166, 214.  Not surprisingly quite a few copies of this brochure must have survived. When I checked OCLC in March 2021 it recorded 31 copies in institutions.

Wanamaker was highly innovative in marketing. He invented price tags, and used them to mark fixed prices on goods. He guaranteed the quality of goods and allowed disappointed customes to return purchases for a cash refund. Rather than advertising specific goods for sale, Wanamaker's 16-page brochure explained his ethical methods of doing business, including his desire to sell quality goods at a modest mark-up. It also including prictures of his buildings and provided instructions to customers on how to visit his stores. He also described his mail-order business.