Credit and the Australian Department Store Since 1900

This book provides a timely examination of the role that consumer credit has played in maintaining inequality, at a time when the gap between the rich and the rest is increasing in the political west. It does so through the prism of the Australian department store, using archival material from across the twentieth century to trace how large retailers used class and status hierarchies, technological innovation, and loyalty programs to embroil the Australian masses in credit culture. Increasing numbers of Australians enthusiastically embraced retail credit, but their experiences of the democratisation of credit varied greatly. Hierarchies of credit are as strong in Australia today as they have ever been and, despite the growing use of debit cards and BNPL, most of us still carry a credit card and the threat of indebtedness that entails.

1. Introduction. - 2. Class, Gender, and the Early Department Store. - 3. Credit Innovation and Retail Hierarchies. - 4. The Cash-Order System: Targeting the Workers. - 5. Exclusivity and the Store Charge Card. - 6. Plastic Fantastic: The Arrival of the Credit Card. - 7. A New Culture of Loyalty. - 8. Destined `For the Shredder . - 9. Conclusion.