Final answer:
Customer service evolved from small general stores and individual sellers to include national mail-order catalogs and department stores, providing a wide variety of goods at stated prices and creating a common consumer culture across America.
Step-by-step explanation:
The concept of customer service has undergone a significant transformation since the early practices of selling goods. From the small general stores, peddlers, and household sales, customer service evolved massively with advances in transportation and communication. The rise of mail-order catalogs like those from Sears, Roebuck & Company, and the emergence of department stores, such as Wanamaker's and Macy's, revolutionized consumer culture. They offered an extensive range of products, fixed prices, and the convenience of shopping from home or in grand urban establishments. National brands like Coca-Cola and Crisco also emerged, providing consistency and trust in a rapidly growing market. This broad access and service to consumers played a crucial role in fostering a new culture of consumption that thrived on variety, accessibility, and reliability.
Mail-order houses were particularly transformative for rural customers who had previously relied on local country stores with limited selection and higher prices. Companies like Sears provided a vast selection at stated prices, which challenged the small-town stores and empowered consumers. This, in turn, led to an increase in demand and consumer expectations, as well as the rise of a national consumer culture.
Department stores introduced a new way of shopping with a wide variety of goods under one roof, fixed pricing, and no need for bargaining. The experience of shopping became more standardized across the nation, fostering a shared national identity reflected in the consumer goods that were available everywhere.