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The REAL origin of SPAM …
Search the Internet all you like, you will only find details of when SPAM was first attributed to messages relating to the Internet. REAL SPAM started long before the introduction of the Internet. In October 1857, the birth of a department store on 14th Street, near the corner of 6th Avenue in Manhattan, took place. Rowland Hussey Macey began what was to become, a huge shopping empire that is still thriving to this very day. In the early days, and as is the case nowadays, there has to be customers coming to the store to ensure it’s viability. To achieve this, Mr Macey implemented the following campaign. He had thousands of flyers made up promoting what he was selling to entice people to come into his store. To make them take notice of his flyers, he had boldly printed across the top, “Special Pricing At Macy’s.” He then employed dozens of distributors to spread these flyers far and wide to reach the largest amount of people possible. They were placed under doormats, in letter boxes, stuffed under the door, plastered to light poles, etc. He ran this campaign for a number of weeks, and these flyers started to build up and blow around and caused a huge litter problem. People started to complain about constantly receiving these flyers and the Local Council also stepped in to address the litter issue. Mr Macy ignored the complaints because what he was doing was working. People were flocking to his store, so he thought that if he stopped the flyers, it would adversely affect his business and the profits he was enjoying. The Local Council, under constant pressure from those complaining about the litter blowing around, finally took Mr Macey to Court to get his to stop distributing these flyers randomly. They stated that many people didn’t want them and imposed a hefty fine and threatened more action if he continued. Those who complained and the lawyers themselves, referred to these unwanted flyers and litter as being SPAM, using the initials of the four headline words on the flyers. SPAM – Special Pricing At Macey’s Urban myth? Pure prefabrication by the Author or FACT!? You decide.
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Contributor's Note
SPAM will never be fully eradicated. If it's not in your email Inbox, you will also find it in your letter box. It's something you grow to live with.
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Either way, it's an interesting story. My uncle had a dry cleaning business, and he'd get us kids to go around with his flyers. This brought back a forgotten memory. Thanks for the interesting intel.
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
Thanx 4 your visit and your comments to this old man with old intel. *smiles* I will leave you to ponder the authenticity of the origins of SPAM. I don't wish to spoil it for other readers in the coming days/months/years. Great that we are friends here on Qondio. It's AWESOME!
This brings back a memory of placing Sale flyers under the windshield wipers of cars in the factory parking lots. I was surprised to have the local police, come to my business, and inform me that it was against the law. If someone drove off not knowing that the flyer was there and the flyer dislodged and distracted the driver, it could cause an accident.
Lesson taken, no more flyers on windshields.
Love your intel, John.
Best to you.
Frederick
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
Thanks for your supportive comments Frederick. There are still some businesses who put flyers under the windshield wipers, not knowing that it is illegal to do so. It had stopped some time ago, when one angry motorist sued the Advertising Company for damages incurred when the flyer distributor, broke the guy's wiper blade as he lifted it up to put the flyer under it. Money talks. *smiles*
This sounds like something Macy's would do. I wonder what his definition of "Special" was. Specially high perhaps. I used to put up flyers for my wife's typing business on college campuses.
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
Thanks for stopping by and adding your comments. Yes, the prices WOULD have been high at Macy's, but THEY thought they were special. *smiles*
Thank you, John.
What a timely intel.Thank you.
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