DSU

"Retail Trends in South Dakota at the Turn of the Century"

Abstract

This paper examines retailing and consumption opportunities available to Midwestern pioneer women and their families at the turn of the century and proposes that a consumer culture did not exist in the state until later in its history. A consumer culture is defined as a culture in which the majority of consumers avidly desire, acquire and display goods and services that are valued for non-utilitarian reasons, such as status-seeking, envy and novelty-seeking (Belk 1988). To confirm the presence/absences of a consumer culture in South Dakota at the turn of the century, the paper focuses on the number and types of retail establishments in the state as well as the promotional techniques and product assortments typically available for purchase on the prairie at the turn of the century.

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