Mail-order catalogs were once one of the most popular ways of buying goods and services. All a person had to do was send in an order form or place an order over the telephone, and it wouldn’t be too long before they received their goods via mail delivery.

People still order things through the mail nowadays, but most of those purchases are made through websites. That essentially means that the era of the mail-order catalog has long since passed. This is a shame, but we can still remember those good old days thanks to a holiday that’s observed on August 18th. This holiday is National Mail Order Catalog Day, and it’s one that we can all still observe.

Some Fun Facts About Shopping By Mail

A handful of mail-order catalogs used to be delivered to every home in the U.S. on a regular basis, so mail-order shopping was a pretty big deal. How big? Well, allow us to give everyone some fun facts about shopping by mail that some people might not have known about.

• The United States Postal Service didn’t offer parcel post until 1913.
• In 1906, the Pure Food and Drug Act was passed because of patent medicines that often contained opium or cocaine. These were often shipped through the mail.
• In 1926, the first Neiman Marcus catalog was mailed.

Observing National Mail Order Catalog Day

Let’s be honest here; although there aren’t as many mail-order catalogs printed and mailed as there used to be, people can still order from a catalog. Besides, websites can be digital catalogs, so nothing has really disappeared.

In fact, more people are getting things through USPS, FedEx, and UPS than at any other point in history. And on National Mail Order Catalog Day, we can order something for ourselves or someone else and celebrate this holiday in style.