In the early 1900s only upmarket department stores and mail order companies published catalogues. Then in 1929 F.W. Woolworth Co. broke the mould as part of its fiftieth anniversary celebrations. It printed a million copies of a Home Shopping Guide and gave these away to customers across North America. The simple booklet proved so popular that many people kept them for posterity. Rather than listing every line, it showed the types of things that were sold in each department in both words and stylish modern-art illustrations.
From the earliest days, when Earl Perry Charlton and Fred Kirby had taken the brand to the west of the Rocky Mountains, the far-flung stores had recouped the increased cost of shipping by raising the upper price to 15¢. So two versions were produced, emblazoned with "Nothing over 10¢" or "Nothing over 15¢" on the covers.reflecting the fact that the chain had traditionally recouped the increased cost of shipping west of the Rocky Mountains with a higher fifteen cent price limit.
In the months after publication many Store Managers were surprised by the number of people who carried the booklets and asked to be directed to the lines that they and their partners had selected at home. READ AND SEE MORE AT
http://www.woolworthsmuseum.co.uk/xmas-catalogues.htm