The S&H Green Stamps Family - Growing Up as a Company Child
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I am an S&H Green Stamps child. My mother worked for the Sperry & Hutchinson Company for 33 years, from 1955 to 1988, an employment that entitles me to call myself a company child. Those were the days of living snugly under the company umbrella.
When you were there for the company, the company was there for you.
S&H provided my mother with a wage, fully paid health benefits, a pension, a network of people comprising an extended family, and a lifetime’s worth of friendships. It provided me with endless hours of play time pasting stamps into books, employment during summer and winter vacations, a four-year college scholarship, and lessons in personal finance, business achievement, social responsibility, ethics, and morality.
S&H Green Stamps were as much a part of our home as they were of my mother’s workplace.
Licking Trading Stamps for Play and Reward
The first time I pasted a strip of perforated Green Stamps onto a page in a stamp book, I was hooked. I loved the taste of the glue. I now wonder if there wasn’t some ingredient in that glue that might have been habit-forming. Even though Mom encouraged me to use a sponge and water, I’d have nothing to do with it.
I was fascinated by watching a book fill up with stamps, page by page, until it was ready to be redeemed. Holding a full book of stamps gave me a sense of accomplishment: I’d started with an empty book, and little by little, the pages had gone from white to green. My hand now held something we could trade for merchandise. We patronized merchants who offered S&H Green Stamps and licked and pasted enough S&H Green Stamps into books to acquire furniture, appliances, home accessories, gifts for friends and family, and even sterling silver treasures. Licking trading stamps and pasting them in stamp books was one of my first lessons in delayed gratification.
A Brief Illustrated Review of Trading Stamps
S&H Green Stamps made indelible marks in the memories of generations of Americans. The Sperry and Hutchinson Company was by far the most successful in the trading stamp business, but other trading stamp companies made their marks as well.
Gene Gable wrote an engaging article, richly illustrated with trading stamp memorabilia, about the impact trading stamps made not only on our domestic lives but also on the world of business. When you read When Families Licked Together, be sure to read the comments where readers share their memories of growing up with trading stamps.
Thank you, Winsome, for pointing us to this article.
Coming of Age in the Social Life of the Company
Company picnics and holiday parties are as much a part of my childhood memories as my own family’s gatherings. In some ways, they were even more special. You see, I already knew my own family and its dynamics and routines, but these company events opened doors to observe and learn not only from other families, but from the family that was S&H.
The earliest lesson I learned was that I belonged to something larger than my family, my school, and my small town. S&H employees came from different cultures, different economic backgrounds, different genders, races, and age groups. At those social events, and much later when I was old enough to work at the office with my mother during my summer and winter vacations from school, my mother’s coworkers always welcomed me by remembering my birthday or a special achievement, or by gifting me with something small but precious, precious because it was a sign of their following my life because they cared about my mother.
Mom’s coworkers were a tightly-knit group loyal to the company and to each other. They were each other’s maids of honor, godparents to children, and strong shoulders in times of loss. Those relationships that stood the test of time began with each knowing the other through their work-day lives and the events that the company provided to bring them closer together. As time passed, the work relationships grew into life-long friendships.
Growing Up – Lessons in Morals and Ethics
At the company’s hiatus, S&H produced three times more stamps than the US Post Office and published this country’s largest merchandise catalog. My mother flowed along with the company’s growth by advancing from being a receptionist to a payroll clerk to a merchandiser to a benefits administrator. I trailed along on her shirttails by working part-time jobs with the company, at first in the office typing W-2s in December then moving along to summer jobs in the warehouse that involved accounting for and destroying redeemed books of S&H Green Stamps.
I loved the warehouse job. This warehouse was the regional distribution center on the east coast of the US. Men, around the clock, operated fork lifts and loaded trucks with merchandise destined for redemption stores from Maine to the Carolinas.
I worked with two extraordinary men, Ron and Bob.
A Peach for a Peach of a Girl
Ron was a southern gentleman who one year, after a vacation to his home town in Georgia, brought me a glorious peach with its stem and leaves still looking fresh from the tree. He left the peach on my desk so that I would see it when I got to my job at 6 in the morning with a note that said, “A peach for a peach of a girl.”
Bob was more reserved about this kind of attention to a girl. He was a rock, and also Ron’s boss. But he was the one to say, “You’ve worked enough today, go spend some time with your mother.”
This job in the warehouse was rife with temptation. Being a teenager and by this time a rebel, and also knowing the value of S&H Green Stamps, I wondered what would happen if I removed some of those books of filled stamps and put them in my pocket instead of sending them to the incinerator. I could have done that. But the man who gave a peach to a peach of a girl, and the man who honored my connection to my mother, men who valued the company as extensions of themselves, were enormous role models for me. I knew that if I violated their trust in me, which would be disrespecting my mother and their love of and admiration of her, I would be toast in Hell, with a burned crust that would have no hope for redemption. Ron and Bob had more moral impact on me than the priests and nuns who were my teachers.
As I look at events that transpired after my working with Ron and Bob, I know for certain that the examples these men set for me kept me out of jail.
S&H Green Stamps and Memorabilia - Popular Items on eBay
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S&H GREEN STAMPS, IMPERIAL GIFT, SUPERAMERICA GIFT STAMPS, VINTAGE ETSY CRAFT!
Current Bid: $4.99
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LOT 0F (9) VINTAGE S&H GREEN STAMP BOOKS WITH STAMPS
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6 Vintage Original S & H Green Stamps â
5 New Books â
1 FULL BOOK â
1960's
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16 S & H Vintage Green Stamps MINT Fifties? Sixties? PLUS A Single 10 stamp!
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1950s VINTAGE S&H GREEN STAMP SAVER BOOK AND STAMPS lot of 5 books w/stamps
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S & H GREEN STAMP SIGN FULL SIZE BEAUITFUL Non Porcelain 42" x 35" Stout Sign co
Current Bid: $189.99
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Vintage Original S&H Green Stamps sign double sided Stout sign co. Advertising
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S&H Double sided Green Stamp Sign
Current Bid: $175.00
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Reflections
Sometimes I have to chuckle, wondering if this family-centered relationship with S&H wasn’t a kind of kismet, something fated to happen. Both my mother’s and my initials are S.H.
My mother and I were ambassadors of this company that was good to us and consequently we became an extension of its marketing strategies. Home and office became entwined.
Through the years, the company marked Mom’s employment anniversaries with precious items of gold and silver that carried the company’s logo. Mom wore these conspicuously and proudly.
There is no doubt that the company excised pounds of flesh from workers in its quest for profits, especially from women in the years when women had limited opportunities for growth within a company; their depressed salaries certainly contributed to the bottom line. However, those years were the golden years of being a company man, in this case a company woman. The company looked out for you. They paid your medical expenses, provided for your retirement, and they also built a culture of extended family.
Today I understand the patronizing aspect of that relationship between underpaid worker and corporate profit, but in that long-ago time, women were able to support their families and also enjoy the security of knowing that the company would provide for much more than just a salary.
One last thought...Thank goodness all those stamp books were incinerated. Just think of all the germs that could have been passed around.
Interior of the Trenton Redemption Store in 1913
The Facade of the Trenton S&H Redemption Store in the Early 1900s
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If we did, I'd keep them for their sentimental value:)
Many of us had Ron's and Bob's in our lives but a lot of people didn't have the integrity and fortitude to build on their recognition of good character. You are truly a Peachy Lady. NEIL
I remember sticking stamps into a book too for a certain period during my childhood - but I just can't remember what we redeemed them for! Thanks for this trip back in time, ST! :)
Sally's Trove, What a beautiful story! Kind Regards
voted up and beautiful! I remember these and the pasting also. Thanks for the memories. My mom wouldn't shop at a store unless they offered S&H Green Stamps...
Oh yeah! My mom and dad lived the in S&H Green Stamp world! I remember an S&H store. Thank you for this!
You can still redeem S&H Green Stamps! Check out this article to find out how!
You have brought some memories, we had them in England too. Called Green Shield stamps.
Thanks for the wonderful memory. I loved helping my grandmother and great-grandmother fill their books. On occasion, they would allow me to choose something for myself.
Great work, brings back great memories.
This is a cool story. I had no idea they were still around. I have a beer stein full up on a shelf. I know they still gave them out in the early 80's because I used them.
What a wonderful journey through life as it was then...I also loved to place the stamps in a book, tho I licked a few, I did most often use the sponge...hahah. You describe the relationship between a caring corporation and it's employees. In spite of the rich salaries for the "upper crust" they did seem to have a heart, then. Some still do, but it is a rare attitude.
When you speak of Ron and Bob, I am reminded of how it takes a village to raise a child. What I was taught at home, I often found at my friends homes as well. An adult was instructive, values were shared and common among friends and neighbors. I could expect the same rules nearly everywhere I went.
My years in foster care and living have surely impressed me with how that is no longer the case.
The other day, I accidentally turned "out of turn" at a 4 way stop, and the teens in the car across from me stopped beside me, rolled down their windows, and in unison threw me the finger...they had good rhythm so they must have done that frequently. ahha
I just hope my own sons would never have done that...and I know we wouldn't have done that especially to an adult woman when we were in the village that was raising the kids...
Great story, thanks for sharing that part of many of our lives!! I loved it!
sally thank you for the wonderful hub,great work again!
FlyingPanther
Thanks for your response. My grandmother and greatgrandmother bought practical household items like irons and toasters. There weren't many things for kids (if I remember correctly), but I loved a pink plastic tea set!!
Gosh I remember those - it was so fun saving them up and getting 'stuff'!
Ok, this comment is long overdue, and for that, I'm sorry.
All I really remember about the green stamps is the licking, and how excited I got when a book was completed. However, I could not even begin to tell you what they ever got with them.
Thanks for this walk down memory lane :)
Thanks for sharing a wonderful story of family,community and a work environment that certainly shows how we could all get along. This is a keeper! Voted up and awesome!
Hi Sally, thanks for the fun memories and the glimpse into your family history. It sounds like a company with true values and dignity. I read an article called "When Families Licked Together" that Warren Buffet bought many of his companies by buying the Blue Chip stamp company with its cash reserves and using those reserves, not to buy the merchandise it was intended for, but companies like Wesco Financial and See's Candy.
I always enjoyed that Greensleeves spoof song: "I met my love in a grocery shop, selling pickles, turnips and soda pop. She said try my asparagas tips and I fell in love with her ruby red lips. Green Stamps were all she gave. Green Stamps were all I took. Green Stamps were what I saved, so I pasted them in my Green Stamps book."
=:)
I certainly do remember bank books. However, with the vague memories I have of green stamps, the same holds true for the bank books. I'm sure the money was put into an account of my very own, but that's all I remember. I don't remember how much I saved, or what I did with the savings. Perhaps early Alzheimers is setting in? :(
I remember Green stamps! I saved a bunch when I was a teenager. My mother, sister and I went to redeem the stamps for a new waffle iron. I was so excited! While waiting, my mother got the giggles. What was so funny. Standing in front of us in line were 2 women with long blonde hair, like my sister and I. But they must have each weighed 300 pounds. My mother said 'that's you 2 after a year of the waffle iron.'
Oh Sally, I had completely forgotten that I ever knew the taste of S&H green stamps, but now... I can taste them on my tongue! We got them at the Acme, right? Awesome Hub - learning more about what makes you you, and loving it!
This is so cool! I had no idea that the company operated this way - What a neat way to grow up! I remember the cardboard boxes of green stamps banded up in my mom and grandmas closets - And licking all of them. My mom used my brother and I as human stamp lickers and we weren't as happy with that role as she was! There was a small store in the town we grew up in - Lincoln City, Oregon, where we could redeem the stamp books, but it was always more fun to make a day of it and drive to Portland, OR, instead to spend them with mom and grandma. Your memories here are priceless and I think every time I hear the word "Green Stamps" I unconsciously make a face in anticipation of having to lick the stamps! Thank you!
Sally, excellent Hub. I saw that S&H Green Stamp symbol, and could not stop reading this Hub. Like many of those commenting stated, I can taste the glue, and remember the feeling of accomplishment in having a full book.
Weren't there little ones you got, and then big bonus stamps? What funny memories. I remember when we were having the first oil crisis and it got lots easier to fill the books. Thank you for this green and gummy stroll down memory lane. Voted up and shared.
I worked in the Chatham Redemption center in the late 80's after school. The manager Helen was a wonderful woman and the Head counter woman Mary was a lot of fun to work for. I worked there for 2 years after school and weekends. They were like family. I was sad to see the store close.
This is quite wonderful and takes me back too-- I remember those stamps and the books and I too liked to lick them and paste them in the books and there was something so satisfying about redeeming them-- what a great trip down memory lane and as always, a fabulous read. Thanks ST
A wonderful, beautiful trip down memory lane! Great job Sherri!
Very nice! I remeber pasting S&H stamps with may mom. She kept them in a basket. It is one of those cultural reference points that my husband and I talk about- we grew up so far apart but there are some things that our childhoods had in common. S&H is one of those things.
I grew up with the S&H Stamps and remember the fun we had anticipating the possibilities. It was something my mom shared with her 8 children as something to enjoy and anticipate for Christmas.
I appreciate your story of the integrity & trust instilled in you and how you grew up. Thanks for sharing your story. Enjoyed this article.
Well, this just brings back memories! I used to love shopping at the S&H Green Stamp Store! I wish we still had them! ;D
I still have a few things I got with green stamps when we were a young married couple. Enjoyed your hub.
wow, just ran across my Mom's S&H Green Stamp book from 1975. There is some really cool stuff in it and not much has changed. Looking at this stuff really gives you a warm feeling. I just saw the cameras with flash cubes lolol. They could really get hot. The TV's have greatly changed and colors have changed, but it's a book I will keep and hopefully pass down to the next generation. The current coupon/groupon users have nothing on the ladies and gents who used to use stamps for merchandise. Thanks for this website.
What a wonderful story. I loved those stamps, we too redeemed them for lots of household items, some of which we still have. For instance, my mother gave me a set of six stemmed water goblets, of which she had twelve, to take with me when I got married. I still have 5 of them today. I so wish they had them today. Not just because I'm telling you this, but I liked them better than the blue ones, which will remain nameless, nameless, mainly because I can't remember the full name. Anyway again this was a wonderful hub. I see why you get so many views, I look forward to reading more. Voted up, funny, awesome, interesting.
I remember yellow Top Value Stamps at Kroger supermarkets, but it seems like it took an awful lot of stamp books to redeem for anything. I remember better my father's Raleigh cigarette coupons - you could save up enough of those to redeem for a car, although I never knew anyone that did.
S&H was a good employer for the benefits they provided your family in wages, fringes, and solid human connections. We have few companies that offer all or any these today.
Hi ST - My bride still uses the set of pots and pans she received from S&H so many years gone by. Smiled a lot remembering those days as I read your great article here. Gus :-)))
My father also spent 25+ years at Sperry & Hutchinson, from the early 60s to retirement in 1983. He worked at 330 Madison Ave, NYC at the point of his retirement and would go to the warehouse in Edison, NJ periodically to review the merchandise. S&H Green Stamps were a huge part of my formative years, including the trips with my Dad to the warehouse. He was a buyer for many years, and would select the items for his assigned lines of business that would go both into the standard catalog as well as the incentive program catalog. We couldn't go by a redemption center when we were traveling without stopping in it and dreaming of what our books of stamps would buy us! I had an S&H scholarship (complete with an S&H pen) when I went off to college.
I would be happy to contact you... but just seeing fb and twitter links....no email.
I worked for john P Hetherington at 330 madison in nyc in the 80's. His wife's name was nora and he had a daughter whi was a teacher at the time! He was a wonderful boss and taught me the importance of being prompt and doing the right thing at work! He loved smoking his cigars and was a sharp dresser. He was a great mentor. I was the young kid on the block and the entire company at 330 was a family! I always wondered what happened to my boss, as i had such great respect for him! He had such a great attitude and never lost his temper! The company was great! I was young and loved running across the street during my break to shop on madison ave. There was a great cigar shop across the street and at times i went to buy expensive cigars for my boss! I learned a great deal about purchasing and how the distribution centers worked! When i left the company to begin my teaching career, the staff had a party for me and i knew i worked with a great group of people. I always wanted to go back and
visit but years went by and i continued working on my masters degree--- til this day i wonder what happened to shelley who was my good friend at 330 -- my boss--- and the many people who had such great work ethics!!!!





































Pcunix Level 7 Commenter 17 months ago
I am old enough to remember these. I cannot remember what my wife and I traded in our last book of stamps for sometime in the late 60's or early 70's, but I remember doing it..
When did S&H go out of business?