The War on Trading Stamps
Tacoma merchants rally at the Chamber of Commerce to curb the influence of retail discount stamps.
The trading stamp demon was flayed and quartered at the meeting of business men held at the Chamber of Commerce last night. It was the avowed intention of those who gathered last evening to sound the death knell of the trading stamp in Tacoma, and when the meeting adjourned, all present believed that the object had been accomplished. After hearing reports from the committees appointed at the last meeting to secure the signatures of business men opposed to the stamp, it was found that but a half dozen business men in the city had not signed the 'roll of honor.' At this point, the members of the committee came in for a bouquet at the hands of the meeting for the prompt manner in which they had handled the movement against the trading stamp. In this connection, the meeting adopted the following resolution: 'Resolved, That we do most heartily commend the action of the city council in fixing the license of those using the trading stamp at $500.' A similar resolution was passed thanking the local press for the stand taken in the matter.
“The trading stamp demon was flayed and quartered at the meeting of business men.”
This 1904 campaign against 'trading stamps'—an early form of customer loyalty programs—mirrors contemporary tensions between small local retailers and the evolving digital platforms or retail giants that dictate customer incentives today. It demonstrates the persistent desire of business owners to maintain control over their profit margins and local market standards through collective action.
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