JANUARY 1950. The beginning of a new decade, and people’s eye for a bargain was as keen as ever. In Glasgow, the sales had opened everywhere: McDonalds, Rowan’s, and Wilson’s, in Buchanan Street; Copland & Lye in Sauchiehall Street; Sinclair & Thomson, in West Nile Street. Pettigrew & Stephen’s, in Sauchiehall Street, promised to offer “many sensational reductions.”

A few examples of the bargains in McDonalds: tailored costumes, “beautifully cut in exclusive materials”, were £21.91.4, now £12 and £7. Silk and linen afternoon dresses, were £15.15/-, now £8 and £3. Cardigan and jumper suits “by well-known designers”, were £8.15.9 and £19.5/-, now £10 and £5.The Man’s Shop had bargains in everything from hand-knitted slipovers, winter flannels and Winceyette pyjamas to Ulster-style coats “in ‘Crombie’ material”.

On Wednesday January 4, the Glasgow stores attracted bargain-hunters from as far afield as Aberdeen, Stirling, Rothesay and Perth. Other shoppers flocked in from the country. The Glasgow Herald said that though the country customers visited most departments within stores, “they had buying trends of their own and searched for clothes that would stand up to hard weather.”

The Bulletin ran photographs of the Glasgow sales, but it had commercial imperatives of its own. The caption of the reverse of the picture above read: “Treat generally - do not use name of store (unless they advertise in Bull[etin]”.