- Geography
- Design & Technology / Product Design
- PHSE
- Business Studies
- Economics
- Art & Design
Learning Objectives
- Knowledge of the innovative development of department stores in the 1930s
- Understanding of how the new stores changed the shopping experience for customers
- Improved skills of looking at archive photos to recognise the differences between then and now
Discussion Ideas
KS3/4 Cross-Curricular
- How do you know you are in an M&S store? Describe who and what you'd expect to see.
- How do you like to shop?
- Do you wander around looking/ browsing?
- Or do you rush in and out choosing quickly?
- Or do you prefer to shop online? Why?
- In the Resources section look at the image of the black and white window display (what is known as visual merchandising now). Can you see any prices on the displays?
- What do you notice about them?
- Debate the pros and cons of 'shopping as a leisure activity'. Think about the benefits of shopping e.g. the value to the economy, individual and community, and about the negative aspects e.g. highlights inequality, can be addictive, can lead to over consumption and waste.
Activity Ideas
KS3/4 Cross-Curricular
- Work as a team and invent a market stall for the next school fair, to raise money for a local charity or to raise money for your school
- Invent / list items to sell
- Create your brand
- Plan your tasks in a timeline, then share out the tasks according to the different skills and interests of each team member. - Imagine you live in the 1930s and you are applying for a job you've seen advertised as either a Sales Assistant or a Manager in one of the new M&S superstores. Write a letter of application saying why you'd like the job and why you think you would be good at it.
- Find out what the prices of goods in the shop window display would cost today.