The Rise and Fall of American Growth: The U.S. Standard of Living since the Civil War (The Princeton Economic History of the Western World Book 70)

by Robert J. Gordon

Fixed prices were rare until the development of the department and chain stores later in the nineteenth century. The time-consuming process of waiting while individual orders were sold from bulk containers was prolonged by the need to haggle over price. It was not uncommon for higher prices to be charged to those of higher status and economic position.