ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the role of credit in relation both to the furniture retailer and the consumer, with particular emphasis on the period 1850–1980. It was during this time that the retail furniture business expanded to meet the growing demands and purchasing power of the British population. The chapter explores the important role played by credit in the changes that have occurred in the culture and practice of retailing and consumption. It considers the nature of credit in relation to consumer needs and demands. The ability of the working class to engage with the acquisitive economy was aided by itinerant credit drapers. These travelling suppliers allowed working-class purchasers to buy textiles and furnishings for the home, in addition to clothing, on credit. Critical attitudes to retail credit were often based more on the prejudices of the observer than on the facts of the system.
