A five-part series which tells the story of shopping from both sides of the counter.

From the Bon Marchein Paris to New York's Macy's, this programme looks at the heyday of the department store and at how it aimed to entice female shoppers.
Fantastic window displays offered cheap entertainment and, at the turn of the century, the department store became one of the few places where women could socialise in public without being accompanied by men. But there was a downside to this new-found independence. Female shop assistants often had to abide by a strict code of discipline in order to present an image of respectability to the customer. (Stereo) (Subtitled)