Scholarlink

From the late 1920s, middle-class Australians used a metal charge plate to pay for their department store purchases. The plate conferred social status, signifying that its bearer had been judged a reliable credit risk and was the type of person the store welcomed. However, by the 1950s, the success of the charge account (and its status-conferring plate) had undermined its exclusivity, and department stores looked for alternative ways to keep their VIPs feeling special. The answer was the revolving credit account which would gradually replace the cash order. Accounts such as Myer’s Permanent Budget Account (PBA) helped normalise revolving credit, preparing working-class consumers for the era of the credit card.

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

The Account of the Century

  • 章节

  • 发表日期：

    2026年

查看全文
  • Jackie Dickenson

摘要

From the late 1920s, middle-class Australians used a metal charge plate to pay for their department store purchases. The plate conferred social status, signifying that its bearer had been judged a reliable credit risk and was the type of person the store welcomed. However, by the 1950s, the success of the charge account (and its status-conferring plate) had undermined its exclusivity, and department stores looked for alternative ways to keep their VIPs feeling special. The answer was the revolving credit account which would gradually replace the cash order. Accounts such as Myer’s Permanent Budget Account (PBA) helped normalise revolving credit, preparing working-class consumers for the era of the credit card.