Through the Eaton's catalogue both urban and rural workers had access to quality goods at reasonable prices and thereby could escape the grip of local retailers. By means of its extensive mail-order operation, discontinued only a few years ago, the T. Eaton Company became one of the largest employers in Winnipeg. The company operated manufacturing plants which turned out goods as diverse as jewelry, clothing and farm equipment in quasi-assembly line fashion; shown here is the company's harness factory. The production of the semi-annual catalogue also required the labour of numerous compositors, typesetters and printers working on a large scale.
While the arrival of the Eaton's catalogue was a welcome event in most prairie homes, the company was not without its detractors. Boards of Trade viewed it as a threat to their local retail trade. Organized labour found Eaton's resistant to union organization, a situation that persisted into the 1980s. When times were bad, consumers were refused credit by the gigantic firm causing workers to rely exclusively on local merchants.
Courtesy: Manitoba Archives (Winnipeg, T. Eaton Co., 14)
