Business

Scenes From 80 Years of Holiday Shopping in New York

We’ll be crowding more and clicking less, carrying more shopping bags and waiting for fewer deliveries.

This holiday shopping season is shaping up to be more in-person than last year’s, but it isn’t likely to be as carefree as in the Before Times. Abbreviated store hours, product shortages, Covid restrictions and safety concerns are expected to make for a holiday shopping experience unlike any in the 80 or so years chronicled in these photos from the New York Times archives.

Still, these pandemic-era challenges don’t seem to be stopping us from spending this season: The National Retail Federation predicts that holiday retail sales this year will set a record. Americans are expected to dole out between $843 billion and $859 billion in November and December, as much as 10.5 percent more than in 2020.

— Roe D’Angelo

1940

The week before Christmas, Manhattan.Credit…The New York Times

1948

Macy’s in Brooklyn.Credit…The New York Times

1957

Gimbels in Manhattan.Credit…Eddie Hausner/The New York Times

1961

Abraham & Straus in Brooklyn.Credit…John Orris/The New York Times

1964

Lord & Taylor on Fifth Avenue.Credit…Eddie Hausner/The New York Times

1966

At Macy’s.Credit…Eddie Hausner/The New York Times

1971

Smith Haven Mall in Lake Grove, N.Y.Credit…Robert Walker/The New York Times

1978

The Roosevelt Field mall in Garden City, N.Y.Credit…Lou Manna/The New York Times

1983

Saks Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.Credit…Sara Krulwich/The New York Times

1989

B. Altman and Company in Manhattan.Credit…Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times

1991

The Galleria mall in White Plains, N.Y.Credit…Suzanne DeChillo/The New York Times

1992

Herald Square in Manhattan.Credit…Lee Romero/The New York Times

1994

Roosevelt Field in Garden City.Credit…Vic Delucia/The New York Times

2006

The Palisades Center mall in West Nyack, N.Y.Credit…Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times
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