Historic five-and-dime stores sold candy, cards, sewing goods, games, school supplies, comics, cosmetics and Christmas ornaments; Woolworth also had live animals. Their appeal was variety and affordable choices, not one fixed price.
Prices varied by item. In 1886, Frank Woolworth tried selling a quarter-pound candy assortment for 5 cents, far below the price he had observed. U.S. comics were mostly 10 cents until 1961; publishers held that price partly by cutting page counts from 64 to 48, then 32. In 1880, a case of 144 German glass ornaments Woolworth bought sold out in less than a day, and ornaments became an important part of the chain’s holiday business.
A Washington Post retrospective described Woolworth pet departments with parakeets, canaries, baby turtles and goldfish. The article notes the tiny-turtle trade changed after 1975; the FDA’s rule bans selling turtles with shells under 4 inches because of salmonella concerns, with exceptions for science, education and exhibition.
