By Steve Cichon
steve@buffalostories.com
@stevebuffalo
Wednesdays were a special day downtown through the 1950s and 1960s…
Because of a long running commercial which started running in 1969, you might have one idea from the world of marketing about Wednesdays.
But through the 1950s, Buffalo’s downtown merchants were encouraging the ladies of the house to get on the bus and head downtown to shop on Wednesdays– because Wednesday was marketed as Downtown extra value day.
Women who donned a hat and grabbed the charge-a-plate and a few bus tokens were treated to sales and special bargains were to be had at stores such as Tanke’s, Kleinhans, JN Adam’s, Hens & Kelly, Oppenheim Collins, Victor’s, Hengerer’s, Neisner’s, Flint & Kent, Kobacker’s, LL Berger’s, AM&A’s, Grant’s and plenty of others, all advertised in special sections that were included in the Buffalo Evening News and the Courier-Express.
Long after the marketing had stopped, there were still plenty of Buffalo ladies who made Wednesday their day to go downtown.
