When the first great department stores opened in Paris and the US in the late 19th century, they were like nothing that had been seen. There were cafés, restaurants and smoking rooms, fountains and winter gardens, luxury goods that customers could browse without being bothered by staff. There were even ladies’ lavatories: women could spend an entire day in town in safety and without moral opprobrium. A glimpse of lifestyles that had previously been available only to the elite was now on view to almost anyone who strolled in.
19世紀晚期,當第一家大型百貨公司在巴黎和美國開業時,它們可以說是前無古人。那裏有咖啡廳、餐館和吸菸室、噴泉和冬季花園,顧客可以在不受工作人員打擾的情況下瀏覽奢侈品。甚至還有女廁所:女人們可以安全地在城裏待上一整天,而不會受到道德上的譴責。以前只有精英階層才能享受到的生活方式,現在幾乎每個走進來的人都可以看到。