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Did you know the phrase “a gift from the heavens” originated at a Service Merchandise store? It was Service
Merchandise that birthed the concept that a every customer should fill out a slip listing
the product he wished to purchase, hand said slip to the clerk, and then stared patiently at a conveyor belt extending from a giant hole in the
ceiling. A customer named Mavis was overheard
saying, “This is truly a gift from the heavens!” after a box containing her wide-slot
toaster descended from the ceiling hole, down the conveyor belt, and to the
hands of a giddy Mavis. Much like the
void at shopping centers all across America, Service Merchandise left us all feeling
empty when the final store closed its doors in 2002. The real tragedy is that no competing retailer has adopted the brilliant idea of using a conveyor belt in their stores.