Retail Details: Trivia from the retail world.

Don’t let the cold weather get you down. The days are getting longer (a little bit, anyway) and spring will be here soon. Meanwhile, improve your retail knowledge by checking out these fun facts, presented by 8th & Walton.

Did you know that the development of glass technology had a huge impact on merchandising? Before the mid-1800s, shop windows were small by necessity. The ability to create and install large plate-glass windows allowed retailers to show off their wares to attract pedestrians.

Did you know that eyewear stores inside larger retailers aren’t a recent innovation? The first Sears Roebuck retail shop in Chicago opened on Feb. 2, 1925, and it featured an optical shop for the convenience of its patrons.

Did you know that January is a “food holiday” month to several cold weather favorites? January is national hot tea month, oatmeal month and soup month. For resolution-makers, it is also national “fiber focus” and “family fit lifestyle” month.

Speaking of tea, did you know that “respectable” women weren’t allowed into tea and coffeehouses in the early 18th century? If a lady wanted tea, her husband would have to buy it. Thomas Twining changed all that when he opened the Golden Lyon retail tea shop above his coffee house. Ladies could enter, sample tea, and then buy leaves to brew at home.

Did you know Home Depot customers can special order more than 25,000 items that are not available in the store? Add that to the selection of the average Home Depot store, which stocks more than 40,000 different items.

Did you know that the cash register was patented in the U.S. by John Birch and James Ritty in 1883? James Ritty was the inventor, calling it the “incorruptible cashier.” The following year, Birch and Ritty sold their company, along with the patent to John Patterson, who improved the cash register by adding a paper roll to record sales transactions.