It seems incredible, in the year of our lord 2026, that Argos still exists. And no, I don’t mean Odysseus’ dog; I mean the chain of catalogue-based stores that throng our high streets, although in considerably smaller quantities than they once did.

The comedian Bill Bailey aptly referred to their ‘laminated book of dreams’, the huge, printed catalogues that used to be displayed in their stores. Every shopper of a certain age will remember the tortuous process of having to find the item they wanted in the catalogue, filling in a form with a little blue pen, paying for their purchase, and then waiting to collect it after being given a number.

In retrospect, it seems utter madness that people would put themselves through such a complicated process in order to buy a digital watch, or children’s toy, or any of the other countless items on sale

In retrospect, it seems utter madness that people would put themselves through such a complicated process in order to buy a digital watch, or children’s toy, or any of the other countless items on sale

In retrospect, it seems utter madness that people would put themselves through such a complicated process in........

© The Spectator