Extraordinary Stories From An Ordinary Guy: The "Lancaster's First Retail Giant" Story

It was an ordinary day. Reading the 1976 edition of the "Watt & Shand/Hager's" Employee Handbook." The department store, Watt & Shand, was founded March 9, 1878 by mercantile apprentices Peter T. Watt, Gilbert Thompson and James Shand of Hartford Connecticut.

Employee Handbook

The nearby Hager & Bros. store was founded in 1821 by Christopher Hager. Both stores evidently used the same employee handbook. The New York Store featured lines of foreign and domestic dry goods as well as upscale merchandise. The first item sold in the new store was a 100% wool plaid shawl for $5.00. The store was, throughout it's lifetime, one of the best known and respected department stores in the city of Lancaster. During the first year of business, partner Gilbert Thompson died. Shortly the name of the business was changed to Watt, Shand and Company. In 1880 the business moved into a building located at 8-10 East King Street. Five years later the name was changed to Watt & Shand and was expanded to include space at 6 E. King Street. Then in 1905 the store added three adjoining buildings and in 1959 added adjoining Apple & Webber jewelry store. Watt & Shand was on the southeast corner of Penn Square in downtown Lancaster.

The beautiful Watt & Shand Building.

The beautiful redesigned building was designed by C. Emlen Urban in 1898. Major additions in 1916 and 1925 added more floor space on the southeast corner of Penn Square. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. In 1970 a second Watt & Shand store was opened at Lancaster's Park City Center and in 1995 the downtown store was closed. Then in 1992 Watt & Shand was bought by The Bon-Ton and ended business in the city of Lancaster. Then in 2006 the downtown building was demolished except for the Beaux Arts facade which was preserved and incorporated into the Lancaster Marriott Hotel which now stands at the same location as Watt & Shand. I enjoyed many a trip to the downtown store as a child as well as an adult.

Santa heading to the top of Watt & Shand.

I can still remember my visits to see Santa during Christmas season as a child and as an adult, taking my children to see Santa at the store. My wife, Carol, still remembers playing in her high school marching band and escorting Santa up West King Steet to Watt & Shand where he would climb Lancaster's hook and ladder firetruck to the top of the store and disappear after a wave to the crowd below. He would take the elevator to the basement and await for the children to make visits. For many years it was the Go-To Store of the city of Lancaster. The facade still remains and looks just about as it did years ago, but it just isn't the same beyond the facade. While reading the employee handbook I came across many very interesting items in the book. A few of the items were:

1. New employees must serve a previsionary period of up to 90 days before becoming a regular member.

2. Reporting for work onetime and continuing to work to the end of the work period is expected.

3. Time cards are used and should not be bent or marked.

4. A five day week is maintained for all employees.

5. Overtime pay at the rate of one and one half times the hourly rate will be paid in excess of 40 hours.

6. A 15 minuet break may be granted in the afternoon.

7. If the store is closed due to weather conditions, employees will still be paid for the day.

There was Group Life and Hospitalization and Medical Insurance offered if you cared to partake of it. There was also a pension plan if you cared to join that. Discounts on items sold was also offered. After 90 days of working at Watt & Shand, you could apply for a charge account and products were discounted for employees. One week paid vacation was granted to workers after one year. After two years working, 2 weeks vacation was paid. After ten years you could get 3 weeks paid vacation. There were 6 paid holidays. Promotions are based on knowledge of the department, skill, ability and interest. There was a 90 leave of absence for good cause such as hospitalization, child-birth, death in the family, marriage and honeymoon, court day and military need. There were many rules and regulations such as being tardy, smoking in unspecified locations, being under the influence, disorderly conduct, falsification of time card, destroying store property, and various other rules. There was also a specific conduct expected such as women had to wear stockings at all times, no smoking or chew of gum was allowed, men must wear suit or sport jackets at all times and snow boots were not allowed. The store was a popular place to work in the city with many benefits and allowances that could not be found working in other jobs. If you told people you worked at Watt & Shand you were envied. When Watt & Shand moved to Park City it was hoped that both locations would be successful, but the big draw of a huge shopping mall was the death of the Watt & Shand in downtown Lancaster. And, when many other top name department stores opened at Park City, it was the death of Watt & Shand. What at one time was the best department store in Lancaster was no more. A sad day for the city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.