"Shop 'til you drop"

“Shop ‘til you drop” (or “shop till you drop” or “shop until you drop”) is encouragement given by some retailers to consumers (especially “shopaholics”). The message is that there is plenty of merchandise and there are many bargains to be had. “Shop ‘til you drop” is often advertised in November and December (for the major shopping and gift-giving holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas).

“Shop ‘til you drop” has been cited in print since at least the 1920s, but didn’t become popular until the late 1970s and the 1980s.

Google Books
November 1923, American Blacksmith and Motor Shop, pg. 14, col. 2:
“Well, how do you like this then?” asked Sam picking up a second card. He read.—“Don’t Shop ‘till you Drop — We have many Things for his Car.”

Google Books
Munsey’s magazine
Volume 88
1926
Pg. 311:
“You can shop till you drop, just so you don’t buy too much.”

14 December 1955, Los Angeles (CA) Times, pg. 32 ad:
IF YOU WANT JUST THE RIGHT CHRISTMAS PROP
THERE’S NO NEED TO SHOP TILL YOU DROP
TO FIND DECOR FOR TREES.
OR YOUR HOME, IT’S A BREZ

2 November 1956, Los Angeles (CA) Times, pg. B31 classified ad:
YOU CAN SHOP UNTIL YOU DROP
THEN WHEN YOU ARE TIRED AND WEARY TRY US LAST
I WILL BEAT ALL. TRY ME AND SEE. I AINT FOOLIN.
AL ROSE. The Trailer King

8 June 1961, Springfield (MA) Union, pg. 15 ad:
Remember you can shop until you drop.
(Loeb & Mansfield—ed.)

29 April 1978, Dallas (TX) Morning News, pg. 6E ad:
SHOP ‘til YOU DROP
(Gus Shaffar Ford—ed.)

Google News Archive
16 October 1983, Tri-City Herald (Pasco, Kennewick, Richland, WA), pg. C8, col. 1 ad:
THE SEATTLE
SHOPPER’S SPECIAL
$49.95 PER SUITE PER NIGHT
Reserve a two-room suite at the Doubletree Plaza Hotel in Seattle this weekend. Then shop ‘til you drop, at Southcenter Mall across the street, or at the neary Pavillion Discount Shopping Center.

OCLC WorldCat record
Shop ‘til You Drop: Shopping as Recreational and Laborious Activity
Author: Robert Prus; Lorne Dawson
Edition/Format: Article : English
Publication: Canadian Journal of Sociology/Cahiers canadiens de sociologie, Spring, 1991, vol. 16, no. 2, p. 145-164
Database: JSTOR
Summary: Although a considerable amount of time, effort, and income is devoted to shopping activity in our society, the study of consumer behavior and its significance for community life has been largely neglected by sociologists. Examining people’s definitions of shopping, this paper reveals the decidedly social character of people’s purchasing behaviors. Definitions of shopping as more recreational or more laborious undertakings very much reflect shoppers’ ongoing interpretations of their encounters with other people and the situations in which they find themselves. By considering shopping as an ongoing, formulative process, we become more aware not only of the situated nature of people’s participation in the marketplace, but also of the significance of people’s sense of self for the meaningfulness of their activities more generally.

OCLC WorldCat record
Shop ‘til you drop
Author: Esther L Beilenson
Publisher: White Plains, N.Y. : Peter Pauper Press, ©1999.
Edition/Format: Book : English

(Trademark)
Word Mark SHOP TIL YOU DROP
Goods and Services (ABANDONED) IC 042. US 101. G & S: RETAIL TRADE IN THE SALE OF CLOTHING. FIRST USE: 19831000. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 19831100
Mark Drawing Code (5) WORDS, LETTERS, AND/OR NUMBERS IN STYLIZED FORM
Serial Number 73594155
Filing Date April 18, 1986
Current Filing Basis 1A
Original Filing Basis 1A
Owner (APPLICANT) STORABLES USA, INC. CORPORATION OREGON 5511 S.W. HOOD PORTLAND OREGON
Attorney of Record WILLIAM P. BUCK
Type of Mark SERVICE MARK
Register PRINCIPAL
Live/Dead Indicator DEAD
Abandonment Date January 17, 1987

(Trademark)
Word Mark SHOP ‘TIL YOU DROP
Goods and Services IC 041. US 100 101 107. G & S: Entertainment, namely, a continuing game show in the field of shopping distributed over basic cable. FIRST USE: 19910310. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 19910310
Mark Drawing Code (3) DESIGN PLUS WORDS, LETTERS, AND/OR NUMBERS
Design Search Code 26.09.01 - Squares as carriers or squares as single or multiple line borders
26.09.21 - Squares that are completely or partially shaded
26.11.14 - Rectangles (three or more rectangles); Three or more rectangles
26.11.21 - Rectangles that are completely or partially shaded
Serial Number 76169277
Filing Date November 21, 2000
Current Filing Basis 1A
Original Filing Basis 1A
Published for Opposition February 26, 2002
Registration Number 2571126
Registration Date May 21, 2002
Owner (REGISTRANT) STONE STANLEY PRODUCTIONS David G. Stanley and Scott A. Stone, both citizens of the United States PARTNERSHIP CALIFORNIA 1040 North Las Palmas Building 1 Los Angeles CALIFORNIA 90038
(LAST LISTED OWNER) DAVID STANLEY ENTERPRISES, INC. CORPORATION CALIFORNIA 9454 WILSHIRE BLVD., 4TH FLOOR C/O NSBN BEVERLY HILLS CALIFORNIA 90212
Assignment Recorded ASSIGNMENT RECORDED
Attorney of Record DONALD L ZACHARY
Type of Mark SERVICE MARK
Register PRINCIPAL
Affidavit Text SECT 15. SECT 8 (6-YR).
Live/Dead Indicator LIVE