The big Herald Square department stores, particularly, but not exclusively. their bargain basements were heavy Sunday News advertisers that day. Oppenheim Collins was at 33 West 34th with branches in Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Buffalo, Garden City and White Plains. Saks 34th at 34th and Broadway called itself the “specialty shop” of Herald Square. Macy's was the biggest department store in the world and across the street was its main rival, Gimbel's. To the west was a Sachs Quality store at 8th at 35th with additional stores on Third Avenue at 134th St., 150th Street and 173rd. {Note: The high-end Saks Fifth Avenue originally was a co-venture of Saks 34th and Gimbels.}
Among the furniture stores along Eighth Avenue was Schlossman’s between 36th and 37th, in its 61st year, which advertised dinette sets and clothing. Ludwig Baumann's had eight stories of furniture, all available by the roomful on installment, in a building running between 34th and 35th on Eighth, as well as stores in the Bronx and Jamaica. The New York and Jamaica stores sold fashions as well as furniture and the New York store had jewelry as well. The store was advertising gabardine women's suits from $58.75 to $69.95. Sterling Furniture had a store at 35th Street, as well as at 142 E. 59th, opposite Bloomingdale’s. Furniture stores had pioneered the notion of buying on credit.
Women's hats, spring lightweight coats, suits and dresses and Easter clothes for kids predominated, but Gimbel's basement also had U.S. Navy surplus work shirts for $1.05, gabardine trenchcoats for $5.70 and men's sandals for $1.95. It was $2.25 for a month's supply of Ayd's reducing candy. Macy's announced that ”tomorrow's a big day for this shirt-hungry town,” offering boy's cotton sports shirts with two-way convertible collars. Saks 34th had a 14-inch tall stuffed begging bunny in soft rayon blush in pink or blue. with round rolling eyes and a rayon satin bow draped around his neck for $1.59 on the second floor. Macy’s was offering an exclusive on a three-dimensional color camera for $29.94 plus tax at its fifth floor camera department. The viewer was $13.79 additional.
To the south. in the garment district, Morris Hessel, established for over 30 years, offered natural mink scarves for $25 each skin at 231 W. 29th St. on the 10th floor. Furs were big items that day in the bargain basements. Every woman wanted a fur, even if it was just a mink-dyed squirrel skin scarf.