0
The word stationery according to my dictionary is an all encompassing word that means anything pertaining to writing, including paper, envelopes, pens, books, newspapers, ink etc. I thought the word ‘stationer’ would have some kind of interesting beginning, but it is simply an old Latin word for shopkeeper.
It’s one word that many people have a problem spelling too – the way I always remember it is that it is spelled with an ‘e’ and the ‘e’ stands for envelopes. In Britain we used to call shops that sold stationery, pens, books, etc., “stationers”. I used to think it a bit odd that chain stores like WH Smith who started out as ‘stationers’ ended up having their stores outside of stations!
Stationery stores realized at the start of the internet age, that if they didn’t keep up with the times, their businesses would be doomed. The sale of fountain pens had already started declining with the introduction of plastic biros and that, I think, started the decline in the standard of handwriting.
But today pens have gone from simply being a means of writing, to tools that make it fun to write again. Children love gel pens and glitter pens, in all kinds of colours. To keep up with the times, the major stationery stores have had to become like mini-office supply stores, and sell printer paper, ink cartridges, software, and a selection of things for the ‘home office’.
