Probably as recent as about 20 years ago, when we had to order something (although most items you could find at a brick and mortar store before being decimated by big tech retailers), you could order from a printed catalog. Here is the process:
1) You find what you wanted in the catalog and pull out the insert in the catalog with an envelope that you needed to fill out (it's usually toward the center or back of the catalog).
2) Fill out the catalog number, the description and quantity and then you added up the subtotal.
3)There were a few states that required sales tax, so if you lived in one of those states, you calculated the sales tax and added that.
4) Then, you chose the shipping method and added that to your subtotal.
5) Once you have determined the total cost of the order, you have several payment options. Some companies (but not all) have the option to pay by credit card. Not everybody has a credit card and some people don't trust filling out their credit card information in unsecured mail. If you are daring enough to use a credit card, fill in the boxes (literally boxes) with your credit card number, expiration date and so forth. You then have to sign with your "John Hancock" (anyone who still knows what your "John Hancock is is certifiably old school).
6) If you don't have a credit card (there weren't as many people 20+ years ago who had unsecured credit as there are now), you have to use an alternate method. Keep in mind there is no PayPal, or any other methods of online payment, since online shopping was still a new concept that many companies hadn't yet adopted. Go back a few more years and online anything didn't even exist... period. It was just standard practice to order through a catalog - and you used a check or money order. In this case, the choice determined how long it took for your order to be processed. A) If you used a personal check, the company had to wait for the check to clear, which my take up to a week or more. That meant that they had to contact the bank and ensure that you had enough money in your checking account for the purchase at the time to avoid an overdraft nightmare. B) The other option is to use a money order. You could go to your bank, the post office or Western Union (wherever that is - train depot, I guess?) and purchase a money order. The money order itself was a nominal fee (about 75 cents) in addition to the face value of the money order. This will speed up your order by a few days because they can process it upon receipt of your completed order (provided you did everything correctly - which, if not, they returned it to you).
7) Put your completed and signed order form, your check or money order in the envelope provided, write your return address on the envelope, put on a first class stamp and drop it in the mailbox. And wait... and wait... and wait...
8) If your order form was filled out correctly and you have sufficient funds in your account AND if the item you are ordering is in stock, they company processes the order. If there is a problem, they may send you a letter stating the problem. If there is a backorder, they may state that in a letter or you may call them with a toll-free 1-800 number and wait on hold for what seems like an eternity to inquire about your order. If there is something wrong with the order and it's your fault, they may just return your check and order form. If the item is out of stock indefinitely, they may offer a substitution - an option that may or may not be checked on the initial order form. Your order may take up to a month or more to be processed and sent. In those days, most orders were sent UPS or FedEx Ground, so you got there when it got there. There was no tracking number that was available for customers to track their orders. All this was perfectly normal and we rarely complained about it. I had one order that took several months... literally. I called several times to ask about the status and they acted like I was pestering them and I should "be patient and confident it would get there." That was 1997.
Fast forward to present day.
1) Log on to Amazon, Wal-Mart, eBay or any number of online mass retailers.
2) Click on what you want.
3) Confirm your order.
4) Package shows up at your doorstep a few days later... and hopefully you notice it's there before a "porch pirate" steals it.
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