Living: Magalogs in the Mailbox

When customers across the country received their new Bloomingdale's catalog earlier this month, they were treated to more than fall fashions. Among the Kamalis and Calvins were full-page ads for cigarettes, liquor and laundry products, none of which can be ordered by mail or bought in one of Bloomingdale's 14 locations. Other department stores like Marshall Field are considering the advantages. Says Milton Kaplan, president of Catalogue Advertising Sales, which sells Bloomingdale's space to clients: "It's the next large medium on the horizon."

Bloomingdale's says it added the ads to make its catalogs more distinctive than the 8.5 billion others mailed...