any of the printed stamps of value given as a premium by retail dealers to customers; redeemable for cash or merchandise from a trading stamp company when accumulated in specified amounts; became popular in the U.S. in the 1930s and in Great Britain in the 1960s; the introduction of a stamp plan by one merchant may enable him to draw customers away from his competitors; the cost of the stamps is a merchandising expense, passed on to consumers through higher prices.