Retail's Top 10 Lists Have Been Wrong For A Century The origins of retail's top 10 lists date back to the early 20th century, when mass market media began to gain prominence in American culture.
The New York Times published its first top 10 list, known as the "Dewey Decimal System" of bestsellers, in 1907.
This pioneering effort set a precedent for a century long trend where retailers and media outlets sought to simplify consumer preferences into neat rankings.