# Remembering shopping in the "old" days



## Lashann (Jul 25, 2020)

I still remember shopping at a Woolworths dry goods 5 and 10 cent store.  There seemed to be something for everybody so you could usually find what you needed.  IMO things were quality made back then so no worries about shopping.

The wooden floors were a little creaky and the cash register could be noisy but that was all part of the shopping experience.  No real fancy window displays but there was always lots to look at and of course there was a lunch counter where you could sit and get a nice ice cream treat or something else to eat. 

Stores like that are rare now but I have come across the odd old fashioned "general" store when on a day trip to some small town out in the countryside.  When I do I will stock up on some of the neat stuff I find there.


----------



## hollydolly (Jul 25, 2020)

I was the wages clerk in Woolworths when I was a teenager here in England  until I had my daughter.. I remember it well, and in fact although Woolworths doesn't exist any more in the uk, the store where I worked still exists as another hardware type store.. 

I worked in the office directly behind the record counter, so I got to hear all the latest chart hits all day long 

I also remember when I was a kid growing up in Scotland going into the city on Saturdays and especially at Christmas  and marvelling at all the displays in Woolworths and all the big stores.. ooh the joy of it, even tho' I never had any money, it was just wonderful


----------



## Lewkat (Jul 25, 2020)

We also had very high end department stores that were privately owned and we loved shopping in them.  You had your own shopper who assisted you, no running all over looking for a clerk or a cashier.  Ahhhh yes.


----------



## Pappy (Jul 25, 2020)

We had a Woolworths with the old wooden creaky floors. First thing I noticed was the smell of peanuts roasting. Then on to the lunch counter for a hot dog and milkshake. The would have open bins with combs, bracelets, etc. The toys were downstairs where a kid could spent all afternoon looking and playing with toys. One could actually handle the article you wanted. There were no, can’t open the damn thing, packaging then.


----------



## Aunt Bea (Jul 25, 2020)

I remember going to the pet department at Woolworth's to visit the parakeets and the turtles!







Also stopping at the lunch counter for a hot dog in a toasted roll topped with mustard and fluorescent green sweet pickle relish. 

I think that it was Woolworth's that used to have balloons that you could pop to determine the final price of your order at the lunch counter.


----------



## Aunt Marg (Jul 25, 2020)

The memories I have related to shopping in the old days.

Woolworths, Hudson's Bay, Fields, Saan's.

Woolworths (from what I remember) was the best! Each and every isle had large wooden signs telling you what each department contained, the window bays had wonderful displays of lady manikins dressed in the latest fashions, and the smell of the luncheon-counter was to die for. 

Budgie birds could be heard chirping and singing, and when it came to toy selection, no one came close to competing with Woolworths!


----------



## Pinky (Jul 25, 2020)

My sister and I used to store-hop down Yonge Street on a Saturday. Summer or Winter, it was fun and exhilarating. 

We always stopped afterward to have lunch. I miss those days.

Then came the malls, and all those stores disappeared.


----------



## Aunt Marg (Jul 25, 2020)

Pinky said:


> My sister and I used to store-hop down Yonge Street on a Saturday. Summer or Winter, it was fun and exhilarating.
> 
> We always stopped afterward to have lunch. I miss those days.
> 
> Then came the malls, and all those stores disappeared.


I remember when malls first started opening in our area. Wall-to-wall people.


----------



## MarkinPhx (Jul 25, 2020)

I remember my mom taking me to lunch at Woolworths and the smell of popcorn at the JC Penny's stores back when they use to serve it. 

I also remember the good old days of shopping when I didn't have to wear a mask to go shopping


----------



## jujube (Jul 25, 2020)

I remember that you dressed up to go shopping down town.  No going there in pajama pants and rubber flipflops.  Oh, no, this was serious business.

One of our department stores had elevators with glass doors. I always enjoyed watching the floors whiz by as we went up and down.  The operator would announce each stop, "Notions......better dresses.....men's wear...….children's.....linens...."   The restrooms had "ladies' lounges" where a tired shopper could sit down and rest her feet for a  few minutes and chat about the sales with total strangers.  There was elegant dining in the tea room, where the crusts were cut off the sandwiches and your soup was consommé instead of vegetable beef.

But, as mentioned above, for a child, nothing but nothing was like shopping at the five-and-dime.  You could still buy some little doo-dad for a nickel or a dime.  If you had a quarter?  Oh, my!  My first (forbidden) lipstick came from Woolworth; you could buy a waxy fluorescent pink, red, coral or white Tangee lipstick for 19 cents.  Heaven!  Just make sure you rubbed it off before you came home. 

My grandmother and mother were convinced that eating at a dime store lunch counter was a one-way ticket to ptomaine poisoning.  Of course, that meant that as soon as I was old enough to go downtown with my friends, I always ate there.  Those BLT's!  The Coca-Colas over shaved ice!  The skinny French fries!  Paradise.


----------



## Fyrefox (Jul 27, 2020)

If you were a kid, you could safely go into a Woolworth's within walking distance downtown and find small toys, novelties, school supplies, and candy to buy for a dime; it was my first heady experience with being a consumer!


----------



## Tommy (Jul 27, 2020)

As I think on it, the indoor shopping mall was a phenomenon that arose, flourished for a time, and has now all but died out -  all within my lifetime. They left a lot of destruction in their wake and I, for one, do not morn their passing.


----------



## moviequeen1 (Jul 27, 2020)

I remember going to the Woolworths in downtown Buffalo,like the one Pappy described
I loved the creaky floors,smell of the popcorn
Two stores down was local dept store,Adam Meldrum&Anderson's aka AM&A's,loved going in there.I could always find the clothes I was looking for.In the basement,you could find really good deals,my dad  loved going down there during his lunch hr.,My mom,my siblings were always amazed to see what'treasures' he would come  home with
In Dec,residents from all over WNY would come to see the beautiful Xmas window displays,sometimes you'd have trouble getting into the store because of all the people standing outside


----------



## fuzzybuddy (Jul 27, 2020)

It wasn't till Aunt Bea mentioned it, I had forgotten about the pet dept. Fish and birds. They also had a nice stamp section, where they had postage stamps from around the world. I know, because I used to steal them. They came in little 'glassine" envelope, just the right size to stuff up your short sleeve. BTW, I did get caught shop lifting. It turns out I didn't have the stuff to make it as a felon.  I was using the up-the-sleeve technique to steal a pen. As soon as there was a hand on my shoulder, I screamed out, "I didn't steal the pen. I didn't steal the pen". Yup, it took me one second to rat myself out.
BTW, Woolworth's had the best cokes. They "made" them, in front of you, with syrup and soda water, not that premade bottled stuff.


----------



## Aunt Marg (Jul 28, 2020)

One thing that stands out for me related to shopping back in the day, was how most everything you purchased was complimentary wrapped in delicate and colourful tissue paper then lovingly boxed in the most wonderful of decorative boxes.

Shopping was more of an event back in the day.


----------



## Gaer (Jul 28, 2020)

Used to buy my 45 "Hit parade" weekly records, and my girlfriends would STEAL them!  Tangee lipstick, (remember that?)  Maybelline mascara in a little tube.  cherry cokes.  
I was in Woolworths the moment Kennedy was shot in Dallas.  Everybody screamed or cried!  It was hysteria!


----------



## Autumn (Jul 28, 2020)

The Woolworth's in our town had this deal where if you ordered a banana split, you had to break one of the balloons hanging over the lunch counter, and inside you'd find the price you had to pay.  It ranged from full price to one cent.  And those were the best banana splits ever!

Does anyone remember ordering a College Ice?  It was just a scoop of vanilla ice cream in a dish, but the name made it sound like something special.

We also had a Kresge's and a W. T.  Grant department store.


----------



## Aunt Bea (Jul 28, 2020)

Our Woolworth had a large clock on the corner of the building.

That corner was also a major bus stop for downtown workers.  I remember dashing into Woolworth's bakery counter to pick up a treat or a loaf of bread while keeping an eye out for my bus.  Sometimes I would buy a banana roll and the woman at the counter always said:  _Be sure to pop that in the Frigidaire the minute you get it home doll! _


----------



## Aunt Bea (Jul 29, 2020)

_"I don't care too much for money
Money can't buy me love..." _- John Lennon / Paul McCartney


----------



## JustBonee (Jul 29, 2020)

What I remember from many years ago ...   Getting up early on a Saturday morning,  dressing  for a  day of department store(s)  shopping in the city....   (we lived in the country)   It was a day  of walking, and as a little kid, very exciting for me.   Looked forward to those special  trips.  

It was truly a whole day event...  a lot of planning,   with even getting  haircuts sometimes,   and lunch/dinner included in the day.   
We always got home after dark.  
Like Aunt Marg said,  it was an event!


----------



## MarciKS (Jul 29, 2020)

Our 5 & 10 was called Duckwalls. Although it wasn't 5 & 10 cents anymore by then. I used to love going in there!


----------



## Sliverfox (Jul 29, 2020)

Our little town didn't have  Woolworth's.
We had Grants & Murphys,, both on the same  city  block.

When I had a horse my favorite jeans  were  black ones.
Could  but them  for $1 .97


----------



## 911 (Jul 29, 2020)

We had a Woolworth's, W.T. Grant and a Murphy's 5 and 10-cent stores in our little nearby city, as it where. I liked eating at the lunch counter and getting my BLT or Tuna salad sandwich with a large Coke and a small sundae for dessert. 

We had a People's Drug Store also. They had the very best delicious hamburgers that were soaked in tomato sauce. Anyone else have one of those?


----------



## Camper6 (Jul 29, 2020)

Why do women like shopping so much?

Comparing prices.  Trying everything on.  Bringing stuff back.

The guys? Waiting outside to bring them home with all the sale items they claimed they saved money on.

Mind you I'm a sucker for tools.  If there's a hardware store it's like candy. I could spend hours looking for stuff.


----------



## Pinky (Jul 29, 2020)

Camper6 said:


> Why do women like shopping so much?
> 
> Comparing prices.  Trying everything on.  Bringing stuff back.
> 
> ...


I'm one of those women who doesn't enjoy shopping. Before COVID, my daughter and I would have a "girl's day" combining shopping & dinner. 99.9% of the time, I bought nothing. It was more to do something together. She always bought a few clothing items though. We stay away from malls.

I find it easier to buy my clothes (sometimes, shoes) and other items via online-shopping.


----------



## Camper6 (Jul 29, 2020)

O.K. Now. Do you agree with me that women in general 'enjoy' shopping more than men. I'm not talking about online.


----------



## Pinky (Jul 29, 2020)

Camper6 said:


> O.K. Now. Do you agree with me that women in general 'enjoy' shopping more than men. I'm not talking about online.


Probably


----------



## Aunt Marg (Aug 7, 2020)

I remember (back in the day) when you entered a store, you were greeted with a warm welcome and provided with all the one-on-one service you required.

Nowadays, when one enters a store, you stand around waiting for service and in some cases there isn't an employee/floor staff to be found.

Even more troubling is how businesses have the audacity to whine and cry that everyone online shops.

I don't at all feel sorry for businesses going under today, because it isn't about customers anymore, it's about greed.


----------



## MarciKS (Aug 7, 2020)

Camper6 said:


> Why do women like shopping so much?
> 
> Comparing prices.  Trying everything on.  Bringing stuff back.
> 
> ...


I actually hate shopping & everything about it. I find it to be a huge PITA. If I could afford it I'd have my own personal shopper. *Grins*


----------



## JaniceM (Aug 7, 2020)

Camper6 said:


> O.K. Now. Do you agree with me that women in general 'enjoy' shopping more than men. I'm not talking about online.


Not me.  I enjoy grocery shopping, and when family members were local I enjoyed shopping for gifts for them.  Otherwise, nope.


----------



## Camper6 (Aug 7, 2020)

JaniceM said:


> Not me.  I enjoy grocery shopping, and when family members were local I enjoyed shopping for gifts for them.  Otherwise, nope.


Otherwise? A new store opened in our area. They sell just about everything but the main section is clothes for women. I find most stores are like that. Drug stores have entire section for cosmetics. Even personal assistants.
The exception is not the rule.


----------



## peramangkelder (Aug 8, 2020)

Aunt Marg said:


> I remember (back in the day) when you entered a store, you were greeted with a warm welcome and provided with all the one-on-one service you required.
> 
> Nowadays, when one enters a store, you stand around waiting for service and in some cases there isn't an employee/floor staff to be found.
> 
> ...


@Aunt Marg you are so right
Here in South Australia pre Covid19 I could go into a Department Store and wander around shopping
I would occasionally look up in the hope of catching the eye of the Staff who were too busy talking
amongst themselves to help one of their respective customers
I remember one time I went and stood at the counter where 2 women staffers were chatting and they
still did not break off their conversation....
I left that store and headed to another Department Store in the same complex and what a difference
The staff were nearby if help was needed but they did not pester me at all


----------



## Aunt Marg (Aug 8, 2020)

peramangkelder said:


> @Aunt Marg you are so right
> Here in South Australia pre Covid19 I could go into a Department Store and wander around shopping
> I would occasionally look up in the hope of catching the eye of the Staff who were too busy talking
> amongst themselves to help one of their respective customers
> ...


Good on you for leaving and finding a store deserving of your business, Peram.


----------



## JaniceM (Aug 8, 2020)

Camper6 said:


> Otherwise? A new store opened in our area. They sell just about everything but the main section is clothes for women. I find most stores are like that. Drug stores have entire section for cosmetics. Even personal assistants.
> The exception is not the rule.


There's a regional grocery store chain, and the store I usually go to has started this 'nearly everything' approach.  T-shirts, scarves, etc., have been there for awhile, but now they're even selling SHOES!!!  and they're not inexpensive, either.  

Nope, I like shopping for groceries, gifts, and oh I almost forgot I like the local dollar store too-  although I haven't been there in so long I don't even know if it's still open!!


----------



## Camper6 (Aug 8, 2020)

JaniceM said:


> There's a regional grocery store chain, and the store I usually go to has started this 'nearly everything' approach.  T-shirts, scarves, etc., have been there for awhile, but now they're even selling SHOES!!!  and they're not inexpensive, either.
> 
> Nope, I like shopping for groceries, gifts, and oh I almost forgot I like the local dollar store too-  although I haven't been there in so long I don't even know if it's still open!!


The dollar store near me has opened a complete electronic accessories section. Prices are good.


----------



## JaniceM (Aug 8, 2020)

Camper6 said:


> The dollar store near me has opened a complete electronic accessories section. Prices are good.


What I've found around here is most 'dollar' stores don't have reasonable prices and often don't have good products.  Dollar Tree is the exception-  products seem to be overstocks, and everything really does cost a dollar.


----------



## Don M. (Aug 8, 2020)

Around here, almost every town that has a population of 1,000 has a Dollar General store.  Over the past couple of years, many of them have been remodeled and include a much wider array of products....and narrower aisles....than they had before.   If a person just needs a couple of routine items, that is the best place to shop...and often their prices beat Walmart and Target, etc.


----------



## Lashann (Aug 9, 2020)

The Dollarama stores in our area are about the only dollar type store around.  They carry more brand names now and always have a nice selection of cards, gift bags and party supplies so it's worth an occasional visit IMO.


----------



## fuzzybuddy (Aug 10, 2020)

I remember going to a "discount" store., when they were getting started. They were supposed to sell stuff really cheap. And not only that, the stores were open to 9 PM. None of the stores in town were open after 6. And the discount stores all had popcorn machines on the side when you came in. That popcorn smell was all through the store. But you had to be in KMart for the "Blue light Specials".. They would haul out this box with a blue light on a pole. When the light was flashing you could get stuff a lot cheaper. You didn't want to be in the way, when dresses went on sale.


----------



## Jules (Aug 10, 2020)

I admit to enjoying shopping for groceries.  This spring it wasn’t fun when seniors had 7-8 AM as our designated hour.  Today at 8:30 AM it was quiet and I enjoyed meandering around looking for new products. It would be more fun if someone would pack everything away when I got home.


----------



## Butterfly (Aug 17, 2020)

911 said:


> We had a Woolworth's, W.T. Grant and a Murphy's 5 and 10-cent stores in our little nearby city, as it where. I liked eating at the lunch counter and getting my BLT or Tuna salad sandwich with a large Coke and a small sundae for dessert.
> 
> We had a People's Drug Store also. They had the very best delicious hamburgers that were soaked in tomato sauce. Anyone else have one of those?



I worked in DC in the 60s.  The building I worked in, on 16th Street, had a Peoples on the first floor and I'd always stop there and grab a coffee before going up the elevator to the floor I worked on.


----------

