@PocketBrain Contestants on Wheel of Fortune would select prizes by spending their winnings and get the rest on a Service Merchandise gift certificate.
I still have a movie style desk lamp which I purchased at Service Merchandise.
@PocketBrain Service Merchandise was one of the best places. I was really bummed when they closed down their stores. Silent Sam was a wonder for getting out fast without long lines too.
I bought a lot of electronics there, plus my two favorite watches, and my first shotgun.
@PocketBrain There was a competitor in my area called LaBelles. Same concept (catalog showroom stores). I think they were part of the Best group. Chapter 11 liquidation in 1998. I bought my Yamaha acoustic guitar from them during the liquidation.
@Frcal@dyounghbic@nayten@mycya4me I do remember the snack bar especially the pretzels and popcorn! I did not know that Hills was regional. My grandmother worked at a Hills, so I was very familiar with the store as a kid. I spent quite a bit of time at the snack bar. LOL
/giphy hot pretzels yum
@jimmyd103 my mother worked the snack bar at Hill’s in the 80s and 90s until they were bought out by Ame’s. I used to love going up there when she was working because it meant unlimited popcorn and Icee’s. Hill’s is definitely something I wish my kids could experience
@capguncowboy Unlimited popcorn and Icees!!! That’s a kids dream. I spent some time at the snack bar but I don’t recall unlimited anything. Maybe a free one here or there. My grandma did me wrong!
/giphy you did me wrong
@capguncowboy@jimmyd103 hum…I feel like I was cheated too. Now that I think about it. Although not the same store, my grandma worked a couple of different snack bars at local bowling alleys. As a teenager I would jump back there to wash dishes (so many dishes), make and serve popcorn, nachos and soft drinks - she wouldn’t let me near the grill until it was time to close up and clean it.
For all of my hard work I got unlimited soda from the fountain and a meal OR I could have a snack like cheese balls or a bag of popcorn. Not a bad deal, but not unlimited EVERYTHING
@capguncowboy@tinamarie1974 Ohh the good old days of free child labor. When I was 8 through 14ish, I spent weeks of my summer break landscaping around properties that my parents owned. I was also responsible for cutting the grass. My payment was a trip to Dairy Queen, maybe once a week. Don’t get me wrong, I love Dairy Queen but the payment is a bit out of whack compared to the amount of manual labor involved.
@mike808 Yeah, def loved The Shack back in it’s heyday (L8 70’s-80’s, b4 neutering into a glorified Sprint store)…
My 1st P.T. Job, in fact! (& 1st Mgr position, cpl yrs L8r)
@mike808@narfcake Was gettin’ ready to Ask: Who had/has/rmmbrs those early Home Computers of TRS-80 Lineage?
Color Computer, anyone? (Mine’s gathering dust somewhere in Mom’s basement, Near, but not In its original box…)
@mike808@narfcake Where I started as a part-timer (& H.S. Jr) happened to be a pretty Kick-Ass sales-leading store in Meriden Square Mall. Narrow to begin with, retail space was split down the middle, with a Tandy Leathercraft store on the left side.
Amazingly, they shoehorned a whole RS/Tandy Computer Store into the far back section on the RS side. One of the very first in CT, it was fully stocked with all the latest “Cutting Edge” Computer Hardware, including commercially-oriented models.
I was lucky enough for all the Computer-only Sales Staff to allow me hands-on access to all the state-of Computer Tech.
(Enough to make a young Tech-Geek’s eyes glaze-over at times.)
@mike808 My last time at a Radio Shack was when I needed a new cable for my monitor and the kids working there laughed at me, telling me that PCs were on the way out and laptops were the way to go. They were actually patronizing to me, which surprised me, because I’d always had such good help with the previous owner/managers.
I did get my cable and I did not ever go back to that store. I wasn’t surprised when they went under.
@lisaviolet@mike808 My last trip to Radio Shack was for contact cleaner, some solder and wick, an some wire-wrap wire or something.
The kid helping me was really excited that somebody was buying that kind of stuff.
Never had a TRS-80, but I do still have a TI99/4A.
@Limewater@lisaviolet@tinamarie1974
I picked up some solder and a bench clamp and some wire wick for my last project to repair some headphones and replace the mini-jack a couple of years ago.
Unfortunately, COVID has since taken out Saint Louis last remaining electronics store, Gateway Electronics.
@Limewater@lisaviolet@tinamarie1974
For more computer-oriented stuff, there is J&B Technology (www.jbtech.com) in Maryland Heights, but Gateway was the place for ham radio stuff, DIY circuitry and any kind of electronics connector you’d need.
@tinamarie1974
I remember EPC. Good peeps. They’re into recycling e-waste and they used to do leasing on the front and then selling used off-lease stuff on the back. Got some deals on data center grade rack mounted stuff for dirt cheap back in the day.
When half a TB of 9GB disks was an ungodly amount of storage, and you needed a half a rack to mount it. LOL. Now I can get that on a thumb drive for $50 and 8TB external USB drive for $150.
Venture! I recall having a cookie card. Every visit I could stop by the snack bar and get a free cookie!! I am sure it was not the highlight of my parents visit, but I thought it was pretty amazing
@tinamarie1974 I always thought Venture was just another name for Target. When I moved to illannoy there were no Target stores, but there were Ventures, and the stores and ads looked almost identical to the Target ads I’d seen in Las Vegas.
@PocketBrain Ah! When I was a tiny child my grandparents moved to California, and when we would visit them in the summer it was a huge deal to drive into Poway to go wander around the Pic ‘n’ Save and then maybe get a Thrifty ice cream cone. Because my grandparents didn’t particularly want to go places or do stuff. But that was okay, because Pic ‘n’ Save was amazing.
@mossygreen You just gave me a bunch of memories to ponder. Thanks! We lived near a Thrifty and would get ice cream all the time. When we first moved here it was only a nickel for a scoop.
@PocketBrain when I was in high school in the early 90’s I would go shopping there for cheap Christmas gifts. I bought 2 cassette tapes there, one was They Might Be Giants and the other was Gumby (it was different artists doing songs about Gumby). I played those in my car all the time. And I know I gifted some of those tapes to a few different people, they did not enjoy them as much as I did though.
@jmoor783 I lived in a college town that had Walmart. Across state lines, just 8 miles away, they had the Shopko. We had the so called Mall and better grocery store (Walmart had none there). They had the DQ and pet shop. Two people owned all 7 gas stations. Every Monday morning they met for coffee and price fixed. The gas tax was 3 cents higher in that “other state” but it was never worth trying to shop for a better price of gas because all stations in both states had the same price.
How about GEM? Started off as Government Employees Marketing. Had to show a Federal, State or City ID to access. My father called it “the PX for the rest of us.” Best thing about his appointment to faculty at a state run medical school was GEM. As I recall, everything from groceries to appliances. But I was really young back then. Eventually opened to the public and finally became a Hills.
Woolworths/Woolco. That used to be our go to place unless we needed pharmacy (so we went to Skaggs in the same mall). Woolworths in the Boulevard Mall was for more occasional trips and holidays but I loved it and miss those stores to this day.
Almy’s, I miss that store. And Building 19. Man, you would go into Building 19 and have no clue what you were going to walk out with. Inventory always changing. Walked out with a pair of Dr Marteens for $20! (All new items, usually closeouts or insurance buy outs.)
Oh how about Grandpa Pidgin’s. They had EVERYTHING as I recall. But realize I was little when they closed. I just remember I could find loads of stuff super cheap to spend my megear funds on
Anyone? Anyone? Founded by Tandy CEO. Only 17 locations before failing epically in around ’97. Fry’s Electronics purchased much of the inventory and 6 or 8 of the stores.
Service Merchandise.
@PocketBrain Contestants on Wheel of Fortune would select prizes by spending their winnings and get the rest on a Service Merchandise gift certificate.
I still have a movie style desk lamp which I purchased at Service Merchandise.
@PocketBrain Wow, that name rattled a long-lost memory of stores I had considered wiped from the memory banks.
@PocketBrain Must’ve been a regional chain and never made it to my area
@PocketBrain marketed as a “catalog showroom.” Loved that place.
@PocketBrain Service Merchandise was one of the best places. I was really bummed when they closed down their stores. Silent Sam was a wonder for getting out fast without long lines too.
I bought a lot of electronics there, plus my two favorite watches, and my first shotgun.
@PocketBrain my husband and I got our wedding bands there 43 years ago - now I really feel old
@PocketBrain There was a competitor in my area called LaBelles. Same concept (catalog showroom stores). I think they were part of the Best group. Chapter 11 liquidation in 1998. I bought my Yamaha acoustic guitar from them during the liquidation.
Hills, all the way.
/image hills department store
@jimmyd103 it must have been a Regional thing.
@mycya4me Yes. NE Ohio
@jimmyd103 @mycya4me and across PA down through some of the south. I have dreams about their popcorn maker at the snack bar.
@jimmyd103 best hot pretzels! Ours was in East TN.
@jimmyd103 and upstate NY. We had 3 Hills at one point. Last building still standing is an indoor used car showroom.
@Frcal @dyounghbic @nayten @mycya4me I do remember the snack bar especially the pretzels and popcorn! I did not know that Hills was regional. My grandmother worked at a Hills, so I was very familiar with the store as a kid. I spent quite a bit of time at the snack bar. LOL
/giphy hot pretzels yum
@jimmyd103 my mother worked the snack bar at Hill’s in the 80s and 90s until they were bought out by Ame’s. I used to love going up there when she was working because it meant unlimited popcorn and Icee’s. Hill’s is definitely something I wish my kids could experience
@capguncowboy Unlimited popcorn and Icees!!! That’s a kids dream. I spent some time at the snack bar but I don’t recall unlimited anything. Maybe a free one here or there. My grandma did me wrong!
/giphy you did me wrong
@capguncowboy @jimmyd103 hum…I feel like I was cheated too. Now that I think about it. Although not the same store, my grandma worked a couple of different snack bars at local bowling alleys. As a teenager I would jump back there to wash dishes (so many dishes), make and serve popcorn, nachos and soft drinks - she wouldn’t let me near the grill until it was time to close up and clean it.
For all of my hard work I got unlimited soda from the fountain and a meal OR I could have a snack like cheese balls or a bag of popcorn. Not a bad deal, but not unlimited EVERYTHING
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@capguncowboy @tinamarie1974 Ohh the good old days of free child labor. When I was 8 through 14ish, I spent weeks of my summer break landscaping around properties that my parents owned. I was also responsible for cutting the grass. My payment was a trip to Dairy Queen, maybe once a week. Don’t get me wrong, I love Dairy Queen but the payment is a bit out of whack compared to the amount of manual labor involved.
K-Mart was my second favourite department store. Zayre was the best.
@yakkoTDI +1 for Zayre
@carl669 @yakkoTDI none of the Dept stores we have now even come close… not even Wal-Mart.
@yakkoTDI
Our Kmart just closed in January here. I’d still go in there and shop all the time. I loved that store.
Radio Shack
@mike808 Yeah, def loved The Shack back in it’s heyday (L8 70’s-80’s, b4 neutering into a glorified Sprint store)…
My 1st P.T. Job, in fact! (& 1st Mgr position, cpl yrs L8r)
@mike808 @tekhed7 I still have some partially redeemed battery club cards somewhere.
/image Radio Shack battery club
@mike808 @narfcake Wow, now that rly takes me back, esp w/ vintage Original Wrapper style Batteries pictured there… Can’t believe I forgot about those!
@narfcake @tekhed7
I remember writing a mashup of adventure and Eliza with a Star Trek storyline, and saving and loading it from cassette.
@mike808 @narfcake Was gettin’ ready to Ask: Who had/has/rmmbrs those early Home Computers of TRS-80 Lineage?
Color Computer, anyone? (Mine’s gathering dust somewhere in Mom’s basement, Near, but not In its original box…)
@mike808 @narfcake Where I started as a part-timer (& H.S. Jr) happened to be a pretty Kick-Ass sales-leading store in Meriden Square Mall. Narrow to begin with, retail space was split down the middle, with a Tandy Leathercraft store on the left side.
Amazingly, they shoehorned a whole RS/Tandy Computer Store into the far back section on the RS side. One of the very first in CT, it was fully stocked with all the latest “Cutting Edge” Computer Hardware, including commercially-oriented models.
I was lucky enough for all the Computer-only Sales Staff to allow me hands-on access to all the state-of Computer Tech.
(Enough to make a young Tech-Geek’s eyes glaze-over at times.)
@mike808 My last time at a Radio Shack was when I needed a new cable for my monitor and the kids working there laughed at me, telling me that PCs were on the way out and laptops were the way to go. They were actually patronizing to me, which surprised me, because I’d always had such good help with the previous owner/managers.
I did get my cable and I did not ever go back to that store. I wasn’t surprised when they went under.
Cater to the old folks, guys, we have money.
@lisaviolet @mike808 My last trip to Radio Shack was for contact cleaner, some solder and wick, an some wire-wrap wire or something.
The kid helping me was really excited that somebody was buying that kind of stuff.
Never had a TRS-80, but I do still have a TI99/4A.
@Limewater @lisaviolet @tinamarie1974
I picked up some solder and a bench clamp and some wire wick for my last project to repair some headphones and replace the mini-jack a couple of years ago.
Unfortunately, COVID has since taken out Saint Louis last remaining electronics store, Gateway Electronics.
RIP, Gateway.
Gateway closes October 2020 - Reddit
Gateway on FB
@Limewater @lisaviolet @mike808 there use to be a place in St Peters, but I haven’t been there in ~10 years. Let me see if I can find the 411
@Limewater @lisaviolet @tinamarie1974
For more computer-oriented stuff, there is J&B Technology (www.jbtech.com) in Maryland Heights, but Gateway was the place for ham radio stuff, DIY circuitry and any kind of electronics connector you’d need.
@Limewater @lisaviolet @mike808 not sure this is gonna be helpful if you are looking for things other than computer parts, but here ya go.
Looks like they have upgraded A LOT since I was last there. They use to just have parts/computers piled on shelves
https://epcusa.com/shop/showroom/
@tinamarie1974
I remember EPC. Good peeps. They’re into recycling e-waste and they used to do leasing on the front and then selling used off-lease stuff on the back. Got some deals on data center grade rack mounted stuff for dirt cheap back in the day.
When half a TB of 9GB disks was an ungodly amount of storage, and you needed a half a rack to mount it. LOL. Now I can get that on a thumb drive for $50 and 8TB external USB drive for $150.
@mike808 sounds like we shopped there around the same time lol and they are good peeps
We had a place called Present’s and you went in and ordered from a catalog. Then your thing came down a conveyer belt. I loved that conveyer belt.
@sammydog01
we had a place like that too, wasn’t that name, but I liked it.
@sammydog01 Consumers Distributing in Brooklyn
@sammydog01 Present Company! I don’t know if it was cheaper or better, but it was fun!
They even expanded into selling yachts in the 1980’s
https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/local/rocroots/2019/10/19/whatever-happened-present-co/40340061/
@sammydog01 That was how Service Merchandise worked too.
Venture! I recall having a cookie card. Every visit I could stop by the snack bar and get a free cookie!! I am sure it was not the highlight of my parents visit, but I thought it was pretty amazing
@tinamarie1974 As another STL local, I can say I remember Venture well too…
@tinamarie1974 I always thought Venture was just another name for Target. When I moved to illannoy there were no Target stores, but there were Ventures, and the stores and ads looked almost identical to the Target ads I’d seen in Las Vegas.
@duodec @tinamarie1974 Same founder, hence the similarities:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venture_Stores
Anyone grow up with TG&Y?
@ExtraMedium I don’t know about the everywhere but the ones here became Ben Franklin stores.
@ExtraMedium
yes
@ExtraMedium @yakkoTDI
We had a Ben Franklin’s - I loved that store!
@ExtraMedium Bought this lion painting for $17 at TG&Y in Lakeside California, 1971.
Fifty years old.
@lisaviolet That is a great Leo painting.
Pic-n-Save.
@PocketBrain
they are Big Lots now
@PocketBrain Ah! When I was a tiny child my grandparents moved to California, and when we would visit them in the summer it was a huge deal to drive into Poway to go wander around the Pic ‘n’ Save and then maybe get a Thrifty ice cream cone. Because my grandparents didn’t particularly want to go places or do stuff. But that was okay, because Pic ‘n’ Save was amazing.
@mossygreen You just gave me a bunch of memories to ponder. Thanks! We lived near a Thrifty and would get ice cream all the time. When we first moved here it was only a nickel for a scoop.
@mossygreen @PocketBrain Thrifty Ice Cream had a real rep for being great. My Dad was a Thrifty Drug store manager for many years.
@Fuzzalini
@PocketBrain when I was in high school in the early 90’s I would go shopping there for cheap Christmas gifts. I bought 2 cassette tapes there, one was They Might Be Giants and the other was Gumby (it was different artists doing songs about Gumby). I played those in my car all the time. And I know I gifted some of those tapes to a few different people, they did not enjoy them as much as I did though.
Remember Circuit City, as it was created in my hometown. We also had Best Products too.
@mycya4me I loved Best!
I miss Big Lots from the days of old. When they sold odd lots and seconds not the produced for Big Lots crap they sell now!
@jimmyd103 I bought so many pogs there. So many.
Shopko
@jmoor783 I lived in a college town that had Walmart. Across state lines, just 8 miles away, they had the Shopko. We had the so called Mall and better grocery store (Walmart had none there). They had the DQ and pet shop. Two people owned all 7 gas stations. Every Monday morning they met for coffee and price fixed. The gas tax was 3 cents higher in that “other state” but it was never worth trying to shop for a better price of gas because all stations in both states had the same price.
Phar-Mor, anyone?
@nayten One of Youngstown Ohio finest!
How about GEM? Started off as Government Employees Marketing. Had to show a Federal, State or City ID to access. My father called it “the PX for the rest of us.” Best thing about his appointment to faculty at a state run medical school was GEM. As I recall, everything from groceries to appliances. But I was really young back then. Eventually opened to the public and finally became a Hills.
@Frcal In SoCal, Fedco (Federal Employees Distributing Company) operated in the same manner.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fedco
Woolworths/Woolco. That used to be our go to place unless we needed pharmacy (so we went to Skaggs in the same mall). Woolworths in the Boulevard Mall was for more occasional trips and holidays but I loved it and miss those stores to this day.
T G&Y. They had a little bit of everything.
Almy’s, I miss that store. And Building 19. Man, you would go into Building 19 and have no clue what you were going to walk out with. Inventory always changing. Walked out with a pair of Dr Marteens for $20! (All new items, usually closeouts or insurance buy outs.)
Oh how about Grandpa Pidgin’s. They had EVERYTHING as I recall. But realize I was little when they closed. I just remember I could find loads of stuff super cheap to spend my megear funds on
While we’re on a nostalgia spree of retail stores of the past, is it too early to say Fry’s Electronics, specifically pre-2010?
(The last decade is better left unspoken, however.)
Anyone? Anyone? Founded by Tandy CEO. Only 17 locations before failing epically in around ’97. Fry’s Electronics purchased much of the inventory and 6 or 8 of the stores.
@ruouttaurmind Retail Archeology mentioned them in their first Fry’s video:
Their subsequent Fry’s visit: