Self-serve wasn’t around when this picture was taken in 1939.
It’s hard for me to believe, but I turned 58 years old this year.
I know, I don’t look a day over 70.
When I was a young boy, I thought people in their fifties were ancient. Perhaps they are; but I don’t feel ancient. In fact, with only a few minor exceptions, I feel pretty much the same way today as I did when I was 30. I really do.
It’s a tired cliche, but time really does fly. And as I get older, the pages of my life seem to turn faster and faster.
I’m not complaining, mind you; it’s just an observation.
Of course, the world has changed quite a bit since I was born. One of the biggest changes is that the Internet and humans’ ability to ensure a never-ending stream of technological improvements have changed the way many companies do business. As a result, certain questions people used to routinely encounter long ago have, for the most part, gone the way of the dodo.
What kind of questions am I referring to, you ask? Well … here are a few examples:
“Blue Chip or S&H Green Stamps?”
Blue Chip and S&H Green stamps were the first loyalty discount programs. Usually, the stamps were offered by grocery stores, gas stations, and pharmacies — but they were also supposedly offered by a few other businesses too, including mortuaries and brothels. Yes, those brothels. When I was little, I remember my mom collecting stamps by the thousands and then pasting them into books. When she accumulated enough, we’d get in the car and head over to the redemption center where she’d redeem them for all kinds of cool merchandise. Over time, the advent of the digital age permitted the development of far less-costly loyalty programs. As a result, both Blue Chip and S&H Green Stamps fell out of favor during the 1980s.
“Can I check under the hood?”
Although the first self-service gas station in the US opened way back in 1947, until the late 1970s it was hard to find anything other than full-service stations with attendants who would cheerfully fill-up your tank, clean the windshield, and check the car’s tires and fluids. Despite the convenience they provided, those full-service stations slowly began to fall into disfavor as gasoline prices rose during the following decade. Today, full-service gasoline stations are almost impossible to find outside of Oregon and New Jersey, where state laws there prohibit self-service. No, really.
“Regular or ethyl?”
Before premium unleaded gasoline, there was something called “ethyl,” which is short for tetraethyl leaded gasoline. Motorists who wanted a higher-octane gasoline that eliminated engine knocking would typically pay a few cents more per gallon for ethyl — or “high test.” Leaded gasoline for cars was completely phased out of the US market in 1995.
“Beta or VHS?”
Back in the late 1980s, whenever I’d call my local video store to inquire if they had a particular movie available for rent on videotape, they’d ask me whether I wanted it in Beta or VHS. Eventually, DVDs — which have their own set of problems — killed off videotape. Meanwhile, streaming-video services like Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu have all but killed off the brick-and-mortar video rental store.
“Layaway or cash-and-carry?”
Although layaway plans are making a bit of a comeback, they’re still relatively rare. Probably because, unlike credit cards, you don’t get what you’re paying for until you completely retire the bill — and that can be risky. Most layaway plans also charge additional fees. That’s why savvy shoppers prefer to save their money ahead of time — doing so allows them to purchase and carry home their merchandise on the same day.
“Cassette or 8-track tape?”
If you’re under 50, ask Mom or Dad about the horrors of 8-track tapes. How anybody thought they were a good idea is beyond me. I think I’ll leave it at that.
“What floor, please?”
Believe it or not, there were department stores that had employees operating elevators as recently as the 1970s; I know this because I have a family member who used to be an elevator operator. Today, those department stores expect you to push the elevator buttons – at least the ones that didn’t decide to move their operations entirely online.
No; I’m not complaining. It’s just an observation.
Photo Credit: dok1
Interesting reminisces. I remember all these and more. Prior to the advent of the 8-track tape player, there was a device that would play 45 rpm records in your car but I think only if you were parked. The 8 track tape liberated the driver to listen to their music while driving. What a technological innovation!
Oh yes and what about Gas Wars. Service stations near each other where I am from would actually place signs up stating a Gas War was on and sell their gasoline for less than their neighbor stations. They would drop prices over and over to be the least expensive to draw the customers in. One time as a small boy in 1963 my Dad drove 5 miles out of town to buy gas for 11.9 cents per gallon because he heard there was a gas war in a nearby town. He saved so much by driving out there, he gave me a bottle of pop for riding out there with him!
State law may prohibit self-service, but I can’t remember the last time a gas station attendant cleaned my windshield when I passed through New Jersey.
During WWII: Do you have ration coupons for those items?
Do you remember which items were rationed back then, Dave?
I remember gasoline. coal and fuel oil for home heating and groceries in particular, but practically all consumer goods were rationed:
https://ameshistory.org/content/rationed-goods-us-during-world-war-ii
I have a few ration coupons my parents saved from the Big One. {They saved everything}.
Mr. Dave, do you remember during the depression and WW2 that flour companies put beautiful prints on their fabric flour sacks? They found out women were using them to make clothes for their families.
Len, they even made unmentionables out of feed sacks. Clothes were line dried too. If sun dried all cotton unmentionables, and towels didn’t toughen you up, nothing would. lol
Hubby and I were just talking about when cable TV crowed about having no commercials (subscribers paid monthly so no need), banks promised that ATMs would SAVE customers money because ‘no tellers needed’, and early music CDs were supposed to be cheaper than LPs because less vinyl & materials needed. None of that lasted very long.
After CDs became fairly mainstream by the late 80s I began to replace, at significant cost, my humongous collection of cassette tapes – many of which were second copies because I had worn out the originals! Anyway … I remember thinking it was going to be a great investment because those CDs were going to last me the rest of my life. Little did I know that by 2001, those CDs were going to be made obsolete by the iPod and streaming music.
Years ago we bought a turntable that put our fave LPs onto CDs, and we donated all our LPs. Now RECORD stores are springing up across America, and even Walmart is selling them again! Go figure!
I know … my daughter is buying LPs and bought a turntable to play them. Her and her friends think they’re cool. I told her there was a reason why alternatives to LPs eventually came along. Live and learn, I guess.
May I help you?
Courteous, and helpful store employees seem to be disappearing fast. Most stores these days seem to have an online site where you can take a survey. I always try to mention good employees by name. They deserve their props.
Yes! That was almost automatic every time you walked into a store. Those days are long gone, Bill.
Further re comment 3, above: Tires were rationed and new ones were generally only available for priority vehicles, but used ones from junkyards were not rationed.
I used to go to a local junkyard, jack up a junk car and buy a wheel and tire for a few dollars.
Trouble was, tires in those days were made entirely of natural rubber and they were not very durable.
Blow outs were to be expected and one needed to stay alert to keep the car under control when it happened
Speaking of rationing: Rationing or is it done through delaying tests and services? I think it is possible we have healthcare rationing today when the decision maker is the HMO, including the HMO known as Kaiser., rather than the decisions being made by your physician.
Who thought 8-track tapes were a good idea?
They were invented by Bill Lear. You know, the engineer who also ‘invented’ business jets. That guy.
Remember 4-track tapes?
As I recall, 4-track tapes were promoted by mail-order audio kingpin “Madman” Muntz. Just like the Betamax versus VHS war, higher quality reproduction lost out to longer playing time.
My first car had a four track tape player. If I remember correctly, It played a continuous loop?
In my area we did not have the Green Stamps. We had Top Value stamps instead. I remember pasting them in books after the weekly trip to the Kroger Store with my parents. They were then cashed in at the local Top Value outlet store. I got a nice toy boat once.
Interesting. I never heard of those coupons, Randy! I, too, remember my mom allowing me to occasionally pick a toy from the redemption center; I remember getting a toy service station (with a couple of cars and a garage to repair them) – which brings me to another big change from the past: Many gasoline stations used to have a dedicated mechanic and a bay to repair cars. Those days are long gone!
Will that be cash or check? People just didn’t have credit cards. Well, they had a Sears one. Sears sold everything. You could even order a fish aquarium from Sears. Mother got me one for my 8th birthday.
LP’s have come back because the sound quality is better than digital. Digital takes out all of the nuances of the singers, and instrumentalists.
Len, you think vinyl is old school. Mr. Dave, and I remember bakelite 78’s. If you watched it spin for a long time, you’d get dizzy. lol
Another good one!
Would you like fruitcake with that?
There’s only 249 more shopping days until Christmas! Get your fruitcake orders in now!
That’s one I was never asked. (Thank God.)