Community Chat

[deeva]

@kaydee50 

I was talking about people during my parents era who didn't shop unless they needed something, not in the 80's when most of us liked to hang out and have fun at the mall. .

[Desertdi]

I don't think "the good old days" were very GOOD at all.   (Many folks disagree with me, tho.)  

[millieshops]

@Witchy Woman   All that is true, but in many families in those days $10 was a whole lot of money.  In my first afterschool job that wasn't babysitting, I earned 50 cents an hour.  I lived in a small town, had to have a job where I could walk to work which limited my choices.   But even adults working fulltime jobs didn't necessaryily earn all that much.  Think Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman, for example. I doubt his sons ever had a $10 bill in their hands when they were teens!

[Oznell]

@Biftu ,  what a nice collection of memories!  As part of the Christmas shopping experience especially, I remember, awestruck, getting to sit on Santa's lap in a festively decorated department store, as decorated trees twinkled and shoppers swirled around and bustled past...

 The excitement of shopping around the holidays is beautifully portrayed in scenes near the beginning of "The Bishop's Wife"--  the bustle, the lights, snow, illuminated store windows, multiple distractions and throngs of cars...

Of course, Cary Grant and Loretta Young's serendipitous encounter amid all that adds to the allure, no doubt!         

[GingerHead]

@Othereeeen 

 I watched a couple of those videos on youtube, specifically malls in the 80's. 

 Wow we looked silly back then with our huge hair and funny clothes....I didn't even think to look for this on youtube. So fun! 

[Meowingkitty]

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@Desertdi wrote:

I don't think "the good old days" were very GOOD at all.   (Many folks disagree with me, tho.)  

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I agree with you. I would not want to get dressed up to go places like they did. I can't imagine the laundry they must have done. And the shoes. Talk about uncomfortable. Having to wait until the stores opened and they would sometimes close on Sundays or very early during the week. I would have hated not being able to do what I want when I want but they didn't know any different. The good old days were not always that good. I like the technology of today and the relaxed clothing. I don't dress up for anything. And I like it that way. In fact my parents moved to Arizona in 1959 for a more casual way of life (and to get away from the cold Ohio winters and relatives).

[Desertdi]

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@Meowingkitty wrote:

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@Desertdi wrote:

I don't think "the good old days" were very GOOD at all.   (Many folks disagree with me, tho.)  

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I agree with you. I would not want to get dressed up to go places like they did. I can't imagine the laundry they must have done. And the shoes. Talk about uncomfortable. Having to wait until the stores opened and they would sometimes close on Sundays or very early during the week. I would have hated not being able to do what I want when I want but they didn't know any different. The good old days were not always that good. I like the technology of today and the relaxed clothing. I don't dress up for anything. And I like it that way. In fact my parents moved to Arizona in 1959 for a more casual way of life (and to get away from the cold Ohio winters and relatives).

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@Meowingkitty   I moved West from Chicago 50 years ago.   My worst nightmare had been chipping the ice off my windshield, spraying the carburetor with ether, and hoping  the car would start in sub-zero weather.   di      

[Witchy Woman]

@millieshops 

Believe me, $10 was a fortune for us kids.  For all I know, it might have been $5...but it was money saved/earned from the entire year.  Baby sitting, chores, etc.  I also earned 50 cents an hour babysitting.   

I was born in 1950, so well-aware of hardships faced by many families.  We were, by most standards, poor.  There were times I'm sure, we barely had money for food.  I can remember my father selling some coins and stamps he had just to get enough money to get by until the next payday.

My father worked as a railroad fireman, then engineer.  We had one car...lived in a 50 year old tiny brick house.  

My point being, we had a few dollars to shop. It could have been $10 or $5...it was, after all over 60 years ago I'm talking about.

Whatever the dollar amount, it was enough to buy gifts...small gifts...for my family.  I was happy to have anything.

[FancyPhillyshopper]

I have been a "shopper" since I was very young!  I loved going with my mother to the festively decorated downtown stores to shop, and then have a delicious ice cream afterwards in the fancy department store.

As a teen I hung out in all the malls and had a great time going from place to place, warm, and dry, and fashionable.

Many times I have gone up to NYC for the day and walked up and down fifty blocks, looking in all the shop windows, enjoying the hustle and bustle, and oohing and ahhing at the tree at Rockefeller Center and all the ice-skaters.

Yes, online shopping is quite popular in the USA, but there are so many wonderful places around the world where doing everything in person is still the norm.  One of these days, for example, I hope to visit all the famous German Christmas markets.

I have great memories, but I am still living the dream in the present.  I am just a little pickier these days, because I probably have more than I need.  However, I also like shopping for others, so I always celebrate the season.

[SaveTheTurtles]

I remember the felling of taking a city bus downtown with my grandma when I was young and it was magical. The department store windows were decorated for the season and the hustle and bustle was contagious. Shopping was special. Now? I hear the Amazon or UPS truck stop and I pick my package off my front porch. No lines to wait in because there are not enough clerks, no boxes provided, you are on your own. Times have certainly changed.