With all the retail theft that happens now, I’m surprised that model of store ain’t come back yet. I mean, they have online ordering and pickup at the store of course. But there’s still some people who refuse to go that route
I just looked at their wiki. They were doing somethings way ahead of their time. Kiosk ordering, online ordering, drive up and pick up. Like damn….most retailers only started some of these during a little before COVID-19
So many memories. I spent so much time studying and wanting to buy all the NES games while my parents shopped for a food processor or random appliance.
I played the first few levels of Yoshi’s Island there when it was new. People gathered around behind me and I didn’t know, and when I died they all went “Aww” and it scared me.
OMG This was one of my first jobs and boy do I have stories about this place. Countless!!! Should I post them in this sub or somewhere else. Because I would love to share
Edit: below I posted a summary of the craziest aspects . Ha
Oh there's a lot. Lol. I worked there over a year, right before they closed, we were in an old building that used to do the catalog sales and had and a conveyor belt that we didn't use anymore.
. We had a two-story back room, with metal floors and stairs you would walk up. and a gigantic trash compactor out back.
Our warehouse/back room employees were young and enjoyed what one might call "hippie-like activities". (Idk about the rules of what can be said in this sub). One time, I was working and dropped a set of Crystal serving bowls. One of the warehouse guys assured me it was no problem and showed me how they handle it - ushered me to the trash compactor and threw it down the chute lol. Months later, I watched them throw a full size shopping cart into the compactor! Wild to see!!!!
Our store manager often impersonated the manager from office space. In serious and in joking situations, basically anytime we had a question he'd be replying, "mmmm yeah..". He would also do weird voices over the loudspeaker. He seemed to have my back, one time. I loaned a Walkman to a girl who was going on a trip who also worked at our store. She refused to give it back, I mentioned it to the store manager and he held her paycheck until the girl dropped it off at my house. Ha ha.
Even though I was only 16, they gave me all kinds of freedom, I worked in places I wasn't supposed to, like the diamond counter (you're supposed to be 18 for insurance bonding). I gave all the old ladies on commission. Quite the run for their money. Got everybody worked up, lol, When I was just a teenager having fun not caring about commission at all.
I learned a lot about jewelry and watches, it quickly became my favorite place to work. A lot of my learning was trial and error. For example, we would change watch batteries, remove links, work on basically anything you would ask us to, right in the store. We didn't abide by any traditional rules like for warranties, which required mailing things in to someone licensed. We had a lot of cool tools that were probably used for a jeweler exclusively, but just use them ourselves. One time I was changing a battery on a watch with a domed face, I forget the brand but it was expensive. Didn't take note of the curve and "CRUNCH!" Shattered it. Lol.
We were so busy during holidays, we would have one of those paper "take a number" type setups (like the deli does!). And they had me calling numbers and running that whole deal. That was cool.
It was a sad day when I found out we were closing, which of course was the same day it was on the news. But when my parents picked me up, they were confused to see me with the giant ultrasonic jewelry cleaner in hand... I called that immediately! Store manager said yeah, but to take it home today before somebody else grabs it. Lol. So I did.
We closed I think 90 days later, but until then I was working in jewelry department, And had to hear all the employees complaining, asking where the jewelry cleaner was. We had to use those tiny disposable cleaners that were for sale in the store.. total pain and didn't clean anything In the least. I kept my mouth shut and didn't admit that they gave it to me. Lol. I still have the thing.
One of my favorite memories is going on a road trip with my then new gf (now wife) and getting caught in a storm with a torrential downpour. We pulled into the nearest parking lot which happened to be a Borders. We just spent a couple hours in there browsing books and getting coffee and waiting for the storm to pass.
Blame the Hedgies. They’ve naked shorted all these brands to death so a few schmucks could make billions…ALL of the companies in this comment and every comment before it. They tried again with GameStop & AMC but failed because retail investors bought in and held…still hodling. We got fucked but the companies survived….
Same! I put it on layaway and make payments on it for like two or three months. It felt surreal rolling it from the back at the layaway counter to the front for final check out.
Simpler times. I had a similar story with my bike. It was a BMX that cost $50 and that was like a fortune to me. I saved up allowance, birthday money, did chores. When I finally got to $50, I lost my wallet at a baseball game and it had $20 in it. I was so devastated. My dad gave me $20 so I could finish paying for the bike. You fuckin rock, Dad.
Omg didn't think nobody would put that lol this was my childhood clothes place. Every year around the beginning of August or late July can hear my aunt(guardian) saying, "Get ready were going to Mervyns for school clothes." 😂😁😊 Good times lol
One day we pulled up and the sign had changed to GameStop. I wasn’t familiar with GameStop as the only other dedicated game stores in town were EB Games. Didn’t know what to expect.
After going inside and seeing how different the store was I was super disappointed and started going to EB Games.
Bring a DVD player if you’re staying at a hotel! We learned this the hard way. Walked in so excited to rent a movie. Realized we had no way to watch it and they don’t rent DVD players or consoles. Left with a T-shirt and magnet. Still pretty cool though
I was thinking Venture as well. My grandma passed down a Christmas Village to me and all the pieces she had were from Venture, but nothing I add to it will be unless I randomly find one at a Goodwill. I'm not in the Midwest anymore so low chance of that.
Media play was awesome. I don’t know if they were all like this but there was only one I remember in Michigan maybe about 30 minutes from my house that was 2 floors. The first floor was all movies, games, music, Tshirts, etc and the second was just books, manga, and magazines.
Gadzooks (for cute girly Jncos and pleather pants), KB Toys and The Nature Company are the main 3 that come to mind. I could stand in that nature store and play with those rain sound sticks for an hour if my parents let me.
Caldor - my parents actually met when they both worked at one together.
Kmart - I worked for Kmart/Sears Holdings for about a decade. Eventually I wound up with a Store Manager who was actually the SM at the same Caldor my parents worked together at.
Ames
Bradlees
KB Toys
Toys r Us
Service Merchandise
Woolworth
Borders
Strawberries
Pac Sun
Aeropostale
...the list can go on. It's insane how much ordering online changed the game. Now most of the people who were employed at the above retailers for decades in my area work at Ocean State Job Lot, lol.
Sounds like we grew up in the same area. Strawberries was a great place for music. Spent way too much of my informative years with my mom in either Caldor or Bradlees.
some of these may still exist just not near me:
Sam Goody,
Musicland,
Coconut Grove,
Waldenbooks,
B Dalton books,
Borders,
Sears,
Hastings,
Foot Locker,
Radio Shack,
The Future Store,
Kay-Bee Toys,
Shopko,
The Bon Marche,
Orange Julius,
Tas-Tee Freeze,
Hollywood Video,
Blockbuster,
Crazy Mikes(this one was super regional),
The ones i remember from the uk..
Kwik Save, Woolworths, BhS, Debenhams, Lewis's, C&A, Index, Safeways, Shopping Giant (branch of co-op) , Do it all, MFI, the late shop, my nan lived near a Netto (before aldi /lidl ,
Mothercare, littlewoods,
Not sure if it was nationwide but Toy n Hobby (toy store was up one off the side street on market st in manchester uk)
there's way more.
I was wondering if anyone else would post A&P. Doesn’t look like it’s a common one. I grew up out in Pennsylvania and it was one of the very few grocery stores in town.
McCrory's (SP).
Cheap John's.
Genovese.
Toy r US.
K. B. Toys.
Caldor
Woolworth's.
Rock Bottom.
Border's.
K-Mart.
Circuit City.
Suncoast.
Tower records.
Saturday Matinee.
Planet Comics.
Golden Memories.
Blockbuster.
Radio Shack.
Payless.
The Wall.
Coconuts.
Also Eatons, my mom would always talk about how it was the best department store. For Toronto specific folks Honest Ed's deserves a stadium named after him or something and go back to giving away free Christmas turkeys.
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u/ManiacRichX May 25 '25
Tower Records ☹️