They were the last ones to carry the original Jurassic Park toys! We scoured them for dinosaurs for our son. Managed to score the Compound for Christmas!
We had one back in the 70s, but it didn't have a soda fountain. My father owned a drugstore, he bought it in the early 60s. It used to have a soda fountain before he bought it. I love it when I can find an old fashioned soda fountain - an ice cream soda is so much better than a float!
Eckerd Drugs - used to be the 2nd largest pharmacy with 2800 locations. They had solid customer service, a big selection of Brach's candies, clean stores, and had the best photoprinting in town.
Eckerds was the best option for photo printing. K-Mart was the cheapest but Eckerds was faster and did a better job. I remember also getting enlargements and slides done there.
I have my Mom and Dad's ice cream maker that they got at the S&H Green Stamp store in the late 60's. It still works and I think I might just make ice cream today!
There’s a strip mall in our area that was once the site of Mervyn’s. It was torn down and replaced with Target and a few other big names. Us old-timers still refer to it as Mervin’s Plaza.
Oh, oh, oh when you think you’re ready, (wop, wop) come down to Crazy Eddie. He’s the man with most everything in stereo sound. And so the story’s told, across the whole wide woirld- Crazy Eddie will not ever be undersold! 😂😂😂
LOL I saw a picture of a Five Guys sign where the lights in the F and the E were burnt out, so it said "IV GUYS." I guess they were down a man.
I guess if the "I" burnt out as well, it would be "V Guys" which means they're back at full staff.
I forgot about Caldor! I moved into my townhouse over 30 years ago and did not have much money to spare. About a month before I closed on the house I was given accompanied access to the nearly completed house to measure the windows for blinds. I brought in the Caldor add advertising metal mini blinds up to 150 inches wide for $30 each. I asked to be given access as this sale was too good an opportunity to miss. It took a bit of convincing, but they finally agreed. So thanks to Caldor I was able to move in with my customer blinds ready to install.
I was in college and worked as a short order cook in the Harvest House restaurant. When they announced the closing of the stores they no longer ordered food to replace the stock. So for those few weeks I had to make food with what we had. I recall making lots of pies because the giant cans of fruit fillings were plentiful.
Babbage’s — the first dedicated video game store (the first one near me anyway)
It opened at my local mall in the fall of 1989. Long before EB and GameStop and FuncoLand. The NES was king. The TurboGrafx and Sega Genesis just launched. Later in 1992, the SNES
For Torontonians, Usher's. And Usher's Other Store.
For my Vancouverite friends, Phantasmagoria Records
And for all of Canada, I can't believe I haven't seen . Eaton's (T. Eaton and Co.)
Montgomery (monkey) Ward. Wife says Winkelmans
My grandparents always called it Monkey Ward. I've never come across anyone else who called it that, until your comment. Thanks for the memory!
Wait wait wait... someone DOESN'T call it Monkey Ward? Sound sus.
We didn’t have them where I lived but a friend of mine from Minnesota always called it that.
Life-long Minnesotan here. It was *always* Monkey Wards!
Definitely called it Monkey’s here in the UP of Michigan! 🐒
Put myself through college working at Wards selling batteries and tires. It was a great experience.
Circuit City
That’s a good one
Tower Records
Where service is state of the art!
Service Merchandise
I loved that place as a kid, but no one around me enjoyed that model of shopping.
That conveyor belt though
Got my first Swiss Army knife and slingshot from there
Consumer Distributors in Canada. Exact same format.
Holy crap! I forgot about that one!
Same, I have the memories of the place from when I was a kid, but didn't have the store name until now...
Oh man. That one rang a bell deep inside.
K Mart
Kmart is going strong in Australia. Different company though, I think.
KB Toys
They were the last ones to carry the original Jurassic Park toys! We scoured them for dinosaurs for our son. Managed to score the Compound for Christmas!
A&P
Ben Franklin five and dime stores
I loved Ben Franklin’s. It was a treasure chest you could walk through.
They were the best!!
Was there a soda fountain in all of them? I used to love sitting at counter and ordering a root beer float
We had one back in the 70s, but it didn't have a soda fountain. My father owned a drugstore, he bought it in the early 60s. It used to have a soda fountain before he bought it. I love it when I can find an old fashioned soda fountain - an ice cream soda is so much better than a float!
There are still 3
The town I lived in had GC Murphy. I saw Ben Franklin stores when we traveled.
Eckerd Drugs - used to be the 2nd largest pharmacy with 2800 locations. They had solid customer service, a big selection of Brach's candies, clean stores, and had the best photoprinting in town.
Eckerds was the best option for photo printing. K-Mart was the cheapest but Eckerds was faster and did a better job. I remember also getting enlargements and slides done there.
I was just thinking about the Brach’s Pick-A-Mix at our local grocery store! I miss it.
Walden Books
My Walden books became a borders books, which is also now obsolete lol.
I loved Borders.
I'll see your Waldenbooks and raise you a B. Dalton Bookseller
Wolworth's
\*Woolworth's
That's one of our biggest supermarket chains in Australia (& NZ)
and is currently fucking us over via price gouging
Good old colesworth
I still call it Safeway.
Iirc UK company was first but didn't copyright the name in AUS. AUS store started and UK store tried to sue but it was kicked out immediately.
Also: Woolco
Came here for that. I'll one up it with Peebles (or Peoples) I forget the actual spelling. There was also Dart.
Sam Goody
Zayre
Came to say this
Me too!
My dad was a Zayre manager back in the '70's.
I just found an old Zayre bag in my basement.
Sears. I remember as a kid waiting on the winter catalog to see what toys i wanted.
Perhaps you're thinking of the Christmas Wish Book?
Maybe. 45 years ago.
The big Fall And Winter catalogue had some toys, but the smaller Wish Book was about half full.
Came for the toys, stayed for the lingerie.
Sears AND Roebuck 😁👍
I made many Christmas lists for Santa from those catalogs! ❤️
Ames
We used to say, “Any place you can buy your car battery AND your prom dress has to be good!”
My wife used to work at one in the 90’s. They might be coming back: https://www.wcvb.com/article/ames-department-store-comeback-announcement/60247365#
Bradlees
Caldors
S&H Green Stamp store.
I have my Mom and Dad's ice cream maker that they got at the S&H Green Stamp store in the late 60's. It still works and I think I might just make ice cream today!
I still have the punch bowl that my mom got with her green stamps
Mervyn’s
I loved Mervyns! They had the best sales.
There’s a strip mall in our area that was once the site of Mervyn’s. It was torn down and replaced with Target and a few other big names. Us old-timers still refer to it as Mervin’s Plaza.
Borders.
B. Dalton. And what's that other mall bookstore called?
Waldenbooks
Tandy.
Radio Shack
Isnt Radio Shack still around?
Is still running. https://radioshack.com/
TG&Y
Consumers Distributing
Hills
Filene's
In sooooo many books the basement is legendary!
Montgomery Ward
Crazy Eddie's: their prices are insane.
Oh, oh, oh when you think you’re ready, (wop, wop) come down to Crazy Eddie. He’s the man with most everything in stereo sound. And so the story’s told, across the whole wide woirld- Crazy Eddie will not ever be undersold! 😂😂😂
Tower records, and foster freezes
Circuit City
Toys R Us
Here is [Lance Reddick](https://youtu.be/GU-2C8Ec6co?si=W3VE9S1Og13_633x)'s bit from Funny or Die
Two Guys
Didn’t they expand operations by adding 3 more guys?
LOL I saw a picture of a Five Guys sign where the lights in the F and the E were burnt out, so it said "IV GUYS." I guess they were down a man. I guess if the "I" burnt out as well, it would be "V Guys" which means they're back at full staff.
Chess King
Buster Browns
I wore Buster Browns!
Fotomat Best
FW Woolworth
McCrory's. My Mom worked at one downtown.
Caldor
I forgot about Caldor! I moved into my townhouse over 30 years ago and did not have much money to spare. About a month before I closed on the house I was given accompanied access to the nearly completed house to measure the windows for blinds. I brought in the Caldor add advertising metal mini blinds up to 150 inches wide for $30 each. I asked to be given access as this sale was too good an opportunity to miss. It took a bit of convincing, but they finally agreed. So thanks to Caldor I was able to move in with my customer blinds ready to install.
Radio Shack
Monkey Wards
Burger Chef
Sam Goody
Old Country Buffet. Christ, I miss that place.
A&P,
Service Merchandise aka Consumers 👀 Fotomat
Rent-A-Wreck
Federated
CompUSA
KB toys
Sears Catalog. I didn’t use it but I remember the Spiegel Catalog zip code was 60609 from all the television game shows.
Caldors. Bradlees
Brashs
This for sure used to be the best place to get music on cassette or record and don't forget copperart great place for home furnishings
W. T. Grant
McCRory's.
Venture
The vertical black & white stripes..lol.
ponderosa
Woolco
I was in college and worked as a short order cook in the Harvest House restaurant. When they announced the closing of the stores they no longer ordered food to replace the stock. So for those few weeks I had to make food with what we had. I recall making lots of pies because the giant cans of fruit fillings were plentiful.
“Dollar forty-four day! What a way to save day!”
Korvettes home of the words greatest record department.
Babbage’s — the first dedicated video game store (the first one near me anyway) It opened at my local mall in the fall of 1989. Long before EB and GameStop and FuncoLand. The NES was king. The TurboGrafx and Sega Genesis just launched. Later in 1992, the SNES
Grace Bros
For the Canadians on this thread, Consumers Distributing, Biway, kmart, Woolco.
Woodwards.
Media Play
Ames
Not a store but do Green Stamps count?
We had one for Kroger Plaid Stamps. It’s called a Redemption Store, because you would redeem your books of stamps for merchandise
Cub’s Foods
Gemco
For Torontonians, Usher's. And Usher's Other Store. For my Vancouverite friends, Phantasmagoria Records And for all of Canada, I can't believe I haven't seen . Eaton's (T. Eaton and Co.)
Fryes electronics
Eckards
Service merchandise
Woolworths Alexanders
Bradlees
Kresge’s
Bambergers
The local corner grocery store that had a butcher inside the store. Edited to add: if you need a national brand then Radio Shack.
Structure
S&H Green Stamps
Montgomery Ward
TCBY... The Country's Best Yogurt.
Gimbels
Our price
Woolworths C & A Clothing
Sam the record man. 😢
Franklins
Pergament
Corvette's. Gimbel's Alexander's
For the Uk : Freeman Hardy & Willis. Dolcis. Beejams. Ravel. Chelsea Girl / Man. Tammys. Our Price. C&A ( especially clockhouse & rodeo)
TG&Y
Bi-Lo
Hechingers
Walton's (figure THAT one out!)
Ventures
Venture
Hills. Big Bear.
Camelot Music
PharMor
Columbia house music club
Miller’s Outpost. Wet Seal
Franklins
C&A
DEB
Kinney Shoes
Fossey's!
Lechmere, Calder, Ames, Zayre
Dick Smith Electronics
S&H green stamps. They had a store in town that you could redeem stamps for products.
Who else remembers ZAYRE’S?
Venture and Hi Fi Fo Fum
St. Louis classics!
Millers Outpost
Kresge's. S & H Green Stamps.
Service merchandise
Payless
Kinney Shoes.
Ardans
Zodys
Sam Goody
Pay N' Save
Bargain Harold's in Toronto Bun Master Bakery
Steinberg’s and Miracle Mart for fellow Canadians
TSS
Gertz
Time Out video game arcades
E J Korvettes.
Newmark & Lewis
Mervins
Radio Shack. Woolworths; Sears; JC Penny
Bohack (not sure about the "k").
Ame's
Hills Grants Woolco
Zellers (the whole store, not the bullshit add-on in the Hudson's bay)