I know a lot of us are thinking about how much the world has changed in the past two years, but the other day I was thinking back past that. Mollie mentioned that she just couldn’t imagine how the world worked before cell phones. Did you have to sit at home just to talk to your friends?
What if your plans changed after everyone left home? What if you had car trouble in the middle of nowhere? How did we live? Although it was certainly normal enough when I was a kid, I had to admit I’m not sure how we managed.
It got me thinking of a couple of other small things that have changed so very much. I remember going to the grocery story with my mom. Getting the groceries was much the same as now, but our kids would never recognize the check-out procedures. Usually, mom would place me on the little conveyor belt and I’d ride a few feet laughing with the check-out lady.
No one worried about me pinching a finger or worse or about my folks suing the store if I did. As soon as I got down the eager bag boy was taking everything from the cart and placing it onto the counter to be run up. The customer never did that. Then the boy bagged your items in tall, reusable brown paper bags and placed everything back in the cart. Then, smiling at me, the boy would wait until I had the privilege of jumping on the gray mat at the door and watching it magically open by itself. As Mom and I walked hand in hand the young man rolled the groceries to the car and put them in the backseat. It’s a wonder he didn’t come home and unload them for us. The customer service back then was great.
Another place this was more than evident was at the gas station. Now I stop to get gas in the rain, cold or wind and I get out and pump it without a thought, except that I wish it wasn’t raining, cold or windy. The station that my parents went to when I was little was a bit different.
When we pulled in the young men – usually two, ran, they actually ran to our car. One would say ‘Fill ’er up?’ as the other one began washing our windshield before he popped the hood and checked the oil. One of them then ran to the station and back with our change.
All this now seems like fiction from a 50’s movie, but it all really happened. Do you have memories like this? Some things that your kids or grandkids hear you saying and think you’ve finally lost your mind. Share them if you do.
I love this PK, reading this took me back. I often wonder how we lived without cell phones lol. You had to make firm plans with your friends and stick to them. If you needed to contact someone that's what phone boxes were for. I have fond memories of those lol.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, when they actually served you at the petrol station instead of just taking your money. I miss that!
Hugs
Roz
I miss all this too - except for not having cell phones. I like having them available.
DeleteOur grocery stores are much the same now as then, except for the self checkout. We didn't have the bag boy service that you did!
ReplyDeleteOur last full-service gas station closed a number of years ago, and Ron had to learn how to fill the tank by himself.
As for a memory, I used to go to the corner store a block away and buy a popsicle for a nickel, or a bottle of soft drink from the big cooler.
We only had four TV channels, no DVR and no remote! However did we manage?
Hugs,
Hermione
I really like the service in the grocery store. By the time I was driving there weren't many full service station. We only had three channels and that was because we had a great antenna. Most of my friends only had two.
DeleteNo remote!
DeleteI "only" have 4!
Oh, gosh... I'd forgotten about the gray mats that I jumped on to open doors! And riding the conveyor belt, and the horses that ate all of my mother's quarters. I haven't thought about things like that in years.
ReplyDeleteI found a picture recently of my dad sitting on a couch with this HUGE box in his hands, with a cord running from it. You couldn't see where the cord went in the picture. It took me a few minutes to figure out there was a TV on the other end of it.
I think so many of us have similar memories. We had a huge console TV. Nearly as big as my first apartment. LOL! Thanks so much for coming by.
DeleteP.K..
ReplyDeleteI'm an old fart, so here goes. Four party telephones: You had to listen for a certain ring pattern for your calls. Otherwise you would hear another persons conversation. Our fist TV 1952: A whopping 12 inch screen, only one station which broadcast a few hours each day. The sputnik launch: My God!! the Russians are ahead of us in the space race!! "Duck and cover" drills in school!! I saw John Kennedy in person and then a few years later he was dead. I also saw Lee Harvey Oswald killed on live TV. There is so much more but I don't want to be boring.
Rick
History is always interesting, especially personal history. Most of this was a little before my time, but I saw Oswald shot on live TV also. I was little, but I remember. To this day I get nervous watching live TV - you never know what could happen.
DeleteP.K.
DeleteLittle did we know that worse was yet to come (1967). It started with a letter that began "Greetings from the president".
Rick