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crockett
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While I hate Amazon as it becomes a monopoly that kills many other businesses, sells too much cheap **** made in China and Bezos being a liberal POS, I wish Amazon would be a store open 24/7, to the public, like a giant mall.

I miss those times when you could go to places like Circuit City, RadioShack, SEARs, Frys etc and get inspired by something new and exciting, and take it home right that moment.

In recent years I was so desperate that I went for a Wal Mart stroll past midnight on a regular basis, in hopes to find SOMTHING nice that I could take home right away. Now Wal Mart closes at 11 PM and nothing is open 24/7 anymore. One of my local malls died off and is now being turned into a huge storage place. Same with ToysRUs. Strip malls are dying as well.

USA. The land of the free. Where everybody now sits at home like a sheep, pays taxes online, wears a mask on its face, works some bullshit arts degree job via Zoom meetings on the computer, and awaits approval from the government for every fart.

Am I the only one missing those RadioShack days?

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6 minutes ago, Batesmotel said:

Same here. 
 

How do I try out a set of stereo speakers on line?

 

I bought my last set on Amazon, went by the reviews, luckily it turned out great. That being said, its a rather cheap speaker set.

Back in the day I would spend hours in various HiFi shops, test amps, speakers and everything else. Bring home catalogs from all brands, and eventually I'd spend big bucks on really nice gear. Everything I bought was quality orientated. These days? Almost everything is some throw away crap made in China.

I even miss renting movies on VHS or DVD. Now I have access to all movies online and don't want to see any of those ever since Hollywood turned into a total libtard ward.

It's sad.

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I read about some big retailers (and malls) working on the concept where they have everything in the store,  but only one of each, color, size....

You try it on,  you push the buttons,  you look at the bottom,  then you scan it with your phone and it takes your payment and it's on your porch when you get home.

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2 minutes ago, Huaco Kid said:

I read about some big retailers (and malls) working on the concept where they have everything in the store,  but only one of each, color, size....

You try it on,  you push the buttons,  you look at the bottom,  then you scan it with your phone and it takes your payment and it's on your porch when you get home.

Does that involve those new flying range targets?

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Unfortunately...them days are gone my friends...Never to return.  "Progress"...

Great Memories though.  At least we have something to compare this BULLSHIT of nowdays too.  

I hear ya Crockett...BUT...Amazon is cool as ****.  My wife sees somethin today...It's here tomorrow.  In this day of Covid...it's a pretty cool thing.  I hate it for what it does to small business...but..."Progress man"...Progress...

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2 minutes ago, Swampfox762 said:

Unfortunately...them days are gone my friends...Never to return.  "Progress"...

Great Memories though.  At least we have something to compare this BULLSHIT of nowdays too.  

I hear ya Crockett...BUT...Amazon is cool as ****.  My wife sees somethin today...It's here tomorrow.  In this day of Covid...it's a pretty cool thing.  I hate it for what it does to small business...but..."Progress man"...Progress...

 

Maybe they can come up with a time machine any time soon.

I'd be back to the 80s for the rest of my days.

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Don’t know how extensively it spread, but at one time there was a catalog type store in which you looked at things, wrote down the stock number of those you wanted, paid, and shortly thereafter picked up your stuff.

Was called Service Merchandise.

Sears had storefronts in many small communities. They would have hand tools and maybe a few other things you could buy now, and had specimen appliances and other large items which you could order for delivery. Montgomery Ward might have done the same, but I never lived where they were. 

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13 minutes ago, crockett said:

Does that involve those new flying range targets?

There was a place in Wisconsin,  that was using drones to deliver alcohol to ice-fishermen out on the lake.  Imagine what happened to those drones if they brought someone lite beer.

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Being a Mall Rat in the 70s and early 80s was kinda fun. Was there anything better than a corn dog and lemonade from Hotdog on a Stick? Or an Orange Julius and beef stick from Hickory Farms? Buying parts from Radio Shack. Meeting girls from other schools. Video arcades. Movies. Just needed to keep a dime or quarter for the pay phone to get a ride home or 55¢ for the bus. 

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14 minutes ago, railfancwb said:

Don’t know how extensively it spread, but at one time there was a catalog type store in which you looked at things, wrote down the stock number of those you wanted, paid, and shortly thereafter picked up your stuff.

Was called Service Merchandise.

Sears had storefronts in many small communities. They would have hand tools and maybe a few other things you could buy now, and had specimen appliances and other large items which you could order for delivery. Montgomery Ward might have done the same, but I never lived where they were. 

Yeah...hadn't thought about SERVICE MERCHANDISE in a long time

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I still hang out at the used bookstore and the little independent quilters' fabric stores, but yeah, the mall was fun when I was in high school.  After I got married, Mr.C and I used the mall for birth control - every time one of us started talking about having kids, we'd go to the mall, observe the kids there, and come home swearing we'd never have any.  (Obviously, that eventually stopped working for us, since we have a couple, lol - but neither of them willingly goes to a mall unless there is a bookstore in it... the oldest would rather hang out in the coffee shop or walk in the park if she can convince whoever she's with to actually walk anywhere.  The youngest doesn't do coffee... she's strictly a bookstore kid.  And maybe the ice cream place if I give her a ride.  She needs to practice parallel parking this week before her driver's test.  Ugh.

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I too miss the malls of the old days. Today you couldn't drag me into our local malls. Nothing in them attracts me. We have a vast expanse in Robinson Twp. PA and they have a big mall that we avoid but the surrounding free standing businesses and strip malls are nice places to shop. Many restaurants and chain food shops mingled in between the stores, etc. tom.

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10 hours ago, railfancwb said:

Given that shop lifting of less than a specified amount - $950 in some jurisdictions - has been effectively decriminalized and stores are being closed due to resultant loses, the Service Merchandise model may return.  

In the CA. Bay area Walgreens has closed something like fifteen stores because of this.

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My local shopping comes down to:

- Publix / WholeFoods / Fresh Market / Aldi

- Wal Mart / Target

- Home Depot / Leows / Ace

 

Basically food and basic hardware.

Can't find anything else I need locally and have to order online. I get something delivered every single day, often UPS, FedEx and USPS deliver stuff on the same day.

Just for the minivan build I must have placed well over 100 online orders. There are so many custom fittings, electronics, and parts that I would never be able to find at any brick and mortar retailer, let alone locally.

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41 minutes ago, pipedreams said:

In the CA. Bay area Walgreens has closed something like fifteen stores because of this.

A while back,  in the Detroit area,  it was big news when several grocery stores closed.

"You are making food deserts!!"   "It's racist because they're all in black areas!!"

The stores said their shrinkage was, like, 50%.

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At a walmart in Cleveland,  it was big news when someone reported that all the black beauty products and cosmetics were locked in cabinets,  and the white stuff was just hanging on hooks.

Racism!!!

So......

They quit selling the black specialty products and everything was on hooks.

Kumbaya!!!

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More and more of the products at local Walmart are locked up. Some to the rack others in cabinets. Obviously small high valuable items, but increasingly anything that will fit a pocket or under clothing. The old people checking receipts have been replaced by young ones who have a definite workstation. Alternate jobs for some who once might have been cashiers in pre-self service era. 

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