Before Walmart, Target and Kmart, there was Sage's Complete Shopping

Automatic Washer - The world's coolest Washing Machines, Dryers and Dishwashers

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joeekaitis

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Today's The Mega Brands That Built America features the three chains in the subject but not a single mention of regional ahead-of-the-times chains like Sage's Complete Shopping in San Bernardino county. The one in Rialto had a grocery store, a hot foods deli, a coffee shop, jewelry department, women's fashion clothing, some men's and children's clothing, a camera/TV/electronics department with a tube tester, liquor department, cosmetics, sundries and a garden shop all in one store.

Sage's were superstores before anyone ever used the word "superstore".

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LOL, the mention of those drugstore "tube testers" reminds me of the early greed that some stores had....
Those "do it yourself" tube testers were rigged with a secret "behind the counter" switch that the salesmen could activate, making the tester show tubes as being bad.
Naturally this increased sales..... dishonestly.
At Penn Electronics, in the mid 1970's, we had one in our store where I sold stereo equipment, but it was a commonplace gadget from what I heard.
 
i know there are furniture stores that sell appliances but would be nice if there was specialise stores that sells appliances where in store either its a modern topload he vmw or vmax model or front or vintage old school beltdrive or direct drive of earlier years thats are all hookup where the consumer could ask to see the washer or dryer in action like in this video for exemple and it would also help the buyer make there choice like for exemple seeing a maytag mvw6230hw2 washer in action and the speed queen tc5 using these 2 models as exemples and a frontload would help consumers with there purchuse and ask the right questions to the sale clerck
 
The specialty shops have all but gone. Even for groceries. A&P, etc. Good Housekeeping, Circuit City, etc. I bought my stereo system from Tech HiFi in 1979. Even K Mart had a small audio room. The catalogue showrooms were nice too. Spiegel had stores as well. I've read about Pacific stereo stores. They even had a store brand, Quadraflex.
Today there are a few ultra high end audiophile shops but no others where you can listen and compare before buying.
Crutchfield in Virginia is a big multi brand dealer online and has two stores in the Charlottesville area. You have to read review's and between the lines to choose a component. At least they have a 60 day return policy and free shipping.
 
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Ah, Circuit City . . .

Went to the hiring event for the Circuit City in San Bernardino. Interviewer asks "So, what do you want to sell?"

"Personal computers, you know, like Apple."

Interviewer leans in and in hushed tones, "Between you and me, we've seen the kind of people who want to own a computer and (deep breath and a shudder), I don't think we want them coming in here."
 
Ah, Circuit City . . .

Went to the hiring event for the Circuit City in San Bernardino. Interviewer asks "So, what do you want to sell?"

"Personal computers, you know, like Apple."

Interviewer leans in and in hushed tones, "Between you and me, we've seen the kind of people who want to own a computer and (deep breath and a shudder), I don't think we want them coming in here."
Haha, didn't they end up selling computers? I knew a guy in high school who got laughed at for buying a Radio Shack Realistic LAB 1400 direct drive turntable. I corrected the heckler and told him it was made by SEC. the same company that makes it's twin, the Marantz 6300.
 
Haha, didn't they end up selling computers? I knew a guy in high school who got laughed at for buying a Radio Shack Realistic LAB 1400 direct drive turntable. I corrected the heckler and told him it was made by SEC. the same company that makes it's twin, the Marantz 6300.
Yeah, too late to save 'em, though. Maybe they had sent someone to the first West Coast Computer Faire where the Apple II was unveiled, took one look at Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak as well as those milling around their booth and said "Nope. No way."
 
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The specialty shops have all but gone. Even for groceries. A&P, etc. Good Housekeeping, Circuit City, etc. I bought my stereo system from Tech HiFi in 1979. Even K Mart had a small audio room. The catalogue showrooms were nice too. Spiegel had stores as well. I've read about Pacific stereo stores. They even had a store brand, Quadraflex.
Today there are a few ultra high end audiophile shops but no others where you can listen and compare before buying.
Crutchfield in Virginia is a big multi brand dealer online and has two stores in the Charlottesville area. You have to read review's and between the lines to choose a component. At least they have a 60 day return policy and free shipping.
When I was a young 20 something lad in 1973, I worked my azz off to save for my first car. - two jobs, day job as a QC inspecter at a factory, and evenings at Penn Electronics, a parts and hifi store.
Half the store was laid out as a "boutique audio salon", with all the popular brands of stereo equipment, as well as radios, clock radios, car radios, speakers, tape decks, the works.
Marantz, Pioneer, Sansui, Panasonic/Technics, Boston Acoustics, BIC, etc, you name it.
Turntables by Garrard, the Japanese brands, Dual, and BSR.

We even featured the "Quadraphonic" stuff, which I disliked, and was not impressed by.
Being biased that way, I tended to push standard 2-channel products, telling customers that "All you really need to enjoy music is two speakers properly placed".
At that time, I knew that "quad" was just another audio fad that would soon die off.
And guess what, I was right.

A few years later, now with my first car (a 1972 Chevy Nova) I worked for Stereo Discounters at two locations, (Pa-Nj) moved on to other audio stores.
By then, I had the finest stereo system a 24 year old could have.

Then, the rest of my life was dedicated to servicing TV/audio, and vintage restorations, until I retired in 2016.
 
We even featured the "Quadraphonic" stuff, which I disliked, and was not impressed by.
We even featured the "Quadraphonic" stuff, which I disliked, and was not impressed by.
I vaguely remember a magazine cartoon showing a guy in a video store in the "Surround Sound DVDs" section. The "Surround Sound DVDs" banner is peeling away revealing the old "Quadraphonic LPs" sign beneath.
 
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