Sears 1982 Christmas video- washers, vacuums, oh my...

[bradfordwhite]

Sales people hand writing receipts, music on the PA system, Atari computer...
The recession at that time.
A peak at the cars in the mall parking lot

Such good memories.

 

[DADoES]

 
Kenmore laundry had become boring at that time, except for the newfangled direct-drive introduction.

My first computer was an Atari 800.  I used an 800XL at the theater for several years with Atari Bookkeeper and Visicalc (then SynCalc) and an Okidata printer.

 

[bradfordwhite]

Step back to a 1984 McDonalds.

Look at how nice it looked in there and how polite and well dressed people were. With the exception of the smoking inside and ashtrays at the tables. But they had flowers at the tables.

 

[bradfordwhite]

"My first computer was an Atari 800."

You were more advanced or luckier than I was.
My first computer was a Timex Sinclair around 1983. 1st the $49 mdl 1000 I got at an old style, small town Montgomery Wards store and then, a month before they declared bankruptcy, I got the more advanced model 2068 with an actual keyboard and built in port for video games. This I got at a computer store in what was the lower level of Mayfair Mall. LOL.
OK, It really didn't count as a computer but to me, I was a kid, I knew computers were cool, I just didn't know HOW it was all going to work. Few people really did.

But good memories.

 

[combo52]

McDonald’s in 1984

The amazing thing is, nobody is obese, the world is moving rapidly toward about a 50% rate of obesity, I don’t know if that’s going to kill more people or global warming.

Nice thing about living in a large city area is very few people are obese they take much better care of themselves in cities like DC because everybody is walking, etc.

 

[mattl]

I had/have an Atari 400, 800 and 800XL with the tape drive, a daisy wheel printer and a handful of games.  Should look on ebay and see what they are going for now.

 

[gansky1]

 

 

I worked for Sears at this time - 81-87.  Good part-time job, decent wages as well as a profit sharing/stock plan.  Full-time sales staff had often been with Sears for decades and were able to retire comfortably with their stock/savings and a moderate pension.  There was a clique of old guys that kept the new blood out of the commission sales departments but I took all of the appliance education courses offered nonetheless. 

 

It was a fun time to be in retail - and in a mall.  The consumption 'city-center' of the 80's.

 

[petek]

The parking lot is all cars pretty much with the odd van.. Nary but one pickup truck and no "suv's".

As for how everyone is dressed you really couldn't say it's much different than today 40 years later. What I mean is, is that if you took any of those people in the video and placed them on the street today they'd blend right in. Unlike if you took people from the 1940s and placed them into the 1980's or today.

 

[appnut]

I remember Steven Ogg.

 

[justjunque]

I worked at a couple of different KFCs in the mid to late '80s.
I started at one location, and got transferred when the owners opened a new location.
Except for the occasional drunk who would come in shortly before closing, this is just how I remember it.
I haven't eaten fast food in ages, so it makes me kind of sad and concerned to read the majority of the comments on that video. I had no idea that this isn't how the fast food restaurant experience still is!
Employees no longer wear uniforms? Employees and customers no longer smile and exchange pleasantries?
Maybe it's not such a bad thing that I hardly ever leave the house any more! I'd probably feel like that movie with Brendan Fraser (sp?) where they thought there was a nuclear war or something, so they didn't come out of their underground shelter for some very long period of time. Was it called "Blast From the Past"?

 

[bradfordwhite]

#9

I know how you feel.
Covid, a world-wide pandemic, has never happened before and some people, especially those of us over a certain age, are still dealing with that shock.

Add in the major political corruption we had to deal with a couple years ago, that's never happened before that finally justice is being served on....

Plus, New technology that's changing everything like the car market.

But, be patient, it's for the better.

 

[bradfordwhite]

Remember when buying a car was innocent?

LOL. I laugh. It was cheaper by far, but never innocent.

I still remember my first car shopping experience in 1987. I think I paid $7000 for a 4 y.o. Mercury with my payment being $264 for 36 months. Sure my interest rate was about 10% but the car was good. I think it even had some original warranty left probably on the engine or something.

From what I hear these days, you'd be lucky to find anything remotely close to that.

 

[maytag85]

Reply #11

What engine did your Mercury have in it? I assume it was a Grad Marquis since those were quite popular around that time.

 

[justjunque]

I'd like to have at least half of the cars on that lot!
The '80s, and somewhat into the '90s were the last cars I really felt any enthusiasm for. It's like they started losing their identity, style, and character after that.
Today's cars are more dependable, generally speaking, get better mileage, etc.
Also, they make a lot more power now. My 1986 Pontiac, with a small V8 and four barrel carb, probably put out +/- 120 hp brand new. Today, four cylinder cars could leave it in the dust.
But, they don't excite me any more. Now, they're just a way to get from point A to point B.
And, don't even get me started on everything being computerized.

 

[maytag85]

Reply #13

As someone who’s 24, 90’s and 2000’s cars are too boring that’s why I am nostalgic for 60’s 70’s and 80’s cars. Aerodynamic blobs (more like ugly-dynamic blobs) simply aren’t attractive to me, even when they try to make the front ends more aggressive they still aren’t attractive since that’s just putting lipstick on the pig.

Give me a 1966 Ford LTD any day over the travesty of cars made after the 1990’s!

 

[justjunque]

Beautiful car!
I had one uncle who had a '65 or '66 Ford, Galaxie or LTD. I was too young to remember exactly. I know that the hubcaps were different from the ones in the picture you posted.
Another uncle had a '67 Galaxie fastback coupe that I loved.
My dad was a Chevy man all my life. Ironically, he was 100% Ford before I was born, and he even sold Fords in the mid 1950s.
I'm not diehard committed to one brand. I like cars and trucks with style and character. And, a little get-up-and-go doesn't hurt. I had a 1994 Buick Roadmaster that was a nice combination. Dark Jadestone Metallic, with light grey velour interior. For a big car, the LT1 could get it moving. Nice and torquey.

 

[maytag85]

Reply #15

I almost ended up with an original low mileage ‘66 Ford LTD 2 years ago like the one in the picture but never heard a word from the seller despite inquiring a few times. Still kind of sore about it since it only had 11,757 original miles on it.

 

[justjunque]

Nice find! I'm sorry you didn't end up getting it.
That mileage is unbelievable! I know, some people would think that "patina" is perfect. Personally, I would have to get it painted. At least, the horizontal surfaces that are really cooked.

 

[Chetlaham]

1:40 Onward

What I'd give to be able to have the ability buy those exact same machines today. Maybe even just a little bit more over built, like a metal outer tub on the DDs.