Long gone services

Another thread got me thinking about this. When I was young, if a store advertised an item for sale and ran out of the item, they would issue you a rain check. Pretty much all grocery stores and department stores would do this. Nowadays, rain checks are all but obsolete. The only store I know of that still offers them is Kroger. For those young folk who don't even know what a rain check it, it was a slip of paper that would allow you to buy X number of the sale item for the sale price once they came back in stock.

Another long gone service is layaway. Again, back then every department store offered it. You could beat the Christmas crowds and do all your shopping for the kids in October or so and put the items on layaway. Then once a week or every other week, you would go and pay on your layaway bill until you paid it off in December. There was an interest rate, but I remember it being small. I guess credit cards did away with this service. I think Walmart might still offer it, but only at Christmas. It used to be year around. You could layaway a gun in January and pay all year on it as you could to have it paid off by hunting season.

But now that I think about it, most of the stores that offered layaway are gone too.....Kmart, Hills, Ames, Sears, Brand Names....

What other services that used to be commonly offered are now a thing of the past?

I didn't know that rain-checks were mostly a thing of the past.

Arby's used to offer real beef.

Jim

Rain checks are still a normal thing around here.
Tom

At what stores? Grocery stores?

They don't offer rain checks around here. They don't know what the replacement cost for the products will be.

Menards

No rain checks around here anymore, no layaway, no service man to pump your gas for you , wash your windshield while you wait and check your oil. All things of the past.

That was before greed was the American way.

Rain checks is still common at Albertsons.
If I remember right, kmart and target offered Layway year round.

Full service has stations were nice. Also missed is pumping before paying.

A handful of Andies mint chocolates at the end of your meal at restaurants is another long gone compliment.

Ahhhhhh, pumping before paying, very few places here still do that . Pulling up to the old pumps with the spinning analog numbers, pulling that big old cast aluminum starting lever over and instantly pumping gas - how wonderful that was.

Shoe shine chairs. Used to be one at most new car lots and the courthouse and some barber shops.

Quite a few stations down here let you pump before you pay still.

Yes,rain checks at grocery stores.Got one at cub a couple of weeks ago. Gas stations are still pump before you pay.
Tom

Maid service in hotels. They only clean up after you've left.

Jim

Restaurants, hotels and bars used to put out bowls of free matches, usually with their logos on them.

Keith

Green stamps are long gone.

1800 collect
Payphones
Long distance rates
Cobblers (boot and shoe repair) very few exist here

I never used lay a way but now that you mention it it has been awhile since I have seen it.

One gas station left here. About 15 miles away. Can get a battery, or a tire fixed or an oil change etc in their shop. Gas is not any higher than a lot of the convenience stores. I make it a point to buy all my gas there.

Stayed in a motel in CO with my wife and grandkids for 3 nights. Would not come in to wash sinks, pick up dirty towels, vacuum and make the beds. Desk clerk said zombie virus. So on Monday I called corporate headquarters. Manager called me back and said you had to ask for that as most people didnt want hotel staff in the room. I told her what the desk clerk said and the manager blamed it on the weekend staff. We wont be staying there again.


Seems to be more and more common to have to deal with service people that act like zombies. Wont look you in the eye, they talk to you looking at their feet. They whisper behind a mask so you cant hear them. Act nervous. Seem to be upset often that you want a little service.

I miss paper grocery sacks instead of plastic and somebody bagging and taking your groceries to your car for you.

It was nice when gas stations were still around as every one outside of a city had ammo. Not a lot usually but you could get a box of 22,30-06, 30-30 or 12 gauge 6 shot at any of them.

Heck Casey's convenience stores carried ammo behind the counter.

I miss drunk driving being .1 instead of .08 Its .04 if you have a CDL. I can no longer stop and have a beer at a tavern I have to drive too, without risking my driver license. Used to have a beer with my lunch at a truckstop. Get back in my semi legal as your backdoor. Those days are long gone too. Cant even do that when I am in my pickup.

Used to get milk ,cream, butter delivered before sunup. Put into a lightly insulated metal milk box by the front door.

Also eggs were delivered to the house and the cartons traded back each week.

Chain gangs cleaning up the trash on the side of the roads

I remember my Mom giving me green stamps when I was a kid. When I filled enough books I turned them in for a single shot .22 rifle. Still have it.

When I was a young lad, at our local hardware store, you could buy shotgun shells by the piece instead of a full box.

Miss having two or three fur buyers within ten minutes from home.

Those old school pump before you pay gas are cool. Not sure how many exist anymore.

Fareway grocery store still gives rain check. They also deliver your groceries to your car.

old school is when somebody pumps it for you then you pay

eedup its just to far for me or i would give them my business

Danny stop at one on your way by sometime...



They will let you push the cart but someone always goes to your car with you. (you can not sneak past them either LOL) It is very nice, No flat tiers on the carts or otherwise in poor shape. No cart dents in the parking lot. The carryout and checkers are Always friendly.

Top Notch Meat Counter.

If the above didn't make it plain it is my favorite grocery store...

Our Price Chopper Grocery stores here offer rain checks if they are out of a sale item.Cant think of anyone that still does LayAways though.

Saw a chain gang wacking brush on the side of the road last time I was in North Carolina.Sherrif in front and one in back both with shotguns.

We still have two gas stations that aren’t pre pay, one is a small convenience store type and one does tire repairs and smaller mechanic work. That one also has a full service lane.
Our local grocery store has paper bags and baggers that load it into your car. I haven’t asked about rain checks there though.

That's not always the case. Some services are gone simply because they aren't needed anymore. Modern vehicles don't need the oil checked every time you fill up with gas. Nobody needs home delivery of milk since we are a highly mobile society, and milk is literally sold everywhere. Stuff like that.

We are now checking ourselves out at the big stores that provided some of those services. lol

Our local music shop has a year around layaway. Haven’t shopped at Target since they lost their minds. Most Christmas shopping is done online because the stores are too “peoplely” and the traffic sucks.

I guess we started out as a young couple at the perfect time because we utilized those services often when they were offered and climbed enough rungs not to notice they quit offering them.

I’m shaking that bush Boss. I’m shaking that bush.

We have one Petromart station that will let you pump gas and then pay inside. Orscheln Farm and Home will will do Rain Checks. There is one station left in town that still has kids pump the gas and they get tipped usually. A lot of those stations and stores would also run a tab of charges for you. You could pay on it as you could afford it. Anyone remember pulling up to the pump and just saying "Put in 2 dollars worth and check the oil"? He would clean your windshield too.

Piggly Wiggly bags your groceries and takes them to the car. Not sure if they do rain checks, don't think I've ever asked.

We do have chain gangs picking up trash regularly though.

A little place in the small town of 350 people i grew up in still does this. The guy does basic mechanic work and tires. When the bell rings out he comes. Been doing it for about 40 years or so.

Gold stamps were out there as well… Curt Carlson started those.
My father had a hardware store in the 60’s and he had a small fridge unit that held the dynamite he sold.

Osky

We still have chain gangs picking trash.

One dollar got you 4 gallons of gas............

I worked at a full service Amoco station back in the late 80's. I've heard that phrase a million times...

Some states will not let you pump your own gas. It would be to scarry dangerous.

Christmas savings account at the bank where you a coupon book that got paid off before Christmas then you had your money saved for buying presents.

When I was a kid in the City of Milwaukee we had a milk chute on the house for milk delivery and the egg man would stop once a week. A guy with a push cart would go down the street and sharpen knives and scissors. The ice cream man would drive the street ringing the bell and the kids would run out with change to get a cone. We even had a guy with a horse drawn cart come once a month to collect rags, no idea what he did with them. Simpler times. Man, I'm old.

Home delivery of fruit, ice cream, bread and as mentioned before milk. The Holy Rollers no longer knock on my door. I haven't seen a hitchhiker for years, haven't seen a hobo for years. Barnum and Bailey Circus. When I was a kid a small circus came to small towns about once a year.

Still have a Tea Set with Norman Rockwell paintings on them I got free for starting a "Christmass Club" account years ago at our bank.Got a knife and hatchet set with a couple books of Green Stamps when I was a kid also.

Fleet Farm offers rain checks

showed up one Saturday with the sale flier and showed them the 10/22 I wanted to buy , lady at the front counter wrote me up a rain check for it , told me how to get 20% more off on it also buy signing up for the store credit card.

they didn't call me to say they had one in , but I stopped off about 2 weeks later and they had one back in stock on the shelf I said , I'll take it and they boxed it up and I did the papers tossed in a few more things heck 20% off is 20%

now they might not post 2020

that was in spring of 2019


the Pig and Woodman's bag your groceries , if you ask at the pig the kid would carry them to your car , at woodman's they ask you if you would like drive up they have numbers on the cart you roll up under the awning and hold up the back of the receipt with your card number on it and they put your groceries in your trunk

Don't go to the one in Grinnell, you'll be sadly disappointed. They lost their good manager and put in a bunch of self check outs. There are still some good employees but it's not close to the service you got just a couple years ago. I still shop Fareway as it's my favorite store but not that one if I can help it. I feel bad for the good employees there.

Good post... It certainly takes me back to late 40s, 50s and early 60s. We had all of the things talked about... maybe different stores, but all the same.

What I didn't see here was US Mail delivery... the last 2 weeks before Christmas... Mail delivery to your house 2 Xs a day. on foot.

I remember we all couldn't wait until the Christmas Catalog came to our house. The kids always fought over who was going to see it first. If one person "Hogged it", Mom would take it away from them and either give it to another one or put it on the top shelf of the closet (if there was too much fighting over it).

We also had milk delivery from the Borden Milkman, several times a week and a card Mom would stick in a window if she needed and extra delivery. There was also the Omar breadman that came 2 or 3 times a week.

Oh by the way... Harbor Freight Tools still give out Rain Checks for advertised items.

Garry-

Ain't a pile of all round blacksmiths these days. Time was, when literally every little burg had one. There are gobs of knuckleheads like me that play at it, but 99.99% of the work is decorative knicknacks or custom knives.

You guys talking about it being cool to pump and then pay are really blowing my mind. Most places in small towns allow it here. I didnt know it was completely non-existent elsewhere. Just figured it was dependent on the business.

When I lived in NY 20 years ago it was already non-existent and I lived in the country. Then I moved to IL and a few places let you pump first but over the next 10 years most of them quit. Here in MS quite a few places still let you pump first.

Oh and Garry YES the Sear's Wishbook! Always waited for it to come in. Would spend hours pouring over it and end up with a 3 page list LOL and then spend hours more trying to narrow it down to my most wanted presents, lol.

An actual person answering the phone instead of a menu tree. English speaking customer service reps.

Because of too many scumbags driving off without paying at all!, and nowaday's it's mostly pay with plastic anyway.

Phones and TVs not spying on you.

OTC big game tags (don't rub it in lol)

Drive in movies

I caught the tailend of that era. Still remember those attendants had those silver coin holders on their hips..thought that was cool watching them zip out the change from those things ...

You have to tag your deer? lol.

My brother in Colorado gets milk delivered to his house. Half gallon glass bottles. Pretty sure he pays a good price for it.

Yup, draw system in NM. Been this way for about 25 years.

I pumped gas as a kid, washed window and checked oil. The idea of self-serve gas was just becoming a thing.

I was just trying to rub it in, lol.

We still have a Drive In here.Been here since 1948.Midway Drive- In,,Minneto NY.About 15 min. from my house.Grand kids love it.They can play outside till the movie comes on.

when i was a kid, best thing ever was c.o.d. mail orders from the trap supply houses. mom was stuck with the bill when she got the mail. haha. i finally gave in to her threats, and quit sending off for stuff.

Lol

When I was a kid, Mom used to buy a lot of stuff from the Jewel Tea man.
Coffee, drink mixes,house wares,cleaning supplies etc...
I don't remember how often he stopped, but you would peruse the catalog and place your order and repeat the process when he made the delivery.

I live in Montana where please and thank you are still used went buying at a store. When you go to larger cities in different states it does not happen so much. Really P me off! We still have lay away, pay after you pump and rainchecks. Some of the stories even let you run a tab if you set up an account.

AMWAY

My mom and dad sold the AMWAY stuff when I was a kid. Decent stuff a bit pricey but good quality. Made my parents a few bucks on the side.

I've heard they are still around , but way less sales than they once were. Like most MLM type gigs , they faltered.

Can I ask what stores offer layaway? I'm guessing the rain checks only come from grocery stores?

Here also

Can remember Doctor coming to the house a couple times when had the whooping cough going around. Rotary dials on the phones but still had operator ask number please as soon as you picked up the handset and it was a real live person.

Great customer service
Satisfaction guarantee
Drive in restaurants (besides sonic)

Miss the old days when you were caught drunk driving the cops told you to drive straight home.
Miss the old days when everyone got together at the local service station and drank and played cards in the back after closing.
Miss the old days when locals used to drive around town for a week with a severd moose head tied to the roof of their car.

All the other stuff you said can still be had here although not everywhere.

Only place I had to pay before pumping gas was in the States.
Never seen it here even in the cities.

Western Union Telegrams

10 Cent Chocolate bars

Woolworth stores.

Grants stores

Century Housewares

5 & 10 Cent stores where you actually could buy things for less than a Dollar !

Rotary Dial Phones.

Party Line phone service

Vehicles that you could actually repair yourself , and be able to SEE the engine !!

Family Doctors that made HOUSE CALLS FOR $8.00 PER HOUSE CALL !!

Yup....you and drifter beat me to it. I am not as old as Zim....but I remember the Doctah coming to the house ...when I was a wee lad. We lived in Pawtucket RI...at the time.

Get some Money for coke bottles...

Also.....seeing the harvested deer tied to the roof of most cars....nobody had a truck back then...lol

remember all of the above. For many yrs.

My gas station here in town still does. There isn't even a card reader on the pumps... She wants people to come in the store and buy stuff when they come to pay for their gas.

Mike