Blockbuster when people had to go out and interact with people to get a few films, smelling the popcorn and deciding what sweets to get, actually made watching a movie exciting
@@cks7548 Not when they cause everyone to become anti-social idiots who end up depressed wondering "Why am I so lonely" when the answer is literally because all they do is stay home with all their fancy "services".
@@cks7548No they're not. They constantly downgrade their content because they don't want to pay licensing fees. Netflix used to be good but then it severely reduced its stock until there was nothing good in it. UA-cam TV is the same way.
I mute the commercials today because they are mainly Big Pharama suggesting illness to the subconscious . I don't care to end up Bipolar with a rash whose cream will insure I die with clear skin lol
As a little girl in the 80's (Born in 83) I find these ads extremely comforting. Reminds me of being a child around the holidays again, the house cozy and warm and filled with Christmas decor and the smell of the Christmas tree
im a decade older but these commercials feel surreal. it feels like these times didnt really exist. weird. like a fever dream or something. hard to believe a time like this even existed. because today? it's just constantly bad/evil crap, every day, on tv. the companies are 'woke' and the commercials are flavorless and people are rude and abrasive and think thats how u get ahead in life. crazy... its like an orwell book come to life eh?
That comforting feel and smell of Christmas is been long dead now, all thanks to what people have become and have let the world fall into. Very thankful to be last of the Gen X (you early Millennials will get this too) - "Analogue childhood, Digital adulthood"
@@phyrr2Become and let the world fall into? Oh no, another political rant. The reason Christmas doesn't look and feel like it used to is because corporations stopped making the sorts of things we older people enjoyed, and started mass producing JUNK.
I really do miss the 80s, when kids can actually be kids. I feel bad for the kids now. They don't know what's it like to go to the toy stores. We had Saturday morning cartoons and really great TV shows. Back in the 80s, we had real playgrounds. Remember those hot summer days when we had those metal slides. You know the slides were hot but you slide down anyway. 😁
and now kids gets few videos in social media get poplar & Hits, then get paid lots of money & by 18yo , then buy a house or cars for parents in that age instead another way around & most of them dies or become suicide by 25yo ...everything is f*n is out of control these days
it wasnt just better for kids... it was a better time for adults too. The genie (internet) was let out of the bottle though. We will never have this society again. It was hands down however the best damn decade in the history of the world.
And they had teeter totters - remember them? - one kid on one end the other kid on the other end. My city has many playgrounds but none of them as far as I know have any teeter totters. Have city planner thought them too dangerous or something? I used to love getting on the teeter totter with another person and going up and down until we were wanting to do something else.
So true. I was born in ‘73 and remember the good ole days when my grandmother would take me to the mall. My favorite store was Kay Bee Toys. Every time I was in there it felt like a museum of awesome toys. I thought she was rich because she would buy me toys everytime I went to visit her. Kids now will never understand that kind of experience. I miss the 80’s so much. I hope when I die that I can be reborn into some parallel universe where it’s the 80’s all over again. Great time to be alive as a child.
@@starlaminde8436 I'm 57 and I can relate sis! If only we knew what we had we would have appreciated it more! Who knew the world would turn to sh##! GOD bless my friend, Merry Christmas and Happy and Healthy New Year!
@Jesse Pinkman Biggest issue is we don't really have "primetime" anymore as we use to know it. The networks use to pump big time money into their primetime lineup and tried to secure actors that were at least likeable or well known. We have settled on quantity and not quality on programming.
When I moved to Columbus Ohio in 2009 I was surprised to see they still had a Blockbuster. I think it shut down in like 2011 tho. I remember they had a bunch of stuff on clearance, including the new Madden video game that just came out. I got that and a few other games for really cheap.
The reason I love these commercials so much is because they show us a world where people treat each other with respect, fairness and an honest desire to help. In this world, the place is clean, the shelves are always stocked, the associates are always smiling and happy to help you find what you're looking for. And you can always find it at a reasonable price. A world with no hassles, no discourtesy, no dismissiveness, and always someone around when you need them. Wouldn't it be great if we lived in that world?
Life was so much easier for everyone. No social media, no cell phones with access to every corner of the world within seconds, no political bickering non stop, politicians didn't try to divide us at every aspect of life. The WW2 greatest generation was still in charge. They all knew real despair, struggle, desperation. Cordial was easy. It was a natural reaction to them. 90% saw hell with their own eyes on Earth. More than once.
@@aaqilian5.085 Q: Since you seem to know so much about me, tell me what is it I do for a living, hmmmm? And now you're going to say, "probably" this or "probably" that, but the fact is you don't know. Before you voice your unsolicited opinion, you really ought to know what you're talking about. There's an idea starter for you.
@@sharonm.t.2492 I live in the most toxic environment imaginable. My adulthood has been a living hell. Everyone that I meet who had even a single negative experience growing up wants me burn in hell for being a happy kid, so I don't talk about my childhood. I simply don't let people drag me down. Sorry if this comes across as negative, but I don't like masking the truth.
@@jamieSp69ya they are after 1999 millenials who have never experienced positivity... its mainly boomers who fell asleep at the wheel as communism creeped into america.. now we know all elections are rigged, government is corrupt and inflation and taxation has destroyed america. it will get back on track though you will see. start focusing on truth. the best is yet to come.
RIP, to the following stores-Ames, Bradlees, Circuit City, Fayva,Fed Mart, Blockbuster Video,Filene's,Kmart,Fotomat,Sears,Hills, Lionel Kiddie City,Montgomery Wards, Payless Shoe Source, Radio Shack, Toys R Us,Woolworth and Zayre.
I worked at an Ace Hardware for 2 years while in High School. I really enjoyed it. The owner was really stressed with all the big stores like Lowes and Home Depot starting to build more and more stores. He was out of business by the mid 90s after about 15 years in business. Customers were even nicer back then. You couldnt pay me to work retail as a teenager now.
My town of Gatlinburg, TN has an Ace as its one and only hardware store. They have nothing in stock and their employees are worthless and just sit around. I would kill for a Lowes.
I know of a few local HW stores. I try to go there first when possible. Problem is that they're not open at 6am 6 days a week, and close at midnight. :(
Born in 1982 and the music of the 80s that you hear at 2:18 brings me back. Those exact clothing racks at 2:20 were our old hide and go seek spots. Back then any department store you went to that had a clothing department, you would always hear a parent calling out for their kids because kids were always hiding in the racks. Kmart had the cafe in them where we would get an Icee and the shopping malls had orange julius. The excitement when my Dad would get home from work Friday evening and say "Let's go to Blockbuster" was the best. We would get a movie for the family to watch and then at times I was allowed to get a movie for myself that I would watch on repeat all weekend and I'd eat a box of sour patch kids with it. It's crazy thinking about it. I had one movie that I would watch on repeat all weekend, and now I have thousands of movies at my disposal and I can't find one to watch. The Nintendo we had brought us kids together, where as today kids are at home but they're not really at home playing with their siblings because they're playing online. I feel that the 80s brought families together. Everything from going grocery shopping to being at home and watching a show together was something you don't see much today. If you notice every retail commercial that you see in 80s is focused on customer service and the overall customer experience, where as today it's all about speed. I'm all about speed too but we're not living in the moment. It's only August and I'm already seeing Halloween stuff in the stores, and by next month we'll start to see Thanksgiving and Christmas stuff. Due to my profession, I understand business really well, and I know why businesses operate quickly, but damn....slow down a little and let people take in the moment. It's sad but I'm glad that I had a chance to experience the 80s and 90s. It was truly a great time to be a kid. Simple times.
Kmart will always have a part of my heart because thats where my dad used to work in the early 90s till our kmart store close , i remembered he used to take me to work with him on the weekends and i would have a blast in the toy aisle and everybody that worked there was so friendly that even the little ceasers lady would give free cookies .
I was born in the year 2000. I never existed in these times so I don’t know what it was like to be a person in the 80’s or 90’s. But when I watch these it has so much character and life to it. When today’s commercial feels like robotic NPC ads.
@Jean-Philippe Rameau Well...I'd rather have the popcorn, since the last presweeten coffee drink I had made my blood sugar skyrocket. But, to each his own. :)
I loved growing up in the 80's. These commercials are so comforting. Some of these commercials are from the 90's though, and it's sad how you could already see the difference.
As these commercials continue to roll I can't help but to cry because as I see the prices on things from back in those days it just gets you right in the heart.
We can't. The ads are a reflection of society in general. We lived in a fucked society now, so the ads have to be a reflection of that in order to be affective.
@@jamieSp69 adverts are so frustrating nowadays. most media in general actually. there's little craft involved and everything is LOUD as fuck. i don't think I've seen many even tolerable movies that have been released after 2015 LOL. i know that there are some people within my generation who feel exactly this way though, so i have a small amount of hope. kind of.
OMG. Blockbuster video. I used to really like going into a video store. But I really like the streaming apps we have now and the convenience they bring.
Watching this brings back good memories and comforts me. The 80's and 90's were simpler times and wish I could go back in time and live it all over again. I sure do miss the 80's and 90's 😢😢
What a throwback! Thanks for sharing! I am guessing that 90% of these stores are either out of business or close to being gone. Time relentlessly marches on.
My father would get a Sunday paper every Saturday night and as a kid I loved going through all these stores paper ads to look at their toy, electrical and sporting goods sales. Not a single kid does that today there's no way of it. ☹️
Bradlees was a pretty good store. I remember going there as a kid because they always had the best toy aisle. There was a Kay Bee Toys in the mall, the Bradlees still had a better selection. Also, Child's World was underrated. There was one next to the Toys R Us in Mays Landing NJ in the 90s, and though their selection wasn't as good, they had a lot of older games and consoles that Toys R Us no longer sold. Their bargain bin was amazing.
I remember Child World and Bradlee's. We had them up here in Massachusetts too. Did you guys have Zayre's and Ann & Hope? They were the best as far as toys go. They always had ALL the Star Wars figures!!
I miss those times when I use to go to Walden Book Store, when I use to buy stuff from Kmart, the times when my fav electronics store was Circuit City, the times when I use to work in Radio Shack, The times when I saved money and bought me a Packard Bell PC, The times when we use to listen to Michael Jackson, The times when cars had pinstripes, Yes !!! that was my Time !!! the Time when there was real love among people. It all went too quick. Now I am in my 50's and always remember those wonderful times !!!!
Those Hill's commercials with the aisles of toys advertising layaway up until x-mas eve. There are two traditional retailers left, Wal-Mart and Target, and neither do layaway. I still know of outliers that do layaway, but nothing like the old retail version with the little counter out back. Quaint memories of old-skool retailers.
Yes, the old Hills store was one of my very favorites back in the 80s as a child growing up because of their amazing toy department and you could always tell you were in one as soon as you started smelling the popcorn and seeing the food counter out front good times And do you guys remember the heels commercials featuring Sprite, the? Elf.
Watching these commercials brings back so many memories. Not all good either. Especially the Christmas ones. We were poor coming up and my parents truly struggled. I remember getting toys from The Goodwill! lol But I played with them like they were brand new because once upon a time, they were. I came from a big family so a lot of things I got as far as clothes were hand me downs. I’d go to school and see the other kids dressed and fresh while I was wearing some Nikes that my pops had got from a garage sale! lol But he tried. He really did. Now that I’m older and have kids of my own, I make sure that they have the best and latest fashion brands. And I know it’s not all about materialistic things. I just never wanted them to go through the bad experiences I did. But now, my family isn’t even close anymore. I guess everybody done got too old to love. And my life as an adult has been hell! Man! I’ve been through so much. If I could go back to the early stages of my life, I’d change so many things. God knows I would.
Don't feel bad, I too had poor parents because my real father left the day I was born and never came back. He didn't pay child support. Then my step-dad refused to get a regular job/he was self-employed so my mom had to get me and my brother's clothes at a church homeless outreach. And we were skinny because all we had to eat was a loaf of bread. I was born in 1970, and we were poverty stricken. A lot of it was my step-dad's fault for not working and making money. But sadly some men won't work.
I used love going to goodwill before they try be Macy's or another Walmart. Time are our family friend used to work in one which is off of olive and Fresno Street. Before my old corporate Boss shut it down . I remember we poor too and we got in the store pick some stuff they paid for us and we pick lots of stuff animals so on. The lady pass away of cancer sadly the same with my dad too . The old goodwills how had a lot of nice things in there including collectibles and antiques
I know, right lol makes it amusing and ironic, doesn’t it? Now and 2024 we purposely listen to and watch these commercials again with nostalgia and longing for those times again
Do you have a favorite 80's department store memory? Leave a comment below and let us know! For me, it is a tie between the Christmas catalogs and the fully stocked toy departments.
I loved the JC Penny's Christmas Catalog and the Sears Wish Book. Those were the two Christmas Catalogs we had. Then of course Toys R Us! The Toys R Us Christmas commercials were awesome and ALWAYS brought a great feeling to your heart. It was just a wonderful time as a kid. The 70's and 80's.
Thank you for sharing some great memories. Wow how I miss the good old days. Wish the good old days would come back. 90 minutes of peace no drama no stress. Keep bringing more great memories.
I bought the last remaining blockbuster video sign and post when the local rural blockbuster closed here in Australia. I restored it and mounted it outside my farm barn and man cave on my cattle farm. When I have it lit up at night I often get tourist that may have found their way to my property that stop and ask is it a real blockbuster video store. Can't believe they think it is. I lock my hate now and have a sigh up saying its not a tourist attraction or a video store
Oh wow… On one of those Toys R Us commercials the music sounded like it came from a Casio keyboard from back in the day that had all those preset melodies. Definitely a great memory for me 🥰
51:01: "I'm convinced by that riveting display of computer salesmanship, my fellow, younger business unit. We shall stop by Radio Shack today, and probe around this new and superior product that you speak of. But first, let's go get a few ounces of 12-hour-old black office coffee and expired, plain rice cakes to insert into our reciprocals."
I remember the 80s. My parents maxed out their department store credit cards buying us kids the latest clothing fashions at the mall for school then couldn’t keep up with the payments. I still remember that $120 cordless phone ringing off the hook because they kept hanging up on the creditors. There was no such thing as harassment from creditors back then. They were like pit bulls
I started getting my own credit cards in the 80's. And I remember how difficult it was to keep up with $15-20 minimum payments. For some reason. Well $20 was a lot "more" back then, obviously.
@@cecilfoxhound3274 Dressed well? Why do kids have to be dressed well? They'll just outgrow or trash it immediately. That seems stupid. Clean, good quality clothes. No stains or holes (unless it's a playing in mud day, and I have a set of clothes like that for ME, too). I wouldn't spend much on it. Seems better to save most of the money and put it away for their first house. Make sure YOU own it and no in-law can grab it later on.
00:38 - I _SWEAR_ ; when I first saw this segment, I thought it was a segway for a StarTrek television episode or movie!!?!!? Tell me that her outfit & broach doesn't look....well,.... *STAR TREK'ish* !!
Remember when we hated commercials during this time? Who would have thought we'd miss them so much so we're willing to watch them for an hour straight. However there were some commercials if i heard them I'd run back to the tv to watch it. 😆
I love old commercials, and this was a great video. I do think there needs to be some kind of volume normalization in this video, however. Some commercials are barely a whisper, while others are as loud as a car alarm.
Watching these old commercials feels like the first time I saw that video of the last remaining Thylacine from 100 years ago, feels like a sense of subjective time travel, very cool!
I can remember falling in love with those huge house stereo systems with speakers as tall as me.screw back to the future.how bout sending me back to the 80s!!!!
Life in the 80's was day and night better than life in 2023. HD TV, High speed internet and smart phones are the ONLY things better today. Hell, even my 1987 K5 Silverado was more of a joy to drive than my 2022 and was comparatively MUCH cheaper.
Let's review, tho. Sears was going that way in the 80s. Very small record selection like 2 -25 foot aisles. I remember when the Go Go's album came out. This was a huge store at 6 corners, Chicago. They had a restaurant on site and I remember rubbery old Jell-o! The decor was raggedy even then, when paint and new floors would have cost them nothing. I remember they had a great tool department, hidden in the BASEMENT. It would have made more sense to bring it UPSTAIRS, near the door. Men buy most tools and don't want to go all the way across the store. Security wasn't a huge issue then, but you could block it off and require ID or something. I remember a lot of dated clothing and Grr-animals kids clothes. Osh Kosh B'gosh was big. For kids.
Blockbuster when people had to go out and interact with people to get a few films, smelling the popcorn and deciding what sweets to get, actually made watching a movie exciting
I don’t miss the late fees though lol
We didn’t get a Blockbuster until around ‘90… had a chain called Erol’s before that
Streaming services are better.
@@cks7548 Not when they cause everyone to become anti-social idiots who end up depressed wondering "Why am I so lonely" when the answer is literally because all they do is stay home with all their fancy "services".
@@cks7548No they're not. They constantly downgrade their content because they don't want to pay licensing fees. Netflix used to be good but then it severely reduced its stock until there was nothing good in it. UA-cam TV is the same way.
These commercials are way better than today's commercials.
I mute the commercials today because they are mainly Big Pharama suggesting illness to the subconscious . I don't care to end up Bipolar with a rash whose cream will insure I die with clear skin lol
No gays. No whites faking to be friends with minorities. Women weren’t as entitled
Its all about Medicaid and life insurance and pills
The commercials now a days are just money grubbing. :o WOW. Nastalgia just smacked me in the face! :'O
You mean tv show
As a little girl in the 80's (Born in 83) I find these ads extremely comforting. Reminds me of being a child around the holidays again, the house cozy and warm and filled with Christmas decor and the smell of the Christmas tree
83 baby myself. Totally agree with you. I miss those days.
im a decade older but these commercials feel surreal. it feels like these times didnt really exist. weird. like a fever dream or something. hard to believe a time like this even existed. because today? it's just constantly bad/evil crap, every day, on tv. the companies are 'woke' and the commercials are flavorless and people are rude and abrasive and think thats how u get ahead in life. crazy... its like an orwell book come to life eh?
That comforting feel and smell of Christmas is been long dead now, all thanks to what people have become and have let the world fall into. Very thankful to be last of the Gen X (you early Millennials will get this too) - "Analogue childhood, Digital adulthood"
@@phyrr2Become and let the world fall into? Oh no, another political rant. The reason Christmas doesn't look and feel like it used to is because corporations stopped making the sorts of things we older people enjoyed, and started mass producing JUNK.
That’s lovely
I worked for Kmart back in the day . We popped popcorn all day.
Yes! Them, Woolworth & Target always smelled like popcorn!
Damn it! I wasn't invited in. 😂😂😂😢😂
now that sounds like a cool job
@@mamacindyrogofsky495 no Cindy you was on a diet 🤣
Love that blue light special
I really do miss the 80s, when kids can actually be kids. I feel bad for the kids now. They don't know what's it like to go to the toy stores. We had Saturday morning cartoons and really great TV shows. Back in the 80s, we had real playgrounds. Remember those hot summer days when we had those metal slides. You know the slides were hot but you slide down anyway. 😁
and now kids gets few videos in social media get poplar & Hits, then get paid lots of money & by 18yo , then buy a house or cars for parents in that age instead another way around & most of them dies or become suicide by 25yo ...everything is f*n is out of control these days
it wasnt just better for kids... it was a better time for adults too. The genie (internet) was let out of the bottle though. We will never have this society again. It was hands down however the best damn decade in the history of the world.
And they had teeter totters - remember them? - one kid on one end the other kid on the other end. My city has many playgrounds but none of them as far as I know have any teeter totters. Have city planner thought them too dangerous or something? I used to love getting on the teeter totter with another person and going up and down until we were wanting to do something else.
So true. I was born in ‘73 and remember the good ole days when my grandmother would take me to the mall. My favorite store was Kay Bee Toys. Every time I was in there it felt like a museum of awesome toys. I thought she was rich because she would buy me toys everytime I went to visit her. Kids now will never understand that kind of experience. I miss the 80’s so much. I hope when I die that I can be reborn into some parallel universe where it’s the 80’s all over again. Great time to be alive as a child.
Many kids nowadays Go outsite but the record everything
Kids today will never know how awesome is was to take the family and go to Blockbuster to rent a movie.
Imagine a teenager today living back in the 80s.
Sad to see how many of these stores are gone. I was in my teens and early 20s in the 80s and I miss those days terribly.
Same I’m 58 and to escape todays bullsh** I’m her for comfort and nostalgia
@@starlaminde8436 I'm 57 and I can relate sis! If only we knew what we had we would have appreciated it more! Who knew the world would turn to sh##! GOD bless my friend, Merry Christmas and Happy and Healthy New Year!
I wanna go back to the 80s so bad such a better world
Definitely with payphones and beepers and buying cameras to take pictures.
Blockbuster doesn't seem like that long ago. Clearly remember standing in the store looking for the perfect movie. Boy does time fly by
@Jesse Pinkman Biggest issue is we don't really have "primetime" anymore as we use to know it. The networks use to pump big time money into their primetime lineup and tried to secure actors that were at least likeable or well known. We have settled on quantity and not quality on programming.
@@bfg9000d1"we have settled" ... as if we have any input on what they put on the networks.
There is still ONE BLOCKBUSTER left standing. Whew!
That's because it wasn't that long ago. The one down the street from me closed in 2013. 10 years ago isn't that long ago
When I moved to Columbus Ohio in 2009 I was surprised to see they still had a Blockbuster. I think it shut down in like 2011 tho. I remember they had a bunch of stuff on clearance, including the new Madden video game that just came out. I got that and a few other games for really cheap.
The reason I love these commercials so much is because they show us a world where people treat each other with respect, fairness and an honest desire to help. In this world, the place is clean, the shelves are always stocked, the associates are always smiling and happy to help you find what you're looking for. And you can always find it at a reasonable price. A world with no hassles, no discourtesy, no dismissiveness, and always someone around when you need them. Wouldn't it be great if we lived in that world?
Life was so much easier for everyone. No social media, no cell phones with access to every corner of the world within seconds, no political bickering non stop, politicians didn't try to divide us at every aspect of life. The WW2 greatest generation was still in charge. They all knew real despair, struggle, desperation. Cordial was easy. It was a natural reaction to them. 90% saw hell with their own eyes on Earth. More than once.
Well said. Agree 100%
It starts with you. But you like everyone else is waiting for someone else to do it
@@aaqilian5.085 Q: Since you seem to know so much about me, tell me what is it I do for a living, hmmmm? And now you're going to say, "probably" this or "probably" that, but the fact is you don't know. Before you voice your unsolicited opinion, you really ought to know what you're talking about. There's an idea starter for you.
Now you can just take whatever you want and don’t have to pay. It’s so sad what this country has become. Democrats truly ruin everything they touch.
Those days were the best days ever. Everything seemed perfect and easy.
Just watching this makes me feel good.
You must have had a good youth/childhood/young adulthood. If you're not from that era maybe it's the cheer & humor & kindness & positivity.
@@sharonm.t.2492 I live in the most toxic environment imaginable. My adulthood has been a living hell. Everyone that I meet who had even a single negative experience growing up wants me burn in hell for being a happy kid, so I don't talk about my childhood. I simply don't let people drag me down. Sorry if this comes across as negative, but I don't like masking the truth.
@@jamieSp69ya they are after 1999 millenials who have never experienced positivity... its mainly boomers who fell asleep at the wheel as communism creeped into america.. now we know all elections are rigged, government is corrupt and inflation and taxation has destroyed america. it will get back on track though you will see. start focusing on truth. the best is yet to come.
RIP, to the following stores-Ames, Bradlees, Circuit City, Fayva,Fed Mart,
Blockbuster Video,Filene's,Kmart,Fotomat,Sears,Hills, Lionel
Kiddie City,Montgomery Wards, Payless Shoe Source, Radio Shack, Toys R Us,Woolworth and Zayre.
Plus A&P and Joske's and Globe.
How about t.g.&y.
Don't forget Child World and Caldor!
Ames is coming back in 2026
I worked at an Ace Hardware for 2 years while in High School. I really enjoyed it. The owner was really stressed with all the big stores like Lowes and Home Depot starting to build more and more stores. He was out of business by the mid 90s after about 15 years in business. Customers were even nicer back then. You couldnt pay me to work retail as a teenager now.
My town of Gatlinburg, TN has an Ace as its one and only hardware store. They have nothing in stock and their employees are worthless and just sit around. I would kill for a Lowes.
There are still some really nice Ace hardware stores left
The lady in the Ace commercial looked like she was from Star Trek.
My Dad prefers Ace over Home Depot and Lowes. I see him going into Ace more than he does the other stores.
I know of a few local HW stores. I try to go there first when possible.
Problem is that they're not open at 6am 6 days a week, and close at midnight. :(
I so remember that guy saying, "I could've bought a better TV!" Circuit City commercial. I remember those stores back in the bay area!
Born in 1982 and the music of the 80s that you hear at 2:18 brings me back. Those exact clothing racks at 2:20 were our old hide and go seek spots. Back then any department store you went to that had a clothing department, you would always hear a parent calling out for their kids because kids were always hiding in the racks. Kmart had the cafe in them where we would get an Icee and the shopping malls had orange julius. The excitement when my Dad would get home from work Friday evening and say "Let's go to Blockbuster" was the best. We would get a movie for the family to watch and then at times I was allowed to get a movie for myself that I would watch on repeat all weekend and I'd eat a box of sour patch kids with it. It's crazy thinking about it. I had one movie that I would watch on repeat all weekend, and now I have thousands of movies at my disposal and I can't find one to watch. The Nintendo we had brought us kids together, where as today kids are at home but they're not really at home playing with their siblings because they're playing online. I feel that the 80s brought families together. Everything from going grocery shopping to being at home and watching a show together was something you don't see much today. If you notice every retail commercial that you see in 80s is focused on customer service and the overall customer experience, where as today it's all about speed. I'm all about speed too but we're not living in the moment. It's only August and I'm already seeing Halloween stuff in the stores, and by next month we'll start to see Thanksgiving and Christmas stuff. Due to my profession, I understand business really well, and I know why businesses operate quickly, but damn....slow down a little and let people take in the moment. It's sad but I'm glad that I had a chance to experience the 80s and 90s. It was truly a great time to be a kid. Simple times.
I want to live in these commercials
Thats why they're called *commercials* 😆
Sounds like a perfect short story about a guy who does that...
And if I had half of the things that I got for all them Christmases I’d be sitting on a small fortune
Oh man, the good old days!! How I miss these days 😢
Kmart will always have a part of my heart because thats where my dad used to work in the early 90s till our kmart store close , i remembered he used to take me to work with him on the weekends and i would have a blast in the toy aisle and everybody that worked there was so friendly that even the little ceasers lady would give free cookies .
I was born in the year 2000. I never existed in these times so I don’t know what it was like to be a person in the 80’s or 90’s.
But when I watch these it has so much character and life to it. When today’s commercial feels like robotic NPC ads.
I was born 1977 lived through the 80s and I really miss it. Good times bad times the fashion, music movies will always be remembered.
The Fiero pulling away from the Fotomat says everything about why I miss those days.
I remember Kmart always smelled like popcorn. Target too...
It's funny how u mention that cause that's true what happened to that smell 🤔
Same with Hills.
@Jean-Philippe Rameau Well...I'd rather have the popcorn, since the last presweeten coffee drink I had made my blood sugar skyrocket. But, to each his own. :)
Woolworth always did too in the seventies. I wonder why??
Target still smells like popcorn, probably because in my state is the founding state?
I sure do miss kmart
The Blue Light Special 😁
Hills was way better....
@@christopheryanoski6899 I've never heard of Hill's. I'll have to look it up.
@@jenniferhansen3622 they had a snack bar with the absolute best pop corn.
@@christopheryanoski6899 That's awesome. Looks like they were mainly in the East and in the South.
@26:20 “Hills! The anti-inflation department store!” 😂 I remember low prices in the 80’s and I loved their toy section!
I loved growing up in the 80's. These commercials are so comforting. Some of these commercials are from the 90's though, and it's sad how you could already see the difference.
The actual Good Ol Days. This is awesome and beyond nostalgic.
As these commercials continue to roll I can't help but to cry because as I see the prices on things from back in those days it just gets you right in the heart.
Well, we made less. I might have 20 bucks fill an Oldsmobile (1980, when they were BIG cars) but I was barely making 5.00 an hour.
@@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823 we made less but we're able to buy more. Wages have not kept up with prices.
Ah, the great department store days. I wish these would come back. Shopping would be fun again!
Can't believe this was before social media. Way to go!!!!!❤
Interesting to see ads for stores we didn't have in my part of the country. First time I've seen many of these, and I watched a lot of TV as a kid!
The old Doritos bag had the clear “window” in it so you could see the chips!! Before cool ranch and shit. I miss those days!!
We should bring this styles of ads back
I wish!! Today's ads are so loud, obnoxious and totally chaotic!
@@youlllog9627 Just like society in general.
We can't. The ads are a reflection of society in general. We lived in a fucked society now, so the ads have to be a reflection of that in order to be affective.
@@jamieSp69 adverts are so frustrating nowadays. most media in general actually. there's little craft involved and everything is LOUD as fuck. i don't think I've seen many even tolerable movies that have been released after 2015 LOL. i know that there are some people within my generation who feel exactly this way though, so i have a small amount of hope. kind of.
🎯🎰💯
man, out of the 52 stores in this video, 27 of them are defunct now
OMG. Blockbuster video. I used to really like going into a video store. But I really like the streaming apps we have now and the convenience they bring.
I remember working for Blockbuster what a great job that was it looked forward towards watching a movie and so grateful I had that life
I miss these days!
Who doesn't miss them
Please take me back there! Life was normal!
Agreed
80’s i miss you so much, what happened to this world????
Internet
Nice!!! Thanks for posting! I love retro commercials! And this many retail ones. Love it!
Watching this brings back good memories and comforts me. The 80's and 90's were simpler times and wish I could go back in time and live it all over again. I sure do miss the 80's and 90's 😢😢
That lady in the Ace commercial looks like a Star Trek character
What a throwback! Thanks for sharing! I am guessing that 90% of these stores are either out of business or close to being gone. Time relentlessly marches on.
My father would get a Sunday paper every Saturday night and as a kid I loved going through all these stores paper ads to look at their toy, electrical and sporting goods sales. Not a single kid does that today there's no way of it. ☹️
Bradlees was a pretty good store. I remember going there as a kid because they always had the best toy aisle. There was a Kay Bee Toys in the mall, the Bradlees still had a better selection. Also, Child's World was underrated. There was one next to the Toys R Us in Mays Landing NJ in the 90s, and though their selection wasn't as good, they had a lot of older games and consoles that Toys R Us no longer sold. Their bargain bin was amazing.
I remember Child World and Bradlee's. We had them up here in Massachusetts too. Did you guys have Zayre's and Ann & Hope?
They were the best as far as toys go. They always had ALL the Star Wars figures!!
I just realized that the reason these commercials feel different is because they were advertising to an altogether different demographic.
I like your name.
Toys R Us bring back the best memories. Even going there as an adult was a real treat. Progress....(sigh)
Thanks for this video it made me smile im glad i grew up in the 80s. Those were magical happy times
10:00$ for a He Man / Transformer figure was actually expensive at that time . I still miss the early 80s Kmart .
I miss those times when I use to go to Walden Book Store, when I use to buy stuff from Kmart, the times when my fav electronics store was Circuit City, the times when I use to work in Radio Shack, The times when I saved money and bought me a Packard Bell PC, The times when we use to listen to Michael Jackson, The times when cars had pinstripes, Yes !!! that was my Time !!! the Time when there was real love among people. It all went too quick. Now I am in my 50's and always remember those wonderful times !!!!
Those Hill's commercials with the aisles of toys advertising layaway up until x-mas eve. There are two traditional retailers left, Wal-Mart and Target, and neither do layaway. I still know of outliers that do layaway, but nothing like the old retail version with the little counter out back. Quaint memories of old-skool retailers.
Walmart around here did layaway in recent years. I'm in WA State. No more?
@@sharonm.t.2492 Wally world might still do it! I know Target does not.
Yes, the old Hills store was one of my very favorites back in the 80s as a child growing up because of their amazing toy department and you could always tell you were in one as soon as you started smelling the popcorn and seeing the food counter out front good times
And do you guys remember the heels commercials featuring Sprite, the? Elf.
I miss the 80s
Me too buddy best time ever
Me too! I was born at the very beginning, 1980, so I remember the majority of this decade fondly.
Me too 😢
Watching these commercials brings back so many memories. Not all good either. Especially the Christmas ones. We were poor coming up and my parents truly struggled. I remember getting toys from The Goodwill! lol But I played with them like they were brand new because once upon a time, they were. I came from a big family so a lot of things I got as far as clothes were hand me downs. I’d go to school and see the other kids dressed and fresh while I was wearing some Nikes that my pops had got from a garage sale! lol But he tried. He really did. Now that I’m older and have kids of my own, I make sure that they have the best and latest fashion brands. And I know it’s not all about materialistic things. I just never wanted them to go through the bad experiences I did. But now, my family isn’t even close anymore. I guess everybody done got too old to love. And my life as an adult has been hell! Man! I’ve been through so much. If I could go back to the early stages of my life, I’d change so many things. God knows I would.
Don't feel bad, I too had poor parents because my real father left the day I was born and never came back. He didn't pay child support. Then my step-dad refused to get a regular job/he was self-employed so my mom had to get me and my brother's clothes at a church homeless outreach. And we were skinny because all we had to eat was a loaf of bread. I was born in 1970, and we were poverty stricken. A lot of it was my step-dad's fault for not working and making money. But sadly some men won't work.
I used love going to goodwill before they try be Macy's or another Walmart. Time are our family friend used to work in one which is off of olive and Fresno Street. Before my old corporate Boss shut it down . I remember we poor too and we got in the store pick some stuff they paid for us and we pick lots of stuff animals so on. The lady pass away of cancer sadly the same with my dad too . The old goodwills how had a lot of nice things in there including collectibles and antiques
Shopping used to be friendly and fun. Now it's quick and easy. Would take the first one anytime.
These collections are always full of so many stores I've never heard of.
That smile at 17:44 cracks me up.
Bunch of stuff you can find at Goodwill today. 😆👍
The prices at goodwill are retarded
Or ebay
I WAS JUST THINKING THAT XD
That's why I stop at all the Goodwill stores I find 😃✌️👍
My mom LOVED the Kmart when it came to our neighborhood in 1977. Then she loved Ames. Before that it was all about EJ Korvette.
That Blockbuster commercial brought back my childhood
Loved Kmart. Ace is the place with the helpful hardware MAN. That's how it's supposed to be!!!!!
Thanks for the contribution, micropecker.
Shawn you're sadly as dated as those commercials
@@rollandjoeseph At least I appreciate a time when our country wasn't being destroyed by this insane liberal wokeism
Oh good lord. Even in the 1980s we weren't that sexist.
It is sad that a lot of these retailers have closed down.
And to think, you used to groan when these came on! They were always too long when you were watching and too short when you had to go to the bathroom!
I know, right lol makes it amusing and ironic, doesn’t it?
Now and 2024 we purposely listen to and watch these commercials again with nostalgia and longing for those times again
Do you have a favorite 80's department store memory? Leave a comment below and let us know! For me, it is a tie between the Christmas catalogs and the fully stocked toy departments.
It's not 80s... but still nostalgic, a True Value near me has stuff in stock dating from around 1975 on sale
I loved the JC Penny's Christmas Catalog and the Sears Wish Book. Those were the two Christmas Catalogs we had. Then of course Toys R Us! The Toys R Us Christmas commercials were awesome and ALWAYS brought a great feeling to your heart. It was just a wonderful time as a kid. The 70's and 80's.
@@EdsterIII Penny was good back then not now. Kmart was a good store in the 60s-80s then changed in the 90s like a Target
@@jillydips9226 Like coffee makers, batteries, toys, tools, oddly enough 90s keyboards
I loved the Toys R Us commercials and toy Christmas catalogs as a kid, I was definitely a Toys R Us kids.
I love this brings back childhood memories 💓
Thank you for sharing some great memories. Wow how I miss the good old days. Wish the good old days would come back. 90 minutes of peace no drama no stress. Keep bringing more great memories.
We had a great culture at 1 time the boomers failed to pass it on😢
@@ItalicusHammer You're completely wrong. It was the generation that was later.
I bought the last remaining blockbuster video sign and post when the local rural blockbuster closed here in Australia. I restored it and mounted it outside my farm barn and man cave on my cattle farm. When I have it lit up at night I often get tourist that may have found their way to my property that stop and ask is it a real blockbuster video store. Can't believe they think it is. I lock my hate now and have a sigh up saying its not a tourist attraction or a video store
Oh wow… On one of those Toys R Us commercials the music sounded like it came from a Casio keyboard from back in the day that had all those preset melodies. Definitely a great memory for me 🥰
51:01:
"I'm convinced by that riveting display of computer salesmanship, my fellow, younger business unit. We shall stop by Radio Shack today, and probe around this new and superior product that you speak of. But first, let's go get a few ounces of 12-hour-old black office coffee and expired, plain rice cakes to insert into our reciprocals."
I remember the 80s. My parents maxed out their department store credit cards buying us kids the latest clothing fashions at the mall for school then couldn’t keep up with the payments. I still remember that $120 cordless phone ringing off the hook because they kept hanging up on the creditors. There was no such thing as harassment from creditors back then. They were like pit bulls
We had the SAME childhood 😅
I started getting my own credit cards in the 80's. And I remember how difficult it was to keep up with $15-20 minimum payments. For some reason. Well $20 was a lot "more" back then, obviously.
Junior, get back to bed right now!
lmao
@@cecilfoxhound3274 Dressed well? Why do kids have to be dressed well? They'll just outgrow or trash it immediately. That seems stupid.
Clean, good quality clothes. No stains or holes (unless it's a playing in mud day, and I have a set of clothes like that for ME, too). I wouldn't spend much on it. Seems better to save most of the money and put it away for their first house.
Make sure YOU own it and no in-law can grab it later on.
Love it and remember this well!!
Block buster video 😂 they closed entirely in 2002 if I'm not mistaken . Wow I really miss them .
Saw a documentary on netflix about one still open in the pacific northwest somewhere.excellent documentary.
it was so much more fun to go out shoping then ,than it is now
$69 for a cordless phone & answering machine was still pretty expensive for that time.
I saw one of these ads had a cordless phone for $200. Whoa!
Yeah, I think $69 was a bit high, too. I think I remember some for $39.
Might have been expensive but wasn't made like today's junk
All electronics were expensive back then
It was state of the art back then.
Amazing to see how many of these business are closed now.
00:38 - I _SWEAR_ ; when I first saw this segment, I thought it was a segway for a StarTrek television episode or movie!!?!!? Tell me that her outfit & broach doesn't look....well,.... *STAR TREK'ish* !!
Politics and corporate greed is what we have today. The 80's will always be remembered as the golden decade.
and 90s
@@hectorlopez1069 You're welcome to the 90s. I can't stand although music and Axl sounds like he's killing a cat. With a sinus problem. Lol
The 1980's begun the greed.
Never will see these prices again
All those Toys R Us ads makes me feel old, as I was once an avid customer. 🧸
I remember Hills, Child World, and buying my sneakers at Buster Brown
Remember when we hated commercials during this time? Who would have thought we'd miss them so much so we're willing to watch them for an hour straight. However there were some commercials if i heard them I'd run back to the tv to watch it. 😆
I love old commercials, and this was a great video. I do think there needs to be some kind of volume normalization in this video, however. Some commercials are barely a whisper, while others are as loud as a car alarm.
You mean like compression? That would work.
Hills needs to come back! Sure miss hills I still have some of my toys and my bike from hills.
I wish we knew we were living in the good 'ol days, while we were living in them.
Watching these old commercials feels like the first time I saw that video of the last remaining Thylacine from 100 years ago, feels like a sense of subjective time travel, very cool!
I love these commercials reminds me of my childhood. I'm 1979 baby wish I could go back
I remember all of those commercials thanks for the memories!!!
before blockbuster there was erols. i feel totally great about being old enough to remember that. lol
We never had a Zayre store here in town never heard of it either..
That nightmare inducing mascot from Child World is something else.
"Peter Panda"
We had absolutely no idea back then. 😳
😂
I like how at 36:45 Kmart went from 1800 stores to 1600 stores at 37:46. I see a troubling trend starting already!
I miss these days, when life was actually easy!!!
Thanks for posting i was a kid at this time lol 😆
The Internet has ruined us as a society, yet ironically, thanks to the Internet we can see how much healthier times were back then
People said the same thing about TV. And the telephone.
I can remember falling in love with those huge house stereo systems with speakers as tall as me.screw back to the future.how bout sending me back to the 80s!!!!
🥰 I was born at the very beginning of this decade, 1980, so I remember the majority of it fondly.
Life in the 80's was day and night better than life in 2023. HD TV, High speed internet and smart phones are the ONLY things better today. Hell, even my 1987 K5 Silverado was more of a joy to drive than my 2022 and was comparatively MUCH cheaper.
This is so great!
I was born in 1973 and I'm from Detroit. 😎😎😎
Any More 80’s and 90’s Halloween, Christmas, Saturday Morning, Toys & Games, and Department Stores Commercials soon, Please?🎃❤️📺🎶🎄👍🏻
Great prices!
Amazing the juggernauts that Kmart and Sears were, and how it was frittered and pissed away.
Let's review, tho. Sears was going that way in the 80s.
Very small record selection like 2 -25 foot aisles. I remember when the Go Go's album came out. This was a huge store at 6 corners, Chicago.
They had a restaurant on site and I remember rubbery old Jell-o!
The decor was raggedy even then, when paint and new floors would have cost them nothing.
I remember they had a great tool department, hidden in the BASEMENT. It would have made more sense to bring it UPSTAIRS, near the door. Men buy most tools and don't want to go all the way across the store. Security wasn't a huge issue then, but you could block it off and require ID or something.
I remember a lot of dated clothing and Grr-animals kids clothes. Osh Kosh B'gosh was big. For kids.
Ace is the place for the helpful hardware man,direct conversation tactics