When I was a kid.......

[JPfloor]

The sears catalogue shut down just around the time Amazon got started… Gotta be a bunch of Sears CEOs kicking themselves in the butt about that… They coulda been the granddaddies of it all instead of filing chapter 11…

 

[DarisMulkin]

The sears catalogue shut down just around the time Amazon got started… Gotta be a bunch of Sears CEOs kicking themselves in the butt about that… They coulda been the granddaddies of it all instead of filing chapter 11…

There are a whole lot of big chain stores going out because of Amazon. People don't want to go into the stores anymore. Why, when you can sit in your easy chair and order on line from home. Of coarse you could also do that from catalogs but the wait was longer getting the merchandise.

 

[C.J.]

There are a whole lot of big chain stores going out because of Amazon. People don't want to go into the stores anymore. Why, when you can sit in your easy chair and order on line from home. Of coarse you could also do that from catalogs but the wait was longer getting the merchandise.

I have no problem going into a store, in fact I would prefer to go to a local store and purchase something from them. The problem is when they don’t have it and have to order it. Why not just order it myself and save some money while it’s delivered to my house to boot.

 

[highup]

I have a reproduction of one of the early ones. It has things in there that almost make it pornographic, toys and night time articles. Besides you could buy a house kit..

Isn't that where Sears Craftsman comes from?
I don't know, I'm just askin'
All I saw in my Sears catalogs was tonka trucks, ray guns, BB guns, the Whamo Blaster.... the list is endless.
You got pornographic toys?

 

[highup]

I have no problem going into a store, in fact I would prefer to go to a local store and purchase something from them. The problem is when they don’t have it and have to order it. Why not just order it myself and save some money while it’s delivered to my house to boot.

That's when I buy stuff online, this stuff is not available in town. I bought an endoscope, you're not going to find that at Bi-Mart, Kmart, Walmart, Anymart.
I bought a 3D laser level recently.
Nowhere in town can you buy one, even at the local lumber store. You could probably buy one there, or at Ace or true value but you'd be buying a Milwaukee. I spent $175ish wish for me is crazy, but damn if I'll spend $600 on something that I may not use very often. I also need a Milwaukee battery and charger.
I had a cheap infrared thermometer years ago. I loved it, and use it so oftem that i decided to buy a better one ...... I went off the deep end and bought a Fluke 62 Max+ it records temperatures up to 1200 degrees which I figured might have some use automotive wise, maybe when checking exhaust temperatures.
I wanted the best, I wanted accuracy, and I probably spent $175 bucks for the thing.
After buying it I discovered that the accuracy of the temperature isn't actually that important. I had used mine to find heat tubing in the floors. It wouldn't matter if it was off by 10° because I'm measuring heat VARIATION, which has no bearing on actual temperature when searching for heating tubes in gypcrete.
What sold me on the Fluke was the higher temperature that it could record. My old one went up to 550° or so, and that's not nearly enough when cooking a chimichanga in the microwave
I also bought a laser measuring device for $37, because the Bosch was a lot more expensive at the number yard. After buying my El cheapo, i discovered it could measure distances to 160 ft and the Bosch could only measure to 50 or 60 ft.
The laser dot on the Bosch wasn't as bright, either. I'm glad I didn't buy local.
I did two measurements with my $37 laser and with a Leica/Disto laser measurement tools. Measuring from a table top to a far wall both units measured 74 ft, 4 and 13/16 inches.
At the time the Leica was purchased I believe it cost $850, and it was dead on to the 16th of an inch the same as my $37 unit.
Both can measure angles square feet cubic feet etc.
That said, if it's in stock and it's something I need I would much, much prefer to my locally but being in a small area there is very little selection or what you want to buy can't be bought. If the local businesses sold what I was looking for then they could make some money. Like I said, nobody's going to stock an endoscope locally.
Nobody locally sells Fluke tools.
Small towns have their disadvantages but the advantages for outweigh the alternative. If it can be ordered I'll happily wait and purchase locally.

 

[JPfloor]

There are a whole lot of big chain stores going out because of Amazon. People don't want to go into the stores anymore. Why, when you can sit in your easy chair and order on line from home. Of coarse you could also do that from catalogs but the wait was longer getting the merchandise.

Yea that’s kinda the point I was trying to make. It was the mid 90s. Everyone already had a computer and smartphones were just hitting the market. If the old Sears used a little modern day ingenuity they could have turned their catalog business into what Amazon is today instead of shutting it down… Made a couple a few trillion dollars…

 

[highup]

U

Yea that’s kinda the point I was trying to make. It was the mid 90s. Everyone already had a computer and smartphones were just hitting the market. If the old Sears used a little modern day ingenuity they could have turned their catalog business into what Amazon is today instead of shutting it down… Made a couple a few trillion dollars…

That, and they'd still own Craftsman. So I'm not alone spelled Doom.
I mean that right there is the only reason the guy would go with his wife to Sears.

 

[JPfloor]

U

That, and they'd still own Craftsman. So I'm not alone spelled Doom.
I mean that right there is the only reason the guy would go with his wife to Sears.

Yup, they had it all. By far my favorite store… Hard to believe they managed to run it into the ground..

 

[havasu]

My favorite catalog was the back of a Bazooka bubblegum wrapper. I am still waiting for my x-ray vision glasses to come in, so I can see what is under a girl's dress.

 

[C.J.]

Raise your hand if you had a Schwinn Stingray. They had some cool ones with gears and hand brakes but mine was a basic one like this. Occasionally I would put some cards in the spokes.

The older kids in the neighborhood would take your bike and ghost ride it down the orchard. I’d have to walk all the way to wherever it landed to get it. You couldn’t hurt that bike for nuthin but a flat tire would put you out of business for a week or two.

 

[havasu]

With the infamous "banana seat!"

 

[JPfloor]

 

[highup]

My favorite catalog was the back of a Bazooka bubblegum wrapper. I am still waiting for my x-ray vision glasses to come in, so I can see what is under a girl's dress.

Silly, we have phones now
I had some of those glasses. Garbage.

 

[highup]

Raise your hand if you had a Schwinn Stingray. They had some cool ones with gears and hand brakes but mine was a basic one like this. Occasionally I would put some cards in the spokes.

The older kids in the neighborhood would take your bike and ghost ride it down the orchard. I’d have to walk all the way to wherever it landed to get it. You couldn’t hurt that bike for nuthin but a flat tire would put you out of business for a week or two.



View attachment 16177

Traded mine for a green Schwinn Apple Crate. It had 5 on the floor and a big stick. Varoom, varoom said the king of spades! The king of course was held on by clothespins.
Ah, those were fun times.

 

[havasu]

OK, who here had a "Flexi?"

Who has even heard of one?

They were like a snow sled with wheels on it. They would haul butt, but were banned because of the kids getting run over by cars. We took ours into a newly build 10' foot diameter storm drains, which ran 2-3 miles in complete darkness. Best scary ride ever.

 

[C.J.]

Like one of these?

 

[havasu]

That's it!

 

[C.J.]

We built a boogie board outta scrap wood and some skateboard trucks. That sled looks like it would be fun.

 

[highup]

Like one of these?
View attachment 16189

Never seen one. Maybe you took the wheels off and put on runners for the winter.

 

[Floorist]

Ate squirrel many times as a kid.