The Green Stamp Store, just one of many

[Jayflight]

In one of my sleepless hours overnight a couple of fond memories flash back occurred to me. When i was first marriage and we shopped, we received green stamps and would fill up books with them. Then there was dedicated stores that we could redeem them for a lot of stuff on display. And for some reason I remember the staff at most of the grocery stores that would all be dressed up in ties and white shirt and pants. Of course in the span of our current lives the years are just a blink of the eye. But since the WW11 era when the country began to modernize with automation and all the plastic throwaway stuff now, the traditions of community that we enjoyed when going to the grocery stores to even standing on the street corners and talking idle banter to our neighbors have all but gone.

Of course nothing stays the same but change. But the moral to this story is that rving and going to most rv campgrounds seems to have survived the extinction to some extent of the community relationships that I can remember myself. We gather around campfires in the evening after having pot luck meals over a table cloth fold up tables and actually chat about both mindless banter and current events.

 

[Oldgator73]

We lived in Japan from 89-93. We would go tent camping during the summers. On most of those camping trips we would be the only Americans in the CG. On several occasions in the evening many Japanese families would spread out blankets and place their evening meals in the center. We were often invited to these communal meals. We didn’t speak Japanese and they didn’t speak English but a great time was had by all.

 

[Larry N.]

Yes, I recall Green Stamps (and Plaid Stamps, too). Mom used to have books and more books of them, and after I was married, we did the same -- got several useful items with those stamps. We still had a few books remaining when they quit.

In the early '70s we had a mini-motorhome (now called class C) but never knew much about RV campgrounds, though we did stay in a KOA a time or two. We often stopped at truck stops until I woke, then we'd hit the road while everyone else was still sleeping (DW and two toddlers). We also used in in the back row of a drive-in theater -- made our own coffee and popcorn and could put the kids to bed at their normal bed-time. It was a neat way to travel, but we even used it for a day trip to, for example, Sandia Mountain (we lived in Albuquerque) to picnic.

 

[ziplock]

I remember green stamps very well.

I also remember being able to smoke cigarettes in the grocery store and people stomping them out on the floor.

Yuck! I'm glad that nasty problem has been eliminated.

 

[John From Detroit]

And for some reason I remember the staff at most of the grocery stores that would all be dressed up in ties and white shirt and pants.

There was a time in my life when I worked in a K-Mart. I actually worked for Acme Quality Paints (Division of Sherman Williams) but In a K-mart... We were required to were white shirt and ties. (and of course pants and shoes) I worked there for several years. One division dressed differently (Security) But they told the director of same that he had so many cusomers he had to wear a Suit (like all the other Dept. managers) I might add in his first year on the job invisible shrinkage shrank to 50 percent and it continued to shrink as he refined his methods. he was rather good.

 

[Jayflight]

Talking about ties and white outfits, that was standard fare for service station attendants. They checked your oil, washed the windshield and pumped your gas. Some of the places had above ground ramps for oil changes. Dang I am old and things have surely changed. Cute pictures, Larry!

 

[jymbee]

Talking about ties and white outfits, that was standard fare for service station attendants. They checked your oil, washed the windshield and pumped your gas. Some of the places had above ground ramps for oil changes. Dang I am old and things have surely changed. Cute pictures, Larry!

What'sa "service station attendant"??

Do you remember the first time you pumped your own gas?

Where's it all going...

I find that often these days when checking out of a big box store, there's a half dozen self-checkouts and maybe one, lonely manual checkout station open.

I arrived for an appointment at a new doctor's office and was directed to a kiosk where I had to stand there, pushing buttons, inserting my driver's license, insurance cards, and answering all kinds of questions flashed up on the screen for a good ten minutes before they deemed me worthy of taking a seat and waiting to be called into an exam room 45 minutes past the time set of the appointment.

 

[Dragginourbedaround]

I remember Green Stamps. I was in Nashua NH in the late 60s and my vehicle safety inspection expired. At that time the inspection sticker changed to a new color each year. I didn’t think my car would pass inspection, but the new stickers were the same color as Green Stamps. So I scraped off the old sticker and pasted on the Green Stamps! Finally a cop pulled me over for something, and I was relieved when when he told me I had a tail light out. When he came back after writing me up (just a warning) he noticed the Green Stamps! He looked back and forth between me and the stamps a couple of times and just burst out laughing! Between laughs he told me I better get my inspection up to date and walked away laughing. I did as I was told.

 

[Old_Crow]

What'sa "service station attendant"??

Do you remember the first time you pumped your own gas?

Yes, I remember the first time I pumped my own gas. It was when I was working as a service station attendant.

 

[Jayflight]

Too funny Draggin,, I remember the gas lines. But I also remember when the oil companies were putting self service gas pumps out miles away from any populated areas and was operated by self service dollar bill collectors . We ran across one of the abandoned ones last year and laughed about it still standing like an abandoned glass globed pump. I never saw any of the auto money collectors damaged either as I was traveling back then, which would probably not be the case these days.

 

[Oldgator73]

In the 50’s and 60’s my dad drove the big boat cars; Oldsmobiles and Buick’s. so big that if my brother and I were acting up in the back seat our dad would have to pull off the road to smack us; he couldn’t reach us from the front seat. Dad liked Sunoco gas. There was a dial on the pump, I don’t remember the grades, but he would pull up and tell the attendant “Fill up with 260”. My uncle and cousin owned a Sinclair station. When you pulled in they would swarm over your car pumping gas, cleaning windows and checking air and oil.
https://ebth-com-production.imgix.n...b-3.1.0&w=880&h=880&fit=max&crop=&auto=format

 

[Jayflight]

In the 50’s and 60’s my dad drove the big boat cars; Oldsmobiles and Buick’s. so big that if my brother and I were acting up in the back seat our dad would have to pull off the road to smack us; he couldn’t reach us from the front seat. Dad liked Sunoco gas. There was a dial on the pump, I don’t remember the grades, but he would pull up and tell the attendant “Fill up with 260”. My uncle and cousin owned a Sinclair station. When you pulled in they would swarm over your car pumping gas, cleaning windows and checking air and oil.

And in my dating years you could go parking and have tons of room in those back seats too for watching shooting stars on those moonless nights.

 

[Oldgator73]

And in my dating years you could go parking and have tons of room in those back seats too for watching shooting stars on those moonless nights.

Growing up in Daytona Beach, Fl. we would say we were going down to the beach to watch the submarine races. I remember one time I was at the drive in movie with a date and I asked “Do you want to get in the back seat?”. She answered back “No, I’d rather stay up here with you.”.

 

[Dragginourbedaround]

Growing up in Daytona Beach, Fl. we would say we were going down to the beach to watch the submarine races. I remember one time I was at the drive in movie with a date and I asked “Do you want to get in the back seat?”. She answered back “No, I’d rather stay up here with you.”.

Just north of Boston we did the same thing. Go to the beach at night to watch the submarine races. Our beach went on for several miles and there was a little service road in front of the parking lot. The police would drive the service road and look for cars that were so steamed up you couldn't see in or out. Then they would stop and rouse the kids inside. It was mostly all in fun.

 

[Oldgator73]

Just north of Boston we did the same thing. Go to the beach at night to watch the submarine races. Our beach went on for several miles and there was a little service road in front of the parking lot. The police would drive the service road and look for cars that were so steamed up you couldn't see in or out. Then they would stop and rouse the kids inside. It was mostly all in fun.

We parked right on the beach. The police would drive up down the beach, 26 miles. As long as one head was above the steering wheel they left you alone.

 

[Journey]

Yes and in a "gas war" the price would be like .10 to .15 cents a gallon! Five dollars would go alone ways to the movies, beach, gas, candy bars, etc.

 

[imatex]

Ahh,the good old days,i remember going to the movies with a quarter and having a coke,popcorn and candy.My first job was at a Hudson oil service station that had a sign at entrance "we clean all windshields".The most popular sale was "give me a dollars worth"witch at the time was over 5 gallons of gas.Boy,things have sure changed in the last 65 years.

 

[Rene T]

Remember going to Micky Dee’s. They advertised $1.00 got you a burger, fries, a soda and you got change back.

 

[TheBar]

Remember going to Micky Dee’s. They advertised $1.00 got you a burger, fries, a soda and you got change back.

Yeah, but my dad considered himself upper middle class because he made $500 per month.

 

[prnebs]

My mom redeemed her S&H green stamps for white dinnerware. She called them her "good dishes" we'd use on special occasion. I still have them & use them, but now I'm wondering if they have lead or something in them that's not good.
Dad was very involved in the Optimist Club and would participate in the March of Dimes drive. That was when you actually donated dimes. We'd sit for hours and put the dimes in the hard cardboard holders, don't remember how much each one held. But I remember looking at the pile of dimes & thinking it was alot of money.
We'd go to A&W for root beer, remember the kids size mug? I refer to it now as a shot of root beer cause there really wasn't enough to drink. But we could save the mugs, bring them back & get free root beer.
I don't remember when pumped my own gas, but I do remember going to Oregon and not being able to pump gas. They didn't do the full service, windshield & all. Until recently we had a full service station here. They didn't wear white shirts but had uniform shirt.
We didn't camp, but Dad hunted & fished and we'd go with him. We would travel often. Dad had 6 siblings, and all were very musical. We'd often get together, have music, bon fires & food. Putting that together was kinda like camping.