I'm a gen Xer, on the tale end of it, born 1980, and I get very sad when I see so many things I used to enjoy disappearing because "technology".

Things I miss: Bookstores, video rental stores,

Things I enjoy doing that many people today don't:

Going to the movie theater, IMO no better way to watch a movie, just love the whole experience. Keep your streaming!

Going to the bank rather than online banking

Shopping in actual stores, I love shopping malls, still just love killing a couple of hours strolling through the mall

Eating out in a restaurant; apparently people nowdays mostly prefer take-out, order it, take it home. I was telling someone once I ate inside at Pizza Hut and they said they had never heard of a Pizza Hut that you could DINE IN. AHHHHHHH!!!!!!

It just seems like ppl nowdays just have a different mindset, leave the house as little as possible, when for ME, leaving the house is the FUN part, just the getting out and having the experience!

I do often shop on Ebay, because they have really good things

It's just strange and sad, I worked in a movie theater from 2001-2009 and week-ends were like a hotspot for teenagers and high schoolers, dates etc... but now days there are teens who say they have literally NEVER been to a movie theater! :eek: WTH!?! When I do go nowdays, it's mostly just older people.

Anyone still like doing these things? Lets bring 'em back!

I'm a nostalgic person. I miss so many things from my childhood. I love going thru antique stores, watching old movies and TV shows, listening to music from the 40's, 50's, and 60's.

Count me in also with enjoying the old stuff. :) :cool:

I mi$$ the good days......

Evrything now is utter garbage...........

I'm a gen Xer, on the tale end of it, born 1980, and I get very sad when I see so many things I used to enjoy disappearing because "technology".


Anyone still like doing these things? Lets bring 'em back!

It's fun to wander (wonder?) down memory lane. I sure do it. And yeah, there are a lot of things I'd like to bring back.

But I believe there is also a pitfall we thrust ourselves into when making that journey.

Often "the good olde days" are often the product of our own innocence, or naivety.

As youngsters we had not yet learned to associate the actual " total cost" to the things we enjoyed because we were infatuated with the upside and ignorant of any drawbacks

People talk about how nice it would be if the interurban trains came back, but fail to appreciate the conflicts that arose when the privately owned train system contributed to premature failure to the public road system.running through them. You know how people complain about pot holes now, well it was 10 times worse back in the interurban era.

We have this lens we look through when being nostalgic, remembering the warm fuzzy stuff, but overlooking the cold scaly stuff.

I am OldER and I would miss me. I can't miss my long life, but I sure have wonderful memories of it.

I've had a lot of new stuff in my life but on the tech stuff, I use minimal tech, I have no need for more complications in my life.

Now in my apt and the bldg is built in I believe 1948, my kitchen stove is the original wonderful Merritt OKeef and it keeps on doing it's job.;)

I am an aficionado for nostalgia especially silent films or ladies fashions.

I am also a huge history buff.


But I would never want to live in the past or return to yesterday (mine or hypothetically).

I like and have many old items.

https://i.postimg.cc/zHRVNgh6/20210526-165110.jpg (https://postimg.cc/zHRVNgh6)

It's fun to wander (wonder?) down memory lane. I sure do it. And yeah, there are a lot of things I'd like to bring back.

But I believe there is also a pitfall we thrust ourselves into when making that journey.

Often "the good olde days" are often the product of our own innocence, or naivety.

As youngsters we had not yet learned to associate the actual " total cost" to the things we enjoyed because we were infatuated with the upside and ignorant of any drawbacks

People talk about how nice it would be if the interurban trains came back, but fail to appreciate the conflicts that arose when the privately owned train system contributed to premature failure to the public road system.running through them. You know how people complain about pot holes now, well it was 10 times worse back in the interurban era.

We have this lens we look through when being nostalgic, remembering the warm fuzzy stuff, but overlooking the cold scaly stuff.

One of my biggest dreads of the future is never leaving the house... I just HAVE to get out, go eat, go see a movie, etc.... but the younger gen's common mind-set is, "What's the point of leaving the house when you can do practically EVERYTHING from home?" watch movies, shop, bank, etc.... That's why I say, younger people just seem to have a different mindset.... I'm not even old really, but it just seems so different from as it was just 10 years ago.

It just really got me once when I talked about having dinner out in a restaurant and someone was like, "You still eat OUT? You know UberEats is a thing right?" and I like Grrrrr the FUN is GETTING OUT sometimes.

To all of you, I've had an idea for a "Gen X Shopping Mall" Of course Boomers and Millenials would probably enjoy it too... But it would be an actual MALL, with shops, luncheonettes, video game arcades, book stores, video rentals, and movie theaters, and PAY PHONES! I think this would be comforting to a lot of people who think the world is changing just TOO fast, and the little things they used to enjoy are just going by the wayside

Another thing I miss are internet forums, like THIS one... I remember several years ago SitcomsOnline was BOOMING, but now it seems there is hardly anyone here

Everyone like Discord now, which I was never able to figure out

I had a hobby back in the 90s mostly--collecting stereo recordings of hits from back in the 50s and 60s. So what aided this hobby?--going to record shows. A thing o the past, now. It ws a lot of fun hunting some of these records down. And a lot of people went to these shows!

Records and even CDs are now largely a thing of the past, unfortunately.

I had a hobby back in the 90s mostly--collecting stereo recordings of hits from back in the 50s and 60s. So what aided this hobby?--going to record shows. A thing o the past, now. It ws a lot of fun hunting some of these records down. And a lot of people went to these shows!

Records and even CDs are now largely a thing of the past, unfortunately.



Totally agree!!! There was a certain fun about going to a sound shop, searching for a cassette or CD, or going to a video store and seeking the movie you want.... I even miss going for my favorite movie and the disappointment of nothing being behind the case lol

There's something special about waiting and anticipating seeing a movie at a midnight showing, and getting excited about it, but ppl are like "Why do that when you can just stream it and not leave your couch."

and I like Grrrrr the FUN is GETTING OUT sometimes.

I am a supporting member of a wildlife conservation group. An actual "pro-wilderness" organization, not one of those hunting clubs that call themselves conservationists.

And one of my absolute favorite things to do in the whole world, is to just go out in this place I find particularly serene, and hope to not be interrupted, all day.

People I know are like "well, you at least take a cell phone, right? what if something important comes up?" They just don't seem to realize that THE MOST IMPORTANT thing that could possibly come up, would be nothing...all day long...

Serenity is precious, it doesn't take much at all to destroy it.

One of the big reasons I miss warmer weather. Can't sit on a stump all day in 30 degree weather, and feel cozy. ;)

People I know are like "well, you at least take a cell phone, right? what if something important comes up?"

Whenever someone says something similar to me, I always ask how did people live before the internet, WIFI, and cell phones came around?

Oh about living and getting along without cell phone etc...I did just fine, very fine actually for 40 yrs of working my life's jobs.

Today no one rests their minds, it's haste and fix it before it's even broke or needs help ... what a waste and most of todays' generations are clueless, they have been brainwashed since they were born, I was brainwashed too, but to not live in constant paranoia.

I remember back in the very early 1990s, my boss told me one day to buy a cell phone, on him "get the best one you can find:" were his instructions.

So, I bought one of the first Motorola flip phones....worked great, good sound, decent coverage. And, my boss wouldn't stop calling me on the damn thing. There was no longer ANY such thing as personal time.

I was salaried and overpaid, and we both knew it, so the cell was his big "get even" opportunity. And man did he run that into the ground.

So much so, that after leaving his employ, I declined into a very "happily disconnected" existence. Totally forsaking the "smart phone" era, since it's inception. I never got the "hey, we a re cooking out and bought too many steaks, so come on over" type calls, even from my friends. I always get the frantic "Hey, I've got a job interview in 90 minutes and my car wont start" type calls. So falling off the grid had definite perks from my perspective.

When people now ask "how will I reach you?" I always tell them "if anything important comes up, I'll give you a call"....

That is because I believe in all my heart that being out of reach doing whatever I want to do, IS the most important thing that I need to be doing. simple enough.

In the early 1970s, I dreamed of being able to record TV programs. I also thought that in the future, we would be able to see each other when we talked on the phone.

Of those 2 developments, I like the former, but I'm not really a fan of the latter.

Anyway, as stevea indicated regarding his collecting of audio recordings, the thrill of the hunt is in the blood of a collector. That's why I continue visiting stores in search of books and comics I want. I will say though that stuff I've acquired via online means oftentimes has been great -- and that way wasn't an option in the past.

LOL, I remember sitting around stoned in the 1970s, watching psychedelic black light posters "move" while listening to rock music, and thinking "I wonder if people would watch a TV show like this?". 8 years later, somebody made a network.

A real "coulda, shoulda, woulda" moment for me.

Totally agree!!! There was a certain fun about going to a sound shop, searching for a cassette or CD, or going to a video store and seeking the movie you want.... I even miss going for my favorite movie and the disappointment of nothing being behind the case lol

There's something special about waiting and anticipating seeing a movie at a midnight showing, and getting excited about it, but ppl are like "Why do that when you can just stream it and not leave your couch."

Oh yeah! Not only were the record shows fun, but searching thru albums and 45s at hole in the wall record stores was fun, too!

And using cassettes, you could make mix tapes to listen to in the car.

My dad grew up on a farm during the 1930's. No central heat . Ice in the water bucket in the kitchen. No indoor plumbing. Doing the morning chores in freezing weather. He always said, "The good old days. I'm glad they're gone!":lol:

In the early 1970s, I dreamed of being able to record TV programs. I also thought that in the future, we would be able to see each other when we talked on the phone.

Of those 2 developments, I like the former, but I'm not really a fan of the latter.

Anyway, as stevea indicated regarding his collecting of audio recordings, the thrill of the hunt is in the blood of a collector. That's why I continue visiting stores in search of books and comics I want. I will say though that stuff I've acquired via online means oftentimes has been great -- and that way wasn't an option in the past.

I recorded my favorite TV shows from TV when I was little growing up, but I don't think you can even do that now, at least not how I was used to it

I like old TV shows and old movies and for the most part, hate current TV shows and movies. Generally because I think the current shows are 1) horribly written and 2) mostly liberal propaganda. But I don't miss not having most of the technology, even if I don't use it to the extent of younger people. I use cell phones very often, for convenience and safety. I often wonder how people existed years ago when family members went off to war or on trips for months or years, and you never heard a word from them or knew if they were even alive until they showed up one day. I can't imagine the stress that went with that.

I have a collection of vinyl records, 33's and 45's, but it's been awhile since I purchased any 33's, my main focus lately has been on the 45's. Most of the 45's I have are from the 1970's but I also have some from the 50's and 60's.

Record stores still exist but it's been quite some time since I last shopped at a record store, I shop for records on line now. There used to be a good site called GEMM (Global Electronic Music Marketplace) but that site shut down some years ago. Ebay is a good place to shop for vinyl records, I have found some amazing 45's on there in mint or near mint condition.

Most recently I purchased a mint/near mint Dean Martin 45 from 1965, the hit song "Houston" with "Bummin Around" on the flip side. I also have some fairly obscure ones like "Come Share The Good Times With Me" by Julie Monday and "Blue Ribbon Clown" by Curley Barrix.

An interesting story: Several years ago I was shopping on Ebay for a vinyl 45 from 1972, "You Are The One" by The Sugar Bears. I ran across a listing for it and the seller described the record as "heavily played, being sold as is with no guarantees". But when I looked at the photos of the record in the listing, it appeared to be in great shape so I bought it and sure enough the record is in much better condition than the seller described it and I'm quite pleased with it. Sounds great and plays clean without distortion or background noise.

Several years ago I was shopping on Ebay for a vinyl 45 from 1972, "You Are The One" by The Sugar Bears.

That record also appeared on the back of a Sugar Crisps box of cereal.

Several years ago I was shopping on Ebay for a vinyl 45 from 1972, "You Are The One" by The Sugar Bears.

That record also appeared on the back of a Sugar Crisps box of cereal.

Yes I remember that, if I remember correct there were five different songs/records on the back of the cereal boxes. "You Are The One" was by far the most popular and it was released as a 45 RPM single on the Big Tree label. There was also an LP/album released titled "Presenting The Sugar Bears".

I often wonder how people existed years ago when family members went off to war or on trips for months or years, and you never heard a word from them or knew if they were even alive until they showed up one day. I can't imagine the stress that went with that.

"Aunt Martha"....in my family we had an informal network of news aggregators who made it their business to maintain the family history. Usually women, typically spinsters or widows, these old busybodies were where you went to for updates on anyone.

They would periodically call my mom and give her updates on anything crucial, they were the knowledge and gossip brokers of the family. Ones who always saved the most juicy tidbits for funerals, they'd sit in the corner like godfathers and wait on a procession of family members to "kiss the hand" and receive the REALLY juicy tidbits about the departed.

Looking back, I suspect the role gave them a sense of purpose, but you really had to be on your guard at reunions and such, when she'd corner you and say "come tell your aunt Martha what you've been up to"...because EVERYTHING you'd tell her was going to soon be on the front page as far as the rest of the family is concerned.

That's the way we did it, anyway.:)

"Aunt Martha"....in my family we had an informal network of news aggregators who made it their business to maintain the family history. Usually women, typically spinsters or widows, these old busybodies were where you went to for updates on anyone.

They would periodically call my mom and give her updates on anything crucial, they were the knowledge and gossip brokers of the family. Ones who always saved the most juicy tidbits for funerals, they'd sit in the corner like godfathers and wait on a procession of family members to "kiss the hand" and receive the REALLY juicy tidbits about the departed.

Looking back, I suspect the role gave them a sense of purpose, but you really had to be on your guard at reunions and such, when she'd corner you and say "come tell your aunt Martha what you've been up to"...because EVERYTHING you'd tell her was going to soon be on the front page as far as the rest of the family is concerned.

That's the way we did it, anyway.:)


I was actually thinking of hundreds of years ago when say, a soldier went off to fight the civil war in 1861 and didn't return until 1865, or hundreds of years before that when men went off to sea and didn't return for years.

I wonder why people refer to years gone by as “simpler times” when the reality is that things are done more simply now:

- my regular grocery shopping is automatically ordered weekly online and I just add/delete any items I wish.

- most of my banking is online so I rarely have to stop by a physical branch.

- movies/shows are streaming and on-demand so no need to go out and rent something and then go back out to return.

- we can easily carry a whole catalog for music on the go and aren’t limited to the cassettes/cd’s in our walkman.

- no need to stand outside and hail a cab as I can order an UBER on my phone and see where exactly they are and how long until they arrive.

- no more need for mindless arguments as now we can look up facts on our phones to verify information. For example, how many home runs did Derek Jeter make in his career?

I wonder why people refer to years gone by as “simpler times” when the reality is that things are done more simply now:

- my regular grocery shopping is automatically ordered weekly online and I just add/delete any items I wish.

- most of my banking is online so I rarely have to stop by a physical branch.

- movies/shows are streaming and on-demand so no need to go out and rent something and then go back out to return.

- we can easily carry a whole catalog for music on the go and aren’t limited to the cassettes/cd’s in our walkman.

- no need to stand outside and hail a cab as I can order an UBER on my phone and see where exactly they are and how long until they arrive.

- no more need for mindless arguments as now we can look up facts on our phones to verify information. For example, how many home runs did Derek Jeter make in his career?

Yeah and for the most part, that's NOT the kind of world I enjoy. I like to GET OUT sometimes and leave the house... the GETTING OUT is the fun part.

Just the idea that people have "there's no need to DO anything anymore" is sad to me. Sometimes it's just fun to leave the house. It's fun to go out, have dinner, go to a video store, browse the movies, maybe go to a shopping mall and window shop, go to a movie theater, get your snacks, watch the previews, share the experience with others, see people, etc....

Even if there was "no need" to ever leave the house again, I'd still want to. It would drive me nuts to never leave the house. And the idea that some ppl talk about, sit-down/dine-in restaurants becoming a thing of the past is horrible I think.

Also for me it is simpler, it's much easier for me to rent a movie that work with streaming, I'm not tech-savy


BUT if it were possible, I'd like a world where BOTH could exist where you can stay home and stream your movies, shop, bank, etc online, and I'll go to movie theaters, malls and do stuff OUT in the world.

Hey, one nice thing about modern times., when you are out in some place enjoying the surroundings and other idiots start crowding your style, all you have to do is start coughing up a lung and folks shy away, giving you your desired space.

Yes, everytime I look up at old photos online and check out pre-2000 content on Roku whenever I feel like it

To the OP, I was born in 1967 so I was a teenager in the 1980's.

Bookstores. In my city of Memphis, there are still independent book sellers. There is a great independent bookseller (in Cooper/Young for those in Memphis) that has a good selection of books and periodicals. The main public library of the city and the suburb my parents live in also has a bookstore, and these are good books, not just castoffs. The library store in my parent's suburb is basically bursting in books, that are inexpensive.

I did go to a Barnes and Nobles in the city and noticed that while it did have books, it has somewhat turned into a toy and hobby shop. Selling board games. Lots of different magazines. This was over twenty years ago, but I worked at a "Books a Million", which at least in Jackson, Mississippi is still in business. I dont know if it has changed liked Barnes and Nobles but it has an incredible selection of books of all kinds and subjects.

Video Rental Stores. Sorry, dont miss those at all. I can look up online for any movie I want to watch. No need to rent one and then have to bother to return it to the store.

Movie Theaters. Again, dont miss those too much. The last movie I went to in a movie theater was the latest Star Wars film in an IMAX theater, and only went because it was an IMAX, and it was a Star Wars film (which I saw mostly for the visuals, and not so much for the story). Again, I can watch most films online, in the comfort of my own home. I can eat what I want, smoke what I want, pause it to use the toilet and dont have to deal with other people. Theater owners have been greed heads for decades with charging $10 for a box of popcorn. But we are now dealing with greedheads charging high prices for home entertainment so there is no winning.

I can say that live theater is still very much active and a thing, and even my podunk city of Memphis boasts several decent live theater venues so in larger cities, this shouldnt be a problem to find, so this might be a good substitute.

I loved the shopping mall. Again, I am a teenager of the 1980's. The mall however is still around, it just isnt as big as it used to be. My city of Memphis boasts one main mall, two floors, anchor stores, a food court, a movie theater. It is also on the same property as the Barnes and Nobles store mentioned earlier and bordering lots of other retail.

I abhor online shopping. Basically because I hate Amazon. Amazon is a horrible employer. Horrible to too kind of a word. I will not spend a penny at Amazon, I dont care if they sell Mercedes cars for 10 cents. Enough about them.

I dont understand people who order out to restaurants. Not talking about the traditional pizza or Chinese food, but ordering food from a regular traditional sitdown restaurant, like a Chili's or an Applebees. Why? The restaurant themselves are having to do more business usually than they can traditionally handle. I dont get that mentality.

To the OP, I was born in 1967 so I was a teenager in the 1980's.

Bookstores. In my city of Memphis, there are still independent book sellers. There is a great independent bookseller (in Cooper/Young for those in Memphis) that has a good selection of books and periodicals. The main public library of the city and the suburb my parents live in also has a bookstore, and these are good books, not just castoffs. The library store in my parent's suburb is basically bursting in books, that are inexpensive.

I did go to a Barnes and Nobles in the city and noticed that while it did have books, it has somewhat turned into a toy and hobby shop. Selling board games. Lots of different magazines. This was over twenty years ago, but I worked at a "Books a Million", which at least in Jackson, Mississippi is still in business. I dont know if it has changed liked Barnes and Nobles but it has an incredible selection of books of all kinds and subjects.

Video Rental Stores. Sorry, dont miss those at all. I can look up online for any movie I want to watch. No need to rent one and then have to bother to return it to the store.

Movie Theaters. Again, dont miss those too much. The last movie I went to in a movie theater was the latest Star Wars film in an IMAX theater, and only went because it was an IMAX, and it was a Star Wars film (which I saw mostly for the visuals, and not so much for the story). Again, I can watch most films online, in the comfort of my own home. I can eat what I want, smoke what I want, pause it to use the toilet and dont have to deal with other people. Theater owners have been greed heads for decades with charging $10 for a box of popcorn. But we are now dealing with greedheads charging high prices for home entertainment so there is no winning.

I can say that live theater is still very much active and a thing, and even my podunk city of Memphis boasts several decent live theater venues so in larger cities, this shouldnt be a problem to find, so this might be a good substitute.

I loved the shopping mall. Again, I am a teenager of the 1980's. The mall however is still around, it just isnt as big as it used to be. My city of Memphis boasts one main mall, two floors, anchor stores, a food court, a movie theater. It is also on the same property as the Barnes and Nobles store mentioned earlier and bordering lots of other retail.

I abhor online shopping. Basically because I hate Amazon. Amazon is a horrible employer. Horrible to too kind of a word. I will not spend a penny at Amazon, I dont care if they sell Mercedes cars for 10 cents. Enough about them.

I dont understand people who order out to restaurants. Not talking about the traditional pizza or Chinese food, but ordering food from a regular traditional sitdown restaurant, like a Chili's or an Applebees. Why? The restaurant themselves are having to do more business usually than they can traditionally handle. I dont get that mentality.


I'm also from TN, and you're a bit older than me, but I may be older in "spirit" I was born in 1980.

What you said about movie theaters and video stores... true it's more convenient I guess to do all that on-line and you can by-pass the going to the video store, renting, taking back, etc... but see that's what I ENJOY, is the whole EXPERIENCE.... of leaving the house, going to a vid store, browsing through titles 45 minutes or so. Or going to a theater, There's just something special about the experience of getting snacks, watching the previews, watching the movie with complete strangers who you have nothing in common with except an interest in the film you're watching, and laughing, crying, etc... with these strangers an experience that, to me, cannot be replicated on the sofa watching Netflix or streaming... Sadly less and less people relate to what I'm talking about; We have a movie theater here in town and I try to go every week-end I have off work, try to give them as much business as I can. It's something I really look forward to, my night out at the movies and I fear one day that experience will be gone

But I hear many ppl say kinda what you hinted at, that there's NO POINT in doing any of that stuff anymore when you can just do it from home online... and for me the point is....it's own point, if that makes sense lol The point of doing it IS the point of doing it, for me.

I shop a lot on ebay mainly because it's hard to find stuff in stores a lot

None of it all is Coming Back. So much closed down, dead from no business (movie theaters like AMC), it's all so pathetic and it just kept going and going and going and MOSTLY due to the wild very liberal population.

And the EMPTY miles and miles of office space and bldgs totally.

I'm OLD and many keep trying to get rid of Me.....

Yes well just ignore them!!!

We know how good you are :)

Just heard a segment of so called music on NPR and I was too comfortable laying down to get up and turn off the blasted stuff....just a bunch of loud noise over and over and over...... all I could think about was my great music world: Chicago, Village People, Abba, Beach Boys, The Eagles, Jefferson Airplane, Tom Petty etc etc ... those were the times...

I miss the time before these bloody smart phones. As handy as they are,it seems like everyone is always glued to their phones and always anticipating the next text,email,or social media update.

I also remember talking to my friends on the phone for what seemed like hours.

I mi$$ the good days :(

Yes, they were VERY GOOD DAYS. People talked to people and developed real friendships.....and JOBS were plentiful....

I have a sadness for all you X Y Z generations.....too bad you didn't plan a better birth.....

I think its aweful people have babies today with how crappy the world is....

Its selfish and mean........ What kinda life are they gonna have??

On producing babies into THIS, more and more are opting to NOT have children for this time...a young woman I met chose to have a child, her girl is 3 now and the mom and grandmom are slowly moving back to their family roots, Scotland, for a more REAL life for that child.....

I know I'm not alone on those using LESS tech gadgets, and I wonder if any numbers on that are available, HOW MANY MILLION do NOT buy into it hook line and sinker...

You know I dont Carole,I am probably more against this garbage than anyone here.......

I'm a gen Xer, on the tale end of it, born 1980, and I get very sad when I see so many things I used to enjoy disappearing because "technology".

Not trying to start an argument here, but nobody who was born in 1980 is GenX, no matter what Wikipedia or any other website says. You are "GenY," the generation between GenX and GenZ that was mysteriously ditched in favor of
"Millennial." GenXers were the generation of Americans that hit college age and early twenties in the early 1990s.

In terms of doing "old stuff," I'm still reading books and magazines and shopping in person. I just bought two copies of Mad Magazine (there are reissues now), so I've really been going old school of late.

I tried the whole "let's order everything" during the pandemic, and it became so expensive and in some ways inconvenient that I just buy things in person now.