What was absolutely, undisputedly better in The Old Days?

[Pickles89]

Back when you were young, or even before that?

I'm going to kick off with Beany Babies. The realistic style 90's ones were so much nicer than the massive eyed/sparkly/rainbow coloured monstrosities of today.

Your turn!

[Malibuismysecrethome]

MissAmbrosia yes it was heavenly wasn’t it!

[OldaRailer]

If I see an independent shop I try to use it nowadays. I've given up on the big charities and I think giving my money to local business a better option frankly.

[OldaRailer]

Very good point about the business model GlamorousHeifer.

[Vicliz24]

Town centres . Most had proper shops and markets. We literally bought everything from our market. Seasonal food , clothes, toys fabric even bicycles. Everyone shopped local and we had no supermarket at all . Not as convenient obviously but as you went between the grocer and the shoe shop etc you'd meet people and have a chat . Now we all just rush around with our eyes on our phone. There were proper communities .

[DottyHarmer]

Ah, the Christmas Radio and TV Times…..

[Switch82]

Sat night telly

[blobby10]

Agree with everything mentioned previously but also in the days when there were only 3 channels and you had to buy the Radio Times Christmas Special for BBC programmes and TV Times Christmas Special for ITV! And one TV in the house so everyone had to agree what to watch .

[GlamorousHeifer]

Most of this is down to big business scraping every last half pennie of profit into their bank account all of that gorgeous chocolate we used to eat? They found cheaper ingredients that are just about palatable for half the price so they use those. The clothes we used to love saving up for and buying, nope, make them a third of the price (to fall apart after a few wears) and we can buy them instantly whilst the retailer makes massive margins!
The more I actually think about it the more sad I feel, as a society we are 'herded ' to live a certain way to squeeze the most profit out of every last one of us with little regard for our health and wellbeing.
Anyway back to the actual point of OPs thread, I'm going with the High Street...it seemed to me as a child/teenager almost magical (my parents were miserable and barely ever took me so that might have had something to do with it ) but I can remember when it came on the news that C&A was closing down, I was gobsmacked! I would never in a million years have believed the state of it now.

[tistheseeson]

Leave your bike in the street for a week.

[FindingMeno]

The price of fags.
Nothing was computerised so you could get away with loads of stuff.
Bus conductors. Easier to get away without paying the fare.
It was basically a lot easier to be an off the rails teenager without that shit following you into adulthood.

[YourenutsmiLord]

Some great and varied comedians.

[VexedofVirginiaWater]

@alexdgr8

bus conductors.
apart from the benefit to the actual bus journey, i think they helped instil proper behaviour in youngsters, and others who would be pillocks.

I was agreeing with this - and then I remembered! When I was about 14 I was groped by a bus conductor - I must have put it out of my mind. I was the only passenger left on the lower deck and he sat behind me and put his hand through the gap in the back of the seat and up my skirt - it was the 60s - the time of mini skirts.

Still, no doubt you got good and bad bus conductors and for the most part I think it was a good thing to have someone actually in charge as well as the driver.

[Darklane]

@Theoldcuriosityshop

Someone in here mentioned only having only 3 channels on the tv. I'm so old I can remember having only BBC1.

Me too.

[MissAmbrosia]

@Malibuismysecrethome

Yea lady’s bringing coffee at 10.00 am and afternoon tea at 3.00 pm. I was spoilt rotten!

Oh! Our tea lady used to bring sausage and bacon rolls at 10 am and cake at 3pm. I'd forgotten the joy! I could do with such a person these days even though working from home

[ILoveHuskies]

@Cactu

Town.

Loads of shops for every style and budget, all buzzy and atmospheric. Some were genuinely exciting. Going into town once a week was a ritual for us teenagers and for lots of women too.

Yes totally agree

[theelephantinthegroup]

Findus crispy pancakes (they have been re-released but the fillings are just not the same)

Clothes shops- in my younger days I remember going in to town to buy an outfit for a specific event and having loads of choice, whatever sort of occasion it was. I recently took DD shopping to do the same and there is hardly anything actually in stock- everywhere just says there's a wider range online. I know it's possible to order a selection of items and return the ones you don't want but it's not the same as being able to see and touch the clothes before you decide whether it's worth trying. Plus ordering loads online seems very wasteful- even if the rejected clothes are re-sold there's so much packaging involved.

[Fluffycloudland77]

Black pudding with
huge lumps of lard in it. It’s all pearl barley now.

[peaceanddove]

The huge tins of Quality Street - nearly deep enough to have a bath in. And they were heavy! You needed 2 hands to carry them.

[Arrowheart]

Celebrities that were famous for actually being talented

[Arrowheart]

My Little Pony
Care Bears
Sindy Dolls

The original designs were all so much better

[Arrowheart]

Christmas
Chocolate bars and sweets in general
Board games were better quality
Clothes were made to last
Perfume

[Spitspotsput]

So were they able to get he chocolate?

[TSSDNCOP]

@Spitspotsput

My dad was an evacuee. He went on a train from Catford to Somerset.

When the train pulled in the very first thing those kids saw was a vending machine that still had chocolate bars in.

It was like piranhas taking down a stray cow. Those kids hadn't seen chocolate in two years.

[wideopensky]

Being normal.
Everything is so bloody competitive these days!

[DottyHarmer]

I agree that old tech was easier to use…. With the exception of video recorders. Those early ones where you had to programme a fortnight ahead and try to remember which Tuesday you wanted. I am still terribly scarred from when I settled down to watch Pop Quiz Duran Duran vs. Spandau Ballet, only to find that df had taped The Flight of the Condor over it . I was beside myself and poor df so guilty…