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!

@Bionicname

The Future.

Yes!! And Thomas the Tank Engine too!

Oops quoted wrong person...meant to quote the person who said Firemsn Sam!

The future is a brilliant one.

Findus crispy pancakes

Student grants instead of sodding loans, building dens in the woods during the long summer holidays, Top of the Pops, vinyl singles, Jackie and Bunty comics. You could make a twat of yourself and it wouldn't be on youtube the next day.

Sundays.... everything was closed, and quiet, so it really was a day to relax.

Kids being able to play using their imaginations instead of being stuck in front of gadgets.

Young women looked more natural, not with their lips pumped up with fillers, photoshopped to "perfection".

The joy of loading vinyl records instead of downloading everything from Spotify.

Kids had simpler expectations and weren't obsessed with designer labels or expensive gadgets.

No obsession with social media. People actually talked to each other.

Call centres didn't give you 50 options to listen to, and you could understand what they were saying.

People didn't get offended by every little insignificant thing.

I could go on, sigh......

Customer service 🙄

@Spinderellaella

Sundays.... everything was closed, and quiet, so it really was a day to relax.

Also remember shops closing early on a Wednesday.

@Spinderellaella

Sundays.... everything was closed, and quiet, so it really was a day to relax.

I recently moved to France where everything shuts on Sundays, and closes for ling lunches and...the chocolate doesn't have palm oil in it.

It is fucking marvellous.

Things were made to last and be repaired if they failed

Shopping and clothes shops
Music
Festivals- you could spend weeks watching bands being added to the lineup in the advert in the back of the NME and then choose which festival to go to, and they didn't sell out until a few weeks before. Now you gave to pay £200 and book before you even know who's playing! And everyone wore t shirts and jeans because they would just get muddy, there was no 'festival fashion' and people going just because they thought festivals were cool
Magazines- Just 17, Mizz, Bliss, Sugar, then NME, Select, Q
Socialising- people just enjoyed themselves and didn't photo or film most of the night or do stupid boomerangs every time they bought a round.

Cabbage patch kids. Before Mattel got their hands on them.

rosehip syrup (hot in winter) in a glass with metal surrounds (in Woolworths restaurant)
markets
lego sets - I got my first lego set in the -ahem- early sixties & my dd1 in the 90's & in both cases there was lots of windows & patio doors & doors & roof pieces so you could make proper buildings & they had books with different designs to make.
Going on a two week holiday to a caravan site - basic caravan but the holiday! We took a train DD carrying suitcases dm a shopping bag & her (giant) handbag & we dc carried out bucket & spade & they had a tea tray on the beach with thick china tea set - civilisation

Brownie uniform -a lovely brown shirt dress a leather belt with a little purse attached and a brown bobble hat!
None of this hoodie and leggings rubbish!
I loved my uniform.
Also yes to cabbage patch kids I've got my one from 1984 and it's head is really heavy! dds modern one is not a patch on it!

Polly Pockets.

New year's Eve tv

@Shedmistress Am I right in thinking palm oil is banned in France?

Fake fur. Didn’t used to shed

Air travel, except the smoking at the back
free Parking in the west end of London at the weekends

Famous people. They had to have actually done something of note. For the most part, at least.

Good singers and proper music,
Driving.
Simple Christmases without any stress.
Meeting a partner,without having to resort to odd bod dating sites.

[quote Pickles89]@Shedmistress Am I right in thinking palm oil is banned in France?[/quote]
I believe it is banned in biofuels but I've not tasted it at all in food here, or seen it in any ingredients list. I bought Nutella that tasted like...Nutella and thought 'hang on a minute' and no, no palm oil.

Children’s television - Blue Peter, the classic serials… even Vision On and Screentest (didn’t like ‘em but watched anyway!)

When a teen Clothes shopping - Chelsea Girl, Clock House, Top Shop… hundreds of shoe shops

Magazines/comics/annuals - and summer specials - the excitement of the Bunty/Judy/Mandy/Tammy summer/Christmas double issues and the annuals was a life highlight for me!

Agree with board games. I have old board games and the difference in quality between them and new ones is astonishing. What has happened?

Fish n chips