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Original poster

Stuff you took for granted that no longer exists?

425 replies

Confusednbemused · 19/12/2025 11:38

Was saying to my daughter how I used to go to Boots or Superdrug and take free perfume samples to try at home before deciding what to buy and it occurred to me I've no idea when that stopped and the little strips of paper became a thing!!

What inanimate or service level thing do you miss which you used to take for granted?

OP posts:
tarheelbaby · 19/12/2025 12:27

MiddlingMarch · 19/12/2025 12:14

Department stores. I very much miss Jenners in Edinburgh, especially at christmas. It was beautiful. The tree, the lights, the toy department. The beautiful clothes and all the Ladies who shopped there and would stare down their Morningside noses at children who ventured unsupervised upstairs to the millinery or lingerie departments.

Home telephones. Although maybe more the idea that people weren't always available. (I've just had a call from my mother asking if my dog wanted a fluffy blanket for christmas. The dog! That's not an urgent interruption to my working day!) We took lack of communication for granted.

Connected to that is not making firm plans and sticking to them. My kids have half hearted arrangements via Snapchat to maybe catch up or shop or something and it never happens. The old "meet you under the Fraser's clock at 7pm" arrangements don't exist any more!

Oh, and chocolate that isn't just palm oil. Where has the nice chocolate gone?

Jenners is gone?!! That's so sad. It was a beautiful store! Both times I was there it was summertime but I can imagine it would be amazing at Christmas.

Dolallytats · 19/12/2025 12:29

MiddlingMarch · 19/12/2025 12:14

Department stores. I very much miss Jenners in Edinburgh, especially at christmas. It was beautiful. The tree, the lights, the toy department. The beautiful clothes and all the Ladies who shopped there and would stare down their Morningside noses at children who ventured unsupervised upstairs to the millinery or lingerie departments.

Home telephones. Although maybe more the idea that people weren't always available. (I've just had a call from my mother asking if my dog wanted a fluffy blanket for christmas. The dog! That's not an urgent interruption to my working day!) We took lack of communication for granted.

Connected to that is not making firm plans and sticking to them. My kids have half hearted arrangements via Snapchat to maybe catch up or shop or something and it never happens. The old "meet you under the Fraser's clock at 7pm" arrangements don't exist any more!

Oh, and chocolate that isn't just palm oil. Where has the nice chocolate gone?

I loved Jenners. That beautiful tree at Christmas going through the centre. I miss it too.

LegoWig · 19/12/2025 12:30

MiddlingMarch · 19/12/2025 12:14

Department stores. I very much miss Jenners in Edinburgh, especially at christmas. It was beautiful. The tree, the lights, the toy department. The beautiful clothes and all the Ladies who shopped there and would stare down their Morningside noses at children who ventured unsupervised upstairs to the millinery or lingerie departments.

Home telephones. Although maybe more the idea that people weren't always available. (I've just had a call from my mother asking if my dog wanted a fluffy blanket for christmas. The dog! That's not an urgent interruption to my working day!) We took lack of communication for granted.

Connected to that is not making firm plans and sticking to them. My kids have half hearted arrangements via Snapchat to maybe catch up or shop or something and it never happens. The old "meet you under the Fraser's clock at 7pm" arrangements don't exist any more!

Oh, and chocolate that isn't just palm oil. Where has the nice chocolate gone?

I miss Forsyths in Princes Street as well. Spent many Friday nights waiting for friends to turn up at Frasers (and Binns before that). There was a bar in Grindley Street with phones on the table, that was good fun.

youalright · 19/12/2025 12:39

Job security

Returnedforthefudge · 19/12/2025 12:39

Kindness towards others

Still plenty of people who are like this. But right now I do feel we are living in an especially selfish era. I totally understand why people are fed up and out of fcks to give but it's really noticeable.

Ohpleeeease · 19/12/2025 12:39

The Laura Ashley catalogue. Any catalogue really but I liked that one.

littlemissmagic · 19/12/2025 12:44

The free gift bags when you bought 2 items of a premium beauty eg Clinique or estee Lauder.
You used to get a wash bag & sample sizes of products. I liked being able to try new products and often ended up buying full sizes of things I liked.

Now they charge you for the same thing - or say if you buy 2 products you can have these samples for the bargain price of £40! I never buy it!

AmadeustheAlpaca · 19/12/2025 12:46

@Dolorsy Really liked your furniture story.
I dislike having to do everything through an app. I recently had to contact my credit card company due to an unauthorised payment and went all round the houses trying to sort this out on the app and then through the online chat bot. Eventually phoned the company up despite endless messages while waiting in the phone queue about not phoning and dealing with the issue on the app. It was resolved by speaking to a helpful young gentleman, not by using the app. People used to moan about callcentres with people, now I actually feel nostalgic about them.
I agree with the other posters about the Jenners Christmas tree, however I suspect that Jenners is no more, due to people not actually buying much in the shop. I do miss them though and I also miss Edinburgh Debenhams.

Andtheworldwentwhite · 19/12/2025 12:49

Changing rooms. Has stopped me spending money. But I don’t want to take home seven different items to see if they fit.

TheIceBear · 19/12/2025 12:51

No smartphones. sometimes I wish it had just stopped at Nokia 3210s. It was nice being able to communicate with people but without being obsessed with the phone the way we are nowadays.

Susan7654 · 19/12/2025 12:56

Real chockolate. Cadburys, mars bars, twix, snickers- that were delicious. Now its just palm oil with sugar coloured with a bit of coco...yuk!

fishtank12345 · 19/12/2025 12:57

Returnedforthefudge · 19/12/2025 12:39

Kindness towards others

Still plenty of people who are like this. But right now I do feel we are living in an especially selfish era. I totally understand why people are fed up and out of fcks to give but it's really noticeable.

This...

fishtank12345 · 19/12/2025 12:57

TheIceBear · 19/12/2025 12:51

No smartphones. sometimes I wish it had just stopped at Nokia 3210s. It was nice being able to communicate with people but without being obsessed with the phone the way we are nowadays.

And this...

HopSpringsEternal · 19/12/2025 12:57

Mellow joints. All seems to be laced skunk that sends you into a psychedelic spin. Just want to be abit relaxed and have a giggle.

fishtank12345 · 19/12/2025 12:57

And Cadburys...

jigglypuff7722 · 19/12/2025 12:58

youalright · 19/12/2025 11:53

The sausage egg cheese bagel at McDonald's I'm still bitter about it

Me too!!!! I was convinced it would come back after COVID. Nearly 6 years now and still think about it

Flinderskleepers · 19/12/2025 12:59

Pick'n'mix at Woolworths. RIP

twilightcafe · 19/12/2025 13:04

Supermarket changing rooms.

FartNRoses · 19/12/2025 13:09

Growing you in the 80’s and 90’s full stop.

Changename12 · 19/12/2025 13:10

OP, re free perfume samples: I did get about 3 free samples of perfume in tiny weeny test tubes when I sent off for some make up from Dior.

LovelyBitOfSquirrrel · 19/12/2025 13:12

Dominos half and half pizza

Dappy777 · 19/12/2025 13:13

I have lived in the same area all my life (rural Essex). I was born in this town in 1976. The following still exist around here, but they are much harder to find

  • Silence
  • Birdsong
  • Fields
  • Trees
  • Space
  • The beauty of nature
  • Roads that aren’t choked with traffic
  • A sense of national identity/shared history/shared culture
Danikm151 · 19/12/2025 13:16

Cashiers at a shop actually telling you what your total is.

Now it’s just silence

BauhausOfEliott · 19/12/2025 13:17

Playdy · 19/12/2025 11:48

Totally took bra shops for granted. So nice to try on two sizes and decide then and there rather than outlay for 2 sizes and have the faff of returning!

Bra shops do still exist, though. You might not have one near you, but they are still very much a thing. And places like M&S, John Lewis, even Primark etc all have lingerie sections.

Fancypanda23 · 19/12/2025 13:23

Andrews liver salts and those tyzorette tablets for sore throats. Old fashioned and worked but now both gone for some reason!

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