Stuff you took for granted that no longer exists?

[Confusednbemused]

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?

@Fancypanda23 Changed their name:

https://www.hivepharmacy.com/product-page/andrews-original-salts-150g

Warburtons Giant Crumpets

Definitely department stores - although we actually have one reopening in spring 2026 in Bath

I've looked in all my shops and pharmacies where I live and can't get them! Thankyouthankyouthankyou I'm going to get a load now! :D

Me too I wish I was more slutty tbh.

Being able to smoke indoors.
Menthol cigarettes
Not being asked at every turn to download an app or scan a QR code

Bloody hell. That's brought back memories I didn't know I had.

McDonalds Creme Egg McFlurries
Coffee walnut whips
Black Magic soft centre boxes
M&S front fastening "light control" bras ideal for small boobs
Anything and everything from C&S, Woolworths and Littlewoods
Proper local police constables and local police stations that were actually open
Old Jamaica Rum & Raison Chocolate bars
Small/independent boutiques for unusual tops, skirts etc.

Oh - yes I vaguely remember this! Wish they would bring it back as I hate putting petrol in!

The Argos catalogue.

Online is not the same - you can’t just flick through and see what grabs your attention.

being able to buy an mp3 player, a decent ipod that doesn't have a huge screen with apps like the ones they produce now! I've been trying to find my seven year old one of those they discontinued in 2022 sigh

You can make your own Andrew’s! Tastes exactly the same.

Found this recipe on YouTube
Andrew’s liver salts
8 tsp bicarbonate soda
8 tsp citric acid
8 tsp Epsom salts (food grade)
10 tsp icing sugar - (I don’t use as much as this as prefer not too sweet.)

Homebase!

My toilet seat broke last night, I would have been able to nip to homebase to get a new one but instead I had to order it from Argos and wait for it to be ready for collection and even worse you can't look at what you're buying beforehand.

I don't have a B&Q in my town.

You could be reasonably sure that shops would have what you needed. If you needed a replacement bulb, you could pop into B&Q and it would be on the shelf. But now, if you need something specific, you can only be certain if you “click and collect”, because I’m sure that shops stock less than they used to, preferring online. If you omit to do click and collect, it’s pot luck.

Yes, it’s nice that you can almost guarantee that with click and collect, what you need will be there waiting for you. But it’s another layer of complexity that wasn’t there before, and makes shopping even more soulless.

Being a member of the EU

My 20’s

My belief that people were generally good and decent and that justice was actually a thing

This is interesting. There’s a bra shop on our small town’s high street and I’ve never been in there. You have me thinking I should patronize them after all. Thanks for the nudge @Playdy

Stars.

I know we still have them, of course, but the stars that we used to spot in the late 70’s walking home from my grandma’s on a Saturday night after tea were so visible. We have so much light pollution nowadays that very few are visible in the north west, especially if you live along the M62 corridor. It wasn’t until I had holidays abroad (for me specifically it was Gorak Shep close to Everest base camp at midnight NYE and sleeping outdoors at Wadi Rum in Jordan) that both had just incredible starlit nights, that I realised just how bad our pollution was.

Tesco used to do a tomato and olive fresh pasta tortellini. It was unbelievable. I mourn it. Genuine grief

Pubs, discos, etc of the 80s. Things were so fun, friendly and "innocent" back then. There were pubs everywhere, lots of people in them, so chances were that you could randomly go into one and easily find people you knew from school, or neighbours, or work colleagues, etc. No stress about not going in on your own, you'd soon find someone/several people to chat to even if you did. Regular discos in the function rooms of pubs every Friday or Saturday nights somewhere local, again, always someone there you'd know and just innocently dance the night away. A quick snog (or two) during the slow dances if you were lucky, then a bag of chips on the way home. You didn't need to go to the "clubs", especially if you were younger and didn't want the "harder" club scene, i.e. drugs, sex, etc. It was all so much more easy and innocent.

Nowadays, pubs seem to be polarised, they're either "old man locals" that are virtually dead, or they've turned into family restaurants with little or no "drinking" areas and in either scenario, virtually no chance of randomly bumping into friends etc to chat to. You'd really not go into either type on your own. They don't have discos unless they're special booked functions that aren't open to all. If you want a "dance", you have to go to the clubs, which are usually nowadays pretty horrible places with shady people, drugs everywhere, lots of overt sex, etc - again, not the places you'd go into on your own. And of course, very little chance of either being within walking distance of home, so you have the added cost and inconvenience of buses/taxis etc (if you can get one!).

I really long for the 80s style of easy, free and innocent pubs. I really loved the freedom of just randomly going out for a drink at night to one of our several locals and knowing I'd find friends there, etc., without the stress/faff of making prior arrangements etc., and if there wasn't anywhere, you'd just walk down the road to the next one. You'd make so many new friends, being "friends of friends" etc and quickly have large numbers of people you knew and could chat to.

I feel really sad that today's youngsters don't have that same experience and not surprised at all that so many have MH problems, insular, introverted, etc., as socialising is something you can practice and the more you do it, the more people you know, the easier it is and the more "friends" you make.

Sleep! When the DC were little, I used to long for them to be teens and sleep in so I could sleep again. I hadn’t realised that peri-menopause would bring insomnia (almost controlled now by HRT but not always)
Department stores. At this time of year, I used to do a sweep of John Lewis, HoF, Debenhams & end up in the Selfridges Food Hall and that was pretty much all Christmas presents sorted. Now you have to seek out the gems amongst the tat in TK Maxx.
Catalogues. Whilst I know that there are now many more options as I have the entire internet at my fingertips, I can’t help but think that I am missing the perfect item and so keep scrolling. It was so much easier to look through a catalogue and know what was what.
The news constantly refreshing. I still read The Times most days but online and it’s annoying when are article you wanted to read has been superseded. Or something from the weekend supplements is published mid week.

Oh yes! I have a less than adventurous DP when it comes to food and this used to mean we could share a pizza but I didn't have to settle for cheese and tomato. Now have to pay more for seperate ones.

My libido.

I miss the pubs of the 90s. I used to love working behind the bar of the local pub you had so many characters come in.

I remember we used to go to a student night at the local 'super' club after work on a Thursday. Big group of us, either straight afterwards or to Yates before if we were lucky to finish before 9pm it was so cheesy but so much fun.

And Atkins chocolate decadence bars, proper Milky Way bars, Cadbury's chocolate before Cadbury's was bought out. Lots of things before the company that made them was taken over by a multinational. Body shop when it had bottles in loads of sizes with green stickers.

Agreed. One stop shop for all my Christmas present shopping when I was a child.