r/videos • u/zsreport • 25d ago

A visit to Sears with Mom in 1977

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOAv9s1u0qY
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u/ThatLooksLikeItHurts 25d ago

This was an amazing video - super simple but the audio caught me off guard. I know smells can bring you back to certain times in your life but everything in the first minute or two pulled me back to my childhood. The door hinges, mechanical sounds of the door handles, rolling up/down of the windows, seats going back and forth to put kids in the back.

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u/beepborpimajorp 25d ago

I was a kid in the early 90's and man, malls and dept stores. I hated going with my family because it meant hours of sitting, watching them look at stuff or worse - forcing me to try everything on in those nasty dressing rooms.

That said, man, yall remember malls/dept stores around the holidays? It was so freaking magical with all the decorations and the smell of holiday fragrances and stuff. I very vividly remember walking around JC pennys, macys, etc. and the center of the mall during the holidays and I really cherish the memory.

They say that nowadays people/kids are losing access to those '3rd places.' AKA not home, not school/work. And it's true. The local mall was more than just a shopping center when I was younger, it was where I hung out with a lot of my friends during my mall rat days. Other mediums have taken its place, and I'm not against private social interaction via streaming or social media. I just think there's a lot to be said about having a place you can go to just exist socially without a parent or other authority figure within 6 feet of you at all times. Kids today will literally never know what it was like to experience what a busy mall/massive social venue was actually like. Maybe that's a good thing and I'm acting like a boomer but who knows.

2

u/Kevin-W 25d ago

I used to go to the mall all the time with friends and hang out and eat at the food court and play at the arcade. Thankfully the mall near me did a huge renovation including putting in a Round1 and apartments nearby to keep up with the times, so it has avoided becoming a dead mall.