I'm so old I Remember when:

[MROO]

Malls were where kids used to hang out. "Mom, I'm going to the mall!" Okay ... what did they do there? No idea. But it gave them a place to go, kept them off the street, they hung out in groups (think safety, not single targets), and nothing bad ever seemed to happen to them. Wish there were malls or the equivalent for today's youth.

Unfortunately, "today's youth" are part of the reason we no longer have malls. Two of the first malls around here had to close because of the rising cost of security. Shoplifting and vandalism were bad enough, but when "hanging out at the mall" morphed into weekly fights and stabbings, management sold the land. The malls were razed and both sites sprouted housing developments. The big mall near me was taken down and is now a fancy strip shopping center with separate big box buildings. We were before the "hanging out" era, but nearly everyone had summer jobs there - and the Real Santa was always there through Christmas ... he was beautiful!

 

[Love Donkeys]

I would love to know as I took my test 47 years ago and had to take both written and driving tests.

62 years ago I had to pass the written test, have a certificate stating how many hours at a driving school & then pass the driving test. Talk about being a nervous wreck! Lol

 

[notabitail]

I remember..slug bugs.. Hopefully you didn't get smacked too hard.
I drove my Aunt and Uncle's around for a short time while in California back in the early 70's.
View attachment 4252710

My Dad wants to get one for me and some of The Siblings to fix up. Apparently the slow speed is a "feature".

Knowing me, I would consider putting an electric motor in it.

 

[notabitail]

Which brings us to yet another "I Remember When..." Every mall had an arcade or two.
Which leads another IRW - Remember malls? So many stores carrying pretty much anything you could want or need. If one store closed, there was frantic construction behind boarded storefronts shouting "COMING SOON!" Nowadays, if a mall is still open at all, it has many boarded storefronts quietly posting "Space For Lease" signs.

I remember going to malls in the 2010s. One of the ones we went to did get a remodel, I think around 2016 or 2017 or so, but it just looked sad after that remodel.

I think I may have also semi-busted the elevator at a mall. I don't know if this was just something I noticed because I pressed the button, but I think I did this:
One time, we were in an elevator. To keep the door open so Dad can get out, for some reason or another I pressed and held the "3" button. After that, the button stayed lit and the next time we went there it was still lit.

I have no idea if the button was lit before I pushed it, but that's just another weird thing I remember.

 

[Sally PB]

I worked at a One Hour photo lab in a mall in the mid 80s. That mall was busy, nearly all the time. There were cycles: build up to Christmas, then a big crash; dead around Spring Break; dead on really nice days in early summer; busy on the bleepin' hot days in July and August, though people came to take advantage of the AC, I think. Back to school shopping was big too.

I also remember "Mall Walkers." People who came to the mall to walk around the perimeter instead of walking outside in the heat, cold, rain, snow, bad neighborhood, poorly maintained sidewalks. There were plaques up saying how far it was from the start point to each main corner.

 

[EmmaDonovan]

Malls were where kids used to hang out. "Mom, I'm going to the mall!" Okay ... what did they do there? No idea. But it gave them a place to go, kept them off the street, they hung out in groups (think safety, not single targets), and nothing bad ever seemed to happen to them. Wish there were malls or the equivalent for today's youth.

I remember what we did there: arcade, bookstore, toy store, pizza, frozen yogurt, movies, clothes/accessories shopping, and flirting with the groups of boys who also hung out there.

Our mall also had indoor rides like this double decker carousel.

 

[EmmaDonovan]

I worked at a One Hour photo lab in a mall in the mid 80s. That mall was busy, nearly all the time. There were cycles: build up to Christmas, then a big crash; dead around Spring Break; dead on really nice days in early summer; busy on the bleepin' hot days in July and August, though people came to take advantage of the AC, I think. Back to school shopping was big too.

I also remember "Mall Walkers." People who came to the mall to walk around the perimeter instead of walking outside in the heat, cold, rain, snow, bad neighborhood, poorly maintained sidewalks. There were plaques up saying how far it was from the start point to each main corner.

Tucson still has at least one mall open, I think, and it's a very popular place to exercise when it's hot outside. Groups and individuals power walk around inside it. The mall even allows dogs. They open the mall an hour before the businesses open so exercisers can get in there and do their thing.

 

[Cynthia12]

Cherry cokes

Still drinking them.

 

[Bsmac]

View attachment 4252493

Of course I didn`t use them but my DW did!

 

[notabitail]

I remember what we did there: arcade, bookstore, toy store, pizza, frozen yogurt, movies, clothes/accessories shopping, and flirting with the groups of boys who also hung out there.

Our mall also had indoor rides like this double decker carousel.

View attachment 4252758

One of the ones I went to had a carousel.