Wow. I just had an insane flashback to a memory that had been long filed away. 50 years ago or more. Probably late 60’s. Shopping.
Going to Sears, for school clothes. Richard’s Department Store (South Florida only I believe) or Burdine’s. Kinney or Thom McAn shoes. Stopping in at Woolworth’s but never being able to eat lunch there. Or Lum’s where I thought I was a bad ass for being able to eat a beer cooked hot dog.
But the memory triggered was Sears. Specifically.
Going into the store with my mom and running up to the candy counter. Where you could get all the good candy but in little white paper sacks. We would go up and stare at Jelly Beans, SnoCaps, Good and Plenty, Goobers, Malted Milk Balls, Raisinettes, Chocolate covered peanuts, those pastel colored dipped whatever the hell they were (nobody wanted them) and little Peanut Butter logs. All in big glass windows so you could see them.
The person behind the counter was in an all white uniform and wore a paper hat. Mom would let me order 25 cents worth of whatever candy had caught my eye. The person behind the counter would scoop out an approximate amount and pour it in the scale’s hopper. Adding a little bit to bring it up to the ordered quantity. I remember one time, they poured the candy in the scale, looked over the top of the counter and winked at me and added a little more.
Mom would dig in her change purse and pull out two quarters and hand to them and my sister and I would walk away happy as can be.
A meme currently floating around Facebook triggered this memory and I gotta tell you it is one of the most pleasant memories ever.