Communication - Then -Now

[Senator]

Here is another one, mail orders, especially from a far away place like Hawaii.

I used to like to mail order some 'junk' as a kid, when I was 10 years old or so. I would see ads on the back of the comic books, and request catalogs. I thought it was cool to get mail too. Things like spy glasses, fox head pelts, magic tricks, etc.

I would write for a free catalog. It would take at least 4 business days for the company to get my request from Hawaii, more likely over a week. They would send a catalog. It would take at least another week to get the catalog.

I would fill out an order blank, and total it up. Then, give my mom my allowance money, so she could write a check out to put in the envelope. Then, mail it. A week later the company would have the order form and money. Then process the order.

They would package it up, and mail it. Most likely, not same day shipping back then, but well over a month from the time I sent for the catalog, if I was fast and efficient with my order, I would have the 'stuff'. Today, we can get the stuff later today sometimes.

Of course the thing I really wanted from the comic book ads was a pet monkey. They did not ship to Hawaii, or else I would have ordered one.

 

[HFWR]

I don't currently subscribe to any newspapers or magazines, but I do occasionally enjoy having a book/paper/magazine in my hands. Mostly, though, I read online or on a "device"...

I still send birthday cards and handwritten letters a few times a year.

We were on a party line until the early 70s.

 

[steelyman]

It makes me sad when I go to a nice restaurant and I see a couple sitting opposite, both on their smart phones. But if they are happy doing it......

I agree. I went to a fun birthday party at a restaurant last night, probably about 25-30 people stopped by.

We started out at the bar before moving to tables pushed together. At the bar (where you can't easily talk unless the person's next to you), the smart phones whipped out and thumbs were flying.

I have a smart phone, but it was intentionally left in the car in the parking lot. The night was for the birthday girl and she was right there!

 

[imoldernu]

Off topic, but a little bit about writing letters... I haven't written in cursive (except for my signature)... for at least ten years. So, about memories... how about the hundred of hours spent in penmanship in grammar school... in pencil, then dip-in-ink pen, and on the blackboard. Wasted.

 

[braumeister]

Not necessarily wasted. Very handy when writing your name in the snow.

 

[LoneAspen]

I remember those ads! Were those for real? Did they really ship live monkeys?

Anybody know someone who actually got one?

 

[travelover]

I remember those ads! Were those for real? Did they really ship live monkeys?

Anybody know someone who actually got one?

When I was a kid you could buy monkeys and even caiman (like alligators) at Kmart. My neighbor bought a monkey and it was an absolutely terrible pet. I'm sure that was the common outcome.

 

[travelover]

Not necessarily wasted. Very handy when writing your name in the snow.

Takes a lot of control to dot the i's.

 

[LoneAspen]

When I was a kid you could buy monkeys and even caiman (like alligators) at Kmart. My neighbor bought a monkey and it was an absolutely terrible pet. I'm sure that was the common outcome.

I got curious and did some Googling, and found this very interesting article. The guy talked to a lady who used to work at one of the places that fulfilled the orders for these, and also a guy who got one as a kid. And yes, it does sound like most people would have had a terrible experience with these as pets:

Pop!: Comic Book Squirrel Monkeys - Comic Book Resources

 

[marko]

"Staring at their palms" means that children can be seen and not heard!!