Shopping At The 5 & 10 - When Sheets Had Hems

by Herb Harrison
(California, USA)

I remember buying bed sheets at the G. C. Murphy (5 & 10) store. We could buy various colors, but they were all "flat," not "fitted." They all had wide sewn hems at the top of the sheets, so you could tell easily which was the long side when you were making your bed.

I remember the "Nuts Counter" at the 5 & 10. They had a roaster right at the front of the store, with bins of various nuts that you could buy by the pound, still warm from the roaster. Ah, the smell -- it made you hungry.

I remember the toys department at the 5 & 10, where I bought model airplane kits for 98 cents each. (The $1.98 kits included glue and paints -- I couldn't afford them.) I wish I could find those cheap kits now. I would hang the airplanes from the ceiling like I used to, when I was a kid.

I remember when I needed to call home, I could go to the 5 & 10 and ask permission to use the telephone for a local call -- and the nearest clerk would say yes -- without some kind of Corporate OK.

Those were the good days.

---

---