Black Friday is like Congress.
We all hate Congress, but our guy is OK, because we met him once at a parade or she helped so-and-so. All the other 434 guys are terrible, and they don’t deserve to be re-elected. But my guy– he’s great.
We’re all appalled at the insanity of the lines, and crazed look in the blurried-4am-eyes of lined-up shoppers, but we all know someone who is “completely normal” who “just wanted one thing” that was on sale, and maybe saved hundreds of dollars. Some of those people even got their merch and went into work today. They get a pass, but the rest of ’em—
I dislike the Black Friday nonsense, but it probably keeps more than one big retailer afloat so they don’t have to turn their keys over to WalMart and Amazon. And to be sure, plenty of our “normal” friends feel good about getting a bargain, and getting one over on the man by getting it so cheap.
It’s beyond being able to sit and complain about it all, because Black Friday honestly reflects all of us in someway. You can’t be a party to our American culture– a citizen in our great land– without doing something that would be considered goofy, off-putting, and careless by one of our more sensible ancestors of 50 or 75 years ago. If you need some help identifying some way in which your grandfather would think you were a soft twit, feel free to email me, and I’ll come up with something.
Speaking of our grandfathers, many of them were probably reading the Courier-Express on Thanksgiving Day in 1968, complaining about the number of ads, “filled with garbage that no one needs.”
In a continuation from earlier this week, here are more of those ads Gramps hated, for the Friday after Thanksgiving 1968, from what we now consider a simpler time which we greatly long for. Grandpa’s garbage is our treasure.
This is part 2 of our look back at Buffalo on “Black Friday” 1968.
Hengerer’s offered this great Iroquois Beer can lighter for only $2. Smoke ’em if you got em!
Half of a GEX ad… GEX was located where the Walden flea market now stands.
Hey girls!
Hengerer’s had about 10 pages of ads in the paper.
Hengerers hotties
in 1960s mens ads, there was always a guy smoking a pipe. Always.
Not an ad, but photo of Rochester Amerks Defenseman Don Cherry (4) getting owned by the AHL Buffalo Bisons. There’s a gift that keeps on giving.
Three Kleinhans locations
K-Mart stuff
Toys from K-Mart
a subtle reminder from K-Mart that women like blenders
This TV and cart was at my grandma’s house. Its great to go through these ad to find the things that you remember…
Kresges was owned by K-Mart, kinda like K-Mart, but not quite K-Mart. More like Woolworths. Nice phonograph!!
Kobachers
Great stuff from Leader Drug
This was from Leaders. Don;t we all know women who, as girls, played with this doll a bit too much?
There used to be a mall downtown. Wait- BREAKING NEWS- there is still a mall downtown. Who knew? But when it opened, you could actually shop at Main Place Mall.
Was this toy at Neisner’s a result of early LSD experimentation?
Great stuff from Noah’s Ark
Park Edge Grocery
Purchase Radio Label makers!!
“For the modern pad.” Hahahaha.
Ron Burgundy was apparently a model for The Sample
visit Santa at The Sample. Balloons are cheaper than candy canes, right?
Sattlers has more guys with pipes
From Sattlers: This stupid valet chair has been a popular item at WNY thrift stores for 30 years.
Sattlers had freaking everything… Including dogs. ON SALE!!
Toys from Sears…
The ad is black and whte, but the big console TV is COLOR from Sears.
More 1960s retail misogyny: Look how happy the females of the house are with the automatic dishwasher! Unloading in a dress even!
A South Buffalo institution: Spoonley the Train Man
Tanke’s rhymes with Swanky’s. Very posh.
Town Squire in Allentown. This ad was on the theatre page.
Ulbrich’s (junk)
My mom might still have some of this Woolworth’s wrapping paper
Click here for PART ONE of our look at 1968 Black Friday ads.
Buffalo Journalist and Historian Steve Cichon brings us along as he explores the nooks and crannies of Buffalo’s past present and future, which can mean just about anything– twice a week on Trending Buffalo.
As he collects WNY’s pop culture history, Steve looks for Buffalo’s good stories and creative ways to tell them as the President and founder of Buffalo Stories LLC. He’d love to help your business tell its story. For a decade, he’s also collected and shared Buffalo’s pop culture history at staffannouncer.com.
steve@buffalostories.com | @SteveBuffalo | www.facebook.com/stevecichon
