Every so often, I receive an email from a friend that has a list of items from the good old days. The email includes the question as to whether you can recall what is included. One of them is always S&H Green Stamps. Ha! Not only do I recall them, but I even remember their competitor, Gold Stamps. (Not certain that was the exact name, but they were gold). I remember putting both kinds in the stamp books. After there were the proper number filled, they were taken to purchase various items. Everybody was happy and the good old days went merrily along with the purchases in their proper place.
There were other places to get free products. In the Pittsburgh area – and perhaps elsewhere – there was a chain of gasoline stations that gave away dinnerware. If you purchase a minimum number of gallons of gas, you could go and select one from dinner plates, salad plates, dessert plates, cups, saucers and glassware. If you went there enough you could soon have a setting for four, six, eight or whatever size you desired. They were nice dishes too. It was not hard to get a set as cars back in those days did not get the best mileage per gallon. However, gas was cheap so nobody minded – especially when you got free dishes.
Cracker jacks was not the only product with a free gift inside. Cereal boxes had all sorts of gifts in them. There were toys, small comic books and other good things. When a mother asked what cereal was wanted, kids would answer based on what toy was inside. This applied even if the cereal was not high on the taste list. Even The Blonde in the House had an adventure with cereal box gifts. One day in grade school, she invited a friend home with a promise of a gift. The gift was a prize from a cereal box. Needless, to say, the friend was not real happy with the gift.
Adults were also rewarded especially in boxes of soap powder. When a purchase was made of Oxodol, Rinso, Super Suds and others the box would include things like tea towels, glasses or dishes again. My mother was happy with them. My only problem was with Super Suds. Super Suds had this jingle that went “Super Suds, Super Suds! Lots More Suds with Super Suds”. The problem here was not with the words, but the stupid tune. Many, many years later the tune for no discernible reason pops into my head and I have a hard time getting rid of it. After writing this, I will have another battle.
I also recall the days when you could recognize the different brands of cars by how they looked. A Chevy, Ford or Plymouth all had their distinctive appearance.
There would be arguments about which one looked the best. In the small town where I went to high school, there was only one car dealer. He would only have one or two cars and if you wanted something else, you had to order it. He dealt in Pontiacs. I recall one year he had a yellow one that I thought was the prettiest car ever made. I also remember when I was a tiny lad, going with my dad to buy a new car. He bought a new Chevrolet for $800. That price has been stuck in my mind ever since. Heck, you can’t even buy a used golf cart for that these days. Ah, the good old days!
If anybody has some good advice on how to get rid of a jingle in the head, I would appreciate your letting me know!
Columnist Barry Evans writes about “Life in The Villages.”