Department Stores Remembered.

[bcprs1]

In addition to places like Sears and T-R-U which are already mentioned... there was 2 very neat video game stores where I grew up in Eastern MA.  The one I remember most was in the mall - I have no idea of the name, but they had awesome flashing neon lights and lots of glass cases with the "new" games and a more general section of shelves for the older stuff.  Games were not kept behind the counter like they are now - just pick up your game, go go the counter and pay for it!

 

You-Do-It-Electronics... a local electronics store which still exists today (like Radio Shack but much bigger) used to sell Atari games.   I remember my brother driving me up to this place after my birthday in 80 or 81 and spending a big chunk of my b-day money on a copy of Adventure!  Awesome game.  Awesome memories.

 

Also, Child World was a big source of games for the Atari and Intellivision in our area.  Not sure if that's a local store but it was like Toys R Us before they went under many years ago.

 

Ames and Zares were also places I got games.

 

I also live in eastern MA and I remember going to Child World to buy games. "Child World, Child World, the biggest toy store and a whole lot more"

 

I also bought a Bradlees, Lechmere, Kings and Circus World Toys. Ahhh... the memories of staring at the wall of video games wishing I had them all.

[scrummy]

I remember Lionel Play World, SEARS, and in the late 80's early 90's incredibly low prices at toyRus.

 

Mostly I was impressed by the big display at Sears.

That was impressive.

 

Anyone know anything about TIME TRAVEL.

 

ask1

2BE1

[Inky]

 

Toys 'R' Us (I worked there in the video game booth thing for awhile during the '83 Christmas rush)

 

Really?

 

I worked in the 'coop' at the one in Joliet Illinois back in '86. That was pretty cool, being able to get NES games as they came out (and no, I didn't steal).

 

Sucked that they gave us no discount, but would GLADLY cash our checks -- if we bought something with it.

[+Nathan Strum]

Really?

 

I worked in the 'coop' at the one in Joliet Illinois back in '86.  That was pretty cool, being able to get NES games as they came out (and no, I didn't steal).

 

We called it "the security booth". The customers just bought a tag from the display, paid for it, and then brought it over to us where we handed them their game. It was pretty cool getting a job just for being knowledgeable about video games.

 

When doing inventory, I found sealed (empty) display boxes for "Revenge of the Jedi" games 1 & 2. I stashed 'em, but was laid off before I could retrieve them. I went back years later, only to discover that the entire store room had been removed.

 

I wonder if anyone found them... and knew what they were?

[SS]

You may have to be from Central Ohio to know this one but nobody has mentioned “Hearts Department Store” yet. I remember shopping for / drooling over a large selection of 2600 games and Nintendo Game & Watches there in the late 70s-early 80s.

[jhd]

Consumer's Distributing (I originally got my Atari there)

 

Zellers -- I found several NIB games left in stock there in the early '90's

 

Woolco -- The local downtown store went out of business ca. 1993 and I cleaned out the place of old Atari stock.

 

I've also seen Atari games with Canadian Tire price tags.

[+cvga]

I remember buying games from several odd places:

 

Gopher - our local grocery store ($5.99)

 

Fire Fighter - I'm not sure to this day what type of store we bought this from but I think it was an electrical contractor that also sold games. I remember that it was the only place in (our small) town that sold Imagic and Tigervision. I bought FireFighter and a friend of mine bought Marauder.

 

Donkey Kong - We searched all over for this game when it was first released but it was sold out everywhere except Lowry Music Center. They had a few sitting on a piano that was for sale.

 

Our Sears was mainly just a catalog center but they did have Atari games in stock. I remember buying basketball, E.T., and a few other games there.

 

I bought a bunch of games at a small department store named 3-D Stores. I think it stood for Danner's Discount Department Stores. I used to love that store. I bought Pitfall and most of my activision games there.

 

I also bought some from Hills, Big Wheel, K-mart, Children's Palace, and Kay-Bee.

 

You could buy games everywhere.

[Scooterb23]

I remember Harts stores!! I also remember the failed Big Bear / Hart's Plus stores

 

Other places I remember seeing 2600 games:

 

Zayre's

Sears

JCPenney

Osco Drug

Hills

here's one for Ohioans...Gold Circle!!

Circus World (loved that sore and it's casino themed carpet at the Muncie Mall)

Children's Palace (man, I miss those )

Odd Lots

Heck's (another one mainly located in Ohio I believe)

KB Toys

If I recall correctlt Block's also used to have Atari stuff (and the one on the south side of Indianapolis had the coolest parquet floor!)

Target (where I got Harbor Escape, one of two games I still need to get back everything I had originally)

[Brad2600]

It would be cool to see pictures of the inside of a department store's video game dept...from 1982!

 

Why?

 

Cuz the K-Mart around here still looks like it's straight out of the early 80's....never been renovated much....still has woodgrain around the store.

[Shannon]

stores for me..

 

zayres

memco

peoples drugs

sears

toys -r- us

kmart

[Derek]

As mentioned by others, Sears went all out to attract business. All the major systems were up and running with carts attached to metal wires to obviously prevent you from taking the cart. They also had the hand held's such as Donkey Kong and Frogger, Super Cobra, etc. out with batteries in them for trying out. What a fun time. Wish I was 12 again. But time forces me to be 32. At least I can still play the games while listening to the tunes from that time, my favorite time for music, 1983. My hand-held games have all stopped working except for Ms. Pac, and Zackman, a "The Pit" clone which ported quite well. There was also a games store that specialized in D&D stuff. Never interested in that, but hand held Qbert is one that I wish I had gotten to own. They were $40 to $50 then, so I got to choose one for Christmas and was told to not ask for any more. I went with Ms. PacMan. It is still prominently displayed on top of my CD stand.

 

It's nice to have a place to share these memories again. Makes one feel younger and somewhat carefree, at least for a moment!

 

Derek.

[MrRetroGamer]

Consumer's Distributing (I originally got my Atari there)

 

Damn, I remember that chain here in NY too! I used to love looking at their catalog and drooling over all the "high tech" video games of the day, then you went down to the store, filled out a little slip with the catalog number, dropped it in a box and waited. Then someone usually called your name 10 minutes later and told you they were out of stock. THEY WERE ALWAYS OUT OF STOCK OF EVERYTHING!!!

[MrRetroGamer]

It would be cool to see pictures of the inside of a department store's video game dept...from 1982!

 

These are from late 84 or early 85, screen caps from the PBS show The Computer Chronicles. I think this is a Toys-R-Us.

[Dutchman2000]

Let's see.... I got Atari games from:

 

Sears

 

Venture

 

Montgomery Wards

 

Those were the big stores we went to. I seem to remember a smaller store that sold them as well but I can't remember the name....

[Canuck]

Zeller. That's what I can remember.

[rolenta]

I don't think anyone mentioned this one yet: Macy's

[SS]

here's one for Ohioans...Gold Circle!!

 

 

Gold Circle! That was the other one that I couldn't quite remember the name of! Used to shop there with my parents quite a lot as a kid. Are there any still around?

[madblownaway]

Caldors,Sears and Jamesway I think woolworths as well.

[Rob Mitchell]

I don't think anyone mentioned this one yet: Macy's

 

Well you gotta mention Rich's if you say Macy's. How about Richway which was a Target version of Rich's?

 

Rob Mitchell, Atlanta, GA

[+cvga]

here's one for Ohioans...Gold Circle!!

 

 

Gold Circle! That was the other one that I couldn't quite remember the name of! Used to shop there with my parents quite a lot as a kid. Are there any still around?

 

Nope, Gold Circle has been gone, at least in central Ohio, since 1988 or so.

[Jacob]

How about these:

 

Revco, Zody's, Fedmart, LaBelle's, K-Mart, The Gold Bond Stamp Redemption Store, BTW all these places also had great Star Wars sections. When my major financial problems were about action figures & games, instead of student loans and car insurance!!!!!

[Big Player]

here's one for Ohioans...Gold Circle!!

 

 

Gold Circle! That was the other one that I couldn't quite remember the name of! Used to shop there with my parents quite a lot as a kid. Are there any still around?

 

Nope, Gold Circle has been gone, at least in central Ohio, since 1988 or so.

 

Gold Circle is gone from everywhere. My father was an exec with Federated Department Stores, which owned GC among others (also Bloomingdales and Macy's.) They closed it in late 1988.

[Susuwatari]

I didn't see anyone mention this yet so I'll say it: Highland. My first 2600 game from thatr was Kaboom and it was also where I played Yars Revenge for the first time (store display)

 

Mostly I got mine from Sears and Meijer. The nearest Toys R Us was over an hour drvie away and a new one wasn't built in Ann Arbor until near the crash of '84 so I didn't get many 2600 games. I did pick up some bargains though.

[brendan]

Not sure if anybody else has mentioned this one, but we got our console (a heavy sixer) in '78 or '79 (can't remember for sure) from Wilson's, a department store chain that, at least in southern New Mexico, later became Service Merchandise. We also got a fair number of cartriges and controllers from them, as well (along with my Star Wars action figures and ships and playsets ).

 

Otherwise, it was Sears that we would hit for cartridges.

[hhwolfman]

San Antonio Texas. Is where I was at this time. Anybody else there in from the 1960s to the 90's. If so, you could not get around shopping at Kiddie City. The best Toy stor ever. There was one only about 3 miles from my house on the South side of Town. It turned into Lionel Playworld in the 80's then Toys or Us in the 90's. I also bought some at Montgomery Wards and Sears. MIght have got a game or two at Toy Box in McCrlease Mall.