Ever ask for something incredibly old fashioned and obsolete in a shop?

Ubbquittious

Years ago my granddad told me you could buy the little rubber tube that sits over a bicycle tyre valve separately, rather than buying a whole new valve. Of course I was told they didn't have them since back in the day (i suspect you can probably buy them again now with all the Greta stuff happening now)


Another time I tried to buy a blade for a really long bushman saw and I was told to "go for an easier life"



If only I could record it covertly I'd go into the local co op and ask some young lad/wan who is just after starting for a well chain


"Ya know the chain for lifting the wooden bucket out of the well?"


"You don't? ahh you must be using a rope at your gaff so. An auld hemp rope will do if you have one"

Thelonious Monk

A sheath

Montage of Feck

You can still get those valve rubbers in puncture repair kits

ab4248

Class reunion a couple of years back. Few of us went to pub after and said we’d chip in for 10 Carrolls like the old days. The barman had a right laugh at us. Took us a while to figure it out

The Princess Bride

I asked for mouse flavoured cat food in Tesco once, many years ago, the girl went looking for it too.

Alas, she couldn't find any.

1o059k7ewrqj3n

Draught excluder. You used to see them all over the place in the 80s and 90s, different designs like ones that’s looked like dogs or whatever.

Recently went to a number of shops and could not find one for love or money.

Ipso

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

A sheath

Is that like a Geronimo?

Rodin

Good service...

A relic of the past.

Your Face

A number plate light assembly for a Fiat Panda.

EmmetSpiceland

No, but I once had to wait, far longer than I’d have liked, behind a woman who was asking for a “Raider” bar.

Raconteuse

When I was a teenager and e-commerce wasn't yet a taken for granted thing, a compilation of prehistoric songs for my dad who was born in 1946, which I know is old, but it's also the same age as (and younger than) the most pioneering musicians and artists of the 60s/70s, and his tastes are actually like those of someone 20 years older. The poor young lad in Golden Discs was stumped.

dreamers75

Recently ....a Scart lead.

Widdershins

Borax, and suet?

JustAThought

Steyr 556 wrote: »

Draught excluder. You used to see them all over the place in the 80s and 90s, different designs like ones that’s looked like dogs or whatever.

Recently went to a number of shops and could not find one for love or money.

was looking for a scissors yesterday - might as well have been looking for a unicorn. But saw draft excluders in Home Store, Woodies and Harvey Norman - of all places. Harvey Normans had saussage dogs on them - was tempted!!!

spent a considerable amount of time looking fir a spool of navy thread to sew on work shirt buttons last summer - apparently buttonless shirts are now disposable items - thread as rare as winning lotto numbers - lots of rumours and I heard of a man who knew someone who saw it in x place . but no substance

whiskeyman

I asked one of the staff in Lifestyle for a pair of indoor non marking runners for sports once.
He'd no idea and suggested I try a sports store...



Style, streetware /athleisurewear has taken over it seems and real sports gear shops are gone.

1o059k7ewrqj3n

JustAThought wrote: »

was looking for a scissors yesterday - might as well have been looking for a unicorn. But saw draft excluders in Home Store, Woodies and Harvey Norman - of all places. Harvey Normans had saussage dogs on them - was tempted!!!

Be down to Harvey Norman tomorrow! You are a golden god, may you live to be a thousand years old.

looksee

dreamers75 wrote: »

Recently ....a Scart lead.

I threw one away yesterday - its somewhere in an almost full skip...

Ladybird18

Tights in a local shop. You would swear I had asked for heroin.

Steyr 556

Steyr 556 wrote: »

Draught excluder. You used to see them all over the place in the 80s and 90s, different designs like ones that’s looked like dogs or whatever.

Recently went to a number of shops and could not find one for love or money.

I actually saw some in the front window of Guineys on Talbot street around Christmas time.

gmisk

A coal scuttle...literally looked at me like I had two heads. I was in a big hardware store btw not topman.

Oh and Milton the disinfectant...no clue

whiskeyman

whiskeyman wrote: »

I asked one of the staff in Lifestyle for a pair of indoor non marking runners for sports once.
He'd no idea and suggested I try a sports store...



Style, streetware /athleisurewear has taken over it seems and real sports gear shops are gone.

Yep, try getting a pair of size 13 runners in any of them, not a hope in hell.

Westernyelp

A bottle of 'Clinic' Shampoo. blank expression.

Capt'n Midnight

Your Face wrote: »

A number plate light assembly for a Fiat Panda.

Sounds like a fair swap.

un5byh7sqpd2x0

Ladybird18 wrote: »

Tights in a local shop. You would swear I had asked for heroin.

It was a men’s clothes shop wasn’t it?

careless sherpa

JustAThought wrote: »

was looking for a scissors yesterday - might as well have been looking for a unicorn. But saw draft excluders in Home Store, Woodies and Harvey Norman - of all places. Harvey Normans had saussage dogs on them - was tempted!!!

spent a considerable amount of time looking fir a spool of navy thread to sew on work shirt buttons last summer - apparently buttonless shirts are now disposable items - thread as rare as winning lotto numbers - lots of rumours and I heard of a man who knew someone who saw it in x place . but no substance

There was a haberdashery out in donabate would sort you out

sondagefaux

Steyr 556 wrote: »

Draught excluder. You used to see them all over the place in the 80s and 90s, different designs like ones that’s looked like dogs or whatever.

Recently went to a number of shops and could not find one for love or money.

They have them in Aldi at the moment.

lucalux

gmisk wrote: »

A coal scuttle...literally looked at me like I had two heads. I was in a big hardware store btw not topman.

Oh and Milton the disinfectant...no clue

Coal scuttles, I can only imagine they live in houses where the heating is a switch on the wall:)

As to Milton, I buy the Lidl or Aldi own brand one, the Aldi one is in a blue bottle (Mamia is the name), regular stock items!

Ladybird18

Ryan Strong Sundae wrote: »

It was a men’s clothes shop wasn’t it?

No! And I know they aren't sexy but I needed them for an interview asap due to a ladder

corner of hells

Ladybird18 wrote: »

No! And I know they aren't sexy but I needed them for an interview asap due to a ladder

For a ladder ? Was it an interview for the Fire Brigade?

Ladybird18

corner of hells wrote: »

For a ladder ? Was it an interview for the Fire Brigade?

No but I do recall they said I was hot.








Getting coat

I asked in a pharmacy for Vicks Throat Drops, and then mused "They probably don't make those anymore, do they?" to be told "Not in about 20 years, no."

Emme

Steyr 556 wrote: »

Draught excluder. You used to see them all over the place in the 80s and 90s, different designs like ones that’s looked like dogs or whatever.

Recently went to a number of shops and could not find one for love or money.

Lidl and Aldi sometimes have them.

Mrs OBumble

Mr O'Bumble has occasionally sent someone to a hardware shop for a long stand.

It seems to take some people a long while to cop ....

Mrs OBumble

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Mr O'Bumble has occasionally sent someone to a hardware shop for a long stand.

It seems to take some people a long while to cop ....

Dad used to send in an apprentice to ask for mickey wire and a mickey puller, but only when there was a woman serving. Both were actual items used on site, but of course not branded as such.

JustAThought

I needed matches for some
bizzare reason a lighter wouldn’t do - and I eventually had to but a multipack of long handle ines! You used get them in every corner shop that sold fGs - its ll lighters now :’(

Plus - those Lidl/Aldi ones are so dangerous - the sulphor head tends to bounce off them when being struck and fly off lit across the room they stick on your skin and burn through if they bounce the wrong way into you

I spent many long hours walking every corner shop and toy shop for a potato gun recently. I’d have got less quare looks asking for a hand grenade.

Sorry about that

I asked for a Roll On for my mother in law (she'd asked me to get her one) in a lingerie shop a few years ago. Nope.

lucalux

JustAThought wrote: »

I needed matches for some
bizzare reason a lighter wouldn’t do - and I eventually had to but a multipack of long handle ines! You used get them in every corner shop that sold fGs - its ll lighters now :’(

Plus - those Lidl/Aldi ones are so dangerous - the sulphor head tends to bounce off them when being struck and fly off lit across the room they stick on your skin and burn through if they bounce the wrong way into you

I spent many long hours walking every corner shop and toy shop for a potato gun recently. I’d have got less quare looks asking for a hand grenade.

Agreed on the Lidl Aldi matches, very wary of them every time I have to resort to using matches!

artanevilla

gmisk wrote: »

A coal scuttle...literally looked at me like I had two heads. I was in a big hardware store btw not topman.

Oh and Milton the disinfectant...no clue

Try the baby section in a supermarket for the Milton. Great for water bottles etc.

Ubbquittious

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Mr O'Bumble has occasionally sent someone to a hardware shop for a long stand.

It seems to take some people a long while to cop ....

I know someone who sent his missus in looking for dowels. When she went in she asked them for gowels. Yer man in the shop said no they don't have a great shelf life

elperello

I was in a pub down the country some years and an old lad came in and produced a large sewing needle about four inches long from his top pocket.

He said it was a packing needle used to sew canvas bags with twine. The last one in the local hardware he proudly announced.

Kat1170

JustAThought wrote:

I spent many long hours walking every corner shop and toy shop for a potato gun recently. I’d have got less quare looks asking for a hand grenade.

As in a "Spud Gun" that used to fire the little piece of potato ?? That's a blast from the past if it's what you mean.
Did you manage to get one anywhere ??

JustAThought

Kat1170 wrote: »

As in a "Spud Gun" that used to fire the little piece of potato ?? That's a blast from the past if it's what you mean.
Did you manage to get one anywhere ??

Been looking since November - had a few near misses (just sold the last wan, been hanging in the corner for years etc) - walked into a fancy new toyshop yesterday that were doing a stocktake and they had one in the back of a drawer that some kid had ripped the box off - got if for a song! Little Lord will be delighted!! And yes - we grew up on them - loved them! Used have great spud wars with the hoards of kids on the street until some narky frugal neighbour kicked up an outcry over the waste of food... there are children dying in Africa...

JustAThought

I went looking for double sided sticky velcro tabs for some essential life need a while back; Everywhere in the 90’s - might as well have been looking for a fresh dinosaur steak. Very handy yokes.

jimbobaloobob

JustAThought wrote: »

I went looking for double sided sticky velcro tabs for some essential life need a while back; Everywhere in the 90’s - might as well have been looking for a fresh dinosaur steak. Very handy yokes.

Hickeys in Galway wellpark centre have them.

Del2005

I had the opposite. Went into the local post office / shop where my dad is from and asked for shower gel. The owner had no idea what I was talking about, when we explained what it was she said that sounds like a good product and will get some in. Haven't been back so don't know if she ever did.

Sharknose

My local hardware has these sack needles. Straight or with a bend. He also has anchors for small boats.

Larbre34

A loose half-ton of slack.

A french letter.

A tank of car gas.

Long_Wave

My aunt told me that one time you could buy codeine in any corner shop or supermarket like panadol is sold today.

Larbre34

Long_Wave wrote: »

My aunt told me that one time you could buy codeine in any corner shop or supermarket like panadol is sold today.

She's not your Aunt, she's your daughter. Codeine is bad f****n news man.

Aglomerado

JustAThought wrote: »

I went looking for double sided sticky velcro tabs for some essential life need a while back; Everywhere in the 90’s - might as well have been looking for a fresh dinosaur steak. Very handy yokes.

2 euro shops have them. I found some in my "random assortment" drawer the other night.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gi_6SaqVQSw