When The Old People Die?

[magnu103]

Firstly, and most importantly, my apologies to "old People". I mean no disrespect. Crucially, when is one classed as "old"? When in your life do you suddenly become "old"? Is there a day and a date when this occurs?

Anyway, my thanks to (>Zero Cool<) for the inspiration for these jottings, which continue something like this...

Back when I was a lad, a long time ago to some, seems like the other day to me... there were some types of shop here in Loughborough that no longer exist. Some examples include a local hardware shop, where you could buy nails by the pint, and shops that sold nothing but hats. There was a fishmonger, where I remember we used to get fresh cockles (as a treat apparently?) The chemists shops always had those yellow plastic lined windows, and pubs used to have a snug. These have all gone now. Why? Simply because they were no longer needed by the people of the day.

So, when all of todays "old people" die, what other shops and traditions will disappear and be condemned to the history books? Here's a couple to be going on with...

Butchers shops - You only ever generally see "old people" in butchers shops. And when the butchers shops have gone, we will never see sweetbreads, hearts, tripe and the like again.

Wool shops - Same as above except for the sweetbreads, hearts and tripe.

I will add more later, but now it's up to you to add yours...

[Snee]

Those blokes that stand around with tongs offering to pull yer teeth out?



Oh wait, that was the dark ages.

[100%]

Pharmacies will become obsolete - since it will be illegal to be sick.

[zapjb]

I believe you're referring to the time in my life when I can pinpoint when society as I know it started to crumble.
I know it exactly.
When there was no longer a produce man to take my produce & put it in a brown paper bag & mark how much it was in green crayon.
That was exactly the moment society started to crumble.

[magnu103]

Pharmacies die? Or even chemists to us lot in UK. Probably not. But our local Somerfields will close, because the only people who use it are the "old people". And there is a reason for this.

Many years ago, (here we go again...), there was only one supermarket in Loughborough. It was called Fine Fare. In time that changed its name, and eventually moved to a new location just around the corner. But, and importanly, those people back in the 60's, stayed loyal to Fine Fare, and it's reincarnations. People were loyal back then you know! But now, those people are "old", and when they die, Somerfields will die with them. I hate to think what will take it's place... a row of charity shops, how about a travel agent or two, or perhaps Loughborough University will buy it up and turn it into student accomodation. Oh gosh, I might have opened a big bag of worms now...

[Biggles]

The town where I live still has butchers, fishmongers, and hardware stores with everything piled away in ancient drawers.

However the tobacconist has just closed - it had been there for a 150 years or something. I guess smoking is on its way out though.

What about cop shops?

[manker]

I hope the Spar won't go away

It is an interesting question tho' - I suppose that anything which is specific in nature is at risk, fish and chip shops for example, these could be replaced by an eaterie equivalent of a supermarket. Smaller, traditional, pubs could be phased out for bigger adult entertainment centres with crap lager (happening already). Post Offices are already metamorphising into supermarkets and will likely be gone in a few decades.

[Mr. Mulder]

mc donalds will be gone and replaced with a shady man in an ally at night offering to sell you his wine gums before the giant machines that inslave us all start thier morning hunt

[Cheese]

mc donalds will be gone and replaced with a shady man in an ally at night offering to sell you his wine gums before the giant machines that inslave us all start thier morning hunt

On the plus side, with all these old people dying there will be no shortage of Soylent Green.

[magnu103]

What is Soylent Green?