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What "back then" inconvenience would annoy today's youngsters?

(53 Posts)
CrazyUSA Sat 18-Jul-26 21:16:26

Having to go out to blockbusters rather than look for a movie on netflix.

Bellanonna Sat 18-Jul-26 21:32:00

Lots of them. No mobile, ergo no SM. No debit card to scan. Going further back, no fridge, no,lifts everywhere. No MaccyD. Lots of others of course.

Oregano Sat 18-Jul-26 21:46:28

Only having three channels on the TV!

Ziplok Sat 18-Jul-26 21:48:53

No kindle, no iPad/laptop, no mobile (having to use a public telephone if you didn’t have a land line).

Ziplok Sat 18-Jul-26 21:49:30

No same day delivery 🤣🤣

Oldnproud Sat 18-Jul-26 21:53:52

Having to go to a library and look in a book if you wanted information.

NathanaelWest Sat 18-Jul-26 21:57:25

The sheer abundance of convenience food everywhere. That is an odd thing about modern culture.

I can remember as a kid, just having to wait for lunch or dinner and as there was just nowhere to buy a sneaky cheeseburger or whatever, you just waited for the next big meal.

And of course smartphones and social media. Gen Z practically grew up with that and Gen A definitely has. Their worlds would fall apart just 20 years ago.

I know nostalgia makes the past look much more rosy and better than it really was, but the world pre-internet definitely seemed a better place.

What have these Tech Bros done to us?

Oldnproud Sat 18-Jul-26 22:02:48

Clothes only washed once a week, so no throwing something in the machine after one wear whether it was dirty or not, and expecting it to be ready to wear again the next day

Plevey08 Sat 18-Jul-26 22:02:58

Having board rubbers thrown at them if they didn't pay attention in class. More of an assault than inconvenience perhaps.

ViceVersa Sat 18-Jul-26 22:07:08

Having to actually go round and see if your friends were in and if they were coming out to play, because not everyone had a home phone.
No all day TV and only three channels.
More recently, not being able to go on the internet if someone was using the landline (or vice versa).
Trying to tape your favourite songs from the radio and the DJ speaking before the song finished.

Ziplok Sat 18-Jul-26 22:13:59

No GN/MN etc 🤣

NotAGran55 Sat 18-Jul-26 22:17:37

Writing a cheque and letter, addressing an envelope to yourself , and putting it in the post in order to buy gig tickets.

No double clicks on apple pay when I was my sons’ ages.

twiglet77 Sat 18-Jul-26 22:28:18

Shops closing for the afternoon on Wednesdays (or Thursdays), no Sunday opening except perhaps the corner shop.

Having to walk across the room to change the tv channel between BBC and ITV (when we had only two channels).

Playing a collection of 7” singles one at a time on a Dansette record player and having to carefully place the stylus in the right place.

Being the kid tasked with licking and sticking Green Shield stamps into their books.

Writing to advertisers in magazines and including a stamped, addressed envelope.

tanith Sat 18-Jul-26 22:58:34

Sharing a bathroom with another family 😱 or even an outside toilet and tin bath shared with 4 siblings in age order.

Grammaretto Sat 18-Jul-26 23:09:58

I can still remember the thrill of getting a colour TV. My DM wanted to watch Wimbledon.
Queue for the bathroom in the morning.

Mind you there are plenty of inconveniences still mostly relating to the lack of banks, travel agents and everything on-line and never being able to speak to a human.

Gwyllt Sat 18-Jul-26 23:15:21

Was life really that bad I thought it was pretty good actually
Anyway what you never had you didn’t miss

MayBee70 Sat 18-Jul-26 23:46:06

Plevey08

Having board rubbers thrown at them if they didn't pay attention in class. More of an assault than inconvenience perhaps.

Mrs McCutcheon. French teacher. Have to say it made me learn my French verbs…

MayBee70 Sat 18-Jul-26 23:47:15

Grammaretto

I can still remember the thrill of getting a colour TV. My DM wanted to watch Wimbledon.
Queue for the bathroom in the morning.

Mind you there are plenty of inconveniences still mostly relating to the lack of banks, travel agents and everything on-line and never being able to speak to a human.

Not having a bathroom and having to share an outside toilet with the neighbours…

pably15 Sun 19-Jul-26 00:07:25

ViceVersa

Having to actually go round and see if your friends were in and if they were coming out to play, because not everyone had a home phone.
No all day TV and only three channels.
More recently, not being able to go on the internet if someone was using the landline (or vice versa).
Trying to tape your favourite songs from the radio and the DJ speaking before the song finished.

That's what I remember, starting to record a song and just before the end the dj started singing along ....oh how annoying

pably15 Sun 19-Jul-26 00:10:42

having to wait till Friday when dad came home with his wages.mum going to co-op the get groceries and wait in queues.

friendlygingercat Sun 19-Jul-26 00:18:32

Having to dig a path through the snow to get to the outside loo. Tearing up sheets of the local paper for toilet paper. Making sure there were no spiders lurking under the seat. For girls dealing with and disposing of old fashioned sanitary protection - belts and pads.

nanna8 Sun 19-Jul-26 00:22:48

No washing machine or fridge or phone come to that. 1950s London. Mind you, if you pressed the button in the phone booth sometimes you hit the jackpot, pennies from heaven !

NotSpaghetti Sun 19-Jul-26 00:26:18

CrazyUSA

Having to go out to blockbusters rather than look for a movie on netflix.

My daughter was talking about Blockbuster only yesterday - recalling what a treat it was.

If the choices on streaming services disappeared, Blockbuster would presumably be a treat all over again.

Charleygirl5 Sun 19-Jul-26 00:54:47

We didn't have enough money for hot water, so we rarely had a bath. Always a strip wash and washed by my mother.

I could tell the day of the week by the evening meal.
We had an inside loo, but when we went on holiday to Ireland to my grandfather's farm, the loo was a hike away. Also, there was no running water there, so I had to help carry buckets to the house and it was a hike

Doodledog Sun 19-Jul-26 01:14:16

Those rubber things that you put on the bath taps to improvise a shower to rinse your hair. One side always pinged off, so you got a sudden rush of hot or freezing water.