T.G.&Y. Stores:Gone but not forgotten

[Generals64]

Sometime in the late 60's...I think the Winter of '68.......My sister-in-law and
a bunch of her friends went to some Church in Del City and got caught up in the big snow storm. My mother-in-law sent us (Father-in-law and I) out looking for them...We intended up staying in the Unit Parts building playing Poker all night. Only to find out that my Sister-in-law and her friends stayed in the TG&Y store at 44th and S.E. Bryant with the store manager....David Green (Hobby Lobby owner) since they were All snowed in......That store is now an Apache Indian Bingo Parlor.

[Generals64]

TOMLINSON, GOSSELIN, AND YOUNG...the true name of this old dying horse. But, almost everyone had another name for the stores and the laughter would begin. What was your favorite one?

"for you dollar's best buy.....Try TG&Y."

1. Turtles, Girdles and Yo-yo's
2. Toys Guns and Yo-yo's

Any more??????Surely someone has deeper memories from accidentally taking a piece of penny candy or being a stockboy and eating so much Chocolate covered peanuts that now they make you sick to look at them.....How about you.....Remember that bottle of model paint you had to have but didn't have the ten cents to get it?

[gen70]

TOMLINSON, GOSSELIN, AND YOUNG...the true name of this old dying horse. But, almost everyone had another name for the stores and the laughter would begin. What was your favorite one?

"for you dollar's best buy.....Try TG&Y."

1. Turtles, Girdles and Yo-yo's
2. Toys Guns and Yo-yo's

Any more??????Surely someone has deeper memories from accidentally taking a piece of penny candy or being a stockboy and eating so much Chocolate covered peanuts that now they make you sick to look at them.....How about you.....Remember that bottle of model paint you had to have but didn't have the ten cents to get it?

I got a good one 64. When I worked for Central Repair in the late 70's I was working on some lights at the store on N.W. 39th & St Clair, up on a ladder. I had to work on the lights with the power on which was usually no big deal. Well... I'am on the ladder working and there's women pushing their carts around shopping when I get into a hot wire, shocking the fire outa me. I fell off the ladder to the floor scattering tools and parts. I was laying on the floor hurt alittle, embarassed and I'am cussing like a sailor. So I decide to pack up my stuff and leave for the day. So I'am driving down the street and I get to thinking, ya know those women in the store who saw me fall didn't know that I had got the hell shocked outa me they probably just thought I was some dumbass who fell off a ladder. I laughed for ten minutes after that.

[Generals64]

I got a good one 64. When I worked for Central Repair in the late 70's I was working on some lights at the store on N.W. 39th & St Clair, up on a ladder. I had to work on the lights with the power on which was usually no big deal. Well... I'am on the ladder working and there's women pushing their carts around shopping when I get into a hot wire, shocking the fire outa me. I fell off the ladder to the floor scattering tools and parts. I was laying on the floor hurt alittle, embarassed and I'am cussing like a sailor. So I decide to pack up my stuff and leave for the day. So I'am driving down the street and I get to thinking, ya know those women in the store who saw me fall didn't know that I had got the hell shocked outa me they probably just thought I was some dumbass who fell off a ladder. I laughed for ten minutes after that.

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Be a store manager trying to change a Ballast and have the same thing happened and MOST of your help were Nazarene ladies. Spent about two weeks apologizing.

[Generals64]

Hey Gen70:....here's a good one.....I ran the store at 59th & S. Penn for a few years. My pride and Joy. Anyway, a real attractive lady carrying a small (probably 16-18 months old) baby and she (the mother) was dressed above the call of TG&Y. Me, thought I was so acool immediately showed he managerial attention. I came up from the back of the lady and said "May I help you ma'am"? she was a bit startled and turn around real quick. Baby's hand on her blouse and not prepared for mom to turn started grabbing...things began to come out of the blouse that shouldn't have.....Ask (in stupidity and embarassment) if whe needed any help getting things arranged back and it just kept getting worse...

[USG '60]

Two Grunts and a yodel.

[gen70]

Yeah!! That's a pretty good one. Ha Ha...Sounds like my kinda luck. I know you've heard of Murphy's law...Well that's my last name.

[Generals64]

Yeah!! That's a pretty good one. Ha Ha...Sounds like my kinda luck. I know you've heard of Murphy's law...Well that's my last name.

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She was very pretty ( I think) my mind got immediately distracted..you know trying to help the baby one of those deal...better shut up right????

[angel27]

General I can so see you in that situation..!

Anybody remember when we advertised a free sewing machine with a shotgun or rifle? That was a brilliant way to get the wife to go along with a new gun. We sold a ton of guns that way. When I moved to Deville sporting goods I got them to go along with that ad again and it was great. Was back when women sewed and men hunted though.

[Generals64]

I remember one time the CEO of TG&Y came through the 74th st. store and we had just received our shotgun shells for the upcoming hunting season. Not being a hunter he got so excited and mad that he made us run an in store ad for Winchester Shotgun shells for $1.00 box. Would not listen when we tried to explain that dove season was less than a week away. Then same scenario on Shotguns...Made us sell Remington 1100 shotguns for $ 50.00....but, we had a complete size run of ladies bras and black shoe polish......The shells were gone in a matter of hours and same thing on the guns......lost a lot of money but made some happy hunters.....

[gen70]

I bought a 12-gauge Remington Wingmaster at the T.G.&Y. store in Moore about 1973.

[gen70]

Does anyone remember the name of the pool hall or any other shops in the bldg. that was in the parking lot by the auto center of the store at 74th & Penn.? I'am sure someone may have posted it before but, this forum is getting pretty big and would take awhile to find it.

[Generals64]

Does anyone remember the name of the pool hall or any other shops in the bldg. that was in the parking lot by the auto center of the store at 74th & Penn.? I'am sure someone may have posted it before but, this forum is getting pretty big and would take awhile to find it.

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The first person to open the pool named it after herself...Beverley....I sold them the pool tables to open with. Was the largest retail sale TG&Y had for years. We sold AMF bowling balls and started selling their pool tables....This lady walked in pointed at a certain table and said she wanted eight (8) of them...I said sure when do you want them delivered.....Her answer with check in hand was tomorrow......had to eat crow and order them but, she still gave the checl to me......was a hero for a day.....

[gen70]

Thanks 64....I used to go in there alot....They had pretty good food there also.

[Pete]

Do any of you have photos -- particularly of the interior -- of the old stores?

Would love to see them.

[Pete]

I was searching the web for images, and I came across these mugs that someone recently found with the original TG&Y price tags on them. My family had a set of these forever! Wow, that really jogged some memories:

[Pete]

This was posted by a friend in high school from 1978.

This has got to be a TG&Y, as there are bike tires, tennis balls, Christmas lights and fertilizer all in the same aisle!

[Generals64]

This was posted by a friend in high school from 1978.

This has got to be a TG&Y, as there are bike tires, tennis balls, Christmas lights and fertilizer all in the same aisle!

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Sorry Buddy, that's either a wal-mart or Gibson's store...Wrong type of Shelving and wrong handle color on the Shopping Cart..... Could have been an early K-Mart.....there was a K-Mart in Tulsa around that time....But, it looks more like Wal-Mart.......

[Generals64]

Today, would be the day we would begin getting out potting soil (50 pound bags) and fertilizer....Next week some of the plants would begin to show....This time of the year there was only one thing to promote and that was the Basic merchandise that TG&Y was famous for. The variety stores always carried a large assortment of Basic Merchandise...i.e. size runs on underwear, socks....You probably don't remember tht socks came in sizes...so did shirts...really ask your mom and dad or grandparents....how about white shoe polish? Really, people used to polish their shoes and tie their shoelaces. Then, you had to have every "C" item in the warehouse orderbook...never could figure why "c" merchandise was a better seller than "A" goods or "B" goods but, you can't argue with success......HMMMM...smell the popcorn and fresh p-nuts no salmonella there just a great time shopping at TG&Y.....Rmember the little bells you would ring for help or, you would ring just for the fun of it until you would be sternly told "Stop That Young Man".....

[MonkeyBiz6903]

I remember the hot redskin peanuts from 59th and Penn store. You musta been the guy who sold them to me.

[Generals64]

[QUOTE=MonkeyBiz6903;201282]I remember the hot redskin peanuts from 59th and Penn store. You musta been the guy who
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Probably was....hey, do you remember when you could buy a little round (like a b-b pkg) of peanuts with a prize in them...sometimes money????

[MonkeyBiz6903]

[QUOTE=Generals64;201302]

I remember the hot redskin peanuts from 59th and Penn store. You musta been the guy who
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Probably was....hey, do you remember when you could buy a little round (like a b-b pkg) of peanuts with a prize in them...sometimes money????

Yes, I got them from a little store on s.linn. Imagine the lawsuits nowdays that would bring. "I choked on a nickel" That was a great lil store you ran there.

[Generals64]

[QUOTE=MonkeyBiz6903;201327]

Yes, I got them from a little store on s.linn. Imagine the lawsuits nowdays that would bring. "I choked on a nickel" That was a great lil store you ran there.

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wonder how many [packages of baseball cards went through that store?....One year Before Christmas I started hoarding Scotch tape (about July). once I would get a stock room bin full I covered it with Brown paper so no one would see or remember it. Then when Christmas came I was the only one on the southside with tape for sell....My Supervisor was so upset because I wouldn't share with the other stores (74th & Penn) since everyone was out....Then the "Horse trading" started.....I had a great year in sales that year. Then everyone started to hoard the stuff.....Oh well, ...

[gen70]

I got a question for ya Generals64, There was a T.G.&Y. at N. Rockwell & N.W. expressway. Was it a small store or a big one? I worked in it once but, can't remember.

[Generals64]

I got a question for ya Generals64, There was a T.G.&Y. at N. Rockwell & N.W. expressway. Was it a small store or a big one? I worked in it once but, can't remember.

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Family Center....Southwest Corner....One of the remodel stores....Used to be a pretty good store......Target is in that location now....