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

[Generals64]

Miss all the store operators wishing for a good snow to boost sales.

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Yes, in 1969 there was quite a blizzard and for once I had ordered extra shovels and de-icer and rock salt.....Thought my supervisors were going to "Croak" then they were bragging about having the only store prepared. Had to give up part of it to 74/penn. Had a good year that year....

[Prunepicker]

Had to go to Family Dollar and get an item for my wife a few minutes
ago... Christmas everywhere... Clean store... Full of merchandise... Only two
things missing... #1. An employee... #2... Customers... Sheesh, I would have
been in a total panic if it were my store... Mainly that the employee (Notice, I
said " THE Employee ") was on break in the back room. Well, I guess I'm
wrong... No Customers, no need for an employee... Wait a minute, I was
there...

Did you drive to Albuquerque? It's sounds exactly like New Mexico. They
couldn't care less about customer service. Vermont is almost as bad. At
least they'll respond if you yell at them.

Scenario...
Customer walks into store...

Manager: Quick! Everybody hide!
Customer: Is anyone here?
Manager: (crickets)
Customer: I want to spend an obscene about of money.
Manager: (crickets)

Things aren't what they used to be.

[Generals64]

Did you drive to Albuquerque? It's sounds exactly like New Mexico. They
couldn't care less about customer service. Vermont is almost as bad. At
least they'll respond if you yell at them.

Scenario...
Customer walks into store...

Manager: Quick! Everybody hide!
Customer: Is anyone here?
Manager: (crickets)
Customer: I want to spend an obscene about of money.
Manager: (crickets)

Things aren't what they used to be.

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I DO UNDERSTAND that a profit comes from percentages....but, if you don't have customers, you can achieve the percentages. One of the "OLD DAYS" programs with TG&Y was "Suggestive Selling"...You know, if the customer was buying Shoe Polish...(for the youngsters on this thread...that's what you put on your shoes to make them look Nice) and you would suggest New laces?....Or if the customer was buying thread..."Do you need needles"?...those two are trivial but the Percent of mark-up was high. Now imagine someone buying a new lawn Mower....Do you have the right Oil?..Or how about a new Gasoline can...or both???? and so on....Funny haw unexpected sales caused your profit structure to grow....Oh yeah, the store got to stay open...

[village idiot]

Hey General, something about this reminded me of you in your hay-day on
74th and Penn.


A young guy from Texas moves to California and goes to one of those big "everything under one roof" stores looking for a job.
The manager asked, "Do you have any sales experience?"

The kid said, "Sure, I was a salesman back home in Texas."

The boss liked the kid so he gave him the job. "You start tomorrow. I'll come down after we close and see how you did."

His first day on the job was rough but he got through it.

After the store was locked up, the boss came down to see how things went.

"How many sales did you make today?"

The young man replied without hesitating, "One."

The boss said, "Just one? Our sales people average 20 or 30 sales a day.

How much was the sale for?"

The kid said, "$101,237.64."

The boss said, "$101,237.64?! What the hell did you sell?!"

the kid said, "First I sold him a small fish hook.

Then I sold him a medium fish hook.

Then I sold him a larger fish hook.

Then I sold him a new fishing rod.

Then I asked him where he was going fishing and he said down at the coast, so I told him he was gonna need a boat, so we went down to the boat department and I sold him that twin-engine Chris Craft.

Then he said he didn't think his Honda Civic would pull it, so I took him down to the automotive department and sold him that 4x4 Blazer."

Amazed, the boss said, "A guy came in here to buy a fish hook and you sold him a boat and a truck?"

"No sir, he came here to buy a box of tampons for his wife and I said, 'Well, your weekend's shot, you might as well go fishing.'"

[papaOU]

Hey General, something about this reminded me of you in your hay-day on
74th and Penn.


A young guy from Texas moves to California and goes to one of those big "everything under one roof" stores looking for a job.
The manager asked, "Do you have any sales experience?"

The kid said, "Sure, I was a salesman back home in Texas."

The boss liked the kid so he gave him the job. "You start tomorrow. I'll come down after we close and see how you did."

His first day on the job was rough but he got through it.

After the store was locked up, the boss came down to see how things went.

"How many sales did you make today?"

The young man replied without hesitating, "One."

The boss said, "Just one? Our sales people average 20 or 30 sales a day.

How much was the sale for?"

The kid said, "$101,237.64."

The boss said, "$101,237.64?! What the hell did you sell?!"

the kid said, "First I sold him a small fish hook.

Then I sold him a medium fish hook.

Then I sold him a larger fish hook.

Then I sold him a new fishing rod.

Then I asked him where he was going fishing and he said down at the coast, so I told him he was gonna need a boat, so we went down to the boat department and I sold him that twin-engine Chris Craft.

Then he said he didn't think his Honda Civic would pull it, so I took him down to the automotive department and sold him that 4x4 Blazer."

Amazed, the boss said, "A guy came in here to buy a fish hook and you sold him a boat and a truck?"

"No sir, he came here to buy a box of tampons for his wife and I said, 'Well, your weekend's shot, you might as well go fishing.'"

Good one!

[papaOU]

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Yes, in 1969 there was quite a blizzard and for once I had ordered extra shovels and de-icer and rock salt.....Thought my supervisors were going to "Croak" then they were bragging about having the only store prepared. Had to give up part of it to 74/penn. Had a good year that year....

I remember that blizzard. We were on Christmas Break (yes Christmas Break, not "winter break") from school. Only thing open for a 14 year old kid to take advantage of was the Knob Hill theater. They were showing one movie instead of two for some reason. Easy Rider. I know that movie by heart.

[RealJimbo]

I remember that blizzard. We were on Christmas Break (yes Christmas Break, not "winter break") from school. Only thing open for a 14 year old kid to take advantage of was the Knob Hill theater. They were showing one movie instead of two for some reason. Easy Rider. I know that movie by heart.

I remember that blizzard. (but wasn't it in 1968?) That was back when I was a southsider. SW 59th street had a 15-foot drift between Miller and May. Nothing could move that day. I called in to work and my boss who would walk ten miles to get to work was there and said "if you can't get to work today don't bother coming back tomorrow". I said "are you sure?" and she said "yes, I mean it". So I got on the phone that day and found another job. When I didn't go back to the first job the next day, my former boss called to ask where I was. I told her - after I got home from work that day - that I was at my new job. She was surprised that I took her seriously. But I was just a kid and took everything she told me very seriously. I hope maybe she started doing the same thing after that.

[Generals64]

I remember that blizzard. (but wasn't it in 1968?) That was back when I was a southsider. SW 59th street had a 15-foot drift between Miller and May. Nothing could move that day. I called in to work and my boss who would walk ten miles to get to work was there and said "if you can't get to work today don't bother coming back tomorrow". I said "are you sure?" and she said "yes, I mean it". So I got on the phone that day and found another job. When I didn't go back to the first job the next day, my former boss called to ask where I was. I told her - after I got home from work that day - that I was at my new job. She was surprised that I took her seriously. But I was just a kid and took everything she told me very seriously. I hope maybe she started doing the same thing after that.

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It was either late 68 or early '69 wasn't it????I remember David Green got snowed in at the TG&Y on S.E. 44th and Bryant......

[Prunepicker]

It was either late 68 or early '69 wasn't it? I remember David Green got
snowed in at the TG&Y on S.E. 44th and Bryant...

It was 1968. I remember joking that someone wrecked the Fresca truck.
It was great! No school for at least 2 days.

I liked anything that kept me out of school.

[Generals64]

Boy, right now we were in a "Scramble" to get the Stockrooms cleared out and ready for Inventory. It never failed that the day before Christmas in the Lay a Way aisle you would find the Toy that EVERYONE wanted and someone forgot to pick up.......Sell it was my motto....then after it was sold the person that had the lay a way would come in to pick up their child's Christmas.....Sheesh...I'd get in trouble.....

[Generals64]

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It was either late 68 or early '69 wasn't it????I remember David Green got snowed in at the TG&Y on S.E. 44th and Bryant......

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I was told today it was in February 1968....Whatever......The drifts were bigger than the ones of this blizzard...But, the children of the night (1968) spawn some of the drivers and taught them how to drive on the snow just like they did in '68.....4 Wheel drive is only as good as the person behind the wheel...

[papaOU]

I thought it was about this time in 1968. I associate it with Christmas Break (Yes we used to have Christmas not Winter Break ) from school.

Of course the way my frame of mind was at times during that period, I may have just thought it was snowing.

[papaOU]

Broke my ice scraper. Went around the corner to the Family Dollar (Humpty Dumpty building).....

"We don't carry such items!"

[vellis]

I worked at the TG&Y at 29th and May around 1979-80. Started out as a stock boy and ended up working Sporting Goods and Automotive. Doctored my Birth Certificate to show I was 16.

I remember crawling around the storage area for lay-aways, sweeping up after the store closed, and having the new folks page over the intercom for a stock boy for an "aisle straighter". Even sent some of the more gullible ones to Griders to get it back because "we must have loaned it to them".

[Generals64]

I worked at the TG&Y at 29th and May around 1979-80. Started out as a stock boy and ended up working Sporting Goods and Automotive. Doctored my Birth Certificate to show I was 16.

I remember crawling around the storage area for lay-aways, sweeping up after the store closed, and having the new folks page over the intercom for a stock boy for an "aisle straighter". Even sent some of the more gullible ones to Griders to get it back because "we must have loaned it to them".

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I helped open that store in August of 1964....Jim Kelly was the store manager....he is still in the Variety store business today....We always had a counter stretcher....never could figure out how to use it.....lol

[ChuckE]

Has anyone seen the Toy TG&Y Truck for sale on craigslist?

TG&Y METAL TRUCK-VINTAGE

I wanted one of these when I was little

Chuck E.

[vellis]

The only manager I remember was Mr. Hair and a Mr. Ludwick(?).

Internal intercom system was Green line 1 and Green line 2.

Had to actually count out change. Today's clerks inability to make change if the machine can't do it is amazing.

After TG&Y, I went to work at Target on 44th and Western. Sporting goods and Automotive department. I liked Target better as a store.

[papaOU]

Has anyone seen the Toy TG&Y Truck for sale on craigslist?

TG&Y METAL TRUCK-VINTAGE

I wanted one of these when I was little

Chuck E.

Good looking item. There you go 64

[rcjunkie]

My son and I have a large collection of hotwheels, back in the summer I bought a collection of 500 hotwheels at an auction in Enid Ok, all have TG&Y stickers on them. They were priced anywhere from 29 to 59 cents.

[bluedogok]

Broke my ice scraper. Went around the corner to the Family Dollar (Humpty Dumpty building).....

"We don't carry such items!"

I expect that down here, none of the stores have them until after the first ice storm but I never had trouble finding them at AutoZone or O'Reilly's. I did buy one a couple of weeks ago down here, the Eddie Bauer store at the San Marcos outlet mall had a down ice scraper mitt on sale for $10, or half off with another purchase so I picked one up for $5 with the vest my wife wanted.

[Generals64]

I expect that down here, none of the stores have them until after the first ice storm but I never had trouble finding them at AutoZone or O'Reilly's. I did buy one a couple of weeks ago down here, the Eddie Bauer store at the San Marcos outlet mall had a down ice scraper mitt on sale for $10, or half off with another purchase so I picked one up for $5 with the vest my wife wanted.

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San Marcos????that oughta last you about forty years...right????That is such a pretty part of Texas when you go a little more West.....

[bluedogok]

I think I have used the one I have (of course relocated from OKC) about 10 times in 6.5 years down here. We made it to OKC (from West Texas) on Sunday, so we missed the heavy stuff that had to be cleaned off.

[Generals64]

Today (Jan.3rd first Sunday in January) would be the first day of Inventory for TG&Y in the "Old" days......Yellow Tickets here we come......

[RealJimbo]

Today (Jan.3rd first Sunday in January) would be the first day of Inventory for TG&Y in the "Old" days......Yellow Tickets here we come......

Can you say "RGIS"?

[Generals64]

Can you say "RGIS"?

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Yeah, but in '62 through about '74 we used yellow slips and counted everything in those stores.....Even the tropical Fish.....Had some die before the Supervisors came through to check the Inventory so I ran down to the Bait Shoppe and bought a Bunch of Minnows to cover the deaths.....it worked....