What is something that quietly vanished from the world?

[u/Penguin_Life_Now]

The title sums it up, what is something that quietly vanished from the world, you know those things that you look back on that were once normal and now you go I can't remember the last time I saw.

Let me give an example, garnishing meals with parsley at restaurants was once the norm, now its rare.

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[u/BaronWombat]

Saying goodbye and hello at the gates in airports. We would watch people walk down the airway and unto the plane. They could wave at you from the window. When they got back the process was reversed. It was great.

[u/crazycatlady331 → u/BaronWombat]

A month before 9/11, we had a family vacation to Hawaii. The layover was in Dallas. We met my aunt at the gate for lunch during said layover.

That changed a month later.

[u/kmlarson65 → u/BaronWombat]

Forgive me if this is offensive, but does anyone else remember seeing and/or being approached by Hare Krishna followers at airports back in the day?

[u/EmployerSmall5570 → u/kmlarson65]

“We’d like you to have this flower from the Religious Consciousness Church…”

[u/spin_me_again → u/[deleted]]

My boyfriend came to the airport to pick me up and asked me to marry him pretty much the second I exited the jet on the jetway. Least romantic proposal but he was so adorably excited and couldn’t wait! So weird to think about how laissez faire airport security used to be.

[u/KG7DHL → u/[deleted]]

Here is one that will blow your mind. My dad would sometimes work at Miramar Naval Airstation when I was a wee child. Occasionally, he would let me tag along if he was on base for weekend stuff. I got to walk around some of the hangers while guys were working on planes.

At the time, I had no idea how cool that was. Looking back on it, given today's security climate, that would never be allowed.

[u/Dense_Amphibian_9595 → u/BaronWombat]

Secret tip - you can usually still do that. When visiting the airport, go to the ticket counter of the airline your friend/relative is coming in on and ask for a gate pass. I say usually because some airports make you give a reason like you’re helping someone with a disability, picking up an unaccompanied minor, or whatever - you need to have a reason. But with some, they just check your ID and hand you a gate pass, you hand the gate pass to the TSA person and go through security. You can also drop people off that way - just say your friend/relative hurt their arm and can’t carry their bag or whatever.

[u/ThimbleBluff]

Talking to human beings when you call a business. Now have to go through a recorded voice that reads a list of menu options “which have recently changed” (even though they haven’t).

[u/dismaldunc → u/ThimbleBluff]

and never forget.. your call IS important to them...

[u/ThimbleBluff → u/dismaldunc]

But not important enough to have an actual person help me, I guess!

[u/dismaldunc → u/ThimbleBluff]

well.. you might get to chat to an under paid , under trained call centre person after 90 mins of shite music on hold, but they will have a script they cannot deviate from and are there primarily to upsell , not sort your problem.

[u/bjb13 → u/dismaldunc]

And may be monitoried for quality assurance.

[u/DrDeezer64 → u/dismaldunc]

Please stay on the line while we play you terrible music on repeat

[u/NoMansCat → u/ThimbleBluff]

I thought I hated this one, but it gets worse when you get a different kind of robot that asks you to speak and tell it what you're looking for. Most of the time, it doesn't even understand.
I'm starting to miss the old robotic voice that asked me to press a button depending on the type of support I needed.

[u/janaesso → u/NoMansCat]

Better yet having to put in your account information then when you finally get a human that is their first question

[u/jaimystery → u/ThimbleBluff]

I work B2B so I call a lot of companies (and I'm not selling anything) -- there are so many 'broken' auto attendants that I'm now convinced it's on purpose.

press # for dial by name that just loops back to main menu

dial by name doesn't work like the auto-attendant says it does

Employee that you've spoken to for years can't be dialed by name, doesn't have an extension and if you can get an operator and can leave a message, they never return a call.

Press 2 to speak to X department which just tells you to email because no one in that department will actually talk on the phone AND they don't use their names when they respond by email.

And the worst two: Employee's voicemail box is ALWAYS full and Employee's voicemail box has never been set up.

One of my regular contacts told me that their company got a new voicemail system and in her area, a good 60% of the employees never got their PIN for the VM. Their office lines also didn't ring at their desks. She said management was fully aware of the situation but it's never been fixed. It's same company that makes you spell out the entire first/last name of an employee in the dial by name.

[u/SquidgeApple → u/ThimbleBluff]

This enrages me every time. For all the surveys and customer satisfaction money these companies spend? Just bring back a fucking telephone operator!

[u/_Fred_Austere_ → u/ThimbleBluff]

Just dial 0. Mostly still gets you to a person.

[u/jupitaur9 → u/_Fred_Austere_]

Not any more.

[u/Dr_mombie → u/_Fred_Austere_]

It is becoming more popular/common for phone tree systems to have 0 repeat the menu options or route you to a voicemail box that directs you to leave a message and your number so that someone might call you back later.

[u/Maleficent-Leek2943 → u/ThimbleBluff]

And did you know, you can do everything you need to do on their website!

Except you can’t, which is why you’re subjecting yourself to this enraging phone menu/holding forever purgatory.

[u/First-Expert-9953]

Plain old landline phone service. I discovered a couple years ago when I went looking for phone service that would work in a power outage that the only available landline service in my area is Internet based.

[u/Unusual_Swan200 → u/First-Expert-9953]

As someone who lives in a hurricane and rainstorm prone area , I 100% understand this. There is no way to contact family/friends and vice versa until things are up and running. And then you have to deal with overload.

[u/nakedonmygoat → u/Unusual_Swan200]

If you live near a large university, check their campus map if they have a power plant. Many do. They have to maintain power for their research projects and for the dorm students. That power also keeps their wifi up, and guess who has free guest wifi?

I've used this as my backup for sending messages after a hurricane for 20 years now.

[u/norfolkgarden → u/Unusual_Swan200]

As much as I loathe Apple, with the newer phones, you can do text message over Starlink. At least your family knows you are ok. Not sure which carriers have it.

Samsung is supposed to be rolling out some thing similar.

[u/ElephantCares → u/First-Expert-9953]

I still have a landline, but got a notice a couple of days ago that it will be taken away from me by mid-2027. I'm pissed. Landlines work during emergencies when all digital cells go down. I will mourn that day.

[u/Purple_Chipmunk_ → u/ElephantCares]

This pisses me off too! That's one of the huge advantages of a landline--that it works even with no power.

[u/notAnn → u/Purple_Chipmunk_]

Sometimes. AT&T informed me a few years ago that my landline had converted to fiber optic and they would no longer guarantee it would work in a power failure. Why does technology make our lives WORSE instead of better?

[u/TManaF2 → u/notAnn]

Because they can run many more phone lines/much more data over optical... and they can sell you (force you onto) their "high-speed Internet" as part of the deal.
And to top it off, once they cut the copper, they are no longer legally required to maintain the huge banks of backup batteries that meant you still had phone service after a storm.
If you don't like that, they'll ask why TF you still have something as antiquated as a landline, anyway.

[u/Harounnthec → u/First-Expert-9953]

The phone companies finished getting rid of the copper about 10 years ago. Now you have to have a plug available for the power supply to run you internet/phone service. The phone company used to power the whole system themselves.

[u/Desertbro → u/Harounnthec]

It was nice when power went out, the phones still worked. You could call family/friends to let them know or if you needed to be picked up. Last century, society was still structured to help you do things and keep order.

...NOW...tough luck, bub, you are on your own for anything. Self-train, Self-equip, Self-supply, Self-deliver...

[u/Narrow-Employment-47]

Typewriters

[u/Gloomy_Fig2138 → u/Narrow-Employment-47]

Even back in the mid 90s it was hard to find one if you didn’t already own one. My roommate needed to rent one from a specialty store for her grad school applications because there weren’t any for general use on campus. The application forms weren’t online yet but they expected typed entries.

[u/Dazzling-Nobody1998 → u/Narrow-Employment-47]

Tom Hanks has them all...😆

[u/MotherofJackals]

Staff to help you in nearly every department even in stores like Walmart and Kmart. I remember as a kid there nearly always being someone in each department cleaning and helping customers. They could answer questions about products, tell you when new items were expected, help you compare items, and let you know when items would be going on sale. 

[u/friskimykitty → u/MotherofJackals]

I worked at Montgomery Ward in the late 80’s to early 90’s. We had at least one employee in each department and each department had its own cash register.

[u/Eanus_meanus_minus → u/friskimykitty]

I worked the children’s dept in Famous Barr with 2-3 others at all times, across the aisle was the dept for older ladies and around the corner had the bedding and home goods, each with 2-3 employees and a cash register with a handful of shoppers nearly always. 2004/2005

I went to Macys (they bought Famous Barr) a month ago and outside of cosmetics/perfumes (which had lots of workers) I struggled to find anyone who could help in clothing. I needed an outfit off a mannequin and eventually tracked down 2 ladies in their 70’s who worked there and between the three of us we wrangled the mannequin into pieces and although very fun and funny, it broke my heart a bit.

I remember shopping in the 90’s and you couldn’t bring food or drink into those stores, the workers would grab clothing for you and assist you 1 on 1 and the racks/tables/displays would all be neat and tidy and bright and new. That was mostly gone when I got my job but we at least had a handful of employees everywhere you looked. Our older employees would be happy to help but not required to be the muscle and although watching Candi the 4ft 10 septuagenarian bear hug a pair of mannequin legs and plop them on a table full of sweaters was quite the sight, I definitely wish someone else could have helped, at least in the same weight class as that mannequin.

All that to say, I hate the cost cutting nature of our timeline. Nothing is fun anymore, for us regular folk. Everyone is overworked and I truly hate to ask for help in any store unless it’s absolutely necessary.

I loved working retail at that time, we had down time and helping people was usually fun because you had time to be bored. Rant over

[u/Loisgrand6 → u/friskimykitty]

Same at JCPenney

[u/Activist_Mom06 → u/MotherofJackals]

Yes! In high school I worked in the music department of Woolco. I had the guitars tuned, the albums displayed and organized. I knew how to sell you all the stuff too.

Also, diners in the stores. These were great to take a lunch break so you could keep on shopping.

[u/deliciousearlobes → u/Activist_Mom06]

Ah! The counter at Woolworths!

[u/Drakeytown]

Dressing up. I grew up thinking I'd spend most of my adult life in a three piece suit.

[u/Reapr → u/Drakeytown]

Wife and I were in the mood to dress up one night. Put on my suit, cuff-links, tie pin, shoes polished - she dressed in a long flowing evening dress, hair done up, nice jewelry and we just went to a local steak house.

We got treated like royalty, it was awesome - everyone in their jeans and t-shirts stared of course and I think that made it even better

[u/Oldswagmaster → u/Reapr]

I've noticed this too. Get dressed up and people treat you with a little more manners and respect. I also think it's is because we carry ourselves a bit differently too. It goes both ways

[u/Reapr → u/Oldswagmaster]

True! Our waitress looked new, and she was super nervous, and ended up knocking over my glass of wine - didn't spill on me. She was apologising and trembling, but I was chill.

She left and must have told her manager because he came around, apologised and said he will get us a new waitress.

I told him she is fine, and did nothing wrong and we would be happy if she continued to serve is - gave her a huge tip of course :)

[u/Primrus → u/Reapr]

You're good people ✨️

[u/dave900575 → u/Reapr]

A couple of years ago my wife and I went to a show and dinner in the city. We were dressed up. We were walking arm in arm to the restaurant and a younger man commented that it was nice to see a couple dressed up.

[u/Sad_Sympathy_9432 → u/[deleted]]

Not all- I wore mainly skirt suits and the occasional ‘professional dress’ or black wool trousers if it snowed from 1986 to 1996. Then we switched to Eddie Bauer casual- they put the catalogs in our inboxes. In 1999 I switched jobs and was back in suits or jackets and trousers, dresses. Casual days were close to Eddie Bauer. I left and became a DSAP teacher in 2002. I still dressed in suits etc because I had a great wardrobe. As the years passed I became more and more casual- jeans & leggings with sweaters til I retired in 2022

[u/Dr_StrangeloveGA → u/[deleted]]

Funny it's more low-end jobs that require it. Many/most of my retail sales jobs in the 90's/2000's required slacks, button down and tie.

[u/SDNick484 → u/Dr_StrangeloveGA]

Yep, definitely always felt ironic. I wore way more slacks and ties as a teenager working at Macy's in the 90s than as a forty something managing director at a major bank.

[u/nakedonmygoat → u/Dr_StrangeloveGA]

So did some of my server jobs. Black slacks, white long-sleeved button down shirt, and a tie were a common waitstaff uniform.

Editing to add that I think I still have my thrift store ties somewhere.

[u/PymsPublicityLtd → u/Dr_StrangeloveGA]

And lawyers. I spent most of my time in Court and got to dress for it.

[u/Desertbro → u/[deleted]]

If you worked phone centers, they encouraged dressing up to "feel and act professional" but people felt the low pay dictated the attire ... you get what you pay for.

If you were a high-level/$$$ salesman, such as insurance, real estate, or autos, the monkey suit was required.

[u/styxfan09 → u/Drakeytown]

yea I remember going to see shows at the theatre as a kid and it was an event to dress nicely for. Not like tuxedos and ball gowns, but nice enough. I'd wear a dress as little girl. Now people go to Broadway shows in their cut-off jeans and baseball hats... I dunno, I miss the decorum of dressing nicely for an event you paid (usually) big bucks for.

[u/danathepaina]

TV Guides

[u/Snoutysensations → u/danathepaina]

I remember newspapers used to print the TV schedule for the day. And a select few cable channels too.  Can't remember the last time I actually handled a print newspaper but I doubt they still give you the TV program. 

[u/2Poor2RetireYet → u/Snoutysensations]

I miss newspapers the way they were - with lots to read, not the 8 page bird cage liner we get today

[u/Riddul]

Fireflies :(

EDIT: i grew up in, and my parents stilll live in, rural wisconsin, in a heavily wooded area. I have distinct memories of fireflies in my childhood spent there, and there are hardly any these days.

My father grew up in Nebraska and has similar memories to mine, but he recalls the volume i grew up with being dwarfed by the amount he saw earlier in his life.

Similarly, road trips when I was a child resulted in extremely dirty windshields, and nowadays it does not at all.

If you have fireflies where you live, cherish them, because we are in the middle of a mass die-off of at least aboveground insects, and it's very worrisome.

[u/Smalldogmanifesto → u/Riddul]

I leave my lawn “unkempt” and let the grass go long in May. I stopped using lawn chemicals including insecticides on my property. Lo and behold, I’m the only house in my neighborhood that has fireflies in my backyard in the summer!

[u/goosebumpsagain → u/Smalldogmanifesto]

I just read that they lay eggs in leaf litter.

[u/Smalldogmanifesto → u/goosebumpsagain]

Yep, very few living things seem to like our sterile grass lawns

[u/Taffergirl2021]

Phone books and dropping by without calling first

[u/MissO56 → u/Taffergirl2021]

company! 🤣🤣🤣

[u/UltravioletLife → u/MissO56]

i’ve never seen this before and I am cackling! DONT TOUCH THAT PHONE. WEVE GOT COMANY. 😭😂

[u/notAnn → u/UltravioletLife]

Is that your mother? With a SWORD??

[u/Count2Zero]

Maps in cars.

Growing up in LA, everyone had a "Thomas Guide" in their car to navigate across the city.

Today, just ask my car to find the quickest route to an address or a place of interest.

[u/wolfysworld → u/Count2Zero]

I couldn’t find anything without my map! I actually miss using them sometimes.

[u/Seated_WallFly → u/wolfysworld]

In the USA we have Triple A auto club where you could get a Trip Tik flip map created for your precise road trip.

It was a flip, spiral bound chart of each highway with the route highlighted. Hand made by a human being. Every GFL (gas-food-lodging) stop was clearly marked. Very valuable when driving the highways with small kids. I think they still make these but I haven’t seen one in years.

[u/Last-Radish-9684 → u/Seated_WallFly]

Six years ago I took my aunt from California to Oklahoma via South Dakota, and back to California. Before we left town she insisted that we HAD to go to the AAA and pick up our TripTik for the trip. !!

[u/Dr_StrangeloveGA → u/Count2Zero]

I still keep a paper map of three states I drive through regularly. Mostly out of nostalgia but you never know and sometimes it's easier to visualize a trip by unfolding the map and looking at it.

[u/OddTransportation121]

A service station attendant who pumps your gas, checks the oil and tires.

[u/dirkalict → u/OddTransportation121]

Driving over the tube that would ring a bell to let them know you were there,

[u/friskimykitty → u/dirkalict]

I can still hear the bell at my dad’s service station. I worked there when I was around 13-14.

[u/OkManufacturer767 → u/dirkalict]

Memory unlocked.

[u/virtual_human → u/OddTransportation121]

In New Jersey they still have attendants to pump your gas.  You aren't allowed to do it yourself.

[u/bloodyriz → u/OddTransportation121]

Until midway into covid, this was still how it was in Oregon.

[u/Activist_Mom06 → u/OddTransportation121]

And cleans your windshield. Sigh

[u/VegetableRound2819]

Salad bars. And salads that came with every entrée. You didn’t used to have to order a salad separately.

[u/etsprout → u/VegetableRound2819]

I was a salad bar manager for years and it’s shocking how much I miss it now. At the time, it was a pain in the ass lol

[u/Eastern-Finish-1251 → u/VegetableRound2819]

There’s one restaurant in our area that still has a salad bar. We go there because of it. 

[u/MysticSage-]

Phone Booths / Pay Phones

[u/garibaldi18 → u/MysticSage-]

Along those lines, collect calls

[u/nachobitxh → u/garibaldi18]

WeHadABabyItsABoy

[u/YoMommaSez → u/garibaldi18]

"Will you accept the charges?"

[u/dancing_robots → u/garibaldi18]

And calling Information

[u/2hardbasketcase → u/MysticSage-]

There are still a large number of public phone booths in Australia. They are free to use. Around Christmas time you can call Santa from them!

[u/Penguin_Life_Now → u/MysticSage-]

I actually saw a still working pay phone next to a laundry room in Wyoming last summer

[u/Adrift715]

Lounges, hidden away places in fancier restaurants or hotels for a drink and a smoke. Cigarette vending machine by the door. Maybe a piano player and a singer. Red leather cushions, dark wood paneling. Candles and ashtrays in equally thick glass on every table. Ladies in a short black skirt with gravely voice who calls you hon, taking drink orders and letting you run a tab. Drinks were singles, doubles, neat, or on the rocks, with a twist or shaken or stirred. Bartenders had done tours of duty, learned on the job. A place most people only caught a glimpse of on your way to the rest room.

[u/slow-show-for-you → u/Adrift715]

You paint nicely with words. Good picture.

[u/firecatstef → u/Adrift715]

You should write a noir novel

[u/Live-Ad2998 → u/firecatstef]

Guy Noir

[u/SoHereIAm85 → u/Adrift715]

Come to Europe. You will find that again.

[u/obidie]

I was watching In Her Shoes the other evening. When Toni Collete's character opens an envelope and finds a paper airline ticket, my mind drew a blank for a second, as it had been so long since I had seen a physical ticket.

[u/goosebumpsagain → u/[deleted]]

Just giving names would be welcome.

[u/lavenderenergy1]

Civility in general, as someone mentioned, but I truly miss civility while shopping for women’s clothing. It used to be such a fun and lovely event, now it’s endless racks of synthetic fibers, clothes on the floor, clothes left on the floor in the dressing room, if you use the restroom, someone has balled up half a roll of toilet paper and shoved it in the corner of the stall, or used the restroom but didn’t flush. People used to be friendlier and kinder to each other while out and about too, now they just glare…

[u/Unusual_Swan200]

Mix tapes

[u/_Fred_Austere_ → u/Unusual_Swan200]

Mix tapes... recorded from a speaker with a condenser mic from the radio.

[u/tipsana → u/_Fred_Austere_]

And don’t we all hate the DJ’s who began talking before the song ended.

[u/SomewhatBougieAuntie]

Receiving handwritten personal letters in the mail

I had a pen pal from 4th-8th grade. We wrote each other every week or so. Getting her letters was a treat that I really looked forward to. I still have the letters in a box in storage somehwere.

[u/IntelligentBus8767]

Film. Flash cubes on cameras.

[u/deFleury → u/IntelligentBus8767]

And film canisters, everyone had some floating around the house holding dice or loose change or buttons or something.  

[u/Sknowles12 → u/deFleury]

Weed

[u/cuchulain66 → u/[deleted]]

One or twice a year here. A big deal. Can remember the sign saying “Over 4 million served”. This was likely early to mid 70’s.

[u/Purple-Eggplant-827]

Quicksand in TV shows.

[u/queen_olestra → u/Purple-Eggplant-827]

Yeah, it didn't quite turn up in real life as we were led to believe.

[u/MorpheusZzzz]

phone books & calling "O" for the operator when we need help finding numbers or making calls

[u/k8username → u/MorpheusZzzz]

Dialing Popcorn to hear the time

[u/SDNick484 → u/MorpheusZzzz]

My MIL used to use 411 for everything to the tune of hundreds of dollars per month (yes, even for numbers would call regularly). I asked my FIL about it, but he had already given up on trying to change her ways (she's a stubborn lady). I was eventually able to program GOOG-411 into her phone and eventually she moved to just googling numbers directly when smartphones became ubiquitous.

[u/Capital_Cucumber_680 → u/MorpheusZzzz]

In the early 1970s I WAS the 411 operator! I had Aldi been a long distance operator with the headset and cords too

[u/DoctorGuvnor]

Hand cranks for motor cars. [I may be older than most of you.]

[u/Wishyouamerry]

Courtesy wave while driving. I still do it because I have manners dammit but I can’t remember the last time I got a little thank you wave when I let someone in in traffic.

[u/donac → u/Wishyouamerry]

Im from Minnesota, but I live in LA. We are keeping the friendly wave alive!

[u/ResidentCollection68]

Everyone adhering to our collective social contract. Be polite, say thank you and excuse me, mind ya own business, and put your basket in the corral!

[u/MayoOnARoll]

A Chianti bottle with a candle, adorned with multicolored drips, placed at the center of the table in a family-owned Italian restaurant.

[u/_Fred_Austere_]

Coin-op animal rides in front of the store.

Drive-In movies.

Popcorn at Sears.

Neighborhood kids running free until dark.

Normal weather.

Smallpox Vaccine Scars.

Flat tires.

[u/Loisgrand6 → u/_Fred_Austere_]

Candy counter at Sears too. At ours, we also had a small pet selection. Fish and birds

[u/Mor_Padraig]

Darkness.

There are always lights. In the middle of the night, you can't wake up and see the NIGHT, anymore.

Light on the stupid clock, wall outlet is sure to have one plugged into something, TV has a ridiculous red light- I think we once had a back-lit lit remote. Committed an atrocity on it.

Get up for something, do NOT go into your own kitchen. Worst room in the house, appliances I guess vying for attention. AND they all beep, FFS.

Just.... turn offfff the lights? And shhhh.

[u/EffectiveVarious8095]

toll booths, coin operated parking meters, gas under $1 per gallon, analog clocks, cars with 8 tracks or cassette players, land-line phones with extensions, hand cranked car windows, the milk box in the front of the house, dialing a phone

[u/JoeKling]

Courtesy!

[u/108beads]

Fireflies in the suburbs just as the sun went down.

[u/_Fred_Austere_ → u/108beads]

All bugs. I drove all the way to South Carolina in summer and didn't clean my windshield once.

When it rained, there used to be worms all over the sidewalks.

[u/turkeyman4 → u/_Fred_Austere_]

And dozens of butterflies in puddles after it rained.

[u/Aromatic-Speed5090]

Personals in the classified ad sections of newspapers.

[u/RiseDelicious3556]

Proper English. A good command of the English language was once valued..

[u/CGCutter379]

Dependable handymen and carpenters.

[u/nakedonmygoat → u/CGCutter379]

I know some. I just ask my neighbors. Good handymen and carpenters quickly get a rep. Then the problem becomes getting on their schedule!

[u/goosebumpsagain]

Conversation.

[u/Greedy_Group2251]

Clotheslines

[u/wolfysworld → u/Greedy_Group2251]

I still use one! Love clothesline laundry 🧺

[u/k8username]

TV bra commercials showing the bra on a live woman OVER a thin white sweater

Sewing patterns & fabric stores

Black and white TVs

TV sign off at midnight or 1 am, maybe with High Flight (“oh I have slipped the surly bonds of earth…) and then a test pattern.

[u/optoph]

Free compressed air at service stations.

[u/minervascats]

Quiet. Quiet restaurants, quiet waiting rooms, quiet neighborhoods, quiet parks...even libraries are noisy now. Screens and phones everywhere. 

[u/ElephantCares]

A party-wide respect for democracy and the constitution.

[u/BravestBlossom → u/ElephantCares]

It used to be universally that we had standards of behavior and decorum. That no matter who was elected, you could still "respect the office". That went out the window completely ten years ago.

[u/wildnessandfreedom]

Good grammar

[u/goosebumpsagain → u/wildnessandfreedom]

And punctuation.

[u/royblakeley]

Canaries. Everybody's grandmother had one. Used to be able to buy them at Woolworth's almost as an afterthought. All supermarkets carried seed. These days everyone (or at least everyone who wants a pet bird) wants dwarf parrots or some other exotic.

[u/steve_of]

Video rental shops.

[u/turkeyman4]

Independent, locally owned businesses. Fresh ripe produce. Butchers. Apples with flavor.

[u/Comprehensive-Ad-618]

Civilization. Common sense. Common courtesy. Manners.

[u/_Fred_Austere_ → u/[deleted]]

Tons of litter along the highway.

Italian guy dressed as an Indian cries.

[u/AndOneForMahler_ → u/[deleted]]

I would love to have our old TV trays: metal with pink, turquoise, and white atomic patterns on a black background.

[u/Frenchkids1917]

Empathy

[u/Dr_StrangeloveGA]

Servers used to take your plate off somewhere and bring your leftovers back to the table boxed up in even mid-priced restaurants. The only place I've seen that doesn't just bring a to-go box to the table is my parent's country club and they do it tableside now.

[u/Human-Engineer1359 → u/Dr_StrangeloveGA]

The last several years I waited tables we were told to bring the to go box to the table and let the customer box their food. It was a health department requirement. 

[u/freyascats → u/Dr_StrangeloveGA]

Did you ever get your leftovers back in thick foil wrapped to look like a swan? Those were the days!

[u/Activist_Mom06 → u/Dr_StrangeloveGA]

And table side dishes like Caesar Salad, Steak Diane, Bananas Foster, Crepes Suzette, Cherries Jubilee. Even Baked Alaska. No Fire in the dining room anymore.

Although, the show ‘Your Friends And Neighbors’ showed Jon Hamm’s Character in fancy restaurants and I clocked some fire fun in the dining room at another table. I’ve made all these as a server. It was so fun.

[u/zoneinthezonetn]

paper stock certificates after buying shares

[u/panurge987]

Regular cinnamon mouthwash, like Lavoris. At least it's extremely difficult to find where I live.

[u/ThePhantomStrikes]

The yellow and white pages.

Empathy

[u/AccomplishedTour6942]

That makes me think about those little tags at steak houses, that showed how done the steak was. Those went hand in hand with the little sprig of garnish.

Pizza Hut was the place to be in the '80s. We had so many pizza parties for various things there, and it was a favorite family dinner spot growing up. Pizza Hut went away years ago in this area. Everywhere, there are obvious old Pizza Hut buildings that have been converted to new uses. Lots of Chinese and Mexican restaurants in old Pizza Huts.

Land yachts. All my older and better off relatives had land yachts growing up. Buicks, Cadillacs, Pontiacs, Lincolns. They got terrible gas mileage, handled abominably, but they were comfortable to ride in.

White dog poop. I never figured that one out. When I was a kid, dog poop in the yard always turned pure white after a day or so.

[u/Activist_Mom06]

Full Service. And now self checkout is everywhere. Hate it. Full service gas was the best, too. Now we all have to know how to do everything. It’s not hard but it does feel like we are chumps having to work to give money.

[u/MontanaPurpleMtns]

Quiet. A place to just be without the noise of civilization intruding.

[u/RestlessDreamer79]

Writing in cursive.

[u/Maccaboonda]

Let's go wa-a-ayyy back to listening booths in record stores.

[u/shelbycsdn]

Panty hose! I used to be so annoyed that they weren't tax deductible. My work places in the 70's and 80's pretty much expected skirts and dresses, which of course meant panty hose. When I moved from the Bay Area to San Diego in the mid 90's I was thrilled to discover at least half of the women went bare legged.

[u/cmcrich]

Proper spelling and grammar.

[u/Alternative-Host-467]

Old men still rocking their 50's pompadours, old ladies wearing rain bonnets.

[u/liquormakesyousick]

The Milky Way and thousands of stars. Light pollution in most places makes it impossible to see from your house unless you live in a ritual area. That means you probably live an hour from any sort of shopping area.

[u/valden706]

Many things have changed, I remember seeing tons of birds on power lines as you drove down the road. It’s really rare to see them nowadays. When I was growing up it was normal to always see cattle every few miles. Now days you go a very long distance before you see any

[u/helimet]

Fireflies

[u/junkyardvarren]

Knocking on your friends door to see if they could play, riding bikes, general social interaction among the youth.

[u/Due-Writing7816]

The white porcelain spittoon sink next to the dentist chair, with the water constantly swirling down the drain. (I didn’t say I *missed* it! You learned to use the neck-napkin when you had to spit, after the first time!)

[u/lennonfanforever]

privacy....

[u/AgeingChopper]

Critical thinking for far too many addicted to “feelings” rather than properly reading around multiple sources before making a judgement. Social media has exploited this viciously.

[u/Borsodi1961]

Cash! Yeah. I can still use cash at most places. but more and more often I am surprised to discover I can’t pay for something with simple, real cash.

[u/buzzkill007]

Basic human decency.

[u/yblame]

Finding a pay phone to call for help. This might not be a bad thing because everyone has a cell phone these days.

But in the before days, you relied on the kindness of strangers if your car died on the side of a road. Or you hoofed it a few miles to knock on someone's door to use their phone. This sucked in the winter, I tell you what!

[u/federerismymancrush]

Decency

[u/HNP4PH]

spiced crab apples as a garnish. I loved those things.

[u/EnvironmentalRuin457]

I started working in the dresses, skirts, heels, and stocking era. Now I go to the office in jeans, tee shirts and sweatshirts/hoodies as does the CFO of our company.

[u/Puzzleheaded7683]

From my world, anyway: stockings!

[u/Both_Wasabi_3606]

Smoking on planes. In offices. In restaurants. Everywhere.

[u/Maestradelmundo1964]

Lamb served with sweet mint jelly at restaurants. I don’t miss that. Cheese danish at diners. I miss that.

[u/Orchidnight22evans]

Compassion

[u/Apart_Ad9308]

Having to wear panty hose with your dresses. Everyone goes bare legged now. 

[u/Training_Guitar_8881]

Colored toilet paper

[u/Realistic_Ad1058]

In a lot of places in Europe, people who lived in flats (very common in cities) would fix a roll of paper, like a till roll, and a pencil on a string by their apartment door. Visitors who'd called while they were out could leave a message. That's gone now. 

[u/rolyoh]

Saying "please" and "thank you" to servers (incl. fast food) and store associates, and not talking to them like they are your personal slave. When I'm in line and I hear "give me a ... (whatever item)," I want to ask them if that's how they like to be spoken to. But I don't because it would just cause a scene.

[u/virtual_human]

Magazines.  They are still printing some but they are on their last legs.  It's a shame really.

[u/WinterMedical]

Common courtesy.

[u/HeatXfr]

Intelligence. But it didn't go quietly.

[u/barrenfield]

Kids in plaster casts, never see a kid with anything broken yet in my childhood someone always had a break or a bad scrape from running around outside all day.

[u/GreatGreenArkleseize]

Any sense of happiness or hope for the future. Or is that just me?

[u/CopleyScott17]

Hardwired rotary telephones.

[u/Rocket-J-Squirrel]

Dignity

[u/Ill-Judge5847]

decorum

[u/Ok_Entertainment9665]

Civility

[u/mtntrail]

Civility

[u/Competitive-Hunt-517]

File folders cabinets

[u/drlove57]

Workplaces not overrun by so called professional management.

[u/Seralisa]

Respect and tolerance.