Going to the mall in 1978

[@fireguy615]

Growing up as a Gen X kid in the 70s and a teen in the 80s, I thought the world would always be like this. Boy was I wrong.

[@pennwoman]

Grew up in the 80s. A really great time.

[@notsoseriousmoonlight]

Same here! 💔

[@rsuriyop]

Well, it was bound to change. If you look back at the last 60 years alone, people gradually became more and more free willed with each passing decade.

[@tj8771]

Tell the truth. I never thought of stuff like that back then. I just enjoyed and lived my life. Although I never thought things would get this bad that made the 70s and 80s look like the good-ol-days.

[@Suttonk2]

Agreed! Back when things were simple.

[@MoonLoonie69]

It’s so crazy that someone in 1978 took the time to record all this for future generations. Cherish this footage.

[@justincase190]

Nice to have a look back at the year I was born.

[@cdevidal]

@@justincase190same (high five)

[@xOneWayStudiosx]

This guy has to be a time traveler

[@litiviousspartus4611]

Ugh...😔

[@brodriguez11000]

Back when no one would look with suspicion about someone walking around filming people.

[@mushroomsmokev2]

I miss the warm, analogue, earth-tones aesthetic of the 70s and early 80s. Today everything is silver/grey, digital, and synthetic, all lit up by garish blueish- white LED lighting. Thanks for this little time capsule of a more simple time.

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

This is the world I miss.

[@Melancholy1966]

I know what you mean, I still have my house decorated in warm earthy tones...I can't get into the sterile grey that's popular now.

[@ZefTillDeath8878]

I was a kid as that era phased out. I have it in my house now and I never get tired of it.

[@alephnull7410]

The further back we go in time where digital technology is limited, to non existent, we can notice a trend towards a general wellness in culture in every respect. From optical aesthetics (as you mentioned) to a philosophically leaning social structure in all groups of people. As digital technology increases in sophistication, our natural human ability to create objectively warm and beautiful things in mind and environment diminishes.

[@kris78787]

@@Melancholy1966 ugh... every place we look at to rent always has dark grey painted walls! I feel like im in a prison!

[@BarbaraS-o4z]

It’s not that everything was “perfect” back then but life was simpler and calmer and less stressful! ❤

[@jackilynpyzocha662]

Less distracting.

[@mrgerbeck]

Perhaps; or maybe because you were younger. Life is generally simpler for a 10 year old than a 50 year old.

[@RichWeigel]

My parents were starting to have financial problems right around this time so I would say they were stressed but me being just eight I was having the time of my life.

[@mrgerbeck]

@@RichWeigel Exactly, because you were 8. Once responsibilities pile on, parents get older, life gets more complex.

[@thomasvelazquez9789]

​@RichWeigel Carter was President so financial stress is no surprise

[@jayalexander3356]

I love watching old footage like this, but at the same time it makes me so sad. I feel like I'm im constant mourning for the world we've lost.

[@Attmay]

Pre-boomer generations felt that way about the pre-World War II era back then. That’s how we got *Annie.*

[@jayalexander3356]

​@@AttmayI'm not a boomer and that doesn't make how I feel less relevant or true.

[@hoppes9658]

@@jayalexander3356. I was 14 that year so yes you are right. The people that are gone hurts the most. A cool thing though is the woods have doubled in size and old cow pastures are loaded with pucker brush and tree saplings giving more habitat for game and critters.

[@scottstempmail9045]

Heart attacks and cancer were mostly fatal.

[@shyman99]

@@scottstempmail9045 - And not as common because people did not have as many chemicals in their foods (cancer) and were more active and slimmer (heart attacks).

[@kris78787]

Does anyone else wish society was still like this? I can't be the only one

[@karinadelma]

Sadly, its not gonna be like this anymore. Society today are ruined since rise of social media and people acting like total selfish they are.

[@kris78787]

@@karinadelma so true, makes me cry tbh

[@MaxZomboni]

​@@karinadelma I don't know if I would blame social media. But the selfish self centered society that developed in the 1980s really wrecked society.

[@joebauers3746]

@@MaxZomboni No. Money printing and open borders are the two main things that have caused the decline.

[@MaxZomboni]

@@joebauers3746 More money was printed in the 1970s and the border was more open then it is now. You didn't even need ID to cross the border. No Trump Wall then.

[@babyblutube-s5j]

Back when people got dressed before they left the house.

[@thomashernandez8700]

Look at the beginning-older women in "beach" clothes, younger females wearing short-shorts. Not very nice-looking.

[@duffbaker9554]

@@thomashernandez8700But no tattoos/hideous body ink.

[@suzanneblaylock9598]

We put on nice shoes, a dress, had a nice handbag and sandals too. Scheez, Oh! And we weren't overweight !

[@babyblutube-s5j]

@@thomashernandez8700 haven’t you noticed that young women walk around in house shoes and pajamas now? That’s called not getting dressed before you leave the house.

[@adamhuffman3354]

At least the girls aren’t wearing those skinny jeans. Guys neither!

[@mw6563]

I can almost smell the fountain chlorine, carmel corn and Orange Julius. Fantastic!

[@MeanOldLady]

That's what made most of us kids puke in those spaces.

[@johnfoltz8183]

And hair salon shampoo

[@user-rb1yf4he9q]

Don’t forget the smell of fresh nylon and polyester as you pass Chess King! 🕺🏼

[@johnfoltz8183]

Or the freshly baked giant cookies at a cookie store

[@joefox9765]

Seems like yesterday

[@BigChill73]

Thank god I lived my childhood with no cell phone in hand

[@TheSaturnV]

Absolutely! I feel guilty when I think of today's kids, but I am so grateful to have grown up in this better era.

[@JGG1701]

How bout now?

[@anibalbabilonia1867]

👋🤣👉📱And now you’re enjoying watching it on KZbin on your cellphone!📲

[@JGG1701]

@@anibalbabilonia1867 My point exactly 😉

[@BigChill73]

I am setting the phone to the side more and more. Try to enjoy life with less stress

[@nanetten6238]

The world felt a lot cozier back then..............

[@bobbillings]

because it really was

[@ericfranchi1354]

A perfect way to put it. I agree.

[@KentKaliber]

PERFECT WORKING! The USA felt COZY in the 70's 80's, not anymore

[@tenbroeck1958]

As someone who was there, yes it did. It started to change after MTV, Reagan, etc. People became aware of dressing trendy and it changed things, sadly. My mom's friends went from post-Hippie earth tones, to butch hair, shoulder pads, Yuppie on steroids look

[@driver4011]

america was still america back then. a lot more open space, n a lot less cement.

[@Kutil99]

I was 12 in 1978, brings back strong memories of my mall experiences at that age. I can smell that Hickory Farms store, like wood and summer sausage. A great time to be young!

[@edeltraudbirmingham4331]

Same for me! 12 years old in 1978 and it was a glorious childhood.

[@Edwin48100]

I was 15 years old.

[@chrissy4782]

I was 12 in 78, and as soon as I saw Hickory farms in the footage, I could smell it in my mind.

[@mowowie]

I was 11. A great time to be alive. 3 to 13 during the 70's 13 to 23 during the 80's. Was a Awesome time to be young.

[@jrebecca0195]

I turned 7 at the end of that year.

[@Jill-k4p]

No cell phones… just playing together with fun and conversation. Loved these days

[@ashantisamuels6602]

No lgbtq movement

[@Dagger-Deep]

​@@ashantisamuels6602 Why does this bother you?

[@kelle0285]

​@@ashantisamuels6602 Oh there was.

[@TheBOG3]

Charlie’s Angels had car phones (cellular) in their cars. I guess people had them if they had a reason to have them…like a millionaire boss.

[@Charlesx396]

@@ashantisamuels6602what a weird comment to make……. Keep your homophobia to yourself grandma.

[@stormykeep9213]

For those of us that lived through this era, all we have are these vids and our memories. It's too depressing to walk through a mall now, (and unsafe) that is if you can find one open. But just the people out with friends and family, and nobody stuck with their faces in a cell phone brings back happier times.

[@PHBRNTGGR2]

Our mall is now a 15 minute city. Talk about welcome to this nightmare…😭

[@ClaireCopeland-n6y]

Covid closed most of the malls that Internet had not already destroyed

[@JCoffeeExpress2]

I was 22 in 1978. It was a great time to be alive. The USA was a much better place then.

[@boblittle2529]

Yeah I was 22 in 78 also. We didn't know it was a great time at the time 😄

[@purplemist7]

Take off your nostalgia glasses. Every period of time has had its problems, including the 70s.

[@JohnSmith-fm1ht]

It's not nostalgia, it's the truth. Things really were better across the board. Much better.

[@suzanneblaylock9598]

I was 16 years old. The 70's were perfect.

[@thegreatescape902]

@@purplemist7he said it was better. They never indicated that it was problem free.

[@user-wb1qo6ol4h]

So serene when compared to the nonsense in malls these days. Miss the 70s and 80s.

[@roderickcortez138]

What's a matter? You don't like smash and grab at malls?

[@user-wb1qo6ol4h]

@@roderickcortez138 need to think on that one ...

[@mark3464]

That’s what people said back then. People always complain about the present

[@darrellpasion8925]

@@TheTrueAdonis1 racist much ? Lol. Jk

[@Twister1980]

​@@TheTrueAdonis1😂😂😂😂

[@judya8392]

The closest we will ever get to time travel. Thank goodness someone back then took these videos. They literally had no idea how much watching them in 2024 would mean to so many!!! What I would not give to go back!

[@PS-js9oh]

That's Marty McFly out in the parking lot with some nutty professor..... .....nice car too

[@ihaveeightcats]

This is shot on film and transferred to digital. You can see the scratches in the film. 😊

[@joeburt1106]

When Hickory Farms had an actual store . . .thanks for the free samples. Next stop . . . Sees.

[@BlackDiamond609]

I'd go back too

[@dianadoos1944]

what I would give

[@cdcVintage]

Everything so slow, everything so calm. Take me back this is awesome.

[@cmichael6117]

Go to the mall right now. I guarantee you it’s exactly like this. Everything was so slow so calm? What are you talking about?

[@chillydawgg4354]

I love the 70s mellowness

[@karinadelma]

@@cmichael6117 you don’t know about 70’s and people were more friendly and polite back then.

[@tonybartoli3655]

He or she is absolutely correct!! The pace of life was much better and people were civil. Thank God for that time back then. America was not in dystopia!!!​@@cmichael6117

[@bobbylee6859]

@cmichael6117 most malls are dying and getting robbed

[@xevvy6857]

If this 1978 mall video was 10 hours long I’d sit here and watch the whole thing! Absolutely Sensational!☺️

[@NemeanLion-]

If it interests you that much, watch Dawn of the Dead 1978, almost the entire film is shot in a mall like this.

[@xevvy6857]

@@NemeanLion- Yes, excellent movie! I’ve seen it several times over the years. Great mall from PA in that! Been awhile, absolutely deserves another watch✌🏽just sth about the realism of these videos tho😌

[@LeeLeeCRN]

​@@NemeanLion- now I know what I'm doing tonite lol. Thx for making my Friday nite! I've never seen it but it sounds like something I'm going to like! 👍☺️

[@NemeanLion-]

@@LeeLeeCRN it’s one of the top horror films I’ve ever seen, but it’s not for everyone. You’ll definitely get that 70s flavor for sure

[@NemeanLion-]

@@xevvy6857 that’s great. I’ve seen it dozens of times. It’s got a real 1978 feel to it.

[@marybarker7952]

Notice the calm,NOT yelling and drama everywhere.The time when people had good common sense!

[@BaggioItal]

And RESPECT for oneanother.

[@auntihooha]

We weren't wired by the electronic gadgets in our hands - we had time to take in the actual, real world.

[@angeleyes885]

And I guess we’re going to COMPLETELY ignore the demographics in this video? Yeah no violent rap thug culture here..

[@KelleyM462]

Let’s go back to this time period!!

[@rick3747]

I was 12 in 1978. The "Greatest Generation" was in charge that is why it was so peaceful.

[@pierre-olivierturmel1705]

That's a memory that footage! I'm from Montreal, Canada and went there a lot with my parents and grand-parents! I recognized it right away with the Hickory Farm store. Great memories.

[@JF-xq6fr]

Back when you would hear: "Behave, you're in public."

[@tarabooartarmy3654]

Now days, parents are so stuck in their phones they don't even notice their kids running around like maniacs. Even today, I tell my kids to behave in public. But I see so many just ignoring theirs and letting them act like monsters.

[@Sacred_Fire]

Now you hear: He's/she's just a kid!" from the parent who's allowing their kids to knock over items, run around around, etc.

[@elmadixon8293]

That is true. I haven't heard a parent tel their kids that in decades!

[@nocturnalrecluse1216]

Wisdom from Ten Bears. 🙏

[@JF-xq6fr]

@@nocturnalrecluse1216 There is iron in your words of praise for all of YT to read - You may go in peace.

[@derekanderson9418]

You have no idea how much I miss those days. This was back when things made sense.

[@Dnyce261]

Something else you rarely see nowadays: good customer service..the gentleman helping the lady trying on shoes.

[@Trekopolis]

What is customer service? lol Sad reality that people who work at places now have zero concept of the skill.

[@trollking99]

Al Bundy.

[@minipoopuu12340]

Customer svc is almost non existent nowadays they almost turn the other way when they see you

[@Trekopolis]

@@minipoopuu12340 Because work ethic and the drive to take care of customers has changed. Nobody cares anymore. Not sure why, but society has changed completely. Lack of respect for others maybe. Who knows.

[@Sheba-bh7lc]

The sales clerk used to do exactly this. I had them help me with shoes many times this way. Just like they used to pump your gas and clean your windshield. I remember it all.

[@Bozlee22]

The best of America is certainly behind it. Just glad that I was there to experience it

[@flipnap2112]

indeed

[@Mike-xo8on]

Same here

[@TheJanet4321]

Yep, this is what it was like in the 70's at a mall! I was in my teens then - hanging out at malls was so common back then. Love seeing the 70's hairstyles and clothes - just a simpler time as others have mentioned - none of the craziness of our current times.

[@tia2all501]

I was 22yr working in a hair salon. We were so busy, making good money. I had my own place, people wanted to get out and make their own way in the world. We had so much fun, glad I was there to live it ❤

[@craigslistrro709]

I was 15. and dreaming about the day I turned 16 so I could drive.

[@elmobolan4274]

I was 11 in 1978 - crazy all those kids are approaching their 60's, including ME!!

[@darrellpasion8925]

I was 5 in 1978. I'm gonna be 51 in 2 months. I can't believe how fast time past the older you get.

[@robm2707]

Me too 😢

[@ncavlleguy]

I was too !

[@citrus.mixer1]

I heard an old lady recently say "one day I was 25, then I blinked and I was 85." 😂I can't remember the exact ages but that was the gist. But really it's a privilege just to be able to live to an older age.

[@citrus.mixer1]

@@darrellpasion8925 yeah, it seems like time zooms by faster and faster every year. It's January, then you blink and it's December already.

[@jackieveal]

Thank you for the memories. Bittersweet 😢

[@seanmc7128]

Omg I wanna go back in time so bad and just stay there.

[@IMeMineWho]

Tell me when you figure that out. The late 80s and early 90s were great times.

[@Rudimentary007]

Me too. 70’s and 80’s for me.👍😎

[@ttcostadc]

Me too, in the arcade!

[@Gildedbutterfly1976]

We all do!

[@emeyer6963]

Back when you didn't have to wear a bulletproof vest to go to the mall.

[@olliehopnoodle4628]

And there wasn't an 'assigned' police officer. I think there was one security guy but he didn't have much to do.

[@Porsche996driver]

That’s right. NRA has by 2024 put 400+ millions guns on the streets.

[@defenestrate4957]

No doubt... I haven't been to the local mall in more than 5 years.

[@bonniesilva5162]

Now, WHY would that be?🤔 Hmmm ..oh yeah, "diversity"

[@johnp139]

I’ve never felt that need.

[@nabi5864]

I remember mid 80s, the mall scene was absolutely glorious during the holidays as the holiday music echoed throughout and hired Carolers and band would roam around with great cheer… Ahhhh the nostalgia 😢

[@elmadixon8293]

Yes, I almost forgot.

[@js60540]

Watch the beginning of Fast Times at Ridgemont High. That's the mall we Boomers and GenXers remember.

[@1aikane]

I'm happy to be old enough to remember these days.

[@CindiCindi15]

Fun to remember the good days… not one face buried in a cell phone, not worried about looking at someone sideways cuz they might shoot you and everyone nearby. Just carefree shopping. So sad that malls are struggling to survive & scary to think what life brings in just 20 more years.

[@mfbfreak]

Have you ever even looked at crime statistics in the USA from the past 75 years?

[@pennwoman]

I so agree! I remember college in the 90s. No cell phones! It was great.

[@robodd4694]

If malls these days really wanted to survive they would start adding more interesting stores besides the over-saturated clothing/shoe stores. You can only buy so much clothes. Malls in the good old days had a wealth of different and exciting stores. It brought people in and stay.

[@hamtramckchronicles]

We won't make it another 20 years.

[@patpapa3204]

It all changed with cell phones & internet.. online ordering. SADLY. Remember looking at the Sears or Montgomery Ward catalogues on what to order.

[@tinderbox218]

People were so calm and kind compared to today.

[@suzanneblaylock9598]

And thin. No ugly tattoos.

[@karinadelma]

@@suzanneblaylock9598 there a few people used tattoos but not many everyone has it. Now today they used most of all time.

[@chopayrussell9660]

The words you are civil and civility

[@sisophous]

My thoughts exactly. Well said.

[@patriot9121]

Before big pharma were pumping out narcotics to all the kids

[@LeadPaint1]

It was such a wonderful time to be alive and it is absolutely true that EVERYTHING was better. I was 11 in 1978 so I've been aware of everything going on since then but I have no clue as to when/where/how things changed. Probably a combination of things that can never be reversed. I do think we were all happier then and you can see it on most of those people's faces in the video. Everyone in the video is socializing, talking, smiling and hanging out in groups, close to each other. Sure many people smoked and most cancers were a death sentence, but we seemed healthier as well. A grown man or woman could actually earn a living as a retail associate in a mall. My uncle was a bartender and my aunt was a homemaker but they could afford a modest home, car, etc. and travel a little. Same with my parents.

[@Fritha71]

And back then cancer was a very rare disease - even twenty plus years ago it was still more rare than today. I wonder how this isn't brought up publicly? Now the media tells us that almost half of us will die of cancer at some point in our lives, that's far from normal.

[@johnoconnor6356]

If you made $4 or $5 an hour in 1978, you could probably afford your own apartment, car, etc. Minimum wage then was between $2 and #3 per hour.

[@chaseww]

Today's world sucks. I am so glad I grew up from the late 1960,s to the early 1990,s. I am now 60. You can have this life the way it is now. When I go I will not miss any of it. I would love to say my last words.....Good Luck People........

[@PraveenSrJ01]

Your comment makes me quite emotional 😭 about this life

[@BarbaraS-o4z]

True! I am 63 and loved the period I grew up with! Today’s children and our grandchildren will never understand or appreciate the simplicity of life each day and looking forward to: buying an album or cassette, waiting for a movie to come out! They don’t know patience. 😞

[@richsimon7838]

I’m 60 also, agree 1000%

[@lynettenasseri753]

Those were the days that people enjoyed going to the mall on the weekend, checking out the stores, eating at the food court and a place that teenagers hung out to socialize. No one would even think of doing a hit and run theft of stores in the mall. Much more dignity, honest and morals back then.

[@gcvincent3989]

The one thing that really stands out is virtually all the people are thin and in good shape.

[@alaminhussain5302]

That's bodyshaming 😂

[@thomashernandez8700]

That's post-shaming.@@alaminhussain5302

[@dreamscape405]

It's because the food back then was organic produce, meat, dairy, very little processed foods...nothing like we have today. And PE was a real thing back then too. Also, spent way more time outside, doing physical things, it was easy to keep weight off. When we eat more healthy foods, our bodies don't need to be fed constantly, since it's a absorbing the nutrients, and fiber, etc. I had to start back eating organic foods only, due to a health issue, and I've noticed I don't eat near as much as before, and feel much more satisfied. Yes, it's definitely pricey, but since you're not over eating, it's easier to fit in. Balances out. ❤🥂💃

[@lindawise4652]

​@@alaminhussain5302No, it's truth.

[@Gordon_2000]

Before vegeteable oils where in everything people ate animal fats.

[@damianstachelski775]

We had it so good. And we messed it all up.

[@dm95422]

💯💯💯💯

[@joeycronan2652]

We didn't mess it up the crazy and worthless politicians messed it up.... But we let them.. IT'S NEVER TO LATE TO TAKE IT BACK. THERE IS MORE OF US THAN THEM

[@3dguy839]

We done dirty bad good dad didn't we

[@BarbaraS-o4z]

I don’t think we did…our government did it!

[@1aikane]

Ronald Reagan got elected in 1981 and then it started it all

[@davidbarnes4541]

I was 16 years old...THE GOOD OLE DAYS!!!

[@roderickcortez138]

This is the year I was born. My dad worked as a delivery driver for a small company and my mom worked part time at K-Mart. They were able to buy a three bedroom two bath house in California. How times have changed.

[@DragonQueen78]

Hello fellow 45 yr old 😊 This was a great time to be born and be a child of the 80s.

[@auntihooha]

Now they'd only be able to afford a large cardboard box.

[@pennwoman]

Yes I remember K-mart! Our neighbors worked there. Back then people could actually afford to have only the husband working outside the home & the mothers stayed home. We kids played all summer long with all the other neighborhood kids who got to stay home in the summer. It was an absolute blast.

[@mauricesoulis1590]

64 years old here- my parents bought a home in Piedmont, Ca.- a very exclusive part of the Bay Area as my dad sold life insurance n my mom was a Avon rep. Go figure….😂

[@roderickcortez138]

@@mauricesoulis1590 My parent lived in the bay area too!

[@brandyyolidio4213]

Seeing no cell phones or people looking down is strange, I love it!

[@TVY2013]

Me, too! Sick of a society addicted to screens.

[@Olds79Starfire]

@@TVY2013 What were you looking at when you made this comment?

[@TVY2013]

@@Olds79Starfire There's a big difference between being ADDICTED to screens and being on a wired computer at home periodically. I have no cell phone, no ipad -- just an old computer which I avail of sometimes. Never said the internet has no place -- obviously it holds the potential to open up a world of possibilities. The problem lies in millions of people -- especially young people -- being hooked on screens at the expense of real social interaction.

[@kirksmith2051]

Right. They were more aware of their immediate surroundings.

[@joejones9520]

ive always only had a flip phone which i seldom use, im only online at home and when in public im just like all these people in this vid however no one pats me on the back or even cares in fact it makes me an oddball.

[@lovesamystery40]

I started watching this and told my husband, "That looks so much like the Pyramid Mall." And then it was! That was a blast from my childhood.

[@AvoidsPikes-]

Where's Pyramid Mall?

[@AvoidsPikes-]

Nevermind, it's shown at the end of the video 😂

[@Gamble661]

I'm pretty sure it's gone now....

[@Rick5150]

LoL you don't have a husband.

[@mikeboucher1683]

@@Gamble661 it is gone..tore down in the late 90's.... only original part left is the Kmart building, which is a Runnings store now

[@ForestToFarm]

Christmas was always a great time of year where you could feel the spirit. Now very little is done to make it feel like Christmas. Terry

[@nickw22689]

The old shoe store experience…can’t remember the last time I ever had shoe store service like that where the salesperson would unlace the shoe and make sure it was the right size.

[@annb1]

Yes, and you put your foot on that metal foot measuring tool to get your size!

[@Lucille69caddy]

@@annb1The Brannock Device!

[@nh5er237]

My first full time job (1980) was a shoe salesman. So long ago

[@hirsch4155]

I was born in 1974 and remember those shoe stores. Actually until this video I had forgotten them.

[@Mikey-1990]

There's a family owned new balance in south windsor connecticut that still does it! Great old school service.

[@sharonhill349]

Watching this in the UK, we didn’t have malls in the 70’s we were about 10 year behind with the malls 😊 good old High Street in town for us, loved Saturday afternoons going round the shops choosing our new out fit for night out on the town 🕺🕺😊😊

[@lancelotdufrane]

If malls were still like this, I’d go back. I was a teenager and took it all for granted. Now I’m grateful for all of it. I’d love to go into a “Spencer’s Gifts” one more time.

[@johnalexander7490]

Unfortunately, you'd hardly recognize it these days. I miss the old Blacklight Section where they had all the posters and such. :)

[@tomcollins5112]

After Wal-Mart moved into my area the local shopping mall was almost completely gutted. We used to have a great shopping experience, but now it's just Wally World.

[@Crystasorrow]

I'd love to go into another KB Toys, or an arcade

[@ericknoblauch9195]

I remember Hickory Farms, Swiss Colony, B Dalton Books, and Kinney Shoes. Then came Millers Outpost. Sees Candy was also in a lot of malls. Emporium Department Store competed with Macy's. Back then there was also help and service from store clerks, and the bag was free. Now everything is self serve, no service, and there is a bag fee. Jc Penney, Wards, and Sears also had catalogs back then too.

[@tomcollins5112]

@@ericknoblauch9195 Yeah, before Wal-Mart moved in, we had places like Sam Goody, B. Dalton, Foot Locker, K-Mart, Old Navy, and so many old stores that I can't even remember the name for... The shopping experience was just so much better before Wal-Mart... That you should realize that America was a better place without free trade with China... I'm sorry, but it just was.

[@charleswenn6088]

My son just came back from a Hong kong/Japan vacation. He said it was clean and respectful. Like America 50 years ago.

[@shanehen]

Wow. The shoe salesman is in a suit.

[@melodiefrances3898]

Ikr?😮

[@bradsmack1]

Wow. The shoe store has a salesman.

[@RP-vy8st]

​@@bradsmack1😂😂😂

[@barbarastrzykalski7070]

You can’t even find a sales person anymore!

[@knuteboy3778]

I love it when you get 70's footage Vampire, and this time you struck gold. This one has it all. The primordial pre-80's arcade. The funky looking mall. Shopping for the fashions of 78. The hairdos. It's amazing just how different the world looks in '78 compared to say just six years later in '84.

[@vampirerobot]

Thank you. You are so right about the difference in years. You can definitely tell.

[@ZefTillDeath8878]

"Primordial" is a good word for it 😂 I was hoping they would zoom in on that game with the racing wheel. Probably a square block on the screen passing as a car. Kids were easily amused back then.

[@BiometricFileHasBeenCorrupted]

@@ZefTillDeath8878 That's what they will be saying about kids of today when everyone is hopelessly lost in the metaverse.

[@TR47]

Arcades were still mostly pinball and mechanical machines at this point. Some video games existed (namely Star Wars, Lunar Lander, Asteroids & Space Invaders from '78) but they were primitive, and didn't really become what we think of as an arcade until about 1980 with the release of Pac Man, which was mega-popular and began the shift to mostly video titles.

[@xevvy6857]

“Struck Gold” is the perfect description for this video, and interestingly such an understatement, as well! Phenomenal video, and one of my favs that has been posted here!

[@davidgoodman6924]

Before technology, social media, and cell phones ruined society forever. Best times!

[@jdewitt77]

You said it perfectly. I wish that the only thing you could do with a cell phone would be to use it to make and receive calls. Nothing else.

[@davidgoodman6924]

@jdewitt77 The Styx song Mr. Roboto was foreshadowing. Things are supposed to get better as time goes on, it's not. Rather have my Walkman anyday than a cell phone.

[@bob733333]

Tv is what is killing society. And people believing everything they see on it.

[@monkeywkeys3916]

Before the dissolution of America by Mass Illegals.

[@RobertR3750]

You post on social media to say this. Oh the irony.

[@Wandering_Wheelbillies]

Shoutout to whoever owned a video camera in the 70s. If you would have told me what the world would be like 50 years later, I wouldn't believe it. I miss those days.❤

[@ch1766]

By the time babies grow up they won't even know what a mall is. Back then people respected one another, dressed well and behaved. A sign of the times.

[@chaseww]

And prices were good and not out of control like today....even buying a simple soda is so expensive 🖕🖕🖕 these times

[@lornalewis9798]

So few fat folk too…kind of interesting.

[@ch1766]

@@lornalewis9798 LOL! I think because it was pre-cell phone days when people actually got up and walked around and weren't addicted to their cell phones and kids went out and played instead of being on their devices also.

[@Number4lead]

No riots or homeless camps around the building.

[@ch1766]

@@Number4lead True. It says in the bible that in the end times men's hearts will wax cold and they certainly have in the last few years. People are mean and rude with no conscience. I see clips of them walking out of Walmart with full grocery carts that they didn't pay one dime for.

[@robertabray-enhus3198]

I was 18 in 1978. I remember everything here Your mom knew you were at the mall.If you were over 14 you could go with friends..

[@dimviesel]

Oh wow! It’s like stepping back into time

[@CoolRay.]

Yes it is, isn't it? I only wish that when I pause the video, that it would allow me to perminently step straight back in to 1978 knowing that I'd never have to return to 2024 ever again. Hmm ... Now that just might be a pretty good idea for a movie someday. And in addition I'd be more than happy to leave every last dongle, screen, and bit of current technology here in the year 2024 as well as have a little eye-opening chat in 1978 with the future parents of Mark Zuckerberg as well as wih a few others.

[@eyeseer1]

A window out of time.

[@LIPPZ91]

I am Gen x and I so miss mall days. Meeting up with friends, clothes shopping, then lunch at food court. Yes we have that now. It's not the same. Everything was cheaper and more accessible. Like I miss Sanrio store, it was my fave place. Granted every store has hello kitty now, but it isn't the same. Ppl were friendlier and customer service was great. It was happy times as well as affordable times. Buying cassettes of ur fave music. Getting the latest release. Clothes were in bright neon colors and it smelled so good everywhere u went. It was so pleasing environment, just to sit and enjoy water rippling on rocks. I want to go back everyday.

[@cornstar1253]

Dont forget Shoplifting

[@patpapa3204]

ME too... 👍

[@cjhoward409]

Nobody on cell phones, people actually talking with each other. I remember the 70’s. It was the best. 😊

[@Mike.T.]

No one were on cell phones because they didn't exist yet. That's the only reason. The same people in this video that are still with us have cell phones and use them daily.

[@ohana8535]

@@Mike.T. And? The point is that people had to learn social skills, and not just being a keyboard warrior. And having a cell phone doesn't mean you have to be on it every instant. Some people know moderation. They can have a meal without a computer in front of their face.

[@wb3381]

Cellphone are good, but they killed human dialog interaction with a sense of attitude and entitlement

[@draneym2003]

Man I remember when I could just openly mock people for no reason or something beyond their control. It was awesome.

[@draneym2003]

​@ohana8535 I can assure you if cell phones and TV existed 1000 years ago, people would be addicted to them. Because they're designed to be addictive to what's essentially lizard brain software we're running.

[@jackiejenkins4078]

The Hickory Farms store made me smile. That was a must stop for my parents and I. ❤

[@Linda-v8d]

My first job..."would you like to try a sample of our cheese ball?" I was 18. Best times ever. Closed the store at night and made the store deposit to the bank slot. This was a walk to the other end of the mall which I did by myself. Can you imagine an 18 yr old girl doing that today???

[@pennwoman]

Unreal! What a great story! Back in the day we were given more responsibility younger. We grew up faster but in a good way.

[@dacidthorn]

Every Xmas! I would mostly eat those strawberry candies included in the paper grass packaging. Even got saved choking on one since my mom had JUST learned the Heimlich maneuver.

[@patpapa3204]

Good Xmas gifts.

[@khajiit8221]

These poor people had no idea back then of the nonsense world that would come in the 2020s

[@Attmay]

I doubt that very many of them had seen *Myra Breckinridge.*

[@melanievando2040]

You can say that again😮.

[@danieltucker4821]

I was one of those poor people of 1978 and I am dismayed at this nonsense world of the 2020's lol.

[@patriciasalem3606]

​@@danieltucker4821Me too. I hate these times.

[@jonathansabinvarietyfilms]

They were too busy with the nonsense in their present. The 70s were a landslide of social upheaval and moral decay, which is all connected to our current time.

[@that70sschwinn]

This looks so familiar, I was a senior in High school in 1978, shopping at the mall was the social event of the day 😏👍

[@marcelagae]

Makes me remember that there was a time when everything didn't suck.

[@brendaeaves1079]

I Wish We Could Go Back Such Great Times😊I Was 22 Years Old In 1978❤

[@cgdombrow]

The good old days, before mass shootings, fake breasts, and cellphones, I try to walk in my mall nowadays and I’m constantly trying to avoid collisions with people whose faces are buried in their phones, mindless zombies

[@TVY2013]

Well said!

[@Cindybin46]

not only that, we're usually the only whi te person there! I won't even go to a mall anymore.

[@animaljustice7774]

Mellinials and Gen z

[@thetruthchannel349]

When people finally realize ALL they've lost the real sadness will come when they realized there was nothing to lose in defending it. Thats why they're taking things very slowly. If people understood what they were really after all the govs on earth combined couldn't defeat their populations.

[@IMeMineWho]

Are you kidding? Plenty of fake breasts in the 80s.

[@lewislindsey7382]

I truly miss that time in my life I'm now 65 and this world sucks now

[@jrzygurl]

@lewislindsey7382 I'm 63 and I don't know what you're talking about?,,, the world does not suck now...lol....it's way way bttr!!!,,, you're just nostalgic for a Time Gone by that you perceive to have been better.. it's called selective memory..

[@grampsradio]

68, here! and you're right!

[@msw7021]

@@jrzygurl Stores closing due to rampid shoplifting, mall are dead, high prices, shootings, homelessness,.... way better

[@jrzygurl]

@msw7021 shop online then the stores around my way are doing fine...malls suck anyway... and yeah prices go up.. wages go up... that's the way it works... if you don't make enough money to make ends meet then get another job.... stop whining and toughen up a little bit.

[@Xeyedjohn]

@@jrzygurl you just don't understand

[@Intheyr2525]

This is when everyone behaved. I could shop without fear!

[@hedgehoog7809]

Three words: NO MOBILE PHONES 🎉

[@bardo0007]

And no computers unless you worked in the industry.

[@driver4011]

mobile phones were around in the 70s, n 80s, but very few had them. were huge.

[@j6282]

Technically there were cell phones then, I believe they were first available in 1973 but weren’t as commercially popular compared to today.

[@jakethesnake4971]

💯

[@teresapflaumer5717]

Phone booths!

[@johnathandavis3693]

That is a great shoe store scene that starts about 6:20. The well-dressed salesman assisting the woman with her shoe purchase. I'm so grateful that someone back then had the presence of mind to capture such mundane events back then so we could have this treasure today. I was 16 in 1978. I love seeing the old folks that remind me so much of the ones that I miss today. Thank you for this...

[@T.7801]

I was also thinking, this was probably this man's full time job, able to buy suits for work, had an apt, car & spending money on a salary that would be considered pennies today. I miss those times.

[@johnathandavis3693]

@@T.7801 -Yes, retail was a respectable job back then. One of my first jobs was as a gas station attendant. I had to wear a clean uniform and pump all the gas, make sales, clean windshields, check oil, sell tires(!). My boss was a very fair guy. I loved that job.

[@FrancesLarsen-z3h]

I was 16 also, it was a whole other vibe...

[@mariagilligan7133]

I would give anything to go back to the 70s. things were not perfect but so much nicer then today.

[@mintyjang]

Can we please go back to this 😢

[@driver4011]

ancient history. only way to "go back", is by watching it on a screen.

[@Diskoboy1974]

I miss Hickory Farms being open year round. And even though I was around for it, it's still weird seeing pre-Pac-Man arcades.

[@justsusan8606]

Simple times! The best of times! I loved this video! It means so much to the ones that lived it! ❤️Thank you for sharing this video with us!

[@brownyes6211]

Who would of thought watching people in a 70's mall would be so entertaining. But this is bygone history, which a lot of us were part of. No computers, no internet, no amazon or ebay. And NO CELL PHONES!

[@katieking8830]

Yeeeee haaaa!

[@co6308]

The best times were Christmas. The malls n parking lots decked out with xmas decorations, Santa clause, n people gathering together as a community. What a sad world we live in today with internet

[@silentsir2446]

Yep...Internet and politically correct democrats

[@fusetunes]

if it wasn't for the internet we wouldn't be able to see this video! i'm happy that it's so easy to get glimpses into the past like this now (:

[@RP-vy8st]

​@@fusetunes that's the sad part though the world we once lived in is forever gone

[@janinesmith369]

So true. Christmas was always so special then. We would always go to see the neighborhood lights on Christmas Eve and the tree 🌲 decorating was something we looked forward too. Not as big deal now it seems as it was then.

[@fusetunes]

@@RP-vy8st that's true, but the world is always changing- the 70s were once massively different from what people in the 1920s grew up with. change is never easy but on the bright side, at least we have things like this to preserve that history on top of our own memories.

[@danven1256]

I miss those days when America was populated with normal people.

[@reneenordeen9447]

Same.

[@takethestagelv202]

And no one was walking around with their nose in a cell phone

[@andythefork]

@@takethestagelv202 But if they had them, they would have. You get that, right?

[@darkpisces8125]

It was never populated with normal people. No matter what decade it was. Things went downhill after the silent generation.

[@milfordcivic6755]

The days before the crazies could all meet each other and exchange ideas on social media were the days to be living.

[@chrislaustin]

I was born in 71, so I was a kid and teenager of the 70's and 80's and some of my very best memories come from going to the malls of that time. I absolutely love seeing old videos like these as they show malls when they were at there peak, as I could spend hours there just seeing what was new with each new visit.

[@catherinecole5335]

18 in 1978 just graduated the best of times would love to go back

[@tacknup]

I also graduated in '78, but I was 17. Great times and I was working at our mall then, at Record Bar

[@Lizzyremembers]

I love seeing the customer service. Thank you for the videos. Great memories. I sure miss it

[@Christopher-jk9bj]

Record stores were the best back than. Walking in and seeing 1000s of records and tapes as a teenager. Seeing the promotional posters of your favorite groups on the walls that only the record stores got were very cool.👍

[@melodiefrances3898]

I miss record stores soooooo much. I mean I love KZbin for music, but there was something about browsing the bins and finding unexpected gòld ... plus the ambience.

[@chopayrussell9660]

Cavages, Camelot and Gerber Music ...home away from home, many a pleasant hour and money well spent.

[@tacknup]

Yes!! I worked at the mall at Record Bar in 1979 and what fun that was

[@lou1958]

Way back before flash mobs and mass shoplifting. We had it so good and most probably took it all for granted. The world has not improved much and in fact we have regressed in so many ways. Yeah, I'm fun at dinner parties.

[@xvernon3500]

You can sit with me, lol.

[@phillipreed2238]

I talk about the good old days like old timers did and I am told I am being negative # dinner parties

[@xvernon3500]

@@phillipreed2238 it may be a reason I am not invited to dinner parties. 😆 I remember when I bought a converter thingie to play cassettes on my 8-track tape player and thought that was amazing. Pass the catsup. Or ketchup, but let's not get into that.

[@jtinaman]

I remember older women still holding onto the bouffant (sp) hairdos in the late 70's even though that hairstyle had long been outdated. Lol!!! I was only 11 or 12 years old in 1978 but I have vivid memories of this time era. I also remember our Century Plaza in Birmingham during this time period looking very similar and how much I enjoyed going there when I was a kid. Being a rural kid going to a small country school traveling to the city was a rare and special treat for me. It doesn't hold the same appeal for me at 58 as it did when I was 12 but I do miss those days.

[@mrlume9475]

I remember going as a teenager to the mall, it was an exciting place to be . You'd get dropped off and hang out. Picked up later that day. Total freedom.

[@MarkTurner-vs7uc]

It was such a better time. Like a different world. If you werent there, there is no way you can even begin to imagine how much better EVERYTHING was . I miss America, I will never forget it. And what killed it.

[@ClipHarvey]

I was fourteen in 1978, and I agree with everything you said.

[@gulfstu]

CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN

[@SandySez]

Mark, I think about that very thing every day. I like reminiscing, but mostly it's grieving what we lost. I was 16 in 1978.

[@KB-ke3fi]

Obama killed it.

[@deadventurer4128]

It's like a window into another world. A better world. I'd go back in a heartbeat!

[@SierenH]

I was born in 1984....so I dont remember much untill...about 1992, except flashes of things. I miss the times between 1994-2007...and 2015 when I met my favorite group. Point I'm trying to make..I miss the times when u could just go out and have fun and not have to worry...now everything is online and there is no music on mtv or vh1, and the malls are boring now. Not to mention I used to go to the mall and be dropped off, but now cant do that bc its not safe..I was followed by someone there and he left me alone after I told I friend and he helped ans stayed with me until my mom picked me u, later found out he tried to hurt someone else in the parking lot.

[@misterscaz6011]

Thanks for posting this....and thanks to the person that had the foresight to make this back then. It really is a small time capsule of the way things were when I was growing up.

[@chieftomahawk7540]

I was 3 at the time but I remember loving go the Woolworths in the mall and the music store.

[@wkanost]

I miss arcades. Not just video games either. I miss the ski ball games and pinball machines.

[@michellemcdermott2026]

It was such fun

[@ronsmac]

I was terrible at pinball but great at pac man and miss pacman when they came out a couple of years later.

[@Leennramirez]

Those were the days the good old days.😊❤❤❤❤❤

[@hectorlopez1069]

Not a person with tattoos on their body.

[@AliceF1380]

The old days when the world was a better place

[@McCarthy0000]

It’s weird and sad that the elderly people walking by in the video are all dead now. They were alive back then, shopping, not knowing we would view them momentarily in a video passing in 2024

[@davidriesz8791]

They're better off to have lived before this.

[@gracejones2831]

@@davidriesz8791 every generation bitches about the new generation. You are not unique!

[@holy_warc.s.t.369]

I always think the same thing. Maybe one day it’ll be us.

[@inefekt]

you are probably in some random person's phone video they may have recorded yesterday and which will get posted on whatever their version of youtube is in 50 or 100 years and those viewing it will say the same thing about you....

[@lemonhead162]

I remember those stores called, "Hickory Farms." We also had a Woolworth's store in Almeda Mall in Houston. Lots & lots of memories of being with my mom, sister & grandma......

[@dapawaz8310]

I used to love Woolworth's. Ours had a lunch counter and cool toys that would never fly today. We still had a drug store with a soda fountain too, but the building burned down and they never rebuilt. I'd go back in a heartbeat, and never miss this dystopia.

[@denisewalsh6586]

We had a McCroys in Huntington, Long island back in 78

[@enriquerodriguezjr4466]

No stupid karens and also no stupid chadrens! Just pure good and polite civilized shoppers!

[@duffbaker9554]

No tattooed/gender-confused mainstream.

[@muspobear]

@@duffbaker9554EXACTLY!!!

[@MoonLoonie69]

No mass shootings either

[@americanfreedomworldpeace]

People were less entitled back then

[@MoonLoonie69]

@@americanfreedomworldpeace such peaceful times….save for the serial killers.

[@calikalbocalikalbo6082]

I live in Japan and I always tell my friends back in the USA it's like living in the 70s here. People are polite, calm, woman have style class and dignity, very little crime, and you can trust the food. Seeing these videos makes me never want to return back to the USA as it really is like that here and better.

[@purplelove3666]

What about the men?

[@calikalbocalikalbo6082]

@@purplelove3666 ....What about them?

[@samdunk4445]

Very little crime? You really don't know Japan at all.

[@calikalbocalikalbo6082]

@@samdunk4445 ......HAHAHAHA.....Yeah I don't know even though I have been here for over 7 years. The fact is compared to the USA there is exstremely very little crime. The majority of crime is perfomred by their maffiea and they pretty much keep that to themselves. No gangs of thugs smash and grabbing shutting down whole cities like that toilet country.

[@gator9339]

Does the name Junko Furuta ring a bell?

[@eric_in_florida]

It's amazing how similar all the malls looked. The 70's really were a better time. The girls were pretty and the guys were cool. People went to school like they were supposed to, got jobs like they were supposed to, didn't try to leech off the government or steal from everyone else. Entitlement wasn't a thing. You wanted something you worked for it. Most people were kind and respectful of others. The internet truly is the best and worst thing ever, at the same time.

[@wb3381]

The old timers kept us in line

[@thankthelord4536]

Meanwhile, the government and politicians were still evil and stealing resources and racism was still in tact.

[@thankthelord4536]

Mostly the worst thing ever.

[@dickjohnson5979]

There were lots of people on welfare in the 1970s!

[@wb3381]

@@dickjohnson5979 I remember the actual food stamps

[@christrojak9951]

This is such vintage gold, a true gem. The camera guy is also a bit stalkerish with those extreme close ups here and there. An amazing look back to a wonderul time

[@markdecker6190]

He must've had a decent zoom lens.

[@1903tx]

I appreciated his cinematography.

[@madisonkay_yay]

Yes I noticed that too

[@musicnerd72]

I was six years old at the time. Going to the mall was an event! Especially at Christmas time when everything was lit up with multi colored bulbs. The smells and sights.... Magical times in my memories!

[@gato7908]

Everyone focused on whatever material things they were looking at, or just taking in the ambience and people watching. Very different today with people mostly absorbed in the virtual worlds of their phones

[@danielgerald4551]

And you used a phone to watch and type this message.

[@gato7908]

@@danielgerald4551 yeah but I'm at home. See the difference?

[@danielgerald4551]

@@gato7908 I took a gamble, 50/50 you were not home at the time. What can I do 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@MichaelAChang]

I've been to the Pyramid mall in Plattsburgh, NY, many times as a Montrealer during the late 70s - many weekend drives to Whiteface mountain, Ausable Chasm, Santa's Workshop, ferry to Vermont, etc. when I first got my driver's license. The video brought back many fond memories!

[@MisterMikeTexas]

46 years ago! Time flies! 😢

[@TraceyChung]

Oh how beautiful seeing these times very much cherished an just wish I could go back in time

[@maryshellsmith6627]

I was 9 years old in 1978. Wish I could go back to the 70's. 😔