27 “Outdated” Things From The Past That Would Be Considered Really, Really Weird To Do Today

As time goes on, some of our habits and behaviors change because of technology. So when we asked the BuzzFeed Community: “What’s one thing normal at your time but is now bizarre to even think about?” over 200 people shared their experiences below:

1.“Dialing a rotary phone. I was with my cousin and his kids at an electronics convention. There, in the midst of a communications timeline display, was a rotary phone. He explained to his kids how we used to dial the phone. With an astonished expression on her face, his daughter asked, ‘Wow, how did you text?'”

—Anonymous, 66, Southern California

2.“In the ’60s, the local department store would bring clothing to a home to be tried on since many women did not have a car while hubby was at work. Stores were only open past five one night a week.”

—dazzlingtortoise54

3.“Counter checks. When I was a kid, every grocery store had a revolving rack with a pack of checks from every bank in town. If you forgot your checkbook, as my mom did a few times, you could take a check from your bank, fill it out for the amount, and they would process it like normal. Couldn’t remotely think of doing that today!”

—Anonymous, 65

4.“That mad rush to the bathroom or the concession stands at movie theatres when they had to stop halfway through to change the reel. Also, looking up at the projector light with all the cigarette smoke wafting through it.”

—irienewf

5.“The TV would shut off at midnight, closing with the National Anthem. I only saw it a few times because my bedtime was 8:30 p.m. We only had three channels during the day.”

—Anonymous, 73, San Francisco

6.“No car seats. My mother described a bassinet that hung over the backseat of the car, and she laid me in there and off we went. No straps or belts.”

—Anonymous, 64, California

7.“Having items on layaway, and not being able to get them for six months.”

—Anonymous, 55, San Diego

8.“Having to fix the horizontal hold on the television. And having to take out the straight pins that kept your clothing neatly folded after you bought it at the store. And if you ever ordered something from the back of your cereal box, it took six weeks to get it.”

—Anonymous, 70, Vermont

9.“I remember the freedom I felt as a teen in the ’80s, just going out at night. I would tell my parents I’d be home by 11:00 p.m. and I’d go meet my friends down by the dry creek (only filled a little when it rained) and just hang out, get drunk and stoned. The creek was a way for us to go from one side of town to the other. It was the best feeling because our parents couldn’t get in touch with us. We’d always have a quarter to use the payphone if we had to call them. Ahh, such good memories!”

—ropre

10.“When I started my first ‘real’ job, I was taught how to use carbon paper. There were no computers or copy machines. Always came home from work with purple hands.”

—Anonymous, 77, Wisconsin

11.“Back in the day, getting paid meant receiving a paper paycheck every Friday and making a trip to the bank to cash it. Banks weren’t open on weekends, and ATMs hadn’t been invented yet, so timing was everything. At the grocery, paying with cash was the norm; credit cards weren’t accepted.”

—Anonymous

12.“Grew up in a small town, and it was common for country kids to drive when they were 11 and 12. They would stay at a relative’s house during the school week and go back home to the ranch on the weekend.”

—Anonymous, 67

13.“Every school playground had a metal merry-go-round, a 16′ tall jungle gym/monkey bars, and a slide — all on top of gravel. If you wiped out and gashed something, you didn’t go to the nurse. You either ignored it or you splashed it with water in the bathroom.”

—Anonymous, 61, Indiana

14.“Instead of AC, we had water coolers. You had to use a water hose to spray the sides to get it to blow cool air. Start blowing warm air? Go outside and hose down the sides. You’d be good for another couple of hours.”

—Anonymous, 61

15.“Gas was as low as 19 cents a gallon in the sixties, there was penny candy, a brand new Mustang was under four thousand, and lastly, it was a quarter to go to the movies and watch a double header.”

—Anonymous, 70, Oregon

16.“When I grew up, there were no answering machines. If you missed a phone call, it was just too bad. You never knew the person called you until they called you back later.”

—sleepingorc10

17.“Smoking in restaurants was normal.”

—Anonymous

18.“Kids will never know the joy of running to the record store to get the newest album by a band you loved and sitting in your room with as many friends who could fit to listen. And the amazed looks when we all heard the sounds of Pink Floyd’s ‘The Wall’ for the first time.”

—QTRayvn

19.“I was a paperboy for an afternoon newspaper in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. 82 customers. I had to pick up the bundle at a drop-off spot, wrap and deliver the papers every day after school. It usually took about three hours total; it was a real hustle. At the end of the month, I went door-to-door to collect the monthly fee, often having to visit some homes two or three times. My social skills increased, as did my patience. A virtue. I developed a good arm and became a pretty good baseball pitcher. But not a lot of goofing around with pals after school…”

—Anonymous, 71, California

20.“Going somewhere with no security/metal detector. Airports had no security checks, schools had no security checks, sporting events had no security checks, and concerts had no security checks.”

—bnshopn

21.“Fallout shelter signs everywhere. Atomic bomb drills at school where you would sit under your desk with your head between your knees to save yourself in case of a direct hit.”

—Anonymous, 74, California

22.“We would listen to the radio and wait for our favorite song to come on so we could record it on a blank cassette tape and have a mix tape of our favorite songs, and if you missed the song or recorded it too late or too early, well… it was just what it was. Great times.”

—Anonymous, 26, South Carolina

23.“Democrats and Republicans who got along with each other and truly cared about America.”

—Anonymous

24.“I’m in my 80s. We were not allowed to wear pants in school in Minnesota. We could, however, wear jeans under our dresses, take them off in the coat room, and put them on again at the end of the school day!”

—Anonymous

25.“Phone books. The local paper had them for free and needed a section with names and phone numbers. With all the information published, no one harassed anyone, even in a good-sized city.”

—dazzlingtortoise54

26.“Always keeping a dime in your shoe in case you had to use a pay phone while you were out.”

—Anonymous

27.And finally, “Milk delivered on the front porch. Had to remember to get up and bring it in to put into the ice box, or it would spoil. Freezing in the winter was also a problem.”

—Anonymous, 61, Iowa City, IA

Older people, was there a thing that was considered normal at your time but is now considered weird to even think about? Tell us in the comments or anonymously in the Google Form below: