Availability and reminiscing

[magneticfly]

Some of why people reminisce about how it was when they were young, is, I think, down to the availability of things.

Back then, I remember at Christmas we had fizzy drink and other treats we didnt have all year - we couldn't at wasnt available like it is now (multipacks at supermarkets)
.Ditto icecream, you had to go looking for it when you wanted it, you couldnt just go to iceland and buy some packs of it for when you wanted.

Also it was exciting choosing sweets when you only had 10p pocket money.As adults with a wage or able to just pick it up with the papaer, it isnt so exciting.

Any thoughts on this?

[Derekflint]

Re: Availability and reminiscing

An interesting point.

I'm not so sure on the Xmas thing - to my mind it was only bought at that time as it was a treat - although your comment about multipacks makes sense, trying to lug around 20 loose Kit Kats doesn't sound that convenient.

The 10p thing though - there's something in that. If you find a good sweet shop you can capture some of the nostalgia - but the prices ruin it! Paying 99p for sweets that you can get a bag of the same weight for 40p from the supermarket (I'm thinking Cola Bottles here) just hurts.

Also, the ability to mix and match, or not, was another aspect to it. The bags weren't sealed, they were rolled up and handed over - made lovingly from the most robust paper known to humankind. Except there is a chemical in children's hands that, the moment it comes into contact with the inside, turns the bag into a crinkly, easily ripped mess!
When we buy a supermarket bag of sweets now, we tend to be thinking about later on, or a rainy day. Penny chews were in the moment - you got them to scarf there and then.