They Still Make You?

They Still Make You? New York Magazine Doesn't Think So

New York Magazine compiled a slide show of 17 things that were ubiquitous at the beginning of this decade (the aughts), and now are either gone, or so rare...well, let's just say that when they do appear, you have to ask "They Still Make You?

Here is New York Magazine's list (helpfully transcribed by the Consumerist):

1. Answering machines
2. Lickable stamps
3. Foldable road maps
4. Cathode ray tube TVs
5. Incandescent light bulbs
6. Paying for pornography
7. Smoking in bars
8. Fax machines
9. Hydrox cookies
10. Cassette tapes
11. The French franc
12. Floppy disks
13. Phone books
14. Polaroid photos
15. Bank deposit slips
16. Subway tokens
17. The Rolodex

My challenge to readers, now, is to be on the look out for these items in your day-to-day life.  Find them, photograph them and send them to theystillmakeyou@gmail.com with a quick narrative of where and how you encountered the item.  As always, we'll post your findings and start a healthy discussion about life in the post-cassette tape era.

Follow Up Friday

We here at They Still Make You like to revisit past blog posts, and find out what has happened to our found arcana since first writing about it.

• PRI's The Takeaway reported this week that vinyl albums are making a come back, and may be this holiday season's hottest gift.

• A friend told us of her experience encountering a cash only deli.  

The deli had not posted a sign indicating that it was cash only, which is specifically why our friend chose to get a salad at that establishment.  She had canceled her ATM card due to fraudulent activity and was waiting for her bank to issue a new one.  To fill the gap, she was relying on her credit card only.  So, she went into the deli, ordered a big salad, waited as the clerk made it, and then when it was time to pay she flashed the plastic -- you know where this is going-- only to hear:

"Sorry, cash only"

And because our friend could not get cash due to not having an ATM card, she had to walk away from the salad.  The joke's on the deli.  They are the ones who relied on a 'nearly bygone' business practice, failed to post signs informing customers of that fact, and then wasted supplies on a salad they could not sell to our friend because they refused to accept her [necessary] method of payment.

• And finally, a follow up from Katie W., our Tab drinker: "Me and my mom and my aunt are keeping Tab alive!! :)"

Let us know what you think about these things they still make, or anything else.

Cash Only

You haven’t visited an ATM in god knows how long.  Your wallet is a mess of receipts, business cards and quarters for laundry, one dollar coins from the post office, and so many pennies.

You just want a 3 dollar cup of coffee from the new hip coffee place by your office.

You go in, order your large cup of caffeine, and hand over your Visa (or MasterCard).  The clerk then says “sorry, we don’t take credit cards.  We’re cash-only.”

Stores that only take cash: They Still Make You?