What US based chain do you miss the most?

37 comments

1. I miss the good old days of Friendly’s

2. Boston Market

3. Chi-Chi’s

4. I have fond memories of Nobody Beats the Wiz, a NYC metro chain electronics retailer, where I bought my first brick-sized digital camera in, like, 1997. They went bankrupt around the year 2000 and it was like the radio shack of its day, at least in the northeast.

5. Blockbuster. Renting a movie from them made it an event.

6. FYE and Sam Goody

7. I miss Toys R Us. It was always fun to go there. I remember fondly going there as a kid. . .and going there as an adult.

   I miss computer shops like Babbages and WaldenSoftware, and shopping for video games and computer software back when you bought them in boxes on the shelf instead of paying for a download.

   There used to be a fast food chain called G.D. Ritzy’s. I loved their chili dogs when I was a kid, and I wish they were still around.

8. Circuit City. Not necessarily cause of the prices, but way back when they had actual experts and enthusiasts manning the different sections. You could ask someone a TV question and it was some dude that literally subscribed to TV technology magazines that would respond. At Best Buy today, the skillset/knowledge is much more limited.

9. Fry’s Electronics now there’s only Mirocenter left. Granted it never got out of the west coast but it’s a shame.

10. Blockbuster!

11. 1970s Dunkins.

    They were just owned by a family and I could walk to town first thing on snow-day mornings while they were making donuts and wait as they came out of the oven. They were so good.

12. I think there’s still a few dotted around the country, but I have really fond memories of Shoney’s, especially their breakfast buffet.

13. Modells- sporting goods store that was all over the North East.

    Great memoires of me going there in late August to buy new sneakers for the new school year. They were like Dicks and had a lot of stuff but the last few years they started going downhill.

14. Not exactly a specific chain, but I miss when chains used to actually be good quality food back in the 80’s and 90’s.

15. Bennigan’s – Broccoli cheese bites and Monte Cristo!

    Toys R Us – Now it’s just whatever Walmart or Target has or take your chances on Amazon… but to be fair they totally priced themselves out of competition

    Radio Shack – electronic parts and nerdy toys and gadgets; like FAO Schwartz but nerdier and cheaper

16. Hills.

    Nobody remembers that chain, but they had the most awesome toy/video game section and snack bar with free popcorn in the 80s, with special Christmas ad campaigns and a “Sprite” (think “Elf/Garden Gnome”) for a store mascot.

    Sadly, they couldn’t compete with Wal-mart and were bought out and rebranded by Ames, who dumped most of what made them cool. Ames shut down just a few years later.

17. We have at least two Radio Shacks here in Montana.

18. Ponderosa. My dad used to take us there every Friday night. It always gave us something to look forward to at the end of the week. I would love to carry on that tradition with my kids, but it doesn’t exist anymore.

19. Living in France I miss Taco Bell. It’s garbage but it’s tasty garbage.

20. So many! Natural Wonders, Tower Records, Toys ‘R’ Us, KayBee Toys (later named K-B Toys), Radio Shack, and for some reason, I really miss Mervyns too.

21. Borders Books.

22. DZ: Discovery Zone

23. I preferred our Borders bookstore to Barnes and Noble.

24. The original Boston Chicken. (before it became Boston Market or was bought out by McDonalds and became poor quality)

25. GI Joes, the sporting goods store.

    Dunkin’ as well. I know they’re huge chain but they don’t have any in my state anymore.

26. Kenny Roger’s Roasters. Far superior to Boston market in my opinion

27. Sears, it was a one stop shop for clothes car repair and tires and tools that were guaranteed. I bought my first deep dish pizza pan there in 1980 and still use it. After leaving there it was off to The Sharper Image with all kinds of adult toys and high tech innovations

28. Sears

29. Borders.

30. K- mart. May be nostalgia since it was where we went in the 80s plus their K cafe. Good times.

31. Bennigan’s, solely for the monte cristo sandwich they had.

32. Any major bookstore chain (B. Dalton, Waldenbooks, etc).

33. Waldenbooks, Borders, and B. Dalton.

34. Quizno’s
    Funcoland (no, don’t tell me that it’s still alive as Gamestop)

35. Souplantation

36. Sweet Tomatoes / Soup Plantation.

    Oh man, that lunch buffet was legit. The chicken noodle soup, the blueberry muffins. It was awesome. I heard they were trying to come back or something, not sure what the status is.

37. Payless shoes. Loved their sales. It was great when the kids were little and their shoe size was changing so quickly. Loved their wall of flip-flops for like $8 a pair.