Johnson, Priscilla

English

SWOSU Digital Commons (Southwestern Oklahoma State University)

Volume 11Issue 4 Summer Article 67-15-1992Days of the Five and DimePriscilla JohnsonFollow this and additional works at: https://dc.swosu.edu/westviewThis Nonfiction is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals atSWOSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Westviewby an authorized administrator of SWOSU Digital Commons. For moreinformation, please contact phillip.fitzsimmons@swosu.edu.Recommended CitationJohnson, Priscilla (1992) "Days of the Five and Dime," Westview: Vol. 11 : Iss. 4 , Article 6.Available at: https://dc.swosu.edu/westview/vol11/iss4/6C H A N G E SDAYS OF THE FIVE AND DIMEby Priscilla JohnsonYou know you’ve heard people say something about the “good old days” and how much they long for them to come back? Generally, that's talk from older people who know that things were better in their day—that things went smoother and cost less. As a child, 1 used to think only of new things and thought that the old things should be thrown out. Now I'm one of the older generation, and I know that we had things belter in those"good ole days." For instance, I remem­ber cold bottled soft drinks, look-but- don't-touch merchandise, and wooden floors that were as much a part of my childhood as going to Grandma’s.The expression “You’re going to nickel and dime me to death” was coined by parents of children who wanted to go to the Five and Dime. Even the names of those old stores like The Variety Store, M. E. Moses, or S. H. Kress evoke pleas­6 WESTVIEW, SUMMER 1992C H A N G E Sant memories. I miss them and their merchandise. There used to be a store in Erick—a variety store now long gone—that brought back the same feel­ings as the ones in the old days. The atmosphere inside the store itself was dark and comforting on a hot summer day.Although things were less expen­sive than they are today, no one had any money. Even children’s wages, gener­ally from hoeing or chopping cotton, w ere put into the family coffers. If a kid had a penny, he could buy something. Pennies used to count for something, and penny candy was just the thing when a penny was burning a hole in a child’s pocket. Rarely did anything in a Five and Dime cost more than a dollar or two. Lace-trimmed handkerchiefs or a mirror for your purse were items that were considered luxuries and looked elegant right in that special place in your purse. Children usually opted for a bottle of bubbles or maybe a kite with string. Or you could sometimes read comic books if the proprietor was in a good mood and your hands weren’t dirty. Comic books, too, were only a nickel or a dime.You could read those comics sit­ting on real wooden floors with yourbare feel folded up underneath. Some­times you sat there so long that you couldn’t walk when you stood up. I miss the wooden floors in those stores. You might say that it’s strange, but just think about it. When you put your feet down on the floor, it would spring a little, giving a little spring to your step that concrete can’t. Maybe you think I’m waxing nostalgic, and I am. Soon, how­ever, there’ll be a whole generation of kids to whom wooden floors mean noth­ing—spring or no spring. If you were barefoot, the wooden floors fell smooth and cool on your bare feet. I don’t re­member ever getting a splinter in my feel—a slicker, yes, but not a splinter.The people who worked inside the store knew when someone came in, more than likely because of the floor. And more than likely they knew everyone in town back then and called out, “Hello, Mr. or Mrs. So-and-So.”By chance, that old store might have had a Coke box, and Grapettes were only six cents—live for the drink and a penny for the bottle. Bottles were recycled way back then even before recycling became popular because youcould buy another drink if you collected enough bottles. Grapettes were bottledWESTVIEW, SUMMER 1992 7C H A N G E Smagic hidden away in real ice: a cold purpley fluid that slid right down your throat and hit your stomach, sometimes causing a pleasant ache because the drink was so cold. Those old boxes stocked root beer, orange soda, Dr. Pep­per, and Coke. The uncola, Seven-up, was new but not very popular. Have you ever tried a bag of salted peanuts poured into the neck of a half-full Dr. Pepper bottle? The mixture of the salt combined with the flavor of Dr. Pepper and the crunchiest of peanuts is hard to beat. Making that delicacy is difficult now if Dr. Pepper is in a can.In my mind’s eye, I can still see a small, thin, dark-haired girl in shorts and a sweat-stained shirt happily sitting on that wooden floor, a ceiling fan droning lazily over her head while she drank a grape soda and read a comic book. For the young, time crawls by and things that are precious are taken for granted or not thought of at all. As you get older, a smell, sound, or name triggers those forgotten memories, bringing those things to mind that you filed away along with your childhood.■PRISCILLA JOHNSON , a SOSU English Educa­tion major, finished her Student Teaching at Washita Heights last semester and received herdegree on May 8, 1992.The FirstNational BankC u s t e r  C i t y .  O k l a .  7 3 6 3 9P h o n e  5 9 3 - 2 2 9 1  P . O . B o x  1 0 0Best WesternMark Motor Hotel“ — •   I r v t a n a n Hs n l l u- Independently owned & operated -525 E. MainWeatherford, Oklahoma 73096772-33259 Blocks from Southwestern University 24 Hour Restaurant 26 Non-Smoking Rooms Refrigerator in all King & Queen Rooms Free Local CallsComplimentary Coffee & Newspapers Special Senior and AAA Rates HBOFor your convenience, office open 24 Hours Special rates for Weddings & Reunions that exceed 6 rooms.______ _ 'J Children under 12 FreeI  5 Blks. from 15,000 Ft. Antique Mall V 5 Blks. from Downtown ShoppingI-40 East Bound Exit 80A -1-40 West Bound Exit 82IQI [ VISA j*8 WESTVIEW, SUMMER 1992

Days of the Five and Dime

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