13 Shops From The 80's, 90's And 00's We'll Never See in The UK Again

As kids, we remember going shopping on a Saturday with our parents and friends. We look back at the shops from the 80's and 90's and 00's that we all willingly shopped at, and in some cases were unwillingly dragged around by family members. Either way, they're sadly no longer with us. Woolworths We miss Woolworths here at Retroheadz. What wasn’t to love about the place. They seemed to have everything. The one thing we miss the most was getting the latest singles on cassette and later, on CD and of course Pic & Mix. They also sold toys, stationary and things for the home so there was something for every member of the family. Woolies exit from high streets across the UK was a sad thing to see indeed. 7-11 The US convenience store was originally open from, you guessed it, 7am to 11pm. 7-11 was pretty big over in the UK in the 80’s, there was one main reason why it will be missed though and that is for Slurpees, the flavoured mushy ice drink which even now hasn’t been bettered by anyone since (not even Slush Puppies can compete with these in our opinion) and was always extremely satisfying overfilling the huge cups to get maximum Slurpee satisfaction out of the machine. Slurpees were so thick that you could literally go a third higher than the cups and not lose any over the edges. Why they let us kids self-serve we’ll never know. They are still around across the world just not here anymore. We also miss Big Gulps too. Tandy An electronics store that is probably where your parents got you your first computer from. This store sold most things as long as it was electronics. Computers, midi Hi-Fi systems, microphones, disco lights and they even had their own line of mixers for budding djs' as well as electrical parts. Radio Rentals In this age of easy consumer credit, this feels like something from the stone age and for anyone under the age of 25 this is going to seem archaic. TV’s used to be really, really expensive so most people rented them from Radio Rentals. You had to go in each week to pay your bill (direct debit didn’t exist then). The bigger and better the telly, the more you had to pay each week. They used to do the same with radios too hence the name. Comet Comets demise was fairly recent but they lost the battle to carry on and shut their final stores a few years ago with a massive fire sale. Many out of town retail estates looked really desolate when they went. C&A Who remembers C&A? The shop was a bit like Primark as in huge and catered to people of all ages. We remember C&A being big in the 80’s but pulled out of the UK market in the 90’s. Still big in Europe though so next time you’re on the continent and you see one, pop in and it feels like you’ve gone back in time. Texas Homecare Argh! Many an 80’s kid will remember being dragged around these places on a Saturday and if your parents were DIY fanatics then that was probably every Saturday. As kids we all remember picking up the power tools pretending to be Rambo or giggled uncontrollably after sitting on the toilets in bathroom displays and making flatulent noises, if you didn’t do this as a kid then sorry, you haven’t lived! They were rebranded as Homebase and the brand went defunct in 1999. Safeway The supermarket chain was brought out from Morrisons and were rebranded but we’ll always have a soft spot for Safeway. Bejam Now known as Iceland but as a kid,it was always fun going here, inside out cheeseburgers and loads of other frozen food that you just couldn’t get anywhere else. It was always fun going to Beejams as you always came out with something you never had before. They also sold microwaves, dishwashers, and other kitchen aids. The brand was defunct by 1989 so this one is an oldie but still lives on as Iceland. Blockbuster With the advent of lower prices for DVD's and online streaming services, video rental stores like Blockbusters and lots of independents found that their market had literally evaporated. However, who doesn't miss getting visiting the video store. Check out the reminiscing article we recently ran here. MFI The place you got dragged around as a kid when you needed a new kitchen or bedroom setup. As kids we entertained ourselves by jumping on all the beds, pretended to be asleep and pretended to be cooking in the showroom kitchens. Virgin Megastores Everyone loved shopping at Virgin’s Megastores, computer games, videos, singles, albums, movie and pop star posters, comics and so much more. This was a mecca for any self-respecting and incredibly cool teenager in the 80’s and 90’s. This one is much missed by all of us at Retroheadz. BHS Our final one for this roundup and our most recent demise from the high street. BHS or British Home Stores was in the UK for over 80 years. Whilst they lost their way in the last few years it’s still a sad sight to see an iconic store disappear from our shopping centres across the land. As kids, we were mesmerised by the home lighting section which was this huge beacon of light in the stores and going for lunch in the canteen style restaurant was epic. What are your memories of these stores? Let us know in the comment below. Up Next: Want more 80's? Check out the cars that took us to school.

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