Hey Junior, go to the Wawa and pick me up a pack of Virginia Slims menthol in a soft.

[Wee67]

So 1978 mom gives you a buck or two to go to the corner store to get her a pack of smokes. What do you buy with the change?
I'm probably going to with a pressed powder candy like Mr Bones or Wacky Wafers, a bag of Gold Rush gum and a Tahitian Treat soda. You know, a balanced meal.

[Werewolf]

First of all, wha!? Where did you live where little kids could buy cigarettes!? That was a thing?

When I had pocket change I'd get gum cards or comics.

[Wee67]

First of all, wha!? Where did you live where little kids could buy cigarettes!? That was a thing?

I'm obviously a little older than you Back in the dark ages, when I was a kid... in the 70s kids could easily buy cigarettes at the store. Or you could just as easily use one of those cigarette vending machines at the bowling alley. I don't think they started stopping child purchases until the 80s. My mom stopped smoking around '79, so I'm not sure how long it continued.

[palitoy]

I ended up working at the same Variety store I went to as a kid, we were stopped accepting notes around 1989. I had one exception, two girls I knew from school whose mum smoked menthols (and ushered one or more of my friends into manhood).

[Werewolf]

in the 70s kids could easily buy cigarettes at the store. Or you could just as easily use one of those cigarette vending machines at the bowling alley.

Wowzers, my parents never smoked, so I had no idea.

[Mikey]

My 4th grade teacher moonlighted as a cashier in his family owned mom and pop general store.

He used to sell me cigs when I was 14-ish

Mom didn't smoke - the cigs were for me

Very cool teacher, BTW

[Werewolf]

I forgot to mention my mom was kinda protective when I was little so even if the podunk area I grew up in had a bowling alley I wouldn't have been allowed anywhere near it.

[thunderbolt]

lol I used to go get my dad cartons at the drug store with no problems, everybody knew everybody in town so it didn't matter. I usually got a buck's worth of comics for my trouble. Even better my mom was a type 1 diabetic and used to have to take daily injections. I was the mule for syringes and insulin.

[sprytel]

I had one exception, two girls I knew from school whose mum smoked menthols (and ushered one or more of my friends into manhood).

Wait... the sisters or the mom did the ushering?

[palitoy]

Wait... the sisters or the mom did the ushering?

The mom.

[Wee67]

The mom.

If it was a sister it would've been ushering. If it was mom, manhood would've been inflicted on them.

[palitoy]

If it was a sister it would've been ushering. If it was mom, manhood would've been inflicted on them.

We were all drawn to that house for the ushering but some of us were willingly inflicted. Not me but we were very friendly and I still wave to her now and then.

[Wee67]

I forgot to mention Wacky Packages. I would easily trade out the gum for Wacky Packages.

[msenger76]

Local grocery store would sell us smokes for the neighbors as long as we had a note. That was as late as 1986

[Earth 2 Chris]

My Dad had quit smoking by the time I was born, but still chewed tobacco for a few years. I do remember the cigarette vending machines. There was one at the local Dairy Queen, near the high school. Go figure.

I was often sent to the drugstore up the street on errands. One hot summer day my Dad gave me enough change to go buy 4 soda pops from the vending machine, but instead I bought this:



When I came back with this comics digest, a bit of change, and no soda pops, I got a firm talking to about responsibility. Obviously it still stuck! I was sent back to the store with more change...but I did get to keep the comic!

Chris