A Gift From The Heavens ala Service Merchandise

Did you know the phrase “a gift from the heavens” originated at a Service Merchandise store?  It was Service Merchandise that birthed the concept that a every customer should fill out a slip listing the product he wished to purchase, hand said slip to the clerk, and then stared patiently at a conveyor belt extending from a giant hole in the ceiling.  A customer named Mavis was overheard saying, “This is truly a gift from the heavens!” after a box containing her wide-slot toaster descended from the ceiling hole, down the conveyor belt, and to the hands of a giddy Mavis.  Much like the void at shopping centers all across America, Service Merchandise left us all feeling empty when the final store closed its doors in 2002.  The real tragedy is that no competing retailer has adopted the brilliant idea of using a conveyor belt in their stores.

Motownphilly: The Time Machine

Sometimes all it takes is one note from a song to transport your brain back in time.  For example, hearing the opening note from Boyz II Men's "Motownphilly" immediately takes you back to freshman year in high school.  You can hear the boys from Philly blasting out of the speakers on your over-sized Service Merchandise stereo system.  It seemed like B96 played that song every 45 minutes in between the guy with the huge voice reminding you that "The Killer B, B96" was way better than Z95.  You always made sure the radio was always playing in the background whenever you talked to girls on the plastic cordless phone in your bedroom.  You could barely get through a phone call without being interrupted by a "beep" thanks to this new invention called "call waiting."  "Just call back later," you would tell the person who called for your parents.  You had control of the phone and, besides, your parents had other things to do like give you a ride to Southlake Mall where you'd buy some baggy clothes from Oak Tree or Merry Go Round.  Tomorrow was Friday, and you needed new clothes for all the places you planned to go...even if you weren't sure whose parents were going to give you a ride.  We know today that life seemed so much simpler and easier back then, yet at the time it was far from it.  While it's best to leave the past where it belongs, there's something fun about paying it a visit...even if it's just for one verse of "Motownphilly."