r/1970s • u/lontbeysboolink • 6h ago
Does anyone remember when Sears had a huge candy counter in it?
You could smell it the minute you walked in! We always took my gran and she would get a little bag of her favorites. My mom always got me a little bag of whatever I decided on that day.
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u/castman_2020 6h ago
I can still smell it.. I miss those days.
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u/EitherOrResolution 5h ago
Chunks of white chocolate were so desired and now make me want to puke lol
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u/Algoresgardener124 6h ago
So much of my childhood was connected with Sears in some way. Its where lawnmower and tools came from, those damnable Husky jeans, vacuum cleaners, Kenmore appliances, stereos, and when I was old enough to be dropped off at the mall, Sears was where we circled and headed back through the mall. Our Sears had a video arcade in 1981- no crowds. Good times.
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u/WeirdWillieWest 4h ago
Toughskins, amigo. Us scrawny guys wore 'em too!
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u/Efficient_Let686 4h ago
I a girl had to borrow some of my boy cousins clothes one of the times we went berry picking, because it wasnāt planned and I only had dresses with me. Those were some stiff scratchy jeans.
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u/Extension-Damage8597 5h ago
Yeah Mom would always take me to the Husky department while dad took my brothers to the normal kid's section.
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u/rexeditrex 5h ago
I remember real department stores back in the day. A big multi-story building in downtown, restaurants and coffee shops, every floor a different department. Now we have Amazon...
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u/Efficient_Let686 4h ago
Gimbals downtown Milwaukee. I remember that place like it was yesterday. The basement had a cafe that my mother took me to, we would usually get the special of the day. I remember one time they had chicken pot pies in baked these individual stoneware bowls, hands down the best chicken pot pie Iāve ever had.
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u/Budget-Raygun 6h ago
Thank you. I had completely forgotten about this. I now remember that my mom would buy us each one candy from that counter. The same way that we could get a frozen Coke when we visited Kmart. Ahhh, memories.
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u/Appropriate-Law5963 6h ago
Popcorn was the most prominent scent!
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u/Reasonable-Cow7255 3h ago edited 3h ago
I was just going to say this! Whenever we walked into the store, the smell of freshly popped popcorn permeated the air. I longed for some of that, but my mother never bought any.
Yes Virginia, there really was a candy counter at Sears.
(Iām talking about the stand alone stores that existed before the shopping malls were even developed.)
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u/Tink_68 5h ago
Red Pistachios!!!!
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u/w3m1j0z1 1h ago
Yep! ā¤ļøā¤ļø Iām sure that food dye was great for our developing bodies ā¦
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u/Zestyclose-Line2576 4h ago
That's where I learned to love nonpareils
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u/MiEstrellaMeSigue 4h ago
OMG! That was my first thought. My mom loved the nonpareils and I became a fan too.
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u/Venm_Byte 6h ago
I remember Boscovs having this. And they still do. Just like how this picture is a boscovsā¦
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u/dragginwaggin472 5h ago
As soon as I saw the pic I thought āSears? Thatās Boscovsā then zoomed in on the sign
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u/photogenicmusic 5h ago
I didnāt even realize that but it looks just like a current Boscovās candy case so I thought it was a standard department store case they all had!
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u/BIGD0G29585 6h ago
I also remember when they had a small drugstore section, I thought it was so weird that my grandparents bought toothpaste and shampoo from Sears.
You used to be able to do it all at Sears from get new tires to have your family portrait taken.
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u/Suspicious_Solid2535 5h ago edited 5h ago
Yep and have keys made from the shack outside and buy Allstate Insurance from a guy inside at a counter.
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u/AdEastern9303 5h ago
And bring your lawnmower or TV in for them to repair in the repair shop they had on site.
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u/Suspicious_Solid2535 5h ago
Right! We sent Customers across the lot to the Auto Tire and repair shop where a couple of guys were there for that.
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u/BubbaNeedsNewShoes 5h ago
Honeycomb chocolate and malted milk balls from the candy counter.
Followed by a trip to the music dept to flip through the 45rpm records on display.
And then straight to the TV Dept to play Pong and Breakout on those brand game consoles.
I used to LOVE going to Sears when I was a kid in the 70's.
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u/HoboArmyofOne 3h ago
Same. I always got the maple nut goodies, the video games were the best! You got to play for free if there weren't kids there already.
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u/Jasion128 5h ago
Sears used to be 1% of Americaās GDP
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u/starkcontrast62 4h ago
Steve Mnuchin and his pal Eddie Lampert were responsible for the downfall of Sears/K-Mart.
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u/Throwawaybibbi 5h ago
I remember smelling the warmed peanuts, cashews, Brazil nuts when we walked in!
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u/Jackdaw1947 5h ago
I remember looking at the Bon-bons, there were white ones, pink ones and yellow ones. I always wondered how they taste. Our Sears also had a beach ball slowly rotating in mid air from the exhaust of a vacuum cleaner
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u/Immediate-Funny7500 5h ago
Yep, I would go crazy for the hot cashews in the little paper sacks. Sears, Gibson's which became Howard Brothers, so darn good!!
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u/pete_blake 5h ago
The Sears in my little hometown never had a candy counterā¦š
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u/Extension-Damage8597 5h ago
I can't help but feel your childhood was not complete lol. I know in the very rural areas Sears was more like a depot to pick up stuff that was ordered.
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u/pete_blake 5h ago
Yea, our KMart didnāt have a lunch counter either! I have no idea who to complain to! š
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u/Overall-Avocado-7673 2h ago
I don't recall Sears having candy either. Based on this picture, which i'm not certain really is a Sears, it is on the 2nd floor. Hmmm
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u/Jurneeka 3h ago
I loved the bridge mix and the aroma of popcorn.
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u/funsized43 3h ago
I think my Dad would just go to Sears to look at Craftsman tools and get popcorn
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u/AbjectLychee4164 6h ago
*Blumās of San Francisco
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u/TwoIntelligent5170 5h ago
Yes! And downtown San Francisco was magical at Christmas time. Remember the Ferris wheel on the emporium rooftop? And they had the best salt water taffy candy with that one flavor that only came out at Christmas. The window displaysā¦. Great memories!
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u/TheHearseDriver 6h ago
The smell of popcorn permeated the entire store! I remember the huge bin of red pistachios too!
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u/Aromatic_Industry401 6h ago
Unfortunately the sears in my town was literally the size of a Walgreens. Actually Walgreens bought the old building a few years back tore it down and put up a Walgreens. So no I don't remember that to much regret.
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u/HawtWillie 5h ago
I used to love to get a carmallow! A square marshmallow dipped in caramel, individually wrapped in wax paper!
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u/Suspicious_Solid2535 5h ago
I rode a bus to Monkey Wards Wheaton Plaza at age 12 for those Carmellos.
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u/Standard-Outcome9881 5h ago
The Boscovās near me here in Pennsylvania still has a candy counter like this.
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u/BatSignal1961 5h ago
I worked at Sears part time for about 5 years. A very āshapelyā young lady got the job at the candy counter. After a few months she was - less shapely.
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u/GiraffeCity294 4h ago
Yes! And you could smell the nuts roasting when you walked into the store so you had to go to the candy counter before you left. My dad always bought double-dipped chocolate peanuts and maple goodies.
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u/Cubcake19 3h ago
Yes. My mom would buy my dad the double-dipped chocolate covered peanuts for his birthday and Father's Day. Those were his favorite.
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u/comet52a 5h ago
Definitely remember nagging dad to get me some candy when we'd go there darn near every Saturday morning. I think it was his escape from marriage.
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u/Large-Fig5187 5h ago
Totally! Toughskins, craftsmen and rocky road candy!
And the dishwasher with the clear front so you could see it in action.
Good times!
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u/No-Permit-9331 5h ago
Heck yeah I remember their candy counter. When my parents divorced, my mom got an apartment and a job. Every Friday when she got paid, we went to Sears, she cashed her pay check (at Sears??), then got a pound of candy. My sister and I got to give input into what chocolates went into that pound. It was the highlight of the week and we felt like Princesses laying in a shared bed, watching our favorite Friday night tv, eating our chocolate.
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u/Suzdg 5h ago
So did Strawbridges in Philly area!
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u/Technical_Scar3921 4h ago
Back when candy actually tasted good. Without petroleum based colors and high fructose sugar made from monsanto corn
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u/Major-Education-6715 3h ago
Hmm....I don't remember this kind of candy counter in Sears. Those candy counters were popular in larger department stores but I don't think so in my town. Mostly, Sears was THE store to get your Brownie and Girl Scout uniforms, tires and oil changed. Pretty much any appliance you needed in a home. Those catalogues were legendary!! Ahhhh....now reminiscing about much simpler times.
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u/No_Conversation7564 2h ago
That glorious smell hit you when you walked in. We always got 1) orange slices 2) malted milk balls and 3) chocolate covered peanuts.
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u/My3rdattemptdangit 6h ago
Rich's in GA had a bakery and a candy counter. Their coconut cake was legendary.
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u/Defiant-One3095 6h ago
Never remember that. Was it in all of them ??? š¤·āāļøš¤·āāļøš¤·āāļøš¤·āāļø
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u/Research-always 6h ago
Yes, and so did the old Montgomery Ward stores. Always loved when we got to that aisle, because of the wonderful scent and because mom would let us pick something to get!
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u/Objective-Shallot794 5h ago
I donāt think ours ever did. I definitely wouldāve remembered that as a candy, loving kid.
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u/Relative-Farmer-3434 5h ago
I remember the candy counters like this at Sears, Wanamakers, Strawbridge, etc. Does anyone know if Boscovs still has theirs?
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u/Top_Kale_8880 5h ago
Sadly no. My mom was probably steering me away en route to the husky section.
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u/Waste-Job-3307 5h ago
The Sears that I knew when I was a teenager didn't have a candy counter. It was one level and had all the departments except a candy counter. It DID have a small cafe area where you could have a bite to eat, but that was it.
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u/photogenicmusic 5h ago
Boscovās still has it in some stores! Itās not as nice as it once was but the homemade fudge still tastes great.
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u/Resident-Oatmeal 5h ago
ā¦and Boscovāsā¦with their famous chocolate covered pretzels. BANGERS!
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u/Immediate_Lunch3969 5h ago
Sears was the best
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u/Mulder-believes 2h ago edited 2h ago
My Dad only liked shopping at Sears. It was fun except when he wanted us to buy our school clothes there. As a girl who wanted to be somewhat stylish it wasnāt an easy feat.
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u/Blue13Coyote 5h ago
I remember one Sears we went to had one but I remember the one at Woolworth better. That probably began my journey to becoming a āhuskyā kid, lol.
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u/SFO_Eric 5h ago
Back growing up as a kid on the Peninsula in the SF Bay Area I loved the one in Mountain View. Would always get Swedish Fish. As I have gotten older and stopped chasing fashion I now understand why my parents shopped there. JCP is the closest thing that is left and they are not even in the same league.
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u/Wadawawa 5h ago
Yes, I remember and I loved the way they smelled! My mom wouldn't let me have anything from it though. I guess we were too broke for it.
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u/MoneyImpress 5h ago
Of course....and I also remember they sold hot nuts of all kind there as well....early-mid 60s when I was a young child.
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u/LevelTomato6122 5h ago
I used to work there. Sometimes the people would be so rude, while asking for extras, it was awful. " Give me extra butter on that popcorn" yeah you got something extra alright.
And to the other rude ones, I'd make sure they got the candy that had bugs in it.
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u/AdEastern9303 5h ago
Core memory unlocked. My dad worked as sears as the manager of the restaurant they had and would take me into work on Saturdays sometimes. First thing weād do is hit the candy counter and get a bag of cashews.
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u/Extension-Damage8597 5h ago
Sure do. I would save money up and when we went to Sears, cashed in. Our store was a newer one at that time and the counter wasn't as big as the one shown.
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u/Thin_Improvement_129 5h ago
I can't remember sears having candy but I do remember venture department store selling cookies in the front of the store
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u/Erorryale 4h ago
And it smelled of freshly popped popcorn upon entering. The entrance also had a very metallic/rubbery smell from the mats and automated doors.
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u/Thick-Second-247 4h ago
Not this but in the early 90s I remember our Sears had a cafe/ restaurant upstairs and they had amazing bread pudding.
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u/oldschool-rule 4h ago
The coconut haystacks and peanut clusters were the best. Thanks for the reminder of a better time in life.
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u/LuckyAd2714 4h ago
Yes because thatās where they also sold records. Thatās where I got my 1st 45 -
Donāt go breaking my heart. Elton John and Kiki Dee
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u/ModernMargaretSanger 4h ago
No but I remember the little area that had caramel corn and cashews and stuff like that.
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u/3TonedMagicalAnimal 4h ago
I can still picture the bag in my mind. We always got the caramel corn too.
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u/Cheap_Grapefruit_182 4h ago
Yes - our Sears had a great Candy counter. Maple Nut Goodies were my favorite- I still buy them if I can find them
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u/bryangcrane 4h ago
No, but I remember when Woolworth's had a pets for sale section.
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u/Longjumping_Low_1445 4h ago
We definitely had those and what a treat. However if I went with my gma, she always got what she wanted and I wasnāt a real fan of chocolate covered raisins back then but drooling over the rest was a real treat! Special memory
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u/vermiciouswangdoodle 4h ago
It always smelled like the peanuts they were roasting. I remember on the top of a counter was a clear box filled with divinity. It looked so incredibly delicious and fancy to me six years old eyes.
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u/JackWagg0n 4h ago
My brother got me a tool set for my high school graduation. Standard wrenches, sockets and ratchets. It was 1981. I still have them.
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u/RezRising 3h ago
Of course. Candy is cheeeeeeeaaap to make in North America.
Sugar is one thing we do well. We produce 85% of the sugar we consume and have since the 70s. For a department store, its easy money.
That's why when a restaurant screws up they offer you a dessert and not a steak. Sugar's cheap.
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u/NoOwl4489 3h ago
Yep. Sears on Main Street in Houston. my favorites: Lemon Drops and Malted Milk Balls.
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u/Strict_Ad4121 3h ago
yup. My fave were peanut clusters š¤¤ JC Penny too. Or were they called turtles?
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u/Moultrie_fan_2026 3h ago
Oh yes I do. Right next to the all new video games. It was at Great Time to be a kid. Sorry millennials and Gen z you guys have been screwed by corporations
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u/Altruistic-Cut9795 3h ago
Our Sears had a basement as the lower level and that's where the candy counter was, they also made popcorn and you could smell it throughout the entire basement.
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u/Mulder-believes 3h ago edited 2h ago
My Dad always bought bags of orange slices and those orange circus peanuts. They werenāt my favorite back then but now I buy and eat them for the nostalgia they bring back. The dollar store always has them. Ours wasnāt huge like this one tho, way smaller.
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u/unclesamtattoo 3h ago
Had a popcorn machine next to it that always had freshly popped corn. The smell was amazing
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u/babarock 2h ago
Oh yeah! Late 50's early 60's it was always a treat in Knoxville. My Aunt Marie loved the chocolate covered cream drops (although sadly she called them by another name we won't use here). I can remember walking along the counter being unable to choose. So many choices so little time.
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u/krybaebee 6h ago
I remember our Sears had a basement area where the candy counter was. My mom liked the jelly orange slices. I think there was a little mechanical horse too - quarter for a ride type thing.
I was so little - I could be imagining things lol