It's definitely sad, but nostalgia often is, I think the last time I had an Argos catalogue in the house was probably more than 20 years ago! It's a good time to retire the thing, less paper going to waste.
Very warm memories of leafing through that thing as a child though, I distinctly remember being fascinated by the digital watch pages full of Casio's and other watches that did all sorts of unnecessary nonsense (TV remote watch, anyone?) - but as a child these pages were full of desire.
In some ways the catalogue shopping experience seemed better than what internet shopping is like today, leafing through the pages or flipping to relevant, organised section of the book to look at the things just felt, I dunno, slower, more pleasurable? Might be that nostalgia kicking in, but looking at Amazon.co.uk now there's no 'window shopping' experience at all, it's the same UI as they had in 2000 just with a bit of paint on it. Rows and rows of products displayed on a grid, sometimes clones of products put directly next to each other, not really clear who you are buying from until you read the small print on the product page.
This has been my daily driver watch, non-stop every single day, since the 1990s.
When I first wore it, it was "futuristic". Now it is "retro" or "vintage".
Answers to FAQs:
- Yes, really.
- Yes, the remote control still works.
- Yes, even with brand new smart TVs.
- There is a reference list of TV manufacturers, and you have to select a code per manufacturer (e.g., LG / Sony / etc). For basic functionality (e.g., volume up, power off), this hasn't changed since the 1990s.
- The VHS remote control functionality is still present, but I haven't used it for decades.
- For new-fangled things like DVD players (or even smart TVs), any remote control button can be "learned" - i.e., point the manufacturer's remote at the watch, press a button, and tell the watch to remember and mimic what it just saw.
- It was only "recently" no longer manufacturered new, and this isn't the same one that I first wore in the 1990s.
- The strap and battery have been replaced, but otherwise I've owned the current one since new.
- Like graphics calculators, the sale price hasn't ever dropped. Even into the 2010s, it was still possible to buy for ~£40. Now that it is not manufactured anymore, it has become an appreciating asset (see, e.g., eBay, where "new" condition watches are routinely sold for >£90).
In some ways the catalogue shopping experience seemed better than what internet shopping is like today, leafing through the pages or flipping to relevant, organised section of the book to look at the things just felt, I dunno, slower, more pleasurable?
The reading and re-reading built the anticipation and made the purchase more satisfying because you invested so much time into thinking about it beforehand.
There is also that you could be 100% certain that the product was genuine and from a brand that you had heard of, and Argos sold a full range, if you wanted to buy a product that would last you could. Contrast to the modern Amazon experience where you search, you get hundreds of results of near-identical items from weird-sounding brands you have never heard of, and you pick one at random knowing that it is going to be a piece of junk that won't last but it's so cheap you don't care. There's no pleasure in shopping like that, it is purely utilitarian and transactional.
When I was growing up in the 90s, we would keep an argos catalogue in the rest room. Sounds weird now that I'm typing this out.
Spent countless hours (over time) browsing toys and games. The novelty of each turn and then replacing the entire thing with the new one.
I also miss the little blue pens that argos and index had along with the small paper for your order submission.
The pricing on the catalogue would be in blocks so you'd have to work out the price by entering the code for the specified product into the calculator-like gadget that would rest on the counter.
Good Times. As you grow older, things like this being phased out make you realise how long it's been.
I used to imagine out entire households with the Argos catalogue. Even down the choosing the toaster and bed linen. The nostalgia is strong, but I agree, it's not been replaced by anything approaching the same experience for laid back browsing at home.
Very warm memories of leafing through that thing as a child though, I distinctly remember being fascinated by the digital watch pages full of Casio's and other watches that did all sorts of unnecessary nonsense (TV remote watch, anyone?) - but as a child these pages were full of desire.
In some ways the catalogue shopping experience seemed better than what internet shopping is like today, leafing through the pages or flipping to relevant, organised section of the book to look at the things just felt, I dunno, slower, more pleasurable? Might be that nostalgia kicking in, but looking at Amazon.co.uk now there's no 'window shopping' experience at all, it's the same UI as they had in 2000 just with a bit of paint on it. Rows and rows of products displayed on a grid, sometimes clones of products put directly next to each other, not really clear who you are buying from until you read the small print on the product page.