Life before Cellphones.

[tyred]

If you went into a bike shop, per mobile, the staff could be expected to try ringing round a few of their other stores to find out if they had any in stock. And there'd be someone in store who'd know which ones would be the best ones to try.
Nowadays it's down to you to find this out.

Smart phones are shoving the searching onto the customer, as the staff don't seem able to manage without access to a phone or tablet.

Thay could have done but there would be little or nothing in it for them as any profit on a single tyre would be miniscule I would think; and as a passing stranger they knew they'd probably never see me again. Most bike shops now only want to sell new bikes from what I see.

If I had been local and a potential new, regular customer, or wanting something that gave decent profit margins, I'm sure they would have bent over backwards to sort me out.

 

[classic33]

Thay could have done but there would be little or nothing in it for them as any profit on a single tyre would be miniscule I would think; and as a passing stranger they knew they'd probably never see me again. Most bike shops now only want to sell new bikes from what I see.

If I had been local and a potential new, regular customer, or wanting something that gave decent profit margins, I'm sure they would have bent over backwards to sort me out.

Possibly, but the chances are getting remoter every year. As the customer you need to know exactly what it is you need or you risk being sold something that isn't suited to the job.

 

[Stephenite]

When I (and a mate, and couple of others that soon became mates) set up a countryside contracting business in the 90s we thought we might have a use for a mobile phone for customer calls when we were out in the field. At the same time we were thinking about walkie-talkies for in-field comms.

I broke our first mobile phone when it fell out of my trouser pocket onto the ground, and the back wheel of the 15 ton dumper i was driving flattened it - in front of my very eyes - and there was nothing i could do. The salesbloke had probably never been outside in his life and he was, like 'So this is what really happened?' and i said 'Yes'. We had full comp and we went through several in the first few years.

 

[Accy cyclist]

When I was a child we didn't even have a landline. We would wait outside a phonebox at a pre-arranged time for people to phone us. We couldn't phone them because they didn't have one either!

Up till 1974 when we (as in mum, dad me and brother) got a phone put in our home, we'd walk about 150 yards to a phone box. If we phoned someone we knew at their home, who knew we didn't have a phone and weren't in when we phoned, but did trace the number via the operator, they'd know to contact back by either knocking on our door and if we weren't in they'd know to leave a written note in an envelope.

 

[Stephenite]

My mam gave me my first mobile phone in 1999.

She was, perhaps, as tech savvy as i was at the time. She was 51 and i was 31.

 

[Mo1959]

I'm pretty much still living the life before... my mobile seldom leaves my home.

Same here. As much as I like some modern gadgets, the phone is invariably left at home. I am more inclined to take it if I think I might want to take a photo rather than make calls/texts/look at social media. My time outdoors is for peace and quiet.

 

[Drago]

Anyone used to do the "three rings" to let your folks know you'd arrived safely?

 

[Oldhippy]

I never had to hear other people's taste in entertainment or listen ti their very irritating loud conversations on public transport before mobile phones.

 

[HMS_Dave]

I never had to hear other people's taste in entertainment or listen ti their very irritating loud conversations on public transport before mobile phones.

Oh come on, It's not that bad...

 

[Alex321]

Anyone used to do the "three rings" to let your folks know you'd arrived safely?

Yes. Or (more often), to let them know we were ready to be picked up from a pre-arranged place.

 

[alicat]

Anyone used to do the "three rings" to let your folks know you'd arrived safely?

Our code was two rings. We didn't waste anything in Yorkshire, not even time.

 

[Alex321]

Same here. As much as I like some modern gadgets, the phone is invariably left at home. I am more inclined to take it if I think I might want to take a photo rather than make calls/texts/look at social media. My time outdoors is for peace and quiet.

I would never leave the phone behind, just in case I need it for an emergency. I have a few times used it to phone my wife to let her know I was going to be late home due to some issue I couldn't fix at the roadside.

But I have otherwise never used it while out on the bike for anything other than taking photos. I don't think I have ever taken a call, or made any other type of call, and I certainly haven't looked at social media while out.

 

[Mo1959]

I would never leave the phone behind, just in case I need it for an emergency. I have a few times used it to phone my wife to let her know I was going to be late home due to some issue I couldn't fix at the roadside.

But I have otherwise never used it while out on the bike for anything other than taking photos. I don't think I have ever taken a call, or made any other type of call, and I certainly haven't looked at social media while out.

I have a cellular Apple Watch if it is a dire emergency. I did take the phone on my walk this morning but only because it is gorgeous here and I thought I would grab a few pics.

 

[MontyVeda]

Same here. As much as I like some modern gadgets, the phone is invariably left at home. I am more inclined to take it if I think I might want to take a photo rather than make calls/texts/look at social media. My time outdoors is for peace and quiet.

the amount of times I've had my phone yet wished I'd had my camera with me, completely forgetting that my phone has one built in

 

[MontyVeda]

and another thing about 'smart' phones... I have two and both have a calculator, but neither allows me to add or subtract a percentage.