Things in living memory which seem very anachronistic now

[david1212]

Really? All funerals I've been to have been either in a church or the Crematorium chapel. And a baptism surely has to be a religious event by definition.

Sure but with the steep and continuing decline of church attendance it has become fairly rare for children to be baptised.

I have not been to a baptism anywhere but a church. The last one I went to though was last century ....

None of the last 4 weddings was at a church.

All funerals have been at a church or Crematorium chapel and I have not heard of one held anywhere else. If to be a burial at a cemetery without a church or building maybe the service could be at any room hired for an hour or so ?
Two at a Crematorium chapel were lead by a non-religious celebrant not a vicar / minister or any faith. I don't recall any congregation singing either just songs / music chosen by the family or if planned maybe the deceased person.

 

[GordonT]

Christmas box of 'Red Delicious' apples in the 1960s from a great-aunt who had emigrated to Canada after her fiance was killed in WW1.

 

[BanburyBlue]

Watches that you had to wind up manually.

 

[cool110]

Watches that you had to wind up manually.

And now we have watches you have to remember to charge every day.

 

[Howardh]

The FA Cup draw being the "next item on the agenda" from FA headquarters at Monday lunchtime.

 

[GordonT]

Pre-email days paper equivalents of "group emails" in workplaces typically involving internal envelopes with copious ruled boxes to enter names of recipients and typewritten memos with codes included to assist subsequent filing in cabinets.

 

[Trackman]

Pre-email days paper equivalents of "group emails" in workplaces typically involving internal envelopes with copious ruled boxes to enter names of recipients and typewritten memos with codes included to assist subsequent filing in cabinets.

Made me think of Telex messages printed off and then depending on the recipient I would be summoned, I guess Telex has already been mentioned though.
Oddly enough, most of them said 'Kind regards' at the end.

 

[Tester]

Oddly enough, most of them said 'Kind regards' at the end.

I'm a 'With best wishes' person, and don't like 'Kind regards'.

Not particularly logical, and perhaps anachronistic in itself!

 

[DelW]

Pre-email days paper equivalents of "group emails" in workplaces typically involving internal envelopes with copious ruled boxes to enter names of recipients and typewritten memos with codes included to assist subsequent filing in cabinets.

In a similar vein, business-related magazines being circulated around an office with a typewritten list of potential readers stapled to the front cover. Each one in turn crossed their name out when they'd read it.

The further down the pecking order you were, the more dogeared and out of date it was by the time you received it.

 

[Killingworth]

In a similar vein, business-related magazines being circulated around an office with a typewritten list of potential readers stapled to the front cover. Each one in turn crossed their name out when they'd read it.

The further down the pecking order you were, the more dogeared and out of date it was by the time you received it.

Kelly's Directory being handed down from the largest office down to the smallest each year. Being at the bottom probably meant using a 5 year old edition. Somehow along the line I acquired a liberated copy for Newcastle upon Tyne, 1950. Now somewhat battered and increasingly frail.

My father always had to have a copy of the full British Railways national timetable the first day each new edition became available.

 

[GordonT]

Does anyone else remember filling stations awarding plastic daffodils to motorists? (I know. Insane.)

 

[GusB]

Speaking of filling stations, I remember collecting Tiger tokens at my local Esso station; at the time it was one for every £6 of fuel purchased.

Shell had a similar system whereby they issued little yellow and red stickers. As a household, our sticker count was increased significantly when the tank for our oil-fired heating was topped up every now and again.

Similarly, packets of cigarettes used to contain coupons that could be redeemed for various goods.

 

[simonw]

Speaking of filling stations, I remember collecting Tiger tokens at my local Esso station; at the time it was one for every £6 of fuel purchased.

Shell had a similar system whereby they issued little yellow and red stickers. As a household, our sticker count was increased significantly when the tank for our oil-fired heating was topped up every now and again.

Similarly, packets of cigarettes used to contain coupons that could be redeemed for various goods.

One could also get a 'tiger tail' at the Esso petrol station.

In fact, all kinds of freebies were given away over time.

I remember A transfer of bullet holes, that may or not have been a tie in to an early bond film.

 

[Ediswan]

Does anyone else remember filling stations awarding plastic daffodils to motorists? (I know. Insane.)

Plastic daffodils only remind me of a Dr Who story.

 

[D6130]

In fact, all kinds of freebies were given away over time.

....including Tiger key rings - one of which I had for several years as a child. Catch 'em young and turn them into petrolheads....or not in my case!

 

[GordonT]

Former days when most companies promoted staff internally "through the ranks" with the most senior managers typically having joined the firm at the most junior level and gradually "working their way up". Less common in those days for managers to be recruited from outside companies having had no previous involvement in the recruiting company's business.

 

[Cross City]

Former days when most companies promoted staff internally "through the ranks" with the most senior managers typically having joined the firm at the most junior level and gradually "working their way up". Less common in those days for managers to be recruited from outside companies having had no previous involvement in the recruiting company's business.

That'll be because there isn't layers and layers of pointless middle management in most companies like there was 30-40 years ago.

People moan about younger generations job-hopping nowadays and decry the death of 'loyalty'. Fact is, it's impossible to climb a ladder in a company that simply doesn't exist anymore.

 

[najaB]

People moan about younger generations job-hopping nowadays and decry the death of 'loyalty'. Fact is, it's impossible to climb a ladder in a company that simply doesn't exist anymore.

Wouldn't say it's impossible, having personally trained two new entrants into my company who are now management, but it definitely is more difficult than it used to be. Off-hand I would say about three quarters of our middle management were brought in from outside rather than being promoted from within.

 

[Cross City]

Wouldn't say it's impossible, having personally trained two new entrants into my company who are now management, but it definitely is more difficult than it used to be. Off-hand I would say about three quarters of our middle management were brought in from outside rather than being promoted from within.

Impossible was probably the wrong choice of word yes, very difficult would probably be a better choice. The amount of management positions now is minuscule compared to what it was.

It's also almost always better for people to move jobs for more money nowadays. Internal promotions just don't offer the same financial rewards as moving companies does because moving means you get market rate for your position without trying to be lowballed by your current employer.

 

[najaB]

It's also almost always better for people to move jobs for more money nowadays. Internal promotions just don't offer the same financial rewards as moving companies does because moving means you get market rate for your position without trying to be lowballed by your current employer.

Which leads to the revolving door. We have a lot of people who leave the company and return after a couple of years - probably the fastest way to increase their salary.

 

[GordonT]

High profile fathers and their children in the entertainment/broadcasting sphere are less apparent these days. At one time prominent examples were Billy Cotton (of "Band Show" fame) and his son Bill Cotton who rose to become a senior executive at the BBC. Also the broadcaster Richard Dimbleby whose sons David and Jonathan became similarly prominent in broadcasting largely with the BBC.

 

[Bald Rick]

At one time prominent examples were Billy Cotton (of "Band Show" fame) and his son Bill Cotton who rose to become a senior executive at the BBC.

Who was first cousin (twice removed) of Fearne Cotton.

 

[oldman]

High profile fathers and their children in the entertainment/broadcasting sphere are less apparent these days.

Peter and Dan Snow are more recent. The first time I saw the latter he was co-presenting a programme with his father, which looked a bit off.

 

[Thebaz]

My kids didn't understand what a stereo was the other day! They'd never heard the reference before, even though we have one in the house for playing CDs (another almost-anachronism)

 

[bleeder4]

Former days when most companies promoted staff internally "through the ranks" with the most senior managers typically having joined the firm at the most junior level and gradually "working their way up". Less common in those days for managers to be recruited from outside companies having had no previous involvement in the recruiting company's business.

I had to do my annual "Diversity & Inclusion" online training this week, and one of the modules specifically stated that every single vacancy in an organisation needs to be externally advertised. If it is only made available to internal applicants then you are discriminating against job seekers who don't work for the company. I can't say I particularly agree with the notion, but if this is what is being taught in diversity training these days then it does help to explain why it is rarer now to "rise through the ranks".

 

[najaB]

I had to do my annual "Diversity & Inclusion" online training this week, and one of the modules specifically stated that every single vacancy in an organisation needs to be externally advertised. If it is only made available to internal applicants then you are discriminating against job seekers who don't work for the company.

That sounds like BS from an over-zealous HR consultant. There are jobs that nobody outside of the company would be able to do - for example, working with a bespoke system. I know for a fact that my employer always advertises internally first and only goes external if there are no suitable internal applicants.

 

[Cross City]

CDs (another almost-anachronism)

CDs are that old fashioned they've started becoming fashionable again. There is quite a movement for purchasing physical media lately amongst the late-teens to late-20s. Not just music either, film and games too, and that doesn't just apply to retro formats like the surge in vinyl sales over the past 5-6 years.

Not sure how long it'll last because it's quite inconvenient but I quite like it, even if I don't take part.

 

[BingMan]

CDs are that old fashioned they've started becoming fashionable again. There is quite a movement for purchasing physical media lately amongst the late-teens to late-20s. Not just music either, film and games too, and that doesn't just apply to retro formats like the surge in vinyl sales over the past 5-6 years.

Not sure how long it'll last because it's quite inconvenient but I quite like it, even if I don't take part.

My son tells me that stand alone digital cameras are the latest retro fad.

 

[bleeder4]

My son tells me that stand alone digital cameras are the latest retro fad.

As I never stopped using mine, I guess that means I'm at the very cutting edge of fashion! Been using the same camera for over 15 years now.

 

[GordonT]

A female acquaintance was reminiscing today about her state secondary schooling in the 1970s and the fact that her school for pupils in their 1st and 2nd year had separate classes for male and female pupils. She particularly remembers a male Geography teacher addressing the all-female class in the following terms: "I don't know why I'm teaching you lot. When you leave school you'll all be getting married and having babies".