Where did you shop?

[bobturnip]

Woollies was where it was at. Arndale centre, Wandsworth. Went there with my mum to purchase our Atari 2600. Used to spend my pocket money on those cheap naff cassettes in the bargain basket. Any Change went on pick'n'mix. (Opposite was a super drug that sold codemasters games).

I can still remember queuing to buy the vinyl album if beastie boys 'license to ill' and marvelling at the cover art. Ditto ' brothers in arms', 'Graceland' and many others over the years.

R I P. Woolworths.

[steve_ancell]

As I grew up near Brighton, my main haunts were Gamer in East Street. SoftCentre in Churchill Square as well as WhSmiths and Boots.

Special mention must go to Tomorrows World in Boundary Road, Hove which is still going strong.

Same here, except for Boots, Brighton Computer Exchange on Ann Street was also one of my haunts.

[lee gray]

My favourite shop in the late 70s/ early 80s was Patricks toy shop in north end road Fulham as use to get my playmobil and star wars action figures there.

[thebear]

We had two pretty good toy shops in my town, sadly both now closed!

Games ame from either a little game shop that's still there (was Computers Plus, no idea if name has changed though), Menzies or Smiths

[flatapex]

well early 90s when I was able to go out to town with my friends there was our price for music, electronics boutique for games (i am sure it had a different name though) and also dixons did a few games too. the norweb shop had a mega drive and snes hooked up with a game that could be played, pretty sure they had street fighter on the snes and sonic on the mega drive

there was also allsports because we were so cool in tops made by either reebok or ellesse

[8bitwarrior]

Does anyone remember at some point during the mid to late 90's when places like Electronics Boutique (and such) were brought out and almost over night became sh1te corporate w&nk proliferating samey billboard type pop trash to the masses of moms who'd brought their kids Playstations because they were 3D?

No? I do

[8bitwarrior]

Also back in the 90's I remember far more independent places selling games? I went into the nearest games shop recently and all I saw was the same game plastered in a pseudo type top 10 (like Virgin stores) on the minimal wall space next to giant posters of the latest FPS war game...

I blame Sony for making gaming 'cool'

[flatapex]

I remember that all too well.

[errolwd40]

I GREW UP IN DOVER IN KENT, WE DID NOT HAVE A GAME OR EB UNTIL 2004 (I ENDED UP WORKING THERE FOR 7 YEARS) SO I SHOPPED AT RUMBERLOWS UNTIL THEY CLOSED DURING THE MID LATE NINETIES. I ALWAYS THOUGHT IT WAS LIKE A MUCH NICER VERSION OF DIXONS, WITH MUCH LESS PUSHY STAFF.

[Starlight]

A Video Rantal shop in the other village (we had one too...and BUBBLE BOBBLE AS AN ARCADE CABINET! I never got to play it though), I rented "The Wizard", (to which I was confused as to why Mario was "big" (being brought up on a Mega Drive....yeah) which looking back, is pretty god damned awful!

Also grew up on Warner Brother Films from those rentals...just as good as Disney imho.

I weren't really very independent back then (born when political correctness kicked in with "will someone please think of the children?" crap)...hell I'm not very independent now, but I know my way around.

Electronic Boutique as well...where they had SNES/Mega Drive stuff, even in 1997. I only ever saw ONE SEGA Saturn game in my life at that point; Sonic R...never saw the console itself which was a shame.

Went to Toys R Us a lot too (the reverse happened, saw a Dreamcast demoed with Sonic Adventure, but no games for it in shops).

That's all I can remember. :\