Retro Active

Hey, Big Y Supermarkets are celebrating 90 years in business. Last week my son Joe texted me a photo of a Nostalgia Candy Display Big Y has set up in its stores. Ai yi yi! You're talking Sky Bars, Zagnut bars, Butterscotch Smoothies, Clark Bars, Mallo Cups, Sugar Babies, Reed's Root Beer, Bazooka and lots more.

 

I headed to my local Big Y grabbed three Sky Bars and three Mallo Cups. A coupla folks were at the display laughing and telling stories. They were calling out candies and connecting to their past and good memories.

I asked the woman behind the customer service booth, “How's this going?” She laughed and said, “It's going wild. People love it.”

I get it. Good move, Big Y. And fun, fun, fun till your daddy takes the T-Bird away. I'll be headed back in the next day or so.

Ya know what's driving this? People miss simpler, less crazy times. The candy brings 'em back. Hey, look at the 20-somethings. Gen Z. They're scooping up old-school products. Vinyl records, film cameras, flip phones, CDs, print books, DVDs, writing notes with fountain pens, board games.

It's all about digital fatigue. They want to slow the pace of everyday life. They're going back to a time that wasn't even their time to get away from screens and wacko world politics. I guess all generations have had it, and they're letting the old school roll. Keep your dukes up.


 

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