As we all dig into the past and search the future what about the places of employment that many of us had in our younger years? T. G.&Y. memories anyone?

I remember the first job (that really paid) was at the TG&Y Store in the Airline Shopping Center....I made 85 cents and hour and all the chocolate candy I wanted....Wouldn't waste my time eating chocolate now. I think that was why they didn't say much when we would "sneak" a handful.
This time of the year we would begin getting ready for the Holidays as would every other Variety store in town. My stories a long and eventful as I worked for them for a long time...How about the Rest of you guys? Anything you want to share?

Yip, everytime I got paid my allowance for working, my dad would take me to TG&Y and I would spend my money on a Star Wars figure and Star Wars trading cards. Good memories.

During the summer of 1968 I spent a week working for Manpower at the TG&Y warehouse near the State Capital. The variety of merchandise was absolutely staggering, from shotgun shells, to lacy panties; from paint brushes to "Necker Knobs" with bikini clad photo inserts. I remember climbing up on bags of fertilizer and napping after lunch, out of sight of "the man." All of this for a buck fifty an hour.

How about the toys that were available that we wish now we had saved?..For instance the plastic army men...1959 Barbie Dolls, Chatty Cathy, that old Radio Flyer Wagon or a Fanner 50? I found a Fanner 50 on the ground not long ago...still have it to.

My family always called T,G,&Y "Toys, Guns, & Yo-Yos" ... because they sold them all.

When I was 7 years old I stole a plastic ring from T,G,&Y. Afterwards, we went to Sonic and my sister saw it a told on me. My dad took me back the next day and made me appologize to the manager and give it back....

Memories. :)

I worked at TG&Y from 1982-1984. Made my way all the way up to assistant floor manager. Used to catch shop lifters. One guy stole five VTRs. Put them all in a shopping cart and walked right out the door.

During deer season, we had to move workers from fabric to sports just to fill out deer tags. This was at the Del City store, store 1001, 1401 Howard Drive. I used to work a full shift, which was open to close, take an hour for lunch and drive around town, like I owned the strip. It was fun until I figured out I was only making $4.50 an hour...

I quit that job to work at Sound Warehouse!

My family always called T,G,&Y "Toys, Guns, & Yo-Yos" ... because they sold them all.

When I was 7 years old I stole a plastic ring from T,G,&Y. Afterwards, we went to Sonic and my sister saw it a told on me. My dad took me back the next day and made me appologize to the manager and give it back....

Memories. :)


Awwww yes - the years spent trying to figure out what it stotod for.....what a bummer to learn it was actually the first initial of each owners' last name, lol......it was certainly the "funnest" 5 & dime store around...

Generals64 - GREAT thread!! :)

I never worked at TG&Y, but I grew up across from the family center at May and Britton. I learned to ride my bike in their parking lot, I loved the small carnivle that used to come there every year, and I bought a lot of 45's and hot wheels there. But my favorite memory of the store was the "help" beacons that they had in the store. If you had a question, or couldn't find something all you had to do was find the beacon and flip a switch triggering a flashing light on a pole. My brother, my friends and I used to play fireman/policman in the store and would all push empty baskets around waiting for the next "alarm" to go off. Whoever got to the flashing beacon first was te hero. Looking back I have to laugh at all the times we would all come running through the store with our baskets/rescue vehicles to the surprise of some lost or questioning customer. I'm surprised we never got banned from the store.....lol.

My memories of T.G&Y. are from the store in Frederick, Okla. Seems like we were in there every day. Most of the 45 records that I have are from there. Paid about 75 cents apiece for them. I also remember buying shoes there. No Nikes, Adidas, or Reeboks. You just looked through that big old bin until you found your size. Then you would untie them and try them on. they had everything--I think that's why I have such a fondness for Walgreen's--it kinda reminds me of that place.

I loved TG&Y. I couldn never quite understand why there used to be two of them inside Shepherd Mall, though. There was a big one down near the end of the mall closest to Sears, then there was a smaller store farther down.

I loved TG&Y. I couldn never quite understand why there used to be two of them inside Shepherd Mall, though. There was a big one down near the end of the mall closest to Sears, then there was a smaller store farther down.

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The small store was an after thought. There was this one open building and the owners of Shepard Mall offered it to Ben Franklin. TG&Y bolted and picked up the location. It was a pretty good variety store but, since TG&Y was owned by the same people (Household Finance) there was an agreement that Ben Franklin (Franchises) would not be in an area close to TG&Y and vice Versa.
The Family Center in that Mall did more volume per cubic foot than any store in the company. People will get in an uproar due to the store (#411) at S. Penn but notice I said Cubic ft not square foot. The Shepard Mall Family center had counters tied to the ceiling from Day One. Also, TG&Y used the small store for training managers to run larger stores.

My memories of T.G&Y. are from the store in Frederick, Okla. Seems like we were in there every day. Most of the 45 records that I have are from there. Paid about 75 cents apiece for them. I also remember buying shoes there. No Nikes, Adidas, or Reeboks. You just looked through that big old bin until you found your size. Then you would untie them and try them on. they had everything--I think that's why I have such a fondness for Walgreen's--it kinda reminds me of that place.
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Hey guy, lonf time no hear from:....The store was one of the original locations. Mr. Tomlinson was from Frederick. The company began (through Ray Young) in 1936 and they named the company after the three guys in order of their ages. Mr. Tomlinson (died 3-4 yars later)...Mr. Gosselin....and Mr. Young....I still have records from TG&Y with the original price stickers on them.

I never worked at TG&Y, but I grew up across from the family center at May and Britton. I learned to ride my bike in their parking lot, I loved the small carnivle that used to come there every year, and I bought a lot of 45's and hot wheels there. But my favorite memory of the store was the "help" beacons that they had in the store. If you had a question, or couldn't find something all you had to do was find the beacon and flip a switch triggering a flashing light on a pole. My brother, my friends and I used to play fireman/policman in the store and would all push empty baskets around waiting for the next "alarm" to go off. Whoever got to the flashing beacon first was te hero. Looking back I have to laugh at all the times we would all come running through the store with our baskets/rescue vehicles to the surprise of some lost or questioning customer. I'm surprised we never got banned from the store.....lol.
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So, you're the one...we try to catch you but just couldn't.....lol

I spent many years with TG&Y and also, David Green (owner of Hobby Lobby) was an old TG&Y Guy.

TG&Y!! Yes good memories!

Here's a good one:..........for your dollar's best buy try TG&Y....The Golden T brand was a brainstorm of Hue Weirsig (now deceased) who was the promotional manager of the old time Stores.....He later bought the Oklahoma City Boat Show program and had it for many years. He was way ahead of his time. Mr. Young (Y of TG&Y) passed away a few years ago. He (Mr. Young) also was way ahead of his time. Through the years there have been many former employees to head up companies throughout the United States. That bit of trivia out of the way, let's go back to the fun stuff.....The number one selling candy item in the chain? Doublemint Chewing gum.....the number one selling toy? 19 cent plastic race car and then Barbie moved in. I can still remember the smell of the fresh Roasted Spanish Peanuts and Cashews...How about the popcorn machine raring to go. I remember on Saturday the Popcorn machine was usually turned on before the entire lights. Most generally there was a theater in the Center and this just enticed everyone to go to the movie.....awhen I first started working for them (1962) I was astonished that we could eat however much candy we wanted....it would take a .357 magnum to my head to get me to eat candy now. I guess they knew more than I thought they did. When I got my first store I did the same thing to the employees...after a while who would want candy?
For the guys:.....Remember the baseball cards and football cards with the nasty tasting gum in there? But, I got the first Alan Ameche....Baltimore Colts card on the block....My best friend still up to today reminds me how I cheated and looked in the package.....

Used to be that there was a Safeway and TG&Y (and maybe a Treasury Drug) on just about every major intersection in OKC.

I grew up within walking distance of two; 63rd & Meridian (small) and 63rd & NW Expressway (Family Center). And then there was another small one at 50th & Meridian.

I loved the small ones because I would go poke around them while my parents were grocery shopping at Safeway.

What a weird assortment of candy, toys, sporting goods and record albums... A real treasure trove for a kid.

But of course, looking back, the places were really, really junky. The last of the dime stores.

We had a TG&Y in Fairview in the '80s. My ex-brother-in-law's dad ran it. We called it Toys, Gifts, and Yo-yos. It became a Bargain Time when TG&Y closed; today, it's an Alco.

Used to be that there was a Safeway and TG&Y (and maybe a Treasury Drug) on just about every major intersection in OKC.

I grew up within walking distance of two; 63rd & Meridian (small) and 63rd & NW Expressway (Family Center). And then there was another small one at 50th & Meridian.

I loved the small ones because I would go poke around them while my parents were grocery shopping at Safeway.

What a weird assortment of candy, toys, sporting goods and record albums... A real treasure trove for a kid.

But of course, looking back, the places were really, really junky. The last of the dime stores.
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I forgot about the one on 63/Meridian. I ran the one at 63rd and N.W. highway (family center) was kinda proud of that stores appearance. It was fun though as a kid to go and see anything that might be new in the stores mix. I remember trying to find out when they (the stores) got their warehouse shipments and be there to help (probably got in the way) and would always get a "Free" bag of PopCorn. I would also (during the summer) help the guy ( I was young then) pull the magazines. They would pull the covers for returns and then throw the actuall magazine and comic books away.....Good trading material...Thennn......I found some Playboys
in the mix in his truck...he gave them to me....talk about trading material for Comic Books, baseball cards,Marbles...just about whatever I wanted....New tires for my bike......Life was fun with TG&Y around.

I spent many years with TG&Y and also, David Green (owner of Hobby Lobby) was an old TG&Y Guy.


Hence, the "buy cheap" & build an empire mentality.....

When TG&Y was bought by McCrory's it was a sad sad day.

At a TG&Y my brother taught me that you can go to a cashier, say you're lost, and they'll page your mom over the loud-speaker, causing embarrassment. :)

random links and pics:
T.G.& Y. STORES (http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/T/TG001.html)
http://www.amachron.com/TGY_ade.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3217/2450656200_d6009c606a.jpg?v=0
http://bp2.blogger.com/_P90GnCCv1oI/R9C3xj7aQwI/AAAAAAAAA4I/KkKzXGLXI_c/s400/TGY+Star+Wars.jpg

The note in the above picture inset is about a gentleman by the name of R.D. Finnigan. Mr. Finnigan was quite a character. He was very calm in demeanor and yet was a bear about things being done right. his son (Rick) ending up in the traffic department for the company years later. I remember being with him going to Midwest City one time and he showed me a piece of property he said he didn't know if he had made a good buy or not but he andother TG&Y manager bought the land for I think it was $40.00 and acre....We all know that spot as I240 and Sooner road.....Hmmmmm you think.....I believe he sold it a long time ago however....

Do you remember the special sales that would occur seasonally? Valentines...always had candy Mother's day...How about those purple baby chicks...Poor things....then some of the stores had rabbits and some of us got to clean up their messes. Or, how about the Hamsters that always got out? and then you had spotted mice creatures running around the store. How many of us waited for the record guy to show up the new records...Laa Bamba, "Great Balls of Fire" and of course "Hound Dog". I remember waiting for the newest Model car and the entry blank you would get for the next model contest. I also remember selling a Man ( a little drunk) $100.00 worth of Blue Waltz for his wife for Christmas....I stretched the truth just a little about how all the women were wearing that fragrance. It was all in how you worded the sales pitch...Don't you know his Christmas was cold and dreary.....Good time was had by all.

I spent many years with TG&Y and also, David Green (owner of Hobby Lobby) was an old TG&Y Guy.
In David Green's book, in the first chapter where he talks about his love of retailing there is a reference to a great aunt of mine that worked in the toy department at the TG&Y in Altus where he grew up...my mom went to high school with him as well.

The 23rd & Meridian store was the location near us. Just think of all the old "local chains" that were in that area, the 16th & Meridian Mall closest to us had an Otasco, Andele's womens clothing (I think that is the spelling), Pipkin Camera, Kiddie City (after the Safeway closed) and Windsor Mall had Street's, Hyde Drug, BC Clark, Anthony's and others. I had an ex-girlfriend in high school who worked at the Deville one for quite awhile.

Can you tell me what intersection the TG&Y was at 63rd and Meridian? I have lived in this area since 2002 and never realized there was one on that intersection. I know the Mexican restauraunt was a Braum's and Precure was Bootens. Springdale was once a thriving shopping center. There was once a Kathryn Lips on the east side of the complex. At Windsor Hill they had a Napoleon Nash who's jingle was "Your clothes must have come from Napoleon Nash".

http://www.roadsidepeek.com/roadusa/southwest/nm/nmretrolook/nmbygoneretail/tgygall.jpg

The Toys, Games and YoYo store!!!

I remember the TG&Y at Britton and May, where the Homeland (former Albertson's) now is. There was a C.R. Anthony store right next to it. Or, maybe the Anthony's took the place of that TG&Y, as I seem to remember that it was actually on the north end of the mall rather than where the grocery is....

We used to go there frequently. It was to the 70s what Target and Wal-Mart are for us today.

Can you tell me what intersection the TG&Y was at 63rd and Meridian? I have lived in this area since 2002 and never realized there was one on that intersection. I know the Mexican restauraunt was a Braum's and Precure was Bootens. Springdale was once a thriving shopping center. There was once a Kathryn Lips on the east side of the complex. At Windsor Hill they had a Napoleon Nash who's jingle was "Your clothes must have come from Napoleon Nash".
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Northwest Corner but, it was a small variety store a long time ago...they then built store #1015 at 63rd and N.W. Highway. There was a Pratt's store next door and then when TG&Y closed down, Drug Emporium took the space for 2-3 years....The variety store was gone long before you moved in the area. There was always a saying that the store at 63/NW Highway was built on an Indian Burial Site....... It was a pretty good store when I worked there.....1983...

I remember the TG&Y at Britton and May, where the Homeland (former Albertson's) now is. There was a C.R. Anthony store right next to it. Or, maybe the Anthony's took the place of that TG&Y, as I seem to remember that it was actually on the north end of the mall rather than where the grocery is....

We used to go there frequently. It was to the 70s what Target and Wal-Mart are for us today.
The Anthony's was next door (north) until it closed, the TG&Y became Jumbo Sports (there was another name for the same store in there at one time) after being vacant after TG&Y closed. I found some Olympus camera equipment on closeout when that store was closing, when I went back to get it a week later (after I had the money) they had sold it.

The Target at 50th & May was originally a Spartan store I believe.

Can you tell me what intersection the TG&Y was at 63rd and Meridian?

Yes, in the "Westpark Mall" shopping center on the NW corner of that intersection.

Starting from the far east end, it was Treasury Drug, Safeway then TG&Y, then the mall tenants, which at one time included Westpark Twin Theater.

http://mysite.verizon.net/res17zef/westpark.jpg

http://mysite.verizon.net/res17zef/tgy1.jpg

http://mysite.verizon.net/res17zef/treasury.jpg

Thanks everyone, now it makes sense. It was at 63rd and Mac Arthur not Meridian. I thought I was loosing my mind. Bluedogok Target on May was originaly an Arlans store.

Yes, McArthur, not Meridian. Sorry for the confusion!

Just to clear the air about the demise of TG&Y....McCrory's owner Ishmael Ricklas from Pennsylvania/New York City was looking for bargains and steals in Real Estate.....He saw what TG&Y was paying on an average per square ft. leasing and he thought he could get the same amount as he got in New York City...boy was he wrong....This blunder put his idea into a tail spin and his fastest out was to liquidate it.......Straight from HIS mouth on an elevator ride at the headquarters of McCrory's in York, Penn.....If you notice, there aren't any McCrory's McClellan's or Green's in this area. Or anywhere as a matter of fact.....

But TG&Y was already really failing by the time McCrory stepped in.

Like many, I have a lot of found memories of the place just because it was so prominent in my childhood, but the stores were incredibly outdated as was their merchandising model.

As for their cheap leases, it's because they located in cheap shopping centers (many owned by C.A. Henderson) and were completely bare-boned spaces, with exposed florescent lighting, low ceilings, etc.

But TG&Y was already really failing by the time McCrory stepped in.

Like many, I have a lot of found memories of the place just because it was so prominent in my childhood, but the stores were incredibly outdated as was their merchandising model.

As for their cheap leases, it's because they located in cheap shopping centers (many owned by C.A. Henderson) and were completely bare-boned spaces, with exposed florescent lighting, low ceilings, etc.

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Understand the Childhood memories....Have so many myself as do many other people in the area. TG&Y was not failing when it was sold, there was a bit of turmoil on who Household financed had hired to run the company. If you go through the last couple of CEO's( Del Santo, Herron and Rusthoven) their credentials were not exactly the best in the west. But, they were heroes to the people in Chicago.....The outdated model seems to still be doing pretty good with Hobby Lobby. Their fixturing and counter format is EXACTLY that of TG&Y. And, yes quite a few of the buildings were Henderson's but, a lot of them are still in existence (Hobby Lobby Stores). What I was trying to say was that Ricklas was trying to impress an Okie who was dedicated to the structuring of TG&Y. I was however on his turf so I had to be a little subtle and yet respectful. When TG&Y try t start the AIM store program is when they hiccuped and trouble began. But, Dan Kelly (TG&Y forever) and his team had the company going the right direction til Household Finance changed to their ideas. STILL MISS THE OLD DIME STORE ATMOSPHERE.....Don't YOU?

Although the marketing and layout isn't quite the same, I've caught myself having flashbacks to TG&Y when I go into Wallgreens.

As for my own employment memory of TG&Y, I can tell my story...

It was late summer/early fall of 1980 when I, at the ripe age of 15, was hired on as a stockboy at the giant TG&Y at I-240 and Penn. Now, understand that my primary sklls to that point were academic rather than physical, but I figured there was no better way to "get" more physical than to get a physical job. So I jumped in with both feet.

For a time, I worked as a stock runner from the customer service desk back to the storage area on the upper floors of the extreme east end of the store - roughly what used to be the Burlington area of the current building. Remember, too, that this stock area was essentially a Star building, wrapped in sheet metal, and at that time of year it was still warm enough to make that storage area beastly hot - and it also just happened to be where the layaways were stored. You just plain dreaded going up there, because just a few minutes there would start one sweating like a butcher - there was simply *zero* air movement up there. It was suffocating.

Parcels were loaded to and from this storage area via a service conveyor system that ran parallel to a flight of stairs. The concept is pretty simple - load the item at one end, press the "go" button, and the conveyor takes the goodie to whichever floor you wanted while you took the stairs.

Unfortunately for me, it wasn't quite simple enough.

One day, I was told to retrieve an unfinished wood desk out of layway. I ran to the back of the store, trudged up the stairs, and looked for the desks. When I found the one I was supposed to get, I wasn't quite sure how to load it onto the conveyor. Mind you, this wasn't a particularly complex desk; it was basically a top, a "pedestal" of four plywood sheets stapled together with some drawers, and a solid sheet on the opposite side so you could set it upright.

Rather than loading the desk top first, genius yours truly figures the conveyor system could just 'pull" the desk from the loading platform and just pull it down the belt. So I plopped it down, lined up the non-drawered side with the edge of the conveyor, and hit the "go" button. I watched in horror as the conveyor simply ripped the plywood side sheet from the rest of the desk and leave a mangled wooden carcase behind. The side that was pulled off ended up rolling off the conveyor onto the floor below.

I thought to myself, "well, it was nice working for TG&Y...but I'm so fired..." Panicked, I ran to find a floor manager, told him the whole sad story, and waited for him to scream his head off at me just before he booted me out of the store.

I couldn't have been more wrong.

The manager was exteremely nice, and I guess could tell I was horrified at what I had done, and said, "don't worry about it, we have a bunch of those desks, just go clean up the mess and get a different one." I was dumbfounded. Pleased, but dumbfounded.

Fortunately, I didn't have to face that conveyor for much more than paper towels from then on out....


-soonerdave

Although the marketing and layout isn't quite the same, I've caught myself having flashbacks to TG&Y when I go into Wallgreens.

As for my own employment memory of TG&Y, I can tell my story...

It was late summer/early fall of 1980 when I, at the ripe age of 15, was hired on as a stockboy at the giant TG&Y at I-240 and Penn. Now, understand that my primary sklls to that point were academic rather than physical, but I figured there was no better way to "get" more physical than to get a physical job. So I jumped in with both feet.

For a time, I worked as a stock runner from the customer service desk back to the storage area on the upper floors of the extreme east end of the store - roughly what used to be the Burlington area of the current building. Remember, too, that this stock area was essentially a Star building, wrapped in sheet metal, and at that time of year it was still warm enough to make that storage area beastly hot - and it also just happened to be where the layaways were stored. You just plain dreaded going up there, because just a few minutes there would start one sweating like a butcher - there was simply *zero* air movement up there. It was suffocating.

Parcels were loaded to and from this storage area via a service conveyor system that ran parallel to a flight of stairs. The concept is pretty simple - load the item at one end, press the "go" button, and the conveyor takes the goodie to whichever floor you wanted while you took the stairs.

Unfortunately for me, it wasn't quite simple enough.

One day, I was told to retrieve an unfinished wood desk out of layway. I ran to the back of the store, trudged up the stairs, and looked for the desks. When I found the one I was supposed to get, I wasn't quite sure how to load it onto the conveyor. Mind you, this wasn't a particularly complex desk; it was basically a top, a "pedestal" of four plywood sheets stapled together with some drawers, and a solid sheet on the opposite side so you could set it upright.

Rather than loading the desk top first, genius yours truly figures the conveyor system could just 'pull" the desk from the loading platform and just pull it down the belt. So I plopped it down, lined up the non-drawered side with the edge of the conveyor, and hit the "go" button. I watched in horror as the conveyor simply ripped the plywood side sheet from the rest of the desk and leave a mangled wooden carcase behind. The side that was pulled off ended up rolling off the conveyor onto the floor below.

I thought to myself, "well, it was nice working for TG&Y...but I'm so fired..." Panicked, I ran to find a floor manager, told him the whole sad story, and waited for him to scream his head off at me just before he booted me out of the store.

I couldn't have been more wrong.

The manager was exteremely nice, and I guess could tell I was horrified at what I had done, and said, "don't worry about it, we have a bunch of those desks, just go clean up the mess and get a different one." I was dumbfounded. Pleased, but dumbfounded.

Fortunately, I didn't have to face that conveyor for much more than paper towels from then on out....


-soonerdave

Hey:...you aren't the only one in the Conveyor club. I started working for TG&Y in '62 but was transferred to #411 (I240/Penn) one week before we started receiving merchandise (June '64) and was there when the conveyor was installed....the stories are funny and heart-wrenching but, we still all had a good time working there or in any other other stores owned by TG&Y...

As a young-un I only remeber TG&Y for a very short childhood period. My mom and I always went to the one in Bryant Square in Edmond...I think it is a Bed, Bath, & Beyond now.

As a young-un I only remeber TG&Y for a very short childhood period. My mom and I always went to the one in Bryant Square in Edmond...I think it is a Bed, Bath, & Beyond now.

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Bryant Square was a pretty good store even towards the end of TG&Y. There were three (3) TG&Y Stores in Edmond......The big store was one of the first Family Centers......

Walgreen's is still very much rooted in the "Five & Dime" concept. It has always been a pharmacy but many of their roots are in that concept as they tried to expand their market beyond the traditional drug store of the early 1900's. I went to a design symposium at the Walgreen's headquarters when we were doing their stores in Oklahoma. They had a nice presentation on the history of the company and how it developed into what it is today. Their online history is an interesting read for those with in interest in marketing & merchandising.

Walgreens - Page Through Our Past (http://www.walgreens.com/about/history/default.jsp)

Walgreen's is still very much rooted in the "Five & Dime" concept. It has always been a pharmacy but many of their roots are in that concept as they tried to expand their market beyond the traditional drug store of the early 1900's. I went to a design symposium at the Walgreen's headquarters when we were doing their stores in Oklahoma. They had a nice presentation on the history of the company and how it developed into what it is today. Their online history is an interesting read for those with in interest in marketing & merchandising.

Walgreens - Page Through Our Past (http://www.walgreens.com/about/history/default.jsp)
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That was an interesting story about Walgreen. You know, Mr. Young (TG&Y)
was just as innovative as that in the developing and building of TG&Y stores. His book "The making of a Merchant" tells of a young man achieving success simply by putting forth hard work. He (Mr. Young) use to love to see a store with an innovative display and or a person with the intestinal fortitude to try something different especially if it made a profit. He also was excited to see people share their ideas. Once again, especially if it produced a profit....

But TG&Y was already really failing by the time McCrory stepped in.

Like many, I have a lot of found memories of the place just because it was so prominent in my childhood, but the stores were incredibly outdated as was their merchandising model.

TG&Y may have been in decline, but McCrory truly destroyed the chain. After McCrory took over, the quality of merchandise went down, and the stores got dirtier and junkier (quite a feat, if you think about it). When they began rebranding the stores as McCrory, the handwriting was on the wall. IIRC, they tried rebranding back to TG&Y, but it was too late; the entire company went under.

Even if sale to McCrory hadn't occurred, TG&Y would never have survived the arrival of WalMart.

I grew up near Shepherd Mall (watched 'em build it, in fact), and spent many happy hours in the Family Center there.

I have read how Wal-Mart would have "Crushed" TG&Y and on behalf of TG&Y those statements just aren't true. If you will take the time to read Sam Walton's book his only competitor he worried was from the west stateline (as he put it). Sam's reasoning was the stability and tenacity of the management that was established when Wal-Mart began. When TG&Y began to shut down it is true that the merchandise mix began getting very "sticky" very importish and a whole lot smaller. McCrory began looking for the "cheapest" route out of anything while Wal-Mart was coming down McCrory's throat...If you do your technical homework Wal-Mart "danced" around TG&Y's territory until McCrory/McClellan and Green were at the helm. Then as any good businessman would do they took control. McCrory had begun to operate through their corporate offices in Pennsylvania and this took the edge off for TG&Y. They(MCrory) closed TG&Y distribution warehouses and tried to used their already existent warehouses and this caused a cost of transportation and movement to go through the roof.

Next, McCrory was not ready to deal with the massive items that were in the TG&Y Stores and this was what TG&Y was most noted for was their mix. Target was about the only thing close in this area......However, if Wal-Maart was bad towards TG&Y how come there were INSTANT letters from the Corporate offices in Bentonville to TG&Y's Buying department? Also, remember this...when TG&Y closed there were over 22,000 jobs lost in the blink of an eye........HMMMM

Yep, there was always a rumor of a "gentleman's agreement" between Sam Walton and the TG&Y guys about competing in parts of Oklahoma. I don't really remember seeing any Wal-Mart stores around central Oklahoma until AFTER the sale to HFC and the subsequent Wal-Mart expansion after they went to McCrory's.

Yep, there was always a rumor of a "gentleman's agreement" between Sam Walton and the TG&Y guys about competing in parts of Oklahoma. I don't really remember seeing any Wal-Mart stores around central Oklahoma until AFTER the sale to HFC and the subsequent Wal-Mart expansion after they went to McCrory's.
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The only Wal-Mart in the central part of Oklahoma was in 1974 when Sam Walton (Wal-Mart) and Carl Meadors (Ben Franklin) bid on the store in Guthrie. I was working for Carl at the time and he just didn't want to take on that large a burden. Sam moved in and History began to be come the future. The only other store in oklahoma was in Claremore at the time....True Story.........

Yep, there was always a rumor of a "gentleman's agreement" between Sam Walton and the TG&Y guys about competing in parts of Oklahoma. I don't really remember seeing any Wal-Mart stores around central Oklahoma until AFTER the sale to HFC and the subsequent Wal-Mart expansion after they went to McCrory's.

That may have been true in OKC, but I don't think it was the case everywhere. IIRC, WalMart had it's store in Kingfisher in the mid-to-late 70's (its still there, in fact). We didn't see WM enter OKC until the mid-80's, after McCrory tanked.

The first one that I knew of was the Yukon store and it was early 80's I think.

Believe what you want to believe...The first store (Wal-Mart) in OKLAHOMA was in Claremore and the second one was in Guthrie. The Guthrie store was built and occupied in the fall of 1974. Claremore was in 1970 or 71...Check Wal-Mart.....I moved from Guthrie to Texas after Ben Franklin (Carl Meadors) turn down the lease proposal and began liquidating his stores....I would ask you to check him but he passed away in the early 80's.....I worked for Carl Meadors for three years before Wal-Mart began coming to Oklahoma.....I was in Texas 10 years and came back to work for TG&Y. Ended up in the Corporate Buying Department for three (3) years. The announcement of TG&Y being bought was on January 16th, 1986. I was in the President of TG&Y's office when he got the call.....Been there, done that.

Yep, there was always a rumor of a "gentleman's agreement" between Sam Walton and the TG&Y guys about competing in parts of Oklahoma. I don't really remember seeing any Wal-Mart stores around central Oklahoma until AFTER the sale to HFC and the subsequent Wal-Mart expansion after they went to McCrory's.

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The agreement was that TG&Y wouldn't come into the Bentonvile/NW part of Arkansas and Wal-Mart would stay out of the OKC area. Sam didn't consider Guthrie being in the OKC area. Sam was still a franchise holder form Ben Franklin at the time and the Lease on the new Store came up. Carl Meadors turned down the lease and Sam immediately pick up the option.....Hence Forth Wal-Mart...Guthrie, Oklahoma. Numbers, dates and names are a bit off. HFC bought and owned TG&Y in the middle to late sixties. They purchased the chain from Butler Brothers who had purchased it from the originators of TG&Y...or at least that's what Mr. Young told me.
McCrory's tried to run a Midwest company like a North East company. If you were careful you would see an extreme amount of Generic merchandise and imported goods in the McCrory era. Though TG&Y imported quite a few items they tried to offer the best item at the best price. There was a time that TG&Y tried to upgrade their image....AIM Stores.....That was a "Bust" and there were many dollars spent where they shouldn't have been...But, this is history and though it hurts a TG&Y Guy to remember those times I still have many more fond memories than I do Bad ones......DON'T YOU????

I remember the AIM attempt, I quit going after the McCrory's change. I could see the difference.

General was it Mr. Hogle..? that used to be the buyer for Sporting Goods? Remember when he got PO'd when I showed up at the conference in Houston and they recognized me - a peon sales clerk - as a TGY rep? I was making TGY headquarter sales calls for the Food Broker I worked for in the early to mid 80's. I remember running into him then and I think I made some sales pitches to him. I was calling on whomever was the candy buyer at that time.

General was it Mr. Hogle..? that used to be the buyer for Sporting Goods? Remember when he got PO'd when I showed up at the conference in Houston and they recognized me - a peon sales clerk - as a TGY rep? I was making TGY headquarter sales calls for the Food Broker I worked for in the early to mid 80's. I remember running into him then and I think I made some sales pitches to him. I was calling on whomever was the candy buyer at that time.
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Mr. Hogle was the sporting goods buyer after Roy Kay moved to Lubbock, Texas. You know, I didn't know you were calling on TG&Y with a Food Broker. From 1983-1986 I was the assistant Candy buyer and worked the Check Stand Programs for ever. You know, at the time of TG&Y's demise even Mr. Young was wanting to try and rally the troops. The company was on a profit rebound when the thing collapsed. I remember so many "Fun" things we did as employees of TG&Y. And, I do remember the Yellow suit and Beige shoes you wore after your first check....You were soooo easy to tease though....Miss those times don't you?

General was it Mr. Hogle..? that used to be the buyer for Sporting Goods? Remember when he got PO'd when I showed up at the conference in Houston and they recognized me - a peon sales clerk - as a TGY rep? I was making TGY headquarter sales calls for the Food Broker I worked for in the early to mid 80's. I remember running into him then and I think I made some sales pitches to him. I was calling on whomever was the candy buyer at that time.
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Thw buyer at that time was Charlie Jones or Tom Carroll....Charlie quit...went to the oil fields and was killed inan accident. Tom lives in California and the last I heard, he was working for Victory Wholesale as a diverting buyer.

I had time to kill today and I began to think about this thread. Can you imagine the amount of people in the Greater OKC area that either worked for TG&Y or had relatives that worked there? Also, how many youngsters borrowed merchandise from TG&Y. The older people that read this thread how many of you got your Christmas presents from Dear Old (TG&Y) Santa Claus? I remember one time I was told to play Santa (did not want to). I put on the costume did the HO-Ho-HO thing. first kid came up said "You're Not Santa" "what did you do with him"? Then he kicked me so hard in the shin I could hardly walk...Took off the suit told the manager I wasn't going to do it.....That was the end...However, the manager was still laughing the next day. We always had a good time at work.......Still miss TG&Y.....Don't You?

We used to put on boxing gloves and have boxing matches in the storeroom after the store closed. We also used to have "foam" fights with the cans of spray, carpet cleaner foam soap we used to clean the floors with.

We used to put on boxing gloves and have boxing matches in the storeroom after the store closed. We also used to have "foam" fights with the cans of spray, carpet cleaner foam soap we used to clean the floors with.
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So, you were the one....I've looking for you for years....you still have amess to clean up.....I remember the Midnight sales we used to have. Every one would wear their Pajamas etc. over their work clothes...A new Girl (foxy) didn't understand that se was to wear her regular clothes under her Baby Doll p.j.'s.
Whew>.....

We were supposed to wear .. clothes .. under our jammies..? I don't remember anyone doing that .. ! I can see for babydolls maybe, tho. Member when we had cowboy days or whatever they were. Didn't we have Tom Mix there one year. I remember Robinette slinging a gun that day.

We were supposed to wear .. clothes .. under our jammies..? I don't remember anyone doing that .. ! I can see for babydolls maybe, tho. Member when we had cowboy days or whatever they were. Didn't we have Tom Mix there one year. I remember Robinette slinging a gun that day.
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Now, were you the one with nothing under your P.J.'s (Baby dolls)?...We had Tim Holt...Tim worked for KLPR and was a former "B" rated Western Star in the thirties and forties.......Robinette:............what a guy....Really do miss him.....