With any piece of information at our fingertips thanks to WIFI and data plans for internet use, we have little need to memorize details.
So it makes this video of a mall directory clerk at in Schaumburg, Illinois in 1991 even more impressive.
It’s a video With quick and clear phrases like “Top floor, right hand side,” she gives directions to six people in person at the mall and one person on the phone in just a single minute.
It’s posted by TikToker @whenitwasthen. The account posts old videos.
She seems to have memorized where every store is in relationship to the information desk of Woodfield Mall, where she works.
It’s unclear why the clerk is being filmed, perhaps to showcase how fast and efficient she is.
The first exchange goes something like this.
“Hi there’s a restaurant here: John’s –” a woman ask at the desk.
“John’s Garage — left hand side,” the clerk explains without having to pause to think or figure out how to describe the path to get there.
Then a man approaches the desk and appears to ask where the philly cheese steak is.
The clerk immediately knows where: “On the upper level,” she says, pointing her right arm upward to the right. “On the top floor.”
Then she moves on to the next person.
“See where the Tara Michelle is over there?” she says, pointing to a sign on the store across the floor. “It’s right around the corner.”
Then onto the next person and so on.
The video is a neat time machine, showing how much hairspray women wore.
It also shows us how busy malls used to be. Many people shop online almost exclusively now, so malls tend to not get nearly as crowded.
Also note that the aspect ratio is way different then. It’s a square video. No vertical ones back then.
Here’s the full video.
@whenitwasthen Replying to @sueweis #schaumburg #mall #1991 #nostalgia #90s
Check out what people are saying.
Most of the comments were about nostalgia for the ’90s and more opportunities to deal with real people in person.
This comment summed it up for me.
Aw what a sweet memory. A few people remembered this mall from their childhoods.
People from the area reminisced about other things nearby, too.
I don’t, but the mall wasn’t a social thing for me. I didn’t go there with friends.
I miss the ’90s, too, but I do not miss these crowds!
You gotta take the bad with the good I guess.
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