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OP t1_jczmebp wrote

In case some of you are wondering, I had to repost this link because I was too vague in the title of my first post and it was removed. Sorry about that. Hopefully, this one will be better. :)

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t1_jcznwji wrote

I used to go the the tilted building in towson MD back in the day. It was super trippy for 6 year old me.

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t1_jczx2r9 wrote

The Best stores shown in the link were among the most provocative commercial designs around at the time. The company had a number of stores in the mid-Atlantic area, including several in Northern Virginia where I was growing up. Most were stores built in existing spaces, with no particular special design.

I worked at one store in the late 70’s/early 80’s, and it was a somewhat smaller-sized location, but still had the unique design of a large showroom with sample items on the first (ground-floor) level and the warehouse and stock on the upper floor. Most items were “ordered” from the service desk and paid for at checkout stations. Wait-time was generally less than five to ten minutes, unless it was a particularly busy time of year.

Some sections of the store were called “self-service,” where customers could pick up an item and buy it immediately, like sporting goods, hardware, jewelry, the audio section (excluding items like large TV sets).

Upon opening some of the unique stores, the local managers would promote the new locations, sometimes making trips to visit those locations. Many of my colleagues/co-workers felt the buildings were too “radical” or “impractical.”

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t1_jd00nyu wrote

I remember that! They had conveyer belts from the warehouse to the front. No stock in the show room. You'd pick out what you wanted and then wait for it to be sent to the front. Really hi-tech stuff at the time, but big box stores obviously prefer the grab-and-go method.

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t1_jd1kwcr wrote

The one in Sacramento is a Best Buy now, the opening front corner is gone but some of the mechanical bits are supposedly buried in the parking lot under the asphalt.

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t1_jd2ny7n wrote

What did a Best Store sell & where did they operate? Never heard of them before ….. (Grew up in NorthEast USA & traveled the country)

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t1_jd6ggv9 wrote

I grew up near the one in Kingspoint Rd. in Houston. This is the building now. It’s pretty sad. There used to be a lot of fun stuff in that neighborhood. A 70’s vibe lasted a weirdly long time around there. https://i.imgur.com/86ZYzH7.jpg

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