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RIP the Argos catalogue

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    RIP the Argos catalogue

    Argos is going to stop printing its catalogue after 50 years!

    When we were kids my brother used to go through the Argos catalogue circling everything he wanted for Christmas. Which was most of the catalogue.

    Going through my Dad's stuff after he died we found an Argos catalogue from the mid-90s. What a trove of information for future historians. Personal CD players, cassette decks, primitive laptops and mobile phones.

    #2
    It's a masterpiece of design, and up until earlier this year I had the latest issue. Sad news.

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      #3
      I can remember excitedly browsing through it as a child.

      If I had to name an emblematic coveted item from the Argos catalogue, it would probably be a calculator watch.

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        #4
        Originally posted by Benjm View Post
        I can remember excitedly browsing through it as a child.

        If I had to name an emblematic coveted item from the Argos catalogue, it would probably be a calculator watch.
        I agree with all of this.

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          #5
          EVERY ARGOS CATALOGUE

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            #6
            That is awesome - thanks, Nef!

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              #7
              Literally just discovered this when I dropped in at Balham Argos to pick up a scale. (Attempting to lose a few lockdown lbs, etc.)

              Certainly recall a good few of those early editions via Nef's link.

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                #8
                Originally posted by Nefertiti2 View Post
                That's quite a find.

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                  #9
                  If the title was meant to be a pun it's a good one.

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                    #10
                    As long as they retain the in-store ones – which you can't rip – we'll be OK. Otherwise known as "The Laminated Book of Dreams", as Bill Bailey once referred to it.

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                      #11
                      Hah, I've just realised the "Book of Dreams" is just what Nef's link calls it too!


                      Wow, I didn't realise their logo until the late '90s was the same one they'd had in the early '70s. Bizarrely, too, I see the covers up until that point still appear to belong to the Seventies too – I mean, if you'd showed me this one with "Autumn/Winter 1997 covered up, I'd have struggled to accurately guess it within about 16 years of its actual date:
                      Last edited by Various Artist; 30-07-2020, 16:07.

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                        #12
                        Trending on Twitter, as "Mr Frosty"

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                          #13
                          Originally posted by Various Artist View Post
                          As long as they retain the in-store ones – which you can't rip – we'll be OK. Otherwise known as "The Laminated Book of Dreams", as Bill Bailey once referred to it.
                          They dropped those for touch screens a while back.

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                            #14
                            Originally posted by Various Artist View Post
                            "The Laminated Book of Dreams", as Bill Bailey once referred to it.


                            My sister works for Argos so on those rare occasions where I can't find something I want anywhere else, I ask her to get it for me.

                            Abuse of staff discount? Where?

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                              #15
                              I adore Bill Bailey.

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                                #16
                                When I first saw him live, he all but hid behind his music. By the last time that I saw him, the music was almost secondary to the, er, I was going to say stand up, but really it was just him talking.
                                Last edited by Gangster Octopus; 30-07-2020, 21:29.

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                                  #17
                                  Originally posted by Gangster Octopus View Post
                                  When I first saw him live, he all but hid behind his music. By the last time that I saw him, the music was almost secondary to the, er, I was going to say stand up, but really it was just him talking. L

                                  There used to be a summer cultural festival at Cannizaro Park in Wimbledon. It was usually a mix of Shakespeare, other "classic" plays, jazz and stand-up comedy. I went to one of the comedy evenings there in the late-90s and was looking forward to seeing the headline act, Alistair McGowan, but he'd cancelled and someone I'd never heard of, Bill Bailey, was his replacement. He was brilliant, of course. At one point a woman tried to sneak out to the toilets. BB spotted her and started playing the Jaws theme music on his electronic organ as she crept out. She stopped, looked around, realised what was going on and rushed away, with BB playing an up tempo version of the tune as she legged it.

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                                    #18
                                    This makes me sad. One of my favourite kids club activities used to be cutting out pictures of appliances from the Argos catalogue and rearranging them to make robots.

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                                      #19
                                      I'd never heard of Argos until the middle nineties. I can't remember the last time that I was in one.

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                                        #20
                                        I don’t think I’ve heard of them until this thread.

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                                          #21
                                          Sounds like the annual Sears Christmas catalog in the States. As thick as a phonebook, it was an iconic institution for generations (not sure when it was discontinued).

                                          When I was a kid back in the '70s, every child would longingly flip through the extensive toy section – all in color with the greatest stuff on offer. It was called the "Wish Book."

                                          Now even Sears the store is on life support; they're closing the one in my town, which has been here forever.

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                                            #22
                                            I was a big fan of the Sears “wishbook.” They has tons of NFL merch back when that wasn’t so common.

                                            Sears is pretty much dead now. I don’t think they’ve sent out the catalog in 20 years or more.

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                                              #23
                                              I've just found out that the Sears Tower is no longer called thus.

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                                                #24
                                                It’s been a while

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                                                  #25
                                                  I had an interview as a 16-year-old for a job in the Argos warehouse in Bolton. Couldn't stop looking at the manger's toupee … maybe that was why they didn't hire me.

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