The aisle markers in this package haven't held up very well over the years (as we've seen in some previous photos), but they're supposed to have a mirrored panel for the aisle number -- certainly an interesting and unusual design choice! They also include aisle names and A/B side designations, both of which seem to have peaked in popularity in the 90s. Of course, the products on offer have shifted over the decades, and it seems weird to call this the pet supplies aisle now when that takes up less than half of the shelf space. Sterilite is an interesting brand name to put on the aisle marker -- they make plastic bins and stuff (like what's on the end of the aisle), but I wouldn't think of them as a household name; in fact, I had to google it to remember what Sterilite actually is.
Ha, perhaps Sterilite has become a strange generic name for plastic things the way that Kraft Dinner means mac & cheese in Canada! Sterilite is a pretty popular brand in the US now, but I remember when Rubbermaid was kind of the generic name of sorts for plastic trash cans and bins. Now, maybe not so much with the popularity of Sterilite! Granted, I think Sterilite was pretty popular even here in the 1990s when that aisle marker was made.
ReplyDeleteIt is a bit odd that pet supplies gets the heading on that aisle marker given that it is just one of many things in this aisle, but oh well. I suppose it is still accurate. The mirrored finish looks more 1980s or even 1970s than 1990s, but oh well. At least it is a little unique.
I was surprised to see a white Panasonic tabletop microwave in that other photo! When I was looking for a new mid-sized tabletop microwave oven a couple of years ago, it was extremely hard to find one in white. Most things now in that size are stainless, or more specifically, grey and black. Even online, the options were slim, but I was able to find a GE one at Lowe's in their stores so I went with that. So far, so good, I hope I don't need to buy another one anytime soon or else I might have to go to London Drugs!
Rubbermaid is definitely the brand that comes to mind for me, above Sterilite! Both seem fairly old-fashioned to me, so I'm surprised to hear that Sterilite is still a big deal!
DeleteI haven't shopped for plastic bins for a long time, and I also haven't shopped for a microwave in probably close to 20 years. I'm pretty sure my parents' microwave (which they still have) came from the old Walmart in Port Angeles! My current microwave came with my condo and is even older, and the other microwave I have was a present from my grandparents, and I have no idea where they got it. That one is much newer and is black -- I had no idea it was hard to find white microwaves these days, but that explains why they bought a black microwave that looks like it's from the 80s! (I really don't like black appliances...)