THE FOLLOWING IS NEITHER AN
ADVERTISEMENT NOR AN ENTRY
INTO ANY POLITICAL CONTROVERSY !
WRW, aka Satchel
 |
| Photo courtesy of Diana Metreaud |
The drink box held a prominent place in the community or country store. 'Once upon a time' the cost was only 5 cents. Just a nickel ! The 'menu' , in addition to the Coke and Pepsi, boasted an array of choices that might include Nehi (orange or grape), Dr. Pepper, and a perennial favorite ... RC Cola (often coupled with a 'Moon Pie'). For lots of people, "Coke" simply became synonymous with any carbonated beverage . . .unless you happened to be a true devotee of your favorite.
Our dad was always known as 'Frank', although his birth certificate identified him as 'Francis'. One hot day, dad was in Mr. C.E. Durham's community store and a friend said, "Frank, let me buy you a Coke." Whereupon the other six "Frank's" who happened to be in the same store all stepped up and answered, "Thanks". Dad's telling of the story didn't include whether everyone was a beneficiary of the offer.
There are two 'Clark Gable' Coke murals in our town. These were once among the primary methods of advertising.
Really cool! Drink boxes survived into the 1970s or 1980s, I think. Can't remember when I saw the last one. Remember them primarily when our R&R band was heading down the roads in Eastern North Carolina to a gig, and we stopped at some country store for a Pepsi (spelled B-E-E-R... Pepsi). Mike Wenger, Raleigh, NC
ReplyDeleteI remember this so well. Once upon a time my older brother tried to talk me into devoting two nickels of my just-received 50 cents allowance, one for a Coke for me but, far more important, the other for him. I don't remember if he got his way or not. He was a fast talker, but I loved him. Thanks for the memories, "Satchel."
ReplyDeleteI don't recall any that looked just like this in the North, although there were many of this general style and shape. Some had bottles in grooves that you slid to a station where the release mechanism was located. While I never considered myself or my friends to be criminals, we would on occasion take a bottle opener and a straw and enjoy a refreshing one without paying.
ReplyDeleteA family up the street had a container that looked like the one pictured located outside the back door of the home. Neighborhood boys - myself included - would sometimes "lift" a bottle, "de-capping" on any convenient surface, such as a post top. The cap's ridged edge hooked the post and a quick downward pull on the bottle did the trick. This bit of thievery was rare as we didn't want the owner to catch on and move it inside.