Pluggers by Rick McKee for December 12, 2019

now where to find W.T. Grant and the drugstore? (my great-grandfather’s and granduncles’ pharmacy is still in Safford, Arizona, but it’s been non-operational for years)

You’re a Plugger if you have no GPS or printed out map/directions, too.

Sigh!

Most of landmarks in the small S.C. towns we live in are dollar stores. The landmarks were we used to to live (Atlanta, Ga.) are Waffle Houses.

You are a plugger if you give or ask for directions, period, Because nowadays most everyone uses GPS or Waze.

I still use a road map. GPS is fine for finding a specific address but I like the big picture. Seems people don’t even want to look at road signs. They want to be told where to turn. Research your route. You’ll do fine.

One of my co-workers used to give directions with existing landmarks—all restaurants! (“Turn left at the Pizza Hut, go down Main Street until you come to the Burger King…”) What a character—and not a skinny character, either!

Did that on the PHONE with drivers trying to find their destination. Before Cellphones and GPS.

Unlike online maps where the post office is in the 1987 location and Steel Bridge* is a turn-off. *Removed in 1942.

Well the plugger receiving the directions might of been out of the area for a long time. Thus giving old landmarks would be useful ;-)

it’s called remembering better days.

You can use OSM (Open Source Maps – they’re free and updated by users) and free GPS apps on your phone. Just update the maps often. However, real Pluggers if they’re not at work will just say “Give me a minute to get my vee-hick-le and follow me over there.”

That is an old New England joke. Send tourists off on a wild goose chase through dirt roads and use landmarks of places only locals know what they are.

I provide wheelchair transport in my city. I LOVE learning about what used to be where because then when I get another elderly person who hasn’t driven in a long time I can remind them of what used to be!

You’re also a Plugger if you can drive to a location but can’t tell some one how to get there. That’s me.

A country Plugger gives directions by the old Smith farm, and then the old Jones farm…..neither having lived there in years….

I was giving directions to some one and told them to turn left on a certain road. She thought a moment and then asked, “Is that where Smith Motors used to be?” Yup. “Well, why didn’t you say so?”

We’re both pluggers.

Not only do pluggers do this… our local paper used to give directions this way as well. I recall upon moving to this small city seeing an article telling about the Christmas Tree Festival located in the old Faulk’s ID Store, and not giving any other directions or an address. I then asked someone about that, and learned that store vacated 5-6 years prior.

I already use old store names for directions and now stop lights-we didn’t have many in the “past”.

My favorite joke.

This usually comes with the complete story of when the store closed and the stuff that you miss that they used to sell there.

Come to think of it… you can’t get theah from heah

With those references, Frank’s from N.E.

You’re a plugger if you still remember W.T.Grant and Rexall. I do.

One summer, I delivered items in the rural areas near the small city where I lived. Directions were usually given as: “go down Harvest Road 3/4ths of mile, turn left at the old Smith place, go another 1/2 mile it’s the white house with a picket fence on the right, can’t miss it.” Of course every other house in the area was a white house with a picket fence.

….or you’re from Maine and think it’s hysterical to direct people “…go right at the bahn that use’ to be green….” Sigh. 28 yeahs livin’ with Maine “humah.”

Plus, the receiving Plugger knows what those stores were.

Go past the mall, where Sears used to be, not South Harrison Avenue, where it used to be even before it was at the mall.

Young pluggers do things like this, too. When I was young, my youngest brother told me the place where the horse was out was around the curve “just past where (little sister) fell off her bike and broke her arm.” (I knew the spot, lol).

The advantage of working out of a map book is that you get a working knowledge of the area much more quickly. I’ve spent a lot of years driving around commercially, and the territories I used to cover using a map book, I knew inside and out. Now, I’m just following directions. I do know the areas and neighborhoods fairly well, but it’s taken me a long time and I’m still not sure how some parts of town (a medium sized city) relate to each other.

Head south past the old Bay Furniture store and bear to your left at Joe an Eddies old place.