INSIDE COMPUTER STORES OF THE 1970S AND 1980S

As part of PCMag’s 40th-anniversary celebration, here are some rare scenes from the early days of personal computer shopping.

- BENJ EDWARDS

In the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s, if someone wanted to buy a personal computer, they had to make a trip to a local computer store and check out what was available in person. Once they got there, customers typically encountered a dizzying array of incompatible platforms with widely varying capabilities.

Depending on the era, think of computers with brand names such as Apple, Atari, Commodore, Osborne, Texas Instruments, Radio Shack, Tandy, IBM, NEC, Sinclair, Panasonic, and more.

In today’s world of online ordering, smartphones, tablets, and only two major desktop PC platforms (Mac and Windows), it’s hard to imagine what exactly computer stores of the 1980s—with all their varied wares—must have looked like. So I did my best to track down snapshots that give a glimpse into what it was like to visit one of those stores back then.

While searching, I found a few international photos, which give this slideshow a slightly worldwide flavor, but the rest are from the US. And only one photo is from the 1970s; it gives us a look at the dawn of the computer retail store.

After you’re done reading, I have a question for you old-timers out there: If you’re old enough, what are your memories of computer shopping in the 1980s? Drop us a line at [e-mail].

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