Anyone ever work or own a repair store years ago

[Alex Eisenhut]

Did you have the manufacturer logos on big plastic molded thingies? About 4 feet long by 1.5 feet?

They used to be in stores behind the counter up on the wall among many.

Do you guys know what I mean? What are they called? Can you buy some?

[pbarton]

In the supply chain, merchandising is the practice of making products in retail outlets available to consumers, primarily by stocking shelves and displays. While this used to be done exclusively by the stores' employees, many retailers have found substantial savings in requiring it to be done by the manufacturer, vendor, or wholesaler that provides the products to the retail store.

[vk6zgo]

Did you have the manufacturer logos on big plastic molded thingies? About 4 feet long by 1.5 feet?

They used to be in stores behind the counter up on the wall among many.

Do you guys know what I mean? What are they called? Can you buy some?

In my first job, the company I worked for had many departments.
The "Radio" department did have some signs of a similar size, but they were painted or printed on heavy cardboard or "Masonite" (a hardboard made from wood pulp).

From memory, none of the large Electronics suppliers we dealt with had the plastic ones, but our "Electrical" dept had a couple, as did our "NASCO" auto dept, who sold parts and accessories for Holden & some other GM vehicles--------the regular auto dept did not.

The place I bought my first new car from had a big, quite old, Pontiac plastic sign on the workshop wall.

I think that the three dimensional plastic signs were regarded as a bit "1930s"------ a "kiss of death" in the early 1960s.

There is a TV show called, I think, "American Pickers" where guys go around the country looking for interesting collectibles------- some of the people they sell to may have such signs for sale.

[vk6zgo]

On further reflection, I think such signs did make "a bit of a comeback" in the 1980s.

The old ones were made using classic moulding techniques, and were probably cellulose based plastic, so were thick, & not conducive to internal lighting, even disregarding the possible fire hazard.

The 1980s version used very much thinner non-cellulose plastic, vacuum moulded, so internal lighting became possible.
They were still mainly used in Auto parts suppliers.

Electronics parts in this country were now mainly sourced from the lowest cost supplier, with no "tie up" with large manufacturers, so such signs were not required.
I do vaguely remember some such signs from one of the big Japanese equipment suppliers, but they were rare enough to be notable.

[Alex Eisenhut]

That's what I am remembering. They would put all the signs together like Toshiba Mitsubishi Goldstar, etc and it would be on the wall behind the parts counter.

I remember that American companies would be a lot cheaper, like a banner printed on cloth. Those were kinda nice too, I remember the Amiga one.

As seen here



Come to think of it, all the things like CES had enormous company logos on display too.

[LateLesley]

I've no idea if i'm on the right track, but could it be vacuum formed signage that you are talking about?

I've seen videos on youtube about doing vacuum forming, and doing moulds of things like this could be one application. I did also google, and found places which do vacuum formed signage.

https://www.thomasnet.com/products/threedimensional-vacuum-formed-signs-75480426-1.html

https://www.wrightsplastics.co.uk/vacuum-formed-fascias/

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=diy+vacuum+forming

[Alex Eisenhut]

I've no idea if i'm on the right track, but could it be vacuum formed signage that you are talking about?

That's it! Yeah that sounds exactly like what it would be. But I guess these things are way in the past. A while ago I found a giant cardboard RCA vacuum tube box. These old promotional things are so much fun! 

[LateLesley]

Maybe if it's old promotional stuff you are looking for, you might have more luck in antique circles. They can collect some quirky things like old signage. There's a youtube channel called Curiosity Incorporated, Canadian based, which collects and sells old stuff, and he sometimes picks up some old brand signs. Not tech ones though. But maybe if you look for silicon valley antique shops, you never know what you might find. Just another avenue for you to explore.

[vk6zgo]

I've no idea if i'm on the right track, but could it be vacuum formed signage that you are talking about?

That's it! Yeah that sounds exactly like what it would be. But I guess these things are way in the past. A while ago I found a giant cardboard RCA vacuum tube box. These old promotional things are so much fun!

Not quite on topic, but back when I worked for the employer I mentioned above, we sold "Van Ruyten Inverters".
These used an electromechanical "vibrator" to convert DC to ac.
Country people with 32 v DC "lighting plants", wishing to use 250v ac TV sets were a major customer base.

Van Ruyten supplied us with a "counter display unit", which was externally a normal inverter, but unknown to most of us, had no "guts" inside, just some weights.

One day, one of our country customers was "in town", and dropped in to buy an inverter.
The counter guy looked in the store, & we were out of stock, but he remembered the "counter" unit.

"Ahh! said he, I'll just grab that one!"

Off went the customer "happy as a sandboy"!

The Boss was on the phone in his office, & was "sort of" watching these events, but not taking much notice, but his "Spidey sense" started firing when he saw the customer heading off, & an empty space where the counter display unit had been.

Luckily, he knew the customer quite well, & had a good idea where he would go next, so set off to "head him off", leaving the rest of us with the admonition to find a working unit or suffer dire consequences!

Ultimately, all was well, we found an operable unit in a country branch several hundred miles in the opposite direction to the customer's home town, & it was specially delivered to his farm.

The retrieved unit was then clearly marked "dummy"!

[cdev]

RCA used to have a really nice illuminated vacuum formed statue of "Nipper" (the dog listening to the old Victrola). If any exist today they must be worth a fortune to collectors.

[Alex Eisenhut]

Sigh...

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/SUPER-Rare-Original-COMMODORE-Computer-Store-Display-LIGHTED-Sign-works/254609955708?hash=item3b47ef9b7c:g:KvUAAOSwkZ9ezqK-

That's a nice one. A bit pricey.

[Wallace Gasiewicz]

An electronics parts store here in Indianapolis just closed, went broke.
They had two nice condition RCA "Nipper" dogs about 2.5 feet high in the store. They looked like plaster statues.
I am waiting for an auction.....