Ames Department Store Final Voicemail video

[OlegKostoglatov]

Walmart will go this way one day, every retailer does at some point. Like a restaurant turning out bad food bad or indifferent management and poor product selection can kill a store chain in under a decade.

[schuminweb]

I find it amusing how the woman is giving such specific instructions for how to leave the stores. Considering that the people who were supposed to follow these instructions were losing their jobs in any case, I think if it were me, I might have had some fun in the building, knocked over a few remaining fixtures, etc. No accountability, after all, since they're getting canned anyway...

[jdubyadee1]

@schuminweb I was one of those "turn out the lights" people. I really wasn't worried about what the place looked like when I left. We were already screwing over the landlord leaving him with a bunch of broken fixtures he had to scrap. Of course the night I left, I had the alarm company calling me at 3am. Told them to leave me alone, I terminated myself tonight.... lol

[diehardtrix]

Address given for home office is currently listed for leasing. :(

loopnet.com/Listing/13728541/2­418-Main-Street-Rocky-Hill-CT/

[rescuehero942]

Imagine if Kmart went out of business...

And at 1:15 they had store closing signs in the year 2002??? Circuit City had those during there closing sale!

[Darthbelal]

Sorry guys, I don't miss my local Ames, or Caldor for that matter. As time wore on, those stores started pushing cheaper, chintzier goods. Their electronics section sucked, the sporting goods really sucked. All Ames had towards the end was third rate clothing with some household goods mixed in. Boring.

Lesson to Wamart, they've gotten cheap around the edges themselves, if they're not careful, they too will go the way of Ames and Caldor...

[YukoAsho]

@Darthbelal I've noticed that myself. Even with the conversion of my neighborhood Wal-Mart into a SuperCenter, the goods are getting cheaper in quality. It's funny how history repeats itself.

[boxer3087]

I hated Ames (garbage for high prices) ..... They took over Hills (great stuff for low prices). I was glad when Ames went out of business. They deserved it.

[busterbrown17]

Which ames is this is this ames down in werham ma because there was one where tjmax was

[southport97]

This is like watching a funeral.

[BrooklynBaller101]

where did the rip ames tombtone come from oh and walmart is for jamacian seals

[haven1095]

Screw Walmart



[DakotaDAllen]

Woman sounds like she's going to cry

[MrERIC314]

In pennsylvania I found 3 old green AMES carts!

[Pam4Rob]

I swear this looks like the Ames that used to be in syracuse NY, is it?

[DisneyBlackJet]

Ames was my childhood.....I thought I was the only one who even remembered! xD

[thegamez83]

Sad video :-(

[sldl04]

This is a sad video. I miss the Ames we had in Lowville NY. Sometimes, I wonder if having just Walmart as the only discount chain is a good thing...

[Simon5005]

I still have the afghan my Mom made for me while in college............I remember picking out the yarn for it at Ames in 1979. Funny the things that you never forget.

[pika23]

We had an Ames for like 2 years around my area. It was kinda nice, like a Jamesway.

[wrestlingcircuit1995]

Kmart will be putting out a voicemail like this in 5-10 years I'm afraid. Most of their stores are in major disrepair and scrape by with minimal P/T employees.

[lifezgood100]

Wow they actualy had automated humans on corporate voicemails at 1 time? I'm shocked and speechless!

[GeneralLeeStudios]

how old is the girl at 0:05 0:22 0:40 now? lol if anybody knows

[gravelandgrain100]

Reminds me of when D/K Optical closed us in the 90's. We were a small but close bunch of people. We gave each other hugs and we were given the option of staying the 8 hours and getting paid to help finish inventory/closing procedures. We stayed and just had alot of fun laughing and remembering better days.

I haven't seen any of those folks since.

[Trixgod]

I hate messages like that. I am so sorry for all others that deal with these things. It's spooky, sad and I get so mad at people who look down on retail workers but , I swear to god, most have been through so much and have huge hearts. I miss retail daily and all my friends and hope to see them again someday. I hate closings.

[Silvertrine]

Reminds me of Service Merchandise when it closed down.

[LARDLOGO]

This is very sad

I WANT MY MONTGOMERY WARDS WIRE CUTTERS WAHHHHH!!!

[Titanic19127]

I want an Ames pin :D

[BrooklynBaller101]

DAMN i miss ames sso much *kicking the turkey in walmart

[Zoomer30]

Ah the old dirt patches under the gondolas, brings back memorys of when my old Target closed (a new one opened on the other side of town)

[Titanic19127]

Hey jcmotorsofficisl,what is this thing going around about K mart??? There is still one in our city and I live in Jamestown.

[amanda3589]

@Titanic19127 Back in 02' they filed for chapter 11. They had toclose 300 stores in order to recover. From what I've heard they are doing pretty good now. The only stores they are actually closing are the ones that are not making enough money which makes alot of sense. They just closed one down where I live because of that=D

[Wheeljack35]

I have been through that before with Caldors closing

I used to shop at Ames too

[vigilante11485]

Too sad to watch!

[rycon246]

I liked those stores ! And Zayre ! WHy are they gone ?

[sweetkitcat2]

This was before target was built. I remember this store. In IL it was built and when that closed it was media play and that building no longer stands they destroyed it and made it in to a toys r us.

[RetroCaptain]

Good Day,

There are a # of stores up here that have been put out of business because of wal marts arrival.....there are typically community groups who protest/try to legally stop more from being built. There is a small grassroots movement to boycott them. I'm among them. I also deliberately choosing to pay more, to buy Can/U.S made goods..instead of cheap qual. imports...which is what those stores shelves are overburdened with..heard the stories of U.S communities drying up after WAL MART came!!

[lucabrasi1337]

Ames, Zayre, Caldor etc... were he Wal*Marts of their day. Someday, someone is going to put them out of business too, and 10 years later, people will be on YouTube talking about how much they miss the good ol' Wal*Mart days, LOL...

[YukoAsho]

@lucabrasi1337 That put a smile on my face. The only constant in the world is change.

[91flhs]

This was filmed in a former Hill's store, which was taken over by Ames in 1999.

[dhernb11]

I want to buy the home office building in Rocky Hill. I dont know why, but I do

[BrooklynBaller101]

i miss all of the good stores tht were around long before there was a home depot or a walmart , kmart, dicks sporting goods, target, or even a stop and shop whats happening to those days...

[DrSurprise]

@BrooklynBaller101

most of those stores existed even when these stores existed. if theres one store i miss from my childhood, its Caldors

[BrooklynBaller101]

i live in ri and the ames store tht was in providence is now currently a walmart its so sad cuz walmart just put another one of their stores where they shouldn't have ever at all

[RetroGirl85]

to this day i am still getting severance pay checks from ames lol

[BrooklynBaller101]

seriously what do u mean

[RetroGirl85]

seriusly i mean i am still getting severance checks from ames office for losing my job when they went out of business,, seriously

[mgrella63]

The abandoned headquarters is still in rocky hill ct

[myish08]

at 0:43-46,the girl picking up the other girl represents there soon to be struggle... to me....it says Ames employess will be there for each other in the toughest of times...lol i wonder if they ever moved on since...as far as the former  Newton, NJ Ames went...i still see employes from there working NOW @ Walmart aint that a bitch? lo

[SharkAttack5111515]

When I was a child I would buy Legos at Ames all the time because they always had huge savings every 1-3 weeks like 20% off one set when you bought another. I still have the StarWars Snowspeeder that I built on my birthday which I purchased from Ames. I always think of that store when I look at it.

[bartman1238]

ames sold out date suff that target is better quilyt than ames but walmart just as crapt as ames. suprizing kmart is doing pretty good i read that from yahoo sears holidling alret but sears is going down the shiter

[LforLawliette]

@bartman1238 lol can u learn ur english before u start talking?

[RetroGirl85]

wonder if the ames voicemail came from rocky hill, ct, since that was where the home office was

[CTsportscentral]

it said it was from rocky hill.

[sweetkitcat2]

I remember this store the last store that they made it was media play that original building was torn down and refurbished into a toys r us

[leapfrog64]

I started with them in 1990; two weeks later they declared bankruptcy. I was a mngr trainee at the time; I moved 4 times in less than 2 years! They did pay for relocation; probably part of their downfall. Merchandise we bought a lot of times was junk or overbought of foreign made crap that someone thought would sell. We never had enough associates due to payroll budget so I worked 8 am to 2 am a lot; there was no support from mgmt; and what the fuck was up with those PLANOGRAMS? ridiculous!!!

[Amesang]

Second post: I'm now reminded of the recent closing of Circuit City (the one where I'm living now having been replaced with a PC Richards & Son.. and now I'm thinking about The Wiz).

Anyway, I now firmly believe that Ames introduced me to videogames. The one I eventually worked in used to have a SEGA Shinobi coin-op, maybe when I was five? Thank you, Xbox LIVE, for giving me the opportunity to play this again (I finally beat the bonus stage!!).

[Falcone45]

I pray that tstores like Circuity City open up. I remember having a nice day on the town in Mentor, Ohio when ours was open. I just wish someone would try to open some store chains back up. But, that won't happen anytime soon.

[199tinkerbell]

I got alot of memmories of ames. i remember when i was walking into one and this shoplifter came running out and one of the ames store associates went running right after him.

[gdwag01]

Wonder how long before Kmart joins them

[Dunes]

Heh,nice video I miss ames that was one great store.

[TRJ22487]

Nearly seven years later there are still a handful of Ames that are not only sitting vacant, but I know of one in particular that still has the road sign and logo on the front of the building untouched as if it were still open!...they are the 80's red logos too...I took a picture of myself in front of the building a few months ago when I spotted it...where I live I am absolutely surrounded by former Ames but they almost all became something else...not this one though, it just sits logo and all..

[TRJ22487]

and I know this sounds ridiculous, but I've actually got a red Ames cart in my living room without the wheels. Works great for storage. I found it in the dead of winter sticking out of a river, still had the logos and everything on it, I figured I might never see another one so I got into the damn stream, pulled it out, put it in my car, washed it for hours at home, got a cold, but hey, now I have a nice red Ames cart without the wheels to hold all my old VHS tapes

[myish08]

YOU FROM THE SOUTH?

[HarvestmanMan]

Are you TRJ from the AFC Forums?

(Ameskid talking)

[TRJ22487]

yes.

[myish08]

HEY BUDDY WHERE DO YA LIVE? I GOTTA SEE IT TO BELIEVE IT!! I'LL EVEN BRING THE CAMERA,AND SMOKE A SPLIFF AS A MEMORIAL ROUND BACK OF THE STORE!!!! Lol MAYBE i break in and salvage whats left..THEN smoke spliff INSIDE!!!LOL I KID I KID

[NellsStuff]

So sad... I miss stores like this... Target and Walmart stock what they want to stock, and you just don't get the variety of brands... sad...

[Falcone45]

That's a nice tribute. Wish they did that with the Mooretown Ukrops in Virginia.

[fireguy316]

This is sad all the good stores are gone. i hate online shopping . i always enjoy going to shop for my stuff in a store

[KryptonSlim]

Ames downfall was theirpurchase Of Zayre......The two brothers that founded Zayre, which was about to go into the toilet gladly took the $800 million and now live the live of luxury, laughingm their asses off at the morons that paid $800 million for a chain circling the bowl.

[pohldriver]

actualy it was Hill that took them down. when i was a LP at the leesport dc, those that were there for years, and had stock said that after they came back from their first bankrup, they went from $0.10 a share to like $68 a share. within days of Hills, it dropped to a few dollars a share.

a former Hills purchacer that got on at ames bought thousands of tvs that never worked. the vender didnt want there crap back once the customers returned them. like 10% of the dc racks were those tvs.

[Straycatz4]

Main stores that I shopped at then: Ames, Woolworth's, Bradlee's, Caldoor, KMART, and once, Zayre.

Stores that I shop in now: WALMART, TARGET JCPENNEY, MACY'S( which has been around forever....)

I still see the vacant buildings of where the Ames was where I used to shop.

[Straycatz4]

I remember shopping in Ames before I even knew that WALMART or TARGET even existed. I also remember shopping in Bradlees and Jamesway a few times too. This video is sad because of all of the people that lost jobs, like the Economy today. WALMART and TARGET did kill so many other stores........ just sad.

[Straycatz4]

Does anyone know the exact date of when Ames closed?

[JayMBeeMe]

They were various depending on where you lived. I live in CT and the Ames in my areas went out of business between 1998 and 2001.

Wow this the Rocky Hill store! I think this is a Wal-Mart now if I'm not mistaken lol!

[MSBrown1115]

@Straycatz4 November 22 2002

[rickster348]

This is a sad thing, but if you want to run with the big dogs, you have to compete,...

[mainegirl77]

I worked for Ames. This almost made me cry. :(

[patricknedz]

I remember when the Hills was bought by ames in Clearview mall. now Ames has closed all locations. Bosocvs closed too but not all locations of Boscovs are closed.

[tscotwv]

Ames & Hills used to be right across the street from each other in my area years ago. Ames closed down, but of course later returned when the Hills was bought by Ames. I really wish both stores were still like they were before. Even Kmart was in the same area back then as well.

[tarathetarantula]

I looooved Ames and was sad when they went out.

[Voltor07]

Does anyone else remember Zayre?  They were the predecessor to Ames. The location near me had a restaurant inside with Japanese paper lanterns. I loved going there. Also, Child's World. Liked going there too. ^_^

[wkat950]

Yep. I remember the Macon (US80) old sign from 1968 that was still there when the store closed in '88. It seemed to be a nicer, friendlier store vs. the Kmarts. I just wish that we had more chains to keep Wal-Mart straight. Sears and Kmart are dropping the ball and their longevity depends on how the "recovery" goes.

[jenna1311]

My Wife and I both worked for Ames for over 12 years in Upstate NY. It sucked losing our jobs @ the same time. Sad video but nicely done : ) I was a LP Specialist, Wife was a Store Trainer. Joe Etorre will rot in Hell! Greedy Bastard!!! Ames people were the BEST! Yeah, still a little bitter....

[CubsFan2812]

@jenna1311 Man both you and your wife lost jobs at the same time, hope you two are now prosperous.

[YukoAsho]

@jenna1311 I assume it was Etorre who thought it'd be a great idea to buy out Hills while the company was still recovering from the first bankruptcy?

[miked19831988]

i worked the tiffin ,bg and fremont stores. got to 605 onece in a while. worked in lp dept for 2 year then got an ass for a boss. would like to meet up with phil h and jeff m again from 605... cool to work with

[HattieLovesCattie]

Dang Wally Mart has killed so many stores.

[reitelle]

i am not going to lie... this video kind of makes me want to cry!!! i grew up going to the Ames in Warren RI and now... its gone

[joeparzych2]

there useto be ames in greenfield ma

but that was best store in the town

and no more store .

gay mayor did not want a store like

ames to comein

[aafp1]

I worked at Ames in Defiance,Ohio(#605) for 5 years.I worked Loss Prevention and could see the demise coming.The management was just plain crap and the merchandise that was being sold was worse.The girls that worked there were oh so beautiful!! I guess I miss it sometimes and sometimes I don't.Goodbye Ames.You were a part of my life.

[mediamadman747]

Well-done video, thanks for posting.

[HillsDepartmentStore]

Ames disolved two great stores;Hills and Murphys Mart.I wasn't sad to see Ames go.

[Intelpentium54321]

Bahah thats the one near mine

[atomicpuppet]

We have an abandoned Ames here.

I remember, when I was a kid, my grandmother would take me there. It had a picture booth near the front counters. We would take pictures together.

It has been sitting there for 7 years.

Huge empty parking lot.

It was guarded by security this past summer, they would kick anyone out of the area, I have a video on my page of me getting kicked out with a lady saying WalMart bought the property.

They don't have security there anymore, if that says anything.

[LaddyDongdegs]

Is that Raven? lol

What videos were the clips of the employees from? It wasn't the Glenmont Triathlon video, I know that much. Could you upload the whole thing if you have it?

[stevehammes]

That video is on here too. Just search for Ames Training Video and you'll see it.

[scarymonsterface]

All the local lowlifes hung out at our local Ames. It was a great place to go if you wanted to catch lice.

[arkema202]

I've only shoped at Ames once. It was in Howell MI. now the county offices are occuping the store.

[futbolt]

nice video, i worked at caldors... but i understand the feeling.

[ncdavid2001]

Hi my name is David. I am 21 and once a proud fan of ames. I shopped there as a child and was my favorite retailer above walmart and kmart. I now work at Walmart and I often catch myself promoting ideas that I had seen at ames as a child. I much miss this department store and my best wishes go out to employees of Circuit City!!!!

[AllisonTheSNLGuru]

Wow, that was really sad, seeing an empty store like that.

We didn't have an Ames in this area (closest one was in Vineland, NJ - over an hour from where I grew up), and I heard it wasn't the greatest store - kind of dark and gloomy toward the end. It closed in early 2002.

This makes me nostalgic for Caldor and Bradlees, two of the other stores of my youth.

Thanks for posting. :-)

[clarkbell]

@AllisonTheSNLGuru Would you know, by any chance, what was there before Ames? And what grocery store was ever next to it?

[AllisonTheSNLGuru]

@clarkbell - Nope, because I never went shopping there.

[clarkbell]

@AllisonTheSNLGuru I highly recommend driving from Vineland to Boston in a rented Lincoln Town Car. Bring some weed, maybe even some light beer, play the albums "Court and Spark" by Joni Mitchell and "After The Goldrush" by Neil Young on the CD player. Stop at some of the old school shopping centers along the way and the beach in Connecticut. You my friend have recreated the 70's. OK, maybe that is a little exaggerated...

[TRJ22487]

I had completely forgotten there was an Ames in Claremont, NH until I read it in the store listing today. I have such a vivid childhood memory of being in that Ames when my dad was in a fatal car accident, but I always thought it didn't really happen the way I remembered it because I didn't think there was a Claremont, Ames, until I saw the picture of the abandoned building today and the memory flooded back. It was in a desolate little plaza, old red logo, must have closed in 1990 or 1991. Weird

[bunnyluv41]

Bittersweet goodbye to a really good store. I miss Ames. I used to go there a lot when I was a kid. :(

[TRJ22487]

Walmart and the internet ruined the charm of shopping. I'd love to go back 20 years to explore my own town, go around with a videocamera and take it all in

[gymnastix]

Actually, in some ways the Internet made shopping more fun for some people. I especially love eBay and websites where I buy/trade to collect classic TV video and baseball cards.

[gymnastix]

But I kind of know what you mean in another way. And even before Wal-Mart, I blame shopping malls for ruining the fun of shopping.

Before malls, one either patronized the small, independently-owned shops and stores of one's hometown, or even the stand-alone, discount department stores or stores located in shopping plazas, but not all under one roof as in a mall.

[gymnastix]

What's really sad is there are practically no more record stores. Even Tower Records, once one of the country's largest chains, is now an online entity only.

Also gone are such chains as Discount Records, Music City, MusicLand, MusicWorld, Popcorn Records, Sam Goody and Licorice Pizza.

But what's more missed are the indie record shops that one used to find on Main Street USA. For that matter, Main Street USA is practically non-existent. replaced by strip malls, highways and urban sprawl.

[gymnastix]

Fortunately, I live in New England, where we still have a healthy chain called Newbury Comics, which sells not only comic books, but also CD's, DVD's, T-shirts, books and novelty items.

Also scarce are the one and two-screen movie theaters, the kinds with large screens and balconies, all given way to multiplexes. Even when, a decade ago, Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel closed their TV movie review show with "The balcony is closed," there weren't that many theaters left with balconies to close.

[SirRoxo]

I have many memories of shopping there when i was 6 years old. Ames though always felt extremely cheap and well, cheap. Kinda reminds me of Dicks Sporting Goods. I plan to see that store fall to the same fate.

[gymnastix]

Yeah, those stores were cheap, but you know, not everyone may afford to shop at Bloomingdale's and Sak's Fifth Avenue, or even Macy's, etc., so those discount chains did & do serve their purposes, put clothes on the backs of many families and supplied many birthday and Christmas toys for kids over the years.

Also, Woolworth's was great for housewares, the kinds of things one doesn't necessarily always care to buy top of the line--laundry baskets, kitchen utensils, bathroom accessories, etc.

[gymnastix]

Today I find Family Dollar stores fill that void nicely. And you may even obtain household cleaning products (dishwashing liquid, laundry detergent, etc.) and toiletries (shaving cream, shampoo, etc.) at those stores dirt cheap, if you don't mind that sometimes the labels are in Spanish. Batteries too are a real bargain at those stores.

[jaydofct]

Former Employee as the Torrington, CT location and occasionally loaned to Winsted. Man this brings back memories of closing down. Bitter sweet stuff here.

[MacMiles2008]

Greeting from a former Ames employee,

I use to work at store number 0375 in Southampton, MA. I never really liked the place since most management were jerks and it was not as well maintained as other stores in the area, but I did make a few friends there. Personally I use to love the Bradlees store in Chicopee, MA. It was about the same size as my Ames store but better lit, better maintained, and the people there were cool. I miss both places(Bradlees more)as I cannot stand Wal-Mart!

[gymnastix]

I used to work (for three years) at two Zayre's--one in my hometown of Waltham, and then briefly one in Hadley in my first year at UMass/Amherst. Most of the Zayre's became Ames' stores. I also worked, very briefly, at a Bradlee's.

I never warmed up to Ames the way I did to Zayre's and another, smaller chain (now long gone) called King's, the nearest of which to me was on the Newton/Watertown line. My mother (now deceased) loved that store.

[gymnastix]

Something I noticed then, that department stores don't have much today, is that for women who liked to knit & sew, etc., the discount department stores such as Bradlee's, King's, Zayre's, etc. not only had yarn and sewing supplies, but also used to carry the dress patterns. This made them very popular with housewives who used to sew more in those days. Nowadays, what mothers or wives have much time to do such things? Most of them have to work, at least part, if not full-time jobs.

[penske13]

hey all.....i used to shop at a zayres when i was a bit younger and never found it to be overpriced or annoying or anything unpleasant and i can say the same for ames. the zayre in question was on congress ave in lake worth(maybe w.p.b.) and as soon as the ames signs went up it was out of business. i mean it wasn't a full year before the ames that took over zayres was gone. ames' financial collapse was caused by the aquisition of zayres.

[ChuCk230e]

ames was the best. i can still get in my towns some times. dont know how though. i found the front door unlocked. them i went to the theater a couple stores down and saw ricky bobby

[DMurph44]

Working at WalMart sucks, everyone knows that. There is a store around today that's very much like Bradlees, Ames and Caldor. Want to know what it is? Ocean State Job Lot. It's a great place. I work at a Stop & Shop and I stop by Ocean State Job Lot everyday when I get off work. Look up OSJL on google and see if there's one near where you live and go stop by.

[goldendragon35]

this vm sounds so depressing, I still remember Ames. I keep thinking to our hard times and realize that some stores will see the same faith :(

[davidscalling]

WalMart reminds me more and more of Ames. Overpriced junk. I just saw a small plastic file box priced at $97.00. And pressed plywood furniture almost priced as if it was from a real furniture store, also their clothes suck. Also misspriced items that scan higher at the register than priced on the shelf which Ames was notorious for. Also soap, shampoo, toothepast etc is much much cheaper at a grocery store than at Walmart. WalMart is the new Ames.

[Christena2009]

I really don't anything about Ames but the video sounded really depressing and sad.

[spicy64]

Hearing that voicemail was very depressing. Stupid-ass Wal-Mart!

[Charmedone9805]

its sad to think that now all we have is wal mart kmart and target when we use to have Ames Caldor Bradlees and Jamesway pretty much you can't blam kmart they were never a thret target dident really come into the northeast till the early 2000's so i mean i pretty much put the blam on wal mart they sould have just stayed in the south were they belong

[LaddyDongdegs]

This is SO sad! (Ameskid speaking)

[usa02]

Ames, Hills, Woolworth-Woolco, Best, Phar-Mor, Fisher's Big Wheel, are all GONE! I remember there used to be an Ames in my Hometown in Middlefield, Ohio. NOW all you got is WAL-MART! Sad.

[JCMotorsOfficial]

@usa02 You forgot Kmart

[deedundone]

@usa02 ames was the north east walmart but ive never heard the things said about walmart ever said about ames......

[Amesang]

I still miss Ames. Except our eletronics department. Starting work in the afternoon there and leaving at night time was just surreal. I mean, going from light to dark without transitions?

Worked at the store that eventually took over the lot, but although the employees were cool the business owners are just idiots (aren't they always, though?).

[Comptekhs]

I miss Ames but, I like Hills even better I wish Ames wouldn't have bought them out. I think maybe hills would still be around.

[bigmikey128]

That was the eventual downfall of Ames. They bit off more than they could chew with the acquisision of Hills. Maybe the way the retail market was going Ames would have gone under anyways, or would have done well nowadays with their really cheap prices.

[8218933alt]

Yeah. Their acquisition of Zayre hurt a little too.

[Charmedone9805]

they were good compeating with wal mart they were just as cheep as them and they did not have thoughs annoying supercenters like wal mart dose i think they would have stayed around longer if they did not buy out hills same go's for bradlees if they stayed with stop and shop the would still be around and if caldor stayed with the may co it would sitll be around or sold off or something

[wkat950]

I am not used to suburban girls being store associates. I worked at a Wal-Mart in Macon GA in the Nineties. That was hell. The workers at Ames seem to be having fun instead of feeling worn out and hating their jobs. Oh and the girl with the brown shoes was so cute; I thought she was going to tap them together and go home. I wish someone would fill the gap and give Wal-Mart some real competition. I am sure it will happen.Good luck to the Ames people.

[namniekib]

Hahaha... i used to work for Woolworth's and the wages were terrible,the managers played scratch tickets all day and the managers used to play mind games with me.Good riddance.

[8218933alt]

I actually kinda agree, no offense Ames fans, but I always felt that Ames stores were really dirty and crappy. Maybe it's just the ones I visited, but I have never liked them and I always found Jamesway, Caldor and Bradlees to be better.

[stevehammes]

This is my proudest work to date :-) Did you cry...that was my plan. This is the voice of Cindy Daly from home office; the final message left to managers before we left for good. I was a caretaker for the property after we closed and decided to make this tear jerker. By the way, this is Glenmont, NY #0435...now a Bed Bath & Beyond.

[archon687073]

the good ol days they're not quite gone either If you want to relive the glory days of Ames go work for Big Lots All the groovy players from AMES are there and they still treat people in the old spirit of lack of respect and reverse gender discrimination Loved the 10 months I spent trying to please my managers only to be treated like dirt But hey that's retail And it's why Ive retired from it Big Lots the worlds best bargains by the bagful Not an EOP employer unless you're female

[Cmdrshotgun]

Great video. I think it was one off the 400 series stores, maybe Glenmont. Those of us who worked for Ames "work" being a key word here, loved the stores. The place had personality. OK gotta go cry now, still miss all my old staff. RIP 0714

[hastyberford]

I wonder what building that was filmed in?

[archon687073]

I worked at Zayre, then Ames. Zayre was the most fun. Ames was to for a while, until it became (j)Amesway! Also, didn't enjoy working slave labor 20 hours a day, 6 days a week for the Remodel team and being treated like dirt by some project managers. Special thanks to VAL for being just a tremendously ugly excuse for a human being. Saddam Hussein had more charm!

[turbocsx]

i never was in an ames, but i wish i was! Caldor rocked too! too bad no one has the caldor theme music on here.

[JerseyBach]

I worked at Ames for one year. I HATED it, It was Poorly run, The Management was a bunch of Bozos. So Dave Kuitcha, I am hoping that you cant read this because you are dead, you worthless piece of crap. Good riddance Ames

[anthonym267]

I was wondering what ever happened to ames

[lenellbr]

Used to work for Zayre (before they became Ames. Worked there for 7 Years then before Ames went out I found another job at K-Mart. Worked there for a few Years before I escaped to a better job. I miss Ames and Zayre. They was fun to work at. Every time we lost a store that is a part of our lives and culture it's sometimes sad :-(

RIP Ames, Zayre, Goldbatts, Woolworths MashallFields. You will NEVER be forgotten.

Lenellbr

[MacMiles2008]

I will agree with you there. I went to Porter and Chester in Chicopee, MA.(and hated it)and the classroom I was in was a converted mall store adjacent to a Bradlees location so I was in that store every day getting a snack, doing Christmas shopping and getting to know the staff well. When that store closed I was so depressed as I made friends there. Bradlees will also NEVER be forgotten.

[sk82soad]

howd you get in there??and how come the ames near me all the lights are off and it's locked

[Charmedone9805]

these were probley taken when the store just closed also they do sometimes leave the lighs on i know a vacant caldor buy me still leaves theres on even after 9 years of being vacant

[jason12901]

I worked Tupper Lake NY #0082 99-02 when they closed. I loved it better than Grand Union lol

[bigmikey128]

We are coming up on the 5 year anniversary. Gloucester, MA #217. Worked there through all most of high school and college and developed close friendships I still have to this day.

[onecomputerkid]

She sounds very sad

[4starcashier]

I know...she sounds like she's going to cry at the end...I was waiting for it...but it didn't happen...and she sounds way depressed.

[bj0185]

IT's nice to still see Ames on the web. I worked in their Leesport,Pa DC #969 for 11 years.

[mgo321]

How sad it is when a store closes down.

[MysticMTL]

I agree! Walmart moved in our area and our store isn't doing too well either... Maybe we have a year or so left before we go broke as well... :(