Ahhhh those were the days. Dick Smith Electronics was the place for kits, components, gadgets, CB Radios and ham gear. Notice it was all aussie kids in the advertisment as well back in those days?
I used to hang out at our local Dick Smith in 1982. I saved up my pocket money and bought a DIck Smith Wizzard. I learned how to program on that computer.
Back when Dick Smith cared about his stores.. These days it's all junk and overpriced computers.. I remember when it used to be a real electronics store.
@Nidzdotnet Too right mate, the good old days of Dick Smith Electronics, those were the days. I never used to ever venture into a Jaycar store back when Dick Smith used to have everything. I still sometimes buy any little components and old stock that they find in the warehouse and place on the shelf at Dick Smith. The person serving me usually says "Wow I didn't know we still had this stuff". haha! :D
Dick one of my close friends is a wiggle , he told me that this Ad gave him the original idea for the Wiggles look & style , & capitalised on the kiddy interest that your Ad generated at the time .The rest as they say is HIStory [sic] Maybe the smart thing for us all to do would be for us all to watch his many u tubes & absorb this great blokes vision of the way forward. Well done Dick !
Dick Smith led us by the hand into the E: world , he got the geek thing up & running at st level. Now he is trying hard to save the Oz retail industry , this guy is a visionary & he has a concience . We would have a better chance of long term survival if we & the pollies paid close attention to what he is saying.Ps he was also the inspiration that got the Wiggles started [ our biggest national entertainment export ] Forget Leonardo Go Go Go inspector Gadget !!!!!
Dick Smith Electronics used to be great years ago, they had everything. I went into one the other day looking for a spare fuse and they said they no longer sell them. Even the guy working at the counter looked upset, he said sorry mate but this shop has turned into somethn like JB HIFI now. Quite sad really, a once great electronic store has been screwed over by the new owners and turned into a dodgy tv and computer outlet.
From my understanding, the TRS-80 did not have anywhere near the keyboard bounce problems Dick's System-80 had. Fortunately there was a TSR around than could debounce the TRS-80 or Dick's dodgy System-80. The TRS-80 was a better machine with build and design quality, which you paid a more for, but did not have to suffer endless bugs and quality problems from a cheap lousy Dick Smith System-80.
Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't the original TRS keyboard bounce horribly too?
Honestly I can't think of a single audio cassette deck from the 80s for any computer that was anywhere near reliable.
Not saying the System80 was good or anything. Didn't know about the pirate firmware though, but it makes sense really if you're dealing in Asian imports!
Dick reckons you'd be crazy to go anywhere else... those who knew about electronics in the 1980's went to Ellistronics, McGraths, Tasman or Stewart Electronics, not Dick Smith! These days, Dick, we have eBay. I just bought 3 NiMH battery packs for cordless phones from HK for $4.50 the lot delivered and they work fine. You sellsthe same thing for $27 EACH. So who are you calling crazy Dick?
Dick Head made his fortune on Asian imports and his nauseous relentless self promotion. Try to ask for a programmable uni-junction transistor in any of his stores and watch the blank look you get form his so-called techsperts.
There was Dick smith console (the Dick Smith Wizzard - some kind of colecovision clone) and the Dick Smith System 80 (which was a clone of the TRS-80 Model I)
...and yep, you saved your programs on audio cassette!
@Neorio Actually it was not only not only a clone, but it contained pirated firmware from the TRS-80. It was of very poor quality and design. Turn it on and forget about watching the ABC TV - the TV interference was severe. Plus it was plagued with chronic keyboard bounce problems and the cassette tape drive was hopelessly unreliable. In short, the System 80 was a piece of crap from which Dick made a fortune from.
@jocarter63 i was making reference to how everybody was behaving in the commercial... not the man himself. why would i hate on Dick Smith when he is my dad's third uncle?
@AustralianAds .. you crack me up!. If you are actually related, you could be the third, fourth, fifth cousins "removed". In other words, the rednecks of the family?
@jocarter63 us Smiths never produce rednecks in the first place, so 'removal' is not a necessarty... I will also point out that you are now starting to bang on a little longer than you need to..
@koknokka How many and what if any Digitor branded products did you sell and deal with at the time? I always liked the Digitor brand name, even if the products sold under that brand name were a bit cheap and nasty, my Digitor portable tape recorder still works.
Most of those kids would have gone on to being mobile phone button pushers who know nothing about electronic circuits, just like the people who work at Dick Smith today. The so-called computer at 0:27 was a System-80, a cheap and nasty Tricky Dicky import from Hong Kong. The keyboard and tape drive had chronic design problems, and the whole machine interfered with the ABC-TV.
Wow - what a cool geeky ad. This must have been before Dick sold it to Woolworths. Dick is a true inspiration to electronics enthusiasts and entrepreneurs. I loved building his kits! Thanks mate!
The overemphasized Australian accent doesn't really go with the subject matter. Plus, the only kids who fit into this ad is at 0:29 and 0:33, and what's with the pedo at 0:49?
Well I met Dick at a small fundraiser at the Wollongong airport on Friday. He is the coolest "Nerd" I've ever met, flew down from his home in Terry Hills to the BBQ in his $6 million helicopter. Told us a yarn about his around the world helo trip, showed everyone his chopper, and then said "I've gotta get home before dark or the neighbors get upset". Walked out to his chopper and took off (literally). HE IS A VERY COOL NERD!!!.....nice bloke too. Helo callsign is VH-DSE, google it.
This is actually a very good advert in terms of marketing his brand. And then a few years later he sold his company to Woolworths for upward of 100 million.
Do you work at DSE, I used to work there,that is until they canned the staff discount. The pay really is fair considering you need to know allot about your products and dealwith some pretty nasty customers. I suppose that how woolworths makes millions, by paying their staff millions less than they should.
The staff discount use to be 10% on top Dick Smiths buy cost. Like a packet of batteries cost dick smiths 50c, it used to cost an employee 55c. Now instead a 5% discount off retail applies. If the batteries sell at $5.95 a packet retail, you as a staff member get it at $5.65, rather than 5c more than what they pay for them. The mark up is out of this world, yet the wage they pay is peanuts.
I really can't see why they canned the old discount scheme, they lost many good staff members because of dropping it.
Retail work involves standing all day, heaps of running around, listening to customers whine, putting stock out, cleaning, paper work all for 14-15 bucks a hour before tax, yet they took a perk away that almost made it worthwile! I have a love of electronics, but knowing what they pay for it, yet charging you almost as much as somebody of the street in my opinion is wrong.
factory work is worse, especially where i work. its like now you are expected to do the work of like 2 people. for similar wage of $15 an hr plus shift allowance. but then again any worker is treated like this. i guess in the factory you dont face winging customers.
Employers rely on people being in debt, thus it makes it hard to up-skill as you can't make repayments when your at school/uni. I know people who work in offices getting paid $25-$100 p/h & still complain, generally it's about the air conditioner. No doubt your job at the factory is hard, but some customers are from hell, I had a druggie come in one day threatening me with a needle, because the batteries I sold him went flat!! I'm still trying to find a decent job, but they're hard to find.
I can't believe there was a DSE at Paramatta Rd, Auburn....talk about Dejavu.....or History Repeating......Assuming this is 1980's...FF to 2008.....DSE power house Paramatta Road Auburn opened up in 2007.
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Ahhhh those were the days. Dick Smith Electronics was the place for kits, components, gadgets, CB Radios and ham gear. Notice it was all aussie kids in the advertisment as well back in those days?
superbengal 4 weeks ago
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superbengal 4 weeks ago in playlist Dick Smith Electronics past ads
I used to hang out at our local Dick Smith in 1982. I saved up my pocket money and bought a DIck Smith Wizzard. I learned how to program on that computer.
vintuitive 2 months ago
He sold the franchise I believe.
Nianfur 3 months ago
Back when Dick Smith cared about his stores.. These days it's all junk and overpriced computers.. I remember when it used to be a real electronics store.
Nidzdotnet 3 months ago
@Nidzdotnet Too right mate, the good old days of Dick Smith Electronics, those were the days. I never used to ever venture into a Jaycar store back when Dick Smith used to have everything. I still sometimes buy any little components and old stock that they find in the warehouse and place on the shelf at Dick Smith. The person serving me usually says "Wow I didn't know we still had this stuff". haha! :D
LeadedSuper 3 months ago
A shame Dick spent too much time around jet fuel and has turned into a raving lunatic.
WiseGuy02 4 months ago 3
Dick one of my close friends is a wiggle , he told me that this Ad gave him the original idea for the Wiggles look & style , & capitalised on the kiddy interest that your Ad generated at the time .The rest as they say is HIStory [sic] Maybe the smart thing for us all to do would be for us all to watch his many u tubes & absorb this great blokes vision of the way forward. Well done Dick !
krayzie1234567 4 months ago
Dick Smith led us by the hand into the E: world , he got the geek thing up & running at st level. Now he is trying hard to save the Oz retail industry , this guy is a visionary & he has a concience . We would have a better chance of long term survival if we & the pollies paid close attention to what he is saying.Ps he was also the inspiration that got the Wiggles started [ our biggest national entertainment export ] Forget Leonardo Go Go Go inspector Gadget !!!!!
krayzie1234567 4 months ago
Dick Smith is shit now. Just another me-too shop. JAYCAR's the go.
Detroit8V92tta 4 months ago
they just shut down the first ever dick smiths shop.
silvereagile2061 4 months ago
lol TV games, wow!
ornitorrinco01 5 months ago 2
Dick Smith Electronics used to be great years ago, they had everything. I went into one the other day looking for a spare fuse and they said they no longer sell them. Even the guy working at the counter looked upset, he said sorry mate but this shop has turned into somethn like JB HIFI now. Quite sad really, a once great electronic store has been screwed over by the new owners and turned into a dodgy tv and computer outlet.
LeadedSuper 6 months ago 2
Dick Smith only puts 5 star reviews on its website. It does not allow neg reviews to post... See my video
scoopsoahu 6 months ago
From my understanding, the TRS-80 did not have anywhere near the keyboard bounce problems Dick's System-80 had. Fortunately there was a TSR around than could debounce the TRS-80 or Dick's dodgy System-80. The TRS-80 was a better machine with build and design quality, which you paid a more for, but did not have to suffer endless bugs and quality problems from a cheap lousy Dick Smith System-80.
creativeengineer 7 months ago
Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't the original TRS keyboard bounce horribly too?
Honestly I can't think of a single audio cassette deck from the 80s for any computer that was anywhere near reliable.
Not saying the System80 was good or anything. Didn't know about the pirate firmware though, but it makes sense really if you're dealing in Asian imports!
nayphee 8 months ago
Dick reckons you'd be crazy to go anywhere else... those who knew about electronics in the 1980's went to Ellistronics, McGraths, Tasman or Stewart Electronics, not Dick Smith! These days, Dick, we have eBay. I just bought 3 NiMH battery packs for cordless phones from HK for $4.50 the lot delivered and they work fine. You sellsthe same thing for $27 EACH. So who are you calling crazy Dick?
creativeengineer 8 months ago
@creativeengineer You make a valid point man... however, I'm pretty sure that Dick has nothing to do with the shops that still bare his name.
I cannot remember who owns them now, but I'm sure he bailed long ago.
MeatCloud 7 months ago
@MeatCloud Dick Smith sold his stores to Woolworths back in 1982. Sadly they have turned the stores into Don't Sell Electronics.
QRhuggies 6 months ago 2
Dick Head made his fortune on Asian imports and his nauseous relentless self promotion. Try to ask for a programmable uni-junction transistor in any of his stores and watch the blank look you get form his so-called techsperts.
creativeengineer 8 months ago
The Dick got bigger since then.
xdrew70 9 months ago
press 3 for the ugliest face you've ever seen.
blissid 9 months ago
There was Dick smith console (the Dick Smith Wizzard - some kind of colecovision clone) and the Dick Smith System 80 (which was a clone of the TRS-80 Model I)
...and yep, you saved your programs on audio cassette!
Neorio 1 year ago
@Neorio Actually it was not only not only a clone, but it contained pirated firmware from the TRS-80. It was of very poor quality and design. Turn it on and forget about watching the ABC TV - the TV interference was severe. Plus it was plagued with chronic keyboard bounce problems and the cassette tape drive was hopelessly unreliable. In short, the System 80 was a piece of crap from which Dick made a fortune from.
creativeengineer 8 months ago
Wish I had a computer operated by a casette tape.
sebivvibes 1 year ago
@sebivvibes - that was the external storage. The cassette tape did the job your external hard drive does today.
JBofBrisbane 1 year ago
@British1500 it that British heritage I think...
Ansett76 1 year ago
Wow. Back in those days, it was perfectly acceptable for an overweight balding man to ask to play with the kids. These days, it's 25 to life.
Deon555 1 year ago 2
This has been flagged as spam show
HUMAN RIGHTS - IS IT ANY OF YOUR BUSINESS?
dlnelsonable 1 year ago
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dlnelsonable 1 year ago
the eletric dick
Dannyvirk 1 year ago
Didn't he end up sellin his electronics chain to Woolworths?
assada 1 year ago
@assada Sold it to Woolworths in 1986.
lucyfanclub 1 year ago
@lucyfanclub Is that the same Woolworths that went out of business last year in the UK?
pikuorguk 1 year ago
@pikuorguk - no, that's the Woolworths that's still doing very well in Australia today.
JBofBrisbane 1 year ago
Jesus Christ!
TheLOCATION100 1 year ago
Dick (head) Smith... for all the family
AustralianAds 1 year ago
@AustralianAds
YOU'RE THE DICKHEAD.. he's so much smarter than you... dick smith for P.M.
jocarter63 1 year ago
@jocarter63 i was making reference to how everybody was behaving in the commercial... not the man himself. why would i hate on Dick Smith when he is my dad's third uncle?
AustralianAds 1 year ago
@AustralianAds .. Sorry AA, but your comment looked pretty blunt to me!!
jocarter63 1 year ago
@jocarter63 well obviously you are not a bright person, ulike myself. I am related to Dick Smith after all and you're simply his mere worshipper.
AustralianAds 1 year ago
@AustralianAds .. you crack me up!. If you are actually related, you could be the third, fourth, fifth cousins "removed". In other words, the rednecks of the family?
jocarter63 1 year ago
@jocarter63 us Smiths never produce rednecks in the first place, so 'removal' is not a necessarty... I will also point out that you are now starting to bang on a little longer than you need to..
AustralianAds 1 year ago
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jocarter63 1 year ago
@jocarter63 ..one more bang... you're a bad speller !! :)
jocarter63 1 year ago
oh good god, cheesy indeed
AccordionManiac 1 year ago 9
@AccordionManiac It was '82!
rushius 11 months ago
Oh wow... that is terrible...
danielfarrellnzl 1 year ago
LOL I had my first job at dick smith in 1993
koknokka 1 year ago
@koknokka How many and what if any Digitor branded products did you sell and deal with at the time? I always liked the Digitor brand name, even if the products sold under that brand name were a bit cheap and nasty, my Digitor portable tape recorder still works.
Lachlant1984 1 year ago
The horror ... oh the horror!!!
Aussiemarco 1 year ago
@MegaGoat I lol'd
funeralgarden 2 years ago
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creativeengineer 2 years ago
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creativeengineer 2 years ago
@ ReaganHawke. It does look/sound like toni pearon (funniest video's / e street)
mobiletransportvideo 2 years ago
i don't know that i'd leave my kids alone with that guy....
PhailWynn 2 years ago
lol
gta1172 2 years ago
Cheesy is right :)
PhoenixB4U 2 years ago
I feel ashamed i work for these people....
Domfunkle 2 years ago
"Pocket stereo" shes brings out a cinder block. xD
DEATHTRUTH 2 years ago 18
@DEATHTRUTH I laughed so hard, made my day :D
wbroz 1 year ago
@DEATHTRUTH LOL I thought she was saying "walk in stereo" >D
pronto355 9 months ago
@DEATHTRUTH
She said walking stereo you faggot.
Narcronics 5 months ago
@Narcronics Still wouldn't like walking with a cinder block.
DEATHTRUTH 5 months ago
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andy0f 2 years ago
0:31 "Experimenter's books..." Poor little bugger
tripitaka889 2 years ago
Poor bastard would've copped it at school.
korg20000bc 2 years ago
He is now the CEO of Australia Microsoft. He had the last laff.
tripitaka889 2 years ago
That "Experimenter's books" kid is the CEO of Microsoft Australia!? Damn!
korg20000bc 2 years ago
"do you reckon I can be a dick smith wiz kid too?" - Hell no. Soooo creepy.
superflysonic 2 years ago
he has one hella polished head!
tripitaka889 2 years ago
That's a lot of manly chest hair @ 0:45
sp0ng 2 years ago
dick is an aussie legend. the guy was way ahead of the curve in electronics in Oz. Who woulda guessed he'd end up manufacturing foods.
venuecam 2 years ago
bahaha that is nothing but creepy
SuperMelMan182 2 years ago
Doesn't he look like Elvis Costello!
jessicana77 2 years ago
Most of those kids would have gone on to being mobile phone button pushers who know nothing about electronic circuits, just like the people who work at Dick Smith today. The so-called computer at 0:27 was a System-80, a cheap and nasty Tricky Dicky import from Hong Kong. The keyboard and tape drive had chronic design problems, and the whole machine interfered with the ABC-TV.
creativeengineer 2 years ago
lol fan hat
47BERGERMAN47 2 years ago
Wow - what a cool geeky ad. This must have been before Dick sold it to Woolworths. Dick is a true inspiration to electronics enthusiasts and entrepreneurs. I loved building his kits! Thanks mate!
somaking77 2 years ago
doesn,t this ad remind you of the current ads for the good guys.
dogonthebox 2 years ago 2
fuckk man hahaha how old!! love it!
mzhabibii 2 years ago
The overemphasized Australian accent doesn't really go with the subject matter. Plus, the only kids who fit into this ad is at 0:29 and 0:33, and what's with the pedo at 0:49?
mubd1234 2 years ago
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tripitaka889 2 years ago
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germanicelt 2 years ago
"Young Talent Time" it isn't!
quizmaster85 2 years ago
very strange add
spyda2002 2 years ago
God thats so cheesy
Good shop at times, got guitar hero a few days ago cheap there
Jaskan0 2 years ago
Well I met Dick at a small fundraiser at the Wollongong airport on Friday. He is the coolest "Nerd" I've ever met, flew down from his home in Terry Hills to the BBQ in his $6 million helicopter. Told us a yarn about his around the world helo trip, showed everyone his chopper, and then said "I've gotta get home before dark or the neighbors get upset". Walked out to his chopper and took off (literally). HE IS A VERY COOL NERD!!!.....nice bloke too. Helo callsign is VH-DSE, google it.
hostmasta 3 years ago
For a man who built his fortune on imports, he is no hero.
creativeengineer 2 years ago
dick smith would have to be the biggest nerd of all time.
67675656565655656565 3 years ago
shut up he is not a nerd fuck you
weststigers2005 3 years ago
fuck off cunt
67675656565655656565 3 years ago
Is that Toni Pearon from Funniest Home Vids with the "walking stereos" (20sec)...??
ReaganHawke 3 years ago
I've had this in my head for years and when I sing it no-one knows what I'm on about.
Thanks for the back-up!
korg20000bc 3 years ago
Don't worry. your not the only one. Its very clear vivid and wasting some of my precious few brain cells.
pinkykoi 2 years ago
He's the operator with the pocket calculator.
korg20000bc 2 years ago
this is the stuff of nightmares right here!!
wildcat1559 3 years ago
O_o did you see their new advertising?!
"Dick never sleeps"
And this particular store was in the redlight district XD
NeoFalcon69 3 years ago
HAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!
oldgunsnroses4eva 3 years ago
Holy dicks.... just join the dick smiths
kinmanyuen 3 years ago
the pain -the PAIN!
mentallyimpaired 3 years ago
hehe that sounds like zacary smith from lost in space.
steviebboy69 3 years ago
OMFG I work there - imagine if they made us wear shirts like that. Nasty.
NeoFalcon69 3 years ago
I worked there when they did MAKE us wear shirts like that!! At one stage they made us where Chief outfits..
But that was in the days before Woolworths took over..
allanaws 3 years ago
dear god that'd disturbing
ConundrumMedia 3 years ago
holy shit......
colony343 3 years ago
haha.. funny thing is we still sell those electronic kit books.. we've been selling some of those since 1981 I think.
yuramiah 3 years ago
Best... Australian... Ad... Ever!
dunhillsau 3 years ago
The good old electronic dick.
johann99 4 years ago
Haha! Yeah this is a crack up.
This is actually a very good advert in terms of marketing his brand. And then a few years later he sold his company to Woolworths for upward of 100 million.
So he's laughing right back at us...
st4lks 4 years ago
Classic! They should make them dress up like that in the stores these days, the yellow hats with little propellers is the way to go! LOL
Converse1977 4 years ago
Haha! The day the change the uniforms to that, that'll be the day I quit. I'm still waiting for black shirts. Grey is so ugly. :(
RawkStar69 4 years ago 2
Do you work at DSE, I used to work there,that is until they canned the staff discount. The pay really is fair considering you need to know allot about your products and dealwith some pretty nasty customers. I suppose that how woolworths makes millions, by paying their staff millions less than they should.
pauloz386 3 years ago
They canned staff discount? Whoa...
blakjaknz 3 years ago
The staff discount use to be 10% on top Dick Smiths buy cost. Like a packet of batteries cost dick smiths 50c, it used to cost an employee 55c. Now instead a 5% discount off retail applies. If the batteries sell at $5.95 a packet retail, you as a staff member get it at $5.65, rather than 5c more than what they pay for them. The mark up is out of this world, yet the wage they pay is peanuts.
pauloz386 3 years ago
As a former employee i'm quite familiar with what the staff discount used to be. Was just suprised/dissapointed that they changed the scheme.
blakjaknz 3 years ago
I really can't see why they canned the old discount scheme, they lost many good staff members because of dropping it.
Retail work involves standing all day, heaps of running around, listening to customers whine, putting stock out, cleaning, paper work all for 14-15 bucks a hour before tax, yet they took a perk away that almost made it worthwile! I have a love of electronics, but knowing what they pay for it, yet charging you almost as much as somebody of the street in my opinion is wrong.
pauloz386 3 years ago
factory work is worse, especially where i work. its like now you are expected to do the work of like 2 people. for similar wage of $15 an hr plus shift allowance. but then again any worker is treated like this. i guess in the factory you dont face winging customers.
steviebboy69 3 years ago
Comment removed
pauloz386 3 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Employers rely on people being in debt, thus it makes it hard to up-skill as you can't make repayments when your at school/uni. I know people who work in offices getting paid $25-$100 p/h & still complain, generally it's about the air conditioner. No doubt your job at the factory is hard, but some customers are from hell, I had a druggie come in one day threatening me with a needle, because the batteries I sold him went flat!! I'm still trying to find a decent job, but they're hard to find.
pauloz386 3 years ago
I can't believe there was a DSE at Paramatta Rd, Auburn....talk about Dejavu.....or History Repeating......Assuming this is 1980's...FF to 2008.....DSE power house Paramatta Road Auburn opened up in 2007.
labuff83 4 years ago
o_O
Elbenzo64 4 years ago
I've watched so many old Australian ads on YouTube, but none have made me laugh as hard as I'm laughing right now. I'm crying from the laughter!!!!!
brionnach 4 years ago
who remembers when Dick Smith sold good radio gear ? Now we gotta go see Lee Andrews :-(
mickyd741 4 years ago
ha ha!, I too work at DSE. Perhaps I should rip this and put it on the TV's and computers in the store.
BTW, they still use the same shirts for there "big" sales lol, I have one. So scary.
xgallentx 4 years ago
how old is this ad
azzakio 4 years ago
OMG, I just bought some electrical tape from that guy, I'm never going there again.
hwwhwh 4 years ago
bahahaah
that is freaking hillarious.
made funnier if you work at dick smith
erintonkin 4 years ago
OMG I was running his Toowoomba Store when this was on air... BEFORE Woolworths Took over and screwed it
allanaws 4 years ago
actually thanks to Woolworths they are now a leading electronics store. In terms of profit margin they are second only to Harvey Norman
sammyarnold 4 years ago
OHH MYY GODD.... I was working in the Springvale Store in Victoria when this ad was made.
upweyguy 4 years ago
fucking hell, meh it was the 80s. if the still made comercials like that i would not work there like i do now
angelsinmyhead 4 years ago
LOL man i swear i would quit DSE if they aired a commercial like that today
fayd121 4 years ago