Revisited: Hastings in Amarillo Brings Back Such Fond Memories

There was no place more special to be on a Friday or Saturday night than Hastings. Heck, it was even a magical time on a Tuesday. It's hard to imagine living a life where Hastings has been gone for nearly seven years.

Seven years is a long time for a store that a lot of us grew up in. We had a favorite location. We had a favorite employee. Bobby Harper was Hastings in Amarillo. We spent many hours walking up and down the aisles to find that perfect purchase.

You may have come to learn over the years that Tuesday was New Release Day at Hastings. That was when all the new movies would hit the shelves. Looking for a new book or CD? Yep, you guessed it. Tuesday was your day.

How many times do you remember stopping into Hastings for a certain movie and it not being on the shelf? You would go up to customer service and the first thing they would do is check the inside drop box. If it was there, score. If not they would check on one of the carts with movies waiting to be put up.

Again it was a win if it was there. If not you still held out hope. They may tell you that an employee was about to go outside to check the drive-up drop box. They would go out with a shopping cart and fill it up. Those movies then had to be scanned in. You would watch as each one is scanned and wait for the employee to hand you the movie you were waiting for.

Employees would then have to shag movies. Yes, that was what it was called when they pushed those grey rolling shelves out to the video section and start placing those movies back on the shelf. It was not the most enjoyable part of the job but was something that had to be done. The only way to get those movies out for you to rent.

Had You Ever Been to Hastings at Closing Time?

If you have this might jog a little nostalgia. Those memories may come flooding back when you hear this Hasting's Closing Song, Happy Trails.

As an employee, it was your favorite song. You knew you were closer to being off work for the night. As a customer, you know you had until the song was over to make your purchase. It gave you a five-minute warning.

What was your favorite memory of Hastings?