Man, I used to love poring over the Sears Christmas catalog every year and dream about what to get for Christmas. You can still see some of these old catalogs here.
Wow, those were the days. D&D, Traveller, Star Frontiers, Star Fleet Battles, Squad Leader, and even Space Opera could all be bought at mundane places like Sears. And check out those prices! $8.99 for a Basic set or for an AD&D rulebook (ok, the DMG was an exorbitant $10.99). Running the numbers in an inflation calculator shows that $8.99 in 1983 is like $19.49 today. So it's not an illusion, gaming was less expensive back then - and more accessible to kids because they were sold in places other than little, out of the way hobby stores. They were easier to play too, but that's another story.
I bought my Holmes Basic in a Sears. And I always wanted Crossbows & Catapults...
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