"Non-Wargaming Companies You Couldn't Do Without (Round 1A)" Topic

Amazon and eBay are useful, but hardly something I couldn't do without.

I agree. Everything here is useful, but I existed pretty well without everything on this list….

Dave

I am pretty hooked on Amazon for my books and certain other things. Very handy.

Managed alright without any of these when I started gaming, would manage just as well without them now.

I suppose I could do without even the ones I selected as "can't do without"— I just wouldn't want to.

My four (couldn't find a full five):
Apple (I love my iPad, iMac, and iPhone, and no, I wouldn't want to do without them)
Canon printers. (I searched long and hard for an inkjet that could print on cardstock at a reasonable initial & usage cost, and Canon won. I make tons of stuff for gaming with cardstock.)
DuckDuckGo (I prefer not to be tracked or bombarded by Google.)
Dollar Tree (I suppose I could most easily do without this, but it's just fun to find the unexpectedly useful bit. And I've done that multiple times.)

I suppose I could do without even the ones I selected as "can't do without"— I just wouldn't want to.

While I could live without them, it would be much more challenging to do so, now, having grown accustomed to their convenience! I remember being a gamer in the mid- to late-70's, playing Squad Leader, and other AH games, only available at the local hobby store, or through mail-order (see below). I remember researching papers for school, using the dewey-decimal system at the library, to look things up in <GASP!> dusty, musty-smelling, hardcover books -- because there was no Internet/World Wide Web, no such thing as a web search engine! Duh, duh, DUUUHHH!!!

Would I choose to go back the pre-Internet age? Never…

I remember back in 1979, I ordered a 6" Criterion Dynascope telescope ($289, delivered, equal to $1,255 USD in 2025), and waiting eight very long weeks for it to show up at my doorstep. I mailed a Cashier's Check for it (personal checks took longer to clear their bank than a Cashier's Check), during those dark ages: sending them through the Post Office (snail mail); wait 6-8 weeks (it was always 8 weeks, never 6…) for stuff to show up. "Tracking? What is that? Never heard of it before -- how do you spell it?"

Back then, making a phone call anywhere outside of my town was Long Distance, and it racked up charges -- per minute! Long Distance phone calls were for connecting with relatives; making such calls to anyone else, was rare.

All advertising was through the Television [12 channels (only three stations) + UHF (only two public television stations)], or print ads, mostly within magazines.

Yep, I sure miss those days… NOT! LOL! Cheers!

None of those companies on the list are essential to my existence (and some I avoid dealing with), but I'd miss a couple. TMP is an international board which means most of you wouldn't know of Dare Triple Espresso Iced Coffee (No Sugar Added) or Garlo's Curried Beef pies. Losing them would really hurt.

Diageo for Talisker, not Johnnie Walker.

Parzival those are exactly my votes and for mostly the same reasons.

Well, I work for Barnes&Noble; so :)