Pay phones - when was last time you used one?

applecruncher

SF VIP
Location
Ohio USA
Seems we had a thread about this, but I can't find it.

Pay phones have all but disappeared. Right now if I had to find one, I'm not sure where I'd go to look for one. I think I saw some in a hotel lobby, and grocery stores used to have them, but not so much anymore.

Of course before cell phones I used them quite a bit; last I recall they cost 50 cents.

What concerns me is if I dropped/broke/lost my cell where would I make a call? :shrug:
 

When I forgot my mobile the other week and needed to book a taxi to get my shopping home.Just one left on my estate at the shopping precinct.There are several in town.
 
A lot of pay phones around here are privately owned. They want you to use a credit card so they can jack up the price. I used one about two years ago and took the bait to use my credit card. The local call, which lasted about 3 minutes cost me $2.25.

That’s the price for allowing my phone to go dead.
 
I haven't seen one in a long time, but then I don't go very many places or even look for them.

One time, a few years ago, I needed directions to a friend's house after taking a wrong turn and getting lost. I went into a gas/convenience store looking for a phone. No phone. The clerk didn't know where my destination was, but kindly called my friend's number on his cell phone and handed it too me!

I was lucky he did and lucky that she answered. Shortly after, I finally got a cell phone.
 
Today I got a Yellow Pages phone directory from AT&T in the mail. I was shocked to see this. Sadly, I started going through it and found a few listings for businesses that have been out of business for years!!
 
Probably 30 years ago.

I remember scrambling to use a payphone in airports the minute the plane landed or having to wait in line if you were not fast enough.

If I needed a phone today I would ask the person standing next to me to make the call.

Most people enjoy doing a good deed for a senile old fool! :):playful::eek:nthego:
 
There's one in the waiting area of a small emergency room(they stabilize if it's serious and ship you out to the medical center,take care of it there if it's minor),it's been there since as long as I remember,took a cellphone pix of it while my son in law was getting XRayed.
Don't know if it worked.
 
There is a laundromat not too far that has a couple huge institutional size washers & dryers - I've used for comforters and blankets. They used to have a pay phone but last time I was there I think it was gone. There was an actual phone booth several blocks away but it's been long gone.
 
I can't remember either, but looking around
where I live, the question could be, "when
was the last time that you saw a payphone"?

That is one on the street, not inside anywhere.

Mike.
 

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