Save pennies with an ancient pocket shopping calculator the color of melted human fat

Posted by Rob Beschizza, September 30, 2008 5:10 AM | permalink

Deep in the 1970s, the last bastion of non-electronic pocket calculating devices, Retro Thing finds the Pocket Adder.

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Discussion

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#1 posted by MrWeeble , September 30, 2008 5:44 AM

Cool, I used to have one of these which was my grand-dad's. It was Red and in Sterling rather than Dollars, it used to be the height of cool for me. Happy Days

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#2 posted by WalterBillington , September 30, 2008 6:13 AM

An adder in England is a viper. Ouch.

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#3 posted by airship , September 30, 2008 6:19 AM

I worked at a supermarket way back in high school, and we used to see people walking around the store all the time with these things. Every once in awhile a little old lady would get really testy at the checkout if our total didn't match hers.

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#4 posted by strider_mt2k

, September 30, 2008 6:24 AM

Pocket Adder,
Pocket Adder,

a shame about the plan...

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#5 posted by Bilby , September 30, 2008 6:28 AM

@4 - my thoughts exactly.

Wonder if it comes in Black?

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#6 posted by Alan , September 30, 2008 7:28 AM

We had one of these when I was in jr. high. I was such a geek I actually was excited at the chance to use it at the store.

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#7 posted by Anonymous , September 30, 2008 8:18 AM

I had one of these as well, also in red but in dollars. It was cheaply made of the cheapest plastic and did not work very well. As you can see from the photo, the numbers didn't always show up right in the windows. I seem to recall taking it apart at some point and it had springs in it, but this is not something I am 100$ sure of.

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#8 posted by Blue , September 30, 2008 8:45 AM

The, now endagered, Pocket Adder - despite its name and occasionally inhabiting the same environment - is an entirely different species to the ubiquitous Trouser Snake, and should not be mistaken for such when attempting to budget grocery shopping in a public place.

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#9 posted by Halloween Jack , September 30, 2008 11:31 AM

Isn't this what killed Cleopatra?

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#10 posted by Rob Beschizza

, September 30, 2008 11:39 AM

That was an asp.

Boudicca, however, poisoned herself with PHP.

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#11 posted by Anonymous , September 30, 2008 6:41 PM

These are still used to help the developmentally disabled do shopping on their own.

if anyone knows where to get them i know some social workers who would be thankful.