[Milsurplus] Surplus stores, then and now

[Hue Miller]

This is a subject that will bring a smile to my face. I honestly don't think you readers
in Europe can fully realize the wonderfulness and craziness of some of our onetime 
USA surplus stores. I am tempted to write on this but also daunted by the task. This
is a subject i work on episodically here. I am always after anecdotes but have not 
compiled anything yet. I generally file such anecdotes in a mental file cabinet called
"Tales of Surplus Glory", with apologies to Ed Sanders, author of "Tales of Beatnik
Glory". 

How about this as a starter. It will be short, because i never visited this shop, was only
told about it by Bob Williams, a former FAA technical supervisor and WW2 aviation
radio enthusiast. We'll have to call it "Surplus Motel", because he didn't recall the
exact name. This was a failed or closed  highway motel outside Spokane, Washington state.
You parked at this motel and then went in to talk to the manager in the office.  After 
exchanging greetings  you explained what kind of equipment you were interested in. 
( Bob humorously did emphasize the word "equipment" ). If you were interested in 
'Command Sets', Navy gear such as TCS, Army receivers, etc., for example.
Depending on your interest area, the manager handed you a  numbered  key. You took the 
key and  went to the designated motel room.  Inside was stacked the gear you were 
interested in. I believe it must have been marked with price, but even so, i'm sure that even
if it was, there was some leeway for price negociation. You then returned to the office for
"checkout".  Probably if the gear was heavy anchors you returned to the office without it
and there discussed the price, and paid up, and then fetched it.

-Hue Miller