As a business owner in the early 80’s, I hated the Yellow Pages… they had you and they knew itl
This.
My business ownership started at the tail-end of the yellow pages cartel, so I can only imagine what business owners had to deal with years before me, but I think I can imagine.
It was so surreal and ridiculous that it still makes me chuckle - again, thanks mainly to fact that I started in a world where the yellow pages were rapidly becoming pointless.
The “sales rep” I... “worked” with was a complete joke. I was just looking for numbers/metrics and asking things that are frankly, bog standard (at least nowadays) and he got all pissy and eventually, even said - this is a salesman, mind you - “Fine, the price just went up on your block”.
This was in the 90s, not the 80s - so I’m still pretty happy with my response: So be it, Don SoonToBeObsolito - my offer is nothing.
...and it was... and it didn’t matter.
I grew up with big, thick phonebooks and I get the nostalgia.... but I don’t miss them.