Long before the cloud or web, you had to buy software on physical media–most likely a cassette tape or floppy disk. Those purchases primarily were made through mail order, but in the late 1970s and early 1980s, a few retail outlets began to appear.
Source: Software Galleria, 1981
The Software Galleria in Sunnyvale, California, was one of them. As the photo shows, software packaging was designed for point of sale. The shelves were uncluttered so that each package was clearly displayed. Computers were set up, presumably so customers could try out the software before they bought it. I recognize an Apple II in one of the photos, but can’t identify the other systems.
Classic Tech 