Woolies is a surprise

[Gillian Harvey]

I think my mum would have worked at Woolies quite a few years before that then - we had moved by 1955 (well I say we - my mum and dad and brother - I was just a twinkle in the eye  )

[Mark]

Have deleted it to be on the safe side - thanks C 

[Christine (Blip)]

I don't suppose it hurts to put a maiden name? - it hasn't been her name for almost 50 years 
I will delete it if it could be iffy 

It's just that mother's maiden name is one of the security questions on a lot of cards etc.  If you don't use that one, then it doesn't matter 

[Mark]

I don't suppose it hurts to put a maiden name? - it hasn't been her name for almost 50 years 
I will delete it if it could be iffy 

[Christine (Blip)]

Mark, hun: do you want your mother's maiden name on a public forum?  Just in case...

[Mark]

  I assume my mum was 16 when she worked there which would have made it 1955

[Gillian Harvey]

My mum's 1st job was working in Leytonstone Woolworths - must have been quite a common 1st job! 

My mum used to live in Leytonstone and she worked in Woolies too!

[Mark]

Reading this thread.

I remember Macfisheries being a department in Debenhams in Romford in the 70's.

My mum's 1st job was working in Leytonstone Woolworths - must have been quite a common 1st job!  - she went on to work in a department store (no longer exists) where the staff were even given hygiene instrctions, including washing inside of shoes with disinfectant on a regular basis.

She also worked in Caters stores - the manager was Mr Cohen who went on to found Tesco.

I found you can still buy Linco beer shampoo but in a tube. I'm sure it used to be made by a company called EC DeWitt but it's not on their site now. I remember as I worked for their ad agency in the late 70s when I left school.

[koscha (Ruth M)]

Don't suppose anyones seen the prices of thier 6ft xmas trees? 

[Honeysuckle]

 I was a Saturday girl as well - I worked on the batteries and lampshade counter.

I went into Woollies yesterday and they are selling really gorgeous chenelle throws for the sofa or bed for 6 pounds.  They are really warm and snuggly.  I bought one and put it on the sofa and my little one Lyra loved it - she immediately jumped on it and fell asleep.  So I went out today and bought another one for her bed.  The only thing is it says hand wash but I'm going to chance it on the handwash cycle in my washing machine. 

[Christine (Blip)]

Our MacFisheries was a standard supermarket - in fact, the first in our town.

[Teresa Pawcats]

MacFisheries always sickened me,counters full of fish looking at you and worst of all rabbits,hares and pheasants hung on big hooks outside.

[Ela]

I used to be on the Christmas decoration counter and the manager would walk round saying that looks like it is worth a 1d more so does that etc and we then had to increase the price of things.

 I also remember working on the bulb (flower) counter. I hated that as some of them looked like big spiders and I dare not pick them up so I used to get them with a little trowel or small gardening fork.


I certainly do remember MacFisheries, I would not have liked to work there though as I don't like the smell of fish.

[Christine (Blip)]

The store I worked in only had a small food area - no counter-service deli - so I don't think any of the team wore those uniforms.  I suspect one of the reasons was that it was slap bang up against a large MacFisheries supermarket.  Remember those?

[Ela]

I don't think we had headgear - we did have dull green overalls.

Me too, glad I did not work on food I don't do hats 

[Teresa Pawcats]

http://museum.woolworths.co.uk/1960s-food4thought.htm

theres a pic at bottom of this page

[Teresa Pawcats]

Remember those not so wonderful overalls with matching caps we had to wear,and of course hair tied back neatly at all times.

I don't think we had headgear - we did have dull green overalls.

It was pale yellow on food
Green on none food
wish I could find a pic of those awful caps

[Christine (Blip)]

Remember those not so wonderful overalls with matching caps we had to wear,and of course hair tied back neatly at all times.

I don't think we had headgear - we did have dull green overalls.

[Teresa Pawcats]

Remember those not so wonderful overalls with matching caps we had to wear,and of course hair tied back neatly at all times.

[Christine (Blip)]

Yes, Ela and Teresa, the staff canteen was great!  I had baked beans with shepherd's pie for the first time ever there 

And I'd forgotten beer barrel shampoo!  I used to treat myself to Laughing Cow cheese as a luxury item 

[Ela]

Woolies always provided a wonderful staff Christmas party and

I missed that. I started just after one Christmas and we moved from Hillingdon to Wrexham the next December.

[Teresa Pawcats]

Amazing that all four of us did!

My wages were £1 - a fortune to a fifteen-year-old in 19xx 

Happy Days, I used to give my mum 10 shillings,spend 5 shilliings on my brothers and sisters and had a huge 5 shillings and 5 pennies left for me,used to treat myself to individual "posh" shampoo`s like Dop and Linco beer barrel,well they were posh at the time, didnt need make up way back then and now I`m passed it  
Remember Woolies always provided a wonderful staff Christmas party and it was there I tried my first alcoholic drink, Gin and Orange,that was awful. The staff canteen was good too,
also remember it was the time of the trades descriptions act coming out and we spent a whole morning learning that a pen was no longer a biro  

[Ela]

This has just reminded me of one of my first 'loves' he worked in the warehouse, unfortunately it did not last too long as I find out he lived next door to a lad I was already seeing. Mind you in those days holding hands was about the most you got up to, or me anyway.

[Ela]

For the afternoon break could have  a cake  for 3d and then you had to pay for it the next week. Why I have no idea.

[Christine (Blip)]

Amazing that all four of us did!

My wages were £1 - a fortune to a fifteen-year-old in 19xx 

[Teresa Pawcats]

My first job was a Saturday job on the Woolies make-up counter at the age of 15.  The end of an era...

And I`ll bet your wages for a full days work was the princely sum of £1 and 5 old pennies  

My first Saturday job was in heaven Woolies on the sweet counter.

[Ela]

My first job was a Saturday job on the Woolies

Me too when I was at Kilburn polytech, I got £1 a week and thought I was rich. 

[blackcat]

snap! my first ever job was on the counter at Woollies during the Christmas break - I think the Australian one is still up and running but it is nothing like what you have here. It really is the end of an era when Woollies goes down the tube ...

[Christine (Blip)]

My first job was a Saturday job on the Woolies make-up counter at the age of 15.  The end of an era...

[alisonandarchie]

Great news

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Apparently they will be open until the new Year, selling off stock I would imagine . So their could be some good bargins.

[Cheesecat]

Dave-proof, I like it!  For some bizarre reason none of ours played with the tree/decorations last year. Which is strange because our lot will play with absolutely anything!!

I am going into town tomorrow, I will have a look in our Woolies and see if I can find them 

[alisonandarchie]

Sounds great will have a look. Presume they will not be closing just yet

[Feline Costumier]

Went into Woolies for a Christmas tree of some sort for my flat that would be reasonable Dave proof. Mission successful. But they also had a couple of Christmas themed cat toys. One packet had two fishing rod type toys, one with a rattley red tail with ribbons on the end and the other Santa's head which squeaks also with ribbons hanging off the bottom. The other one is a glove with strings hanging from the fingers with Santa's with bells on the ends of the string.

What a huge success they have been with Dave. Admittedly he's not a fussy cat but he's loving abusing Santa! Well done Woolies and at £3 each packet not breaking the bank either.

Off to purge the guilt of spending money by bidding on lots of stuff in the auction......................