It`s a good job none of them ever worked for Woolworth as I did as a Saturday girl back in the 60`s. I did Saturdays and also school holidays and they were ever so strict but I loved working there.
The Manager had a wonky eye so you were never sure if he was looking at you or not. He wore a 3 piece suit, shirt and tie and had brylcreemed hair so shiny you could almost see your face in it. He patrolled the store like a mad man, pointing at this, touching that, tutting and in his wake would be Mrs J who was supervisor over all of us girls and women. To say she was terrifying is an understatement yet she was all of 4ft 11 " but had an expression which could freeze you on the spot and a voice to match.
We had to be in store bang on time, the only things we were allowed on our person was a handkerchief, everything else had to be left upstairs. We were told even sneaking one pic n mix sweetie would be classed as theft and we`d be sacked on the spot and talking to each other on the shop floor was frowned upon unless it was to ask about something store related or for a customer.
I remember doing a written test when I applied to work there which consisted of basic maths, weights and measures and what would I say to a customer in certain circumstances. Every morning before we started work Mrs J would inspect us and we wore nylon button up overalls which caused terrible static and made you sweat. Touch anything metal in store and you were literally shocked.
We were each given your own section, usually 2 of us together and you`d swap roles throughout the day. One of you would be on the counter manning the till and constantly tidying and the other would be up and down in the rickety wooden lift and bringing down stock or looking for something for a customer. The lift had wooden slatted doors and it creaked and groaned its way up to the top floor stock rooms.
The most coveted job in the store was on the music section. Each week a large poster of the top 20 records would be pinned up and in front of the counter rows of LP album covers had to be arranged alphabetically and woe betide if you put any in the wrong place. The customer would bring you the album cover and you`d find the record from drawers behind and under the counter. The record would be in a paper sleeve and you`d carefully remove it, check it was the right record and inspect it for any scratches or damage before putting it into its cover.
The top 20 was constantly played and on Saturdays there`d be queues of teenagers waiting to buy the latest singles. Whoever manned the counter loved being DJ and it was usually one of the younger trendier girls who knew her bands, music and latest trends who got the job. We were all jealous.
We had a proper canteen with a proper kitchen and for a small price you`d get a proper cooked lunch. Our cook and canteen lady was revered by all and she served up wonderful home cooked meals and fabulous puddings such as spotted dick or rhubarb crumble.
If you smoked you had to write your name on your cig packet and leave it in a box in the canteen. No cigarettes, matches or lighters had to be kept anywhere else, not even in your locker.
Once the store closed for the day you were expected to stay behind for a while and tidy your section and when leaving the building the Manager and Mrs J would be standing there watching you leave and no doubt checking that someone didn`t have a tin of Dulux paint under their coat or a pair of curtains under their arm.
Yes it was a disciplined workplace but it was also happy and we all knew where we stood, what we could or couldn`t do, what was expected of us and how to respect each other and the customers. We had some fabulous social events outside of work, for people getting married, leaving to have a baby, moving to another job, special birthdays and Christmas and even Mrs J let her hair down a little but was back to her usual stone faced self by Monday morning. I worked there as a Saturday girl until I left school and they offered me a full time job but my future lay elsewhere.
or writing their latest book live on air.
