The Wonder of Woolworths

I worked as a Saturday girl in our local Woolies when I was 15.
15 shillings wages. I loved it and was on the haberdashery counter.

I miss it too.

Miss C&A too, many times we kitted our daughters out with winter coats there, and when they became teenagers there was a special range for them to buy clothing from.

MissAdventure

I used to like the Ladybird clothing range for children.

I’d forgotten about Ladybird. Yes, really good quality and value, could often pick up a real bargain in the sales, i.e. a winter coat (a bit big) to fit next winter for toddler.

I used to like the Ladybird clothing range for children.

DianaLouise

my first ever lipstick was bought at Woolies Rimmel's creamy beige.

The store I miss so very much is Debenhams we seem to be missing a clothes shop for the middle age person. Plus all the make up concessions.

Oh I so agree. I always kitted myself out every season with a few new things from Debenhams. To my mind, there’s never been another shop to replace it, and, unless it miraculously returns, I doubt there ever will be.

Mary
are you the knife my daughter snatched out of my hand when she was 5? Are you the spoon that I used to feed my son his baby food?

😭😭😭

Happy days.

Gin

Our Woolies is now a pound shop and much used. It still feels a bit like Woolies, same floor and checkouts, somewhat shabby now.
I miss our own Co-op which took up half the High Street. It sold everything. The food and butchers shop was in a separate building but the main one sold everything, furniture, electrical items, clothes, shoe shop, school outfitter, travel agent. You could get everything you needed there even order your coal and oil plus getting your divi!

Gosh, that brought back memories of the Co-op. When I left school, it was my first job and I was put behind a long table, with other staff, to deal with the divi. Being young and new, I felt quite apprehensive, but also very proud and sophisticated. Imagine my horror when I felt something crawling around inside my stocking (this was the early 60). I didn’t know what to do as I didn’t feel I could leave the desk. Eventually, the inevitable happened and it stung me. All sophistication abandoned, I fled to the chemist to get help. I was so embarrassed!

@mabon1

Good memories are always worth visiting.
Nothing wrong with remembering the past, is as much a part of us as the present and the future.

Our Christmas tree 🌲 was from woolies. I bought it about 40 years ago and it cost £30. A huge amount at the time for a plastic tree but it’s still looking good so money well spent,

Harsh comment! People are just reminiscing.

You can't lie in the past, get over it.

In the 70s and 80s they had some very nice table ware and kitchen stuff. The fairy on my Christmas tree is a lovely one,with a china head and hands, that came from Woolworths 40 years ago.

I used to save up money earned working Saturdays on a market stall selling nightwear and slippers, to spend on records in woolies, me and best friend Lorraine would look for the latest hits then go to buy some make up. I remember buying an orange lipstick and lurid green eye shadow.

I grew up in Blackpool and had a Saturday job in Woolies- not the flagship one, right on the prom, but a smaller one nestled amongst the b+b’s just off the seafront.
I always wanted to work on the record counter, but was usually on electricals- the number of men who used to come in and buy a single electric plug (39p) which of course back then (late 70’s) didn’t come attached to appliances, always surprised me. How many plugs did people need? Many it would seem!
Always worked over the Bank Holidays as the money was much improved- think it was double time on the Monday!

Madmeg

My mum worked in Woolies when I was a baby and we lived with her parents. I still have (age 72) six of the Christmas baubles she bought from them (glass of course) and the fairy for the top of the tree. She has had to have new knickers but otherwise is still the same!! The fairy, that is, not my mum!!!

😂😂😂

I miss Wonderful Woolies! My fav part was the pick and mix!

I also miss Debenhams and BHS, especially at Christmas.

Woolies featured large in my family. My mum worked there after she left school and continued to work there on an ad hoc basis until I was about 12.
Then I got a Saturday job there when I was 16. I remember about a dozen of us started at the same time and we were allocated our departments. I longed for haberdashery but instead got the pick and mix. My previous after school job in a newsagents apparently gave me 'experience' in sweets .

My mum worked in Woolies when I was a baby and we lived with her parents. I still have (age 72) six of the Christmas baubles she bought from them (glass of course) and the fairy for the top of the tree. She has had to have new knickers but otherwise is still the same!! The fairy, that is, not my mum!!!

I loved Woolies! There weren’t very many large stores in the area in which I grew up and it was always great to go there. I always loved collecting odd things and I have some lovely porcelain buttons I bought there as a child-too pretty to ever use. When I had my children my local Woolworths was great for toys, children’s clothes and household goods. I still have a butchers cart I bought there 30 odd years ago! I miss that shop and all the others. Thank goodness Wilko is (re)opening here this August. Can’t wait!

I used to buy 60 + years ago washing line loose by the yard for a skipping rope. Or it could have been electric cable? No it must have been washing line.
And the shop had a certain smell a mix of wooden floors, biscuits, cleaning products and packaging. Not unpleasant at all just very distinctive and different from the BHs next door.
I miss our local one which served me well as a young married and then parent. Lots of childrens clothes and toys a 5 minute walk away from home pushing the pram. Lovely memory. Especially in the sunshine with a white broderie anglais sunshade and baby with kicking legs.

I don't need to miss Woolies any more, because there is one in Flensburg only eight kilometres away from my house!

Believe it or not, they still have some of the Christmas decorations I remember from my childhood!

started as Saturday job in local woolies, went on to work in their office, collecting till money balancing the books and ordering goods, all by hand ofcourse. Just an Oliveti adding machine to help!

I was married in 1963. During our 12 month engagement my soon to be husband and I bought all our cutlery from Woolworths. We bought a few pieces each week of stainless steel with a pattern on the handle until we had full set of 12 of each item - Teaspoons, desert spoons, knives, forks, desert forks and serving spoons. They are really good quality.

I am still using the same cutlery today, I brought it to the US with me when I came over. Sometimes I talk to it and ask it questions like....are you the knife my daughter snatched out of my hand when she was 5? Are you the spoon that I used to feed my son his baby food? - I know, loopy, but it has so many memories.

my first ever lipstick was bought at Woolies Rimmel's creamy beige.

The store I miss so very much is Debenhams we seem to be missing a clothes shop for the middle age person. Plus all the make up concessions.

Still using towels inherited from Mum who died 20 years ago. Brand new, bought from Woolies, good quality, Mum’s attitude “They don’t eat anything, and if I don’t use them, they’ll come in for someone!”

And my hand held stick blender still works well, bought for a pound or two in the sale.

Often popped in and bought a few bits, tea towels etc.

Good quality stuff as well, not cheap rubbish.