Saturday Jobs

I worked at Timothy Whites (taken over by Boots Homewares after I left) - Pyrex dishes, dinner sets, canteens of cutlery, Pyrex dishes, Ravenswood glassware, hand blown Whitefriars glassware, Pyrex dishes, etc. So many Pyrex dishes! I started when I was 14 somewhat by accident - my younger sister wanted a Saturday job and I went with her. I was chronically shy, but when the Manager said "you have to be over 14" to my younger sister I blurted out "I'm 14" - my sister stood open mouthed. The absolute anguish of my first day, having to talk to people. But, as previous poster, it did so much for my self confidence. £5.00 for the Saturday (1973), went up to £5.25. I'd do part time cover in school holidays too, and loved it.

I started my first Saturday job in a strange store in Chancery Lane in London. I can’t remember the name but a friend and I went together every Saturday, we packed up boxes to send out to customers. I remember there weee some very funny characters working there. Very “are you being served!”’By the time we had paid our fares and bought some lunch there was very little left for wages, but it was a life experience.
Then I got a Saturday job in our local library. I loved it and nearly changed my thoughts about my career. I stayed all through 6th form and left when I started nursing.
My DD had many Saturday jobs from hair dressers floor sweeper, to delicatessen’s to pubs . When she was at Art school she used to work in an international college talking English conversation with foreign students! DS worked from 15 through to finish university at our sports centre doing many different things including refereeing matches and holiday activities. GD is following the trend and at 14 is umpiring young netball matches. Her twin brother also is keen to do his refereeing training.

Susie…Was it something like Gorringes?

Gamages ?

Yes, it was Gamages in Holborn. I used to shop there when I worked nearby at Smithfield and then Blackfriars.

Gorringes was in Buckingham Palace Road, not that far from the Army & Navy Stores

My first Saturday job was in a hairdressers, I hated it. I got sacked for burning a ladies head when washing her hair, in my defence the water heater was very difficult to control.
I then worked on Saturdays in a city centre cake shop, I loved that job. In the school holidays I worked in the bakery, I spent one summer holiday putting jam in doughnuts- to this day I cannot eat doughnuts.
The following year I worked in a factory canteen during the school holidays, at 16 I got so much abuse from the men taking the breakfast trolley and afternoon tea trolley around the factory floor,
One day I was making strawberry Angel Delight in an industrial mixer I should have put powder in first then milk but did it the other way round, the whole kitchen was showered with pink powder. I had to stay behind to clean the kitchen.

I think it may have been Gamages yes!

Gorringes was in Buckingham Palace Road, not that far from the Army & Navy Stores

Yes there was such a store. I never saw it in person but I have old ads for their hat department dating from the 1920s. There were many such stores - D. H. Evans, Marshall & Snelgrove, Bourne & Hollingsworth etc. I had many old catalogs in my reference collection. I sold them some time ago but still have digital copies.

Yes, in Fortnum & Mason. Lots of posh people, even some Royalty. Although I was never allowed to serve them.

I was also a church bell ringer. In those days the vast majority of people married in church as the only alternative was the register office. Many Saturdays there were three weddings and we got 7/6d per wedding. So for about three hours work on a Saturday afternoon we each earned 22/6d. Such riches for a fourteen year old back in the 60s.

I did potato picking quite a lot at a local farm but my proper Saturday job was at a hairdressers. It was a couple of miles from the city centre seven miles from where we lived.
What I earned was more or less the bus fare there and back. I hated the owner she was a nasty person a two faced single woman who slagged all her customers off. She treated the staff like rubbish but the job taught me a little independence.

I used to sing in the local church choir,we earned two shillings for each wedding we sang in,some Saturdays could be four.