Anyone miss shopping in Woolworths?

www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002cqqr

This podcast tells the story of what happened to Woolworths . It may have been what prompted the OP.

On a recent trip to Barbados I discovered a Woolworths in Bridgetown.

If only Woolies could come back, together with Wilko…🤔

I'm still using the "everyday" cutlery we bought in Woolies before we married nearly 58 years ago!

When I went travelling in Australia 40 years ago Woollies in Sydney was one of my go to shopping destinations

Oh yes! In the late 60s / early 70s I used to meet my friends in the cafe, then get pick n mix. A few years later when I shared a flat my flatmates and I used to get ham, cheese and lots of food from Woollies. In the 80s I bought my kids Ladybird clothes and toys from the Woollies in the small town where we lived.
Happy days and I do admit I miss the bustle of shopping in stores!

My daughter at 5 saved up pocket money to buy a small teddy in a dress from FWW. She still has it at 46.

When Woolworths in Dorchester, Dorset was due for closure the staff got together to run the store. I know nothing about the financial arrangements/ownership. The store had a new name Wellworth.
It was similar to Woolworths, but sadly didn't last long.
Marks and Spencer has also closed in Dorchester. Such a pity. Much needed.

christmas shopping with saved up pocket money, always had enough to buy for everyone

They sold the best and longest lasting school trousers on the High Street. The Ladybird range was excellent. Good quality clothes for a reasonable price.
My youngest son got a job there when he was 15 and worked weekends and school holidays right up to graduating. He still works in retail and gives Woolworths the credit for starting him on that road.
My granddaughter in Brisbane has a Woolworths near her.

I loved Woolworths .
I even remember those wooden floors and girls wearing those cream uniforms with little caps embroidered with a red W .
Later my elder girl used to cram her mouth full of those Milady chocolates and the pockets of her duffel coat too .
She'd do the same to her sister .
I asked her where they'd come from .
The lady gave them to us she said and her sister concurred .
I wasn't entirely convinced.
I explained that it was very nice of the lady because she'd have to pay for them .
After that I gave them money and we'd count out how many toffees they could have .
I saw a couple of Woolworth smile and wink at me .
I don't know for sure ,but I think that my daughter was happily helping herself to the pic and mix !

I was also a Saturday girl in the run up to Christmas when I was 16. I worked on the sweetie stall and we had two of those old fashioned tills that you had to really press down to open. Another girl from school worked on the record counter and used to constantly play songs from the Band on the Run LP by Wings. Even now (and this was over 50 years ago) whenever I hear the song “Jet”, I am immediately transported back to those days! My mum used to buy different sized packs of stick on heels and soles so that dad could mend our shoes. I used to love their Evette make-up and I had a mirror for years that had a pretty little porcelain stand and tray at the bottom. Happy days.

Definitely Miss Woolworth’s, Wilco, Debenhams. BHS and C&A. The way things are going we might end up losing M&S too! Went to a John Lewis the other day and it was such a pleasure to just potter round looking at all the nice things. How much longer will that last?

Another Woolworths Saturday girl here. I worked on the record counter and we were allowed to play the records to the whole store through what I imagine was the p.a system. I just remember playing Maggie May on repeat. Happy days!

I still remember the sound and smell of the floorboards on the ground floor of our Woolies back in the 60's when I'd be taken to town by a neighbour as a treat - I'd be about 6 or 7 at the time. Still miss it and was amazed when I found a Woolies in Nicosia, Cyprus in late 90's which had a 360 degree restaurant on the top floor where you could see the Turkish flag carved into the mountains just over the border. Don't think the Woolies exists now. Also made my day when I came across a
Woollies in Bridgetown, Barbados which apparently is still running. There's a Boyes in the small town I now live in which I'd never heard of before and thought it was just a local store. Love it as it's like a small Woollies - packed with all sorts. Shop there quite often to support local even knowing that I could have bought some of the items cheaper elsewhere.

Yes, I miss Woolworths so much. It was so bright and cheery at christmas. The pick and mix was legendary! Memories!!

I missed Woolworths, but when travelling to Australia, they have large stores there, it was amazing to spend time looking round the store, with everything that you need, wanted and missed and the sweet selection was like I had died and gone to heaven - there was every sweet you could ever think of. I cant wait to return to browse again at all the clothes, shoes, books, sweets, etc etc..... may take a while.

Woolworths was my first full time job after leaving school at 16. I worked in the office and worked 6 days a week earning £6. 0s. 6d. Eventually I was responsible for ordering. One particular order sticks in my mind I should have ordered 12 x 12 boxes of oxo cubes but ordered 12 x 144 boxes. I can see them now - we had a central isle display trying to get rid of them!! We also had a free canteen upstairs. Lovely food - happy memories.

We still have it here but it isn’t the same as the old ones. They have divided into Woolworths which is like Sainsburys and Big W which is more like the old Woolworths but bigger. The latter is in trouble, too much competition from other stores like KMart but still going on for now.

JennyCee

Hello Keeping Quiet, are you from Hull? Thats the only place I know where there is a Boyes. Just saw a photo on article about Hull and there was Boyes

Lancashire & Yorkshire have a Boyes

I worked there as a Saturday girl when only 15. I was at a college with 18 year old girls and they wore makeup and all had boyfriends. The headteacher who sent me there did the right thing but I felt so out of place.

I was a John Menzies Saturday girl but spent a lot of my lunchtimes browsing in Woollies - loved it. Christmas presents & decorations came from there, records, my children’s Ladybird clothes etc. when I married in 1980 all our Christmas decorations were from there and I still have a couple of the glass baubles now. I was so excited when I found our Woollies was in Australia when visiting my nephew there this year but then disappointed to find it was a supermarket, albeit Waitrose standard!!

Woolies Saturday girl here too. I was on the gardening, washing powder and battery sections. Occasionally the till, but I preferred to be back of store. Before that I washed hair on Saturdays at a hairdressers and before that on a Saturday market stall. Worked from age 12.

Yes I do miss it. Such variety from a dustpan & brush to stationary, underwear and makeup.
Our local Woolies, when I was very young, had an ice cream counter on the right as you entered. A round ice cream wrapped in paper which the assistant unpeeled before wedging it in a round cone. Yum, I can smell it now 😋
Later, when about 12 my friend Gaynor,who already wore a bra, encouraged me to buy my first in the Woolies near our school. It was pale green and my Mum was highly amused when I showed her my pocket money purchase. I needed to stuff a sock in each cup 😂

Woolworths seemed to stock so much. The counters with the square chrome price tickets, yellow and red. Creaky floorboards, milk bar, record counter, Pick and Mix, pretty Ladybird babies clothing, delicate white and gold bone china, toys. Much missed.