Whizzy brass payment canisters

And the kind volunteers will demonstrate how to do it. Anyone from Liverpool remember TJHughes in London Road. They had that system. And the author of Alfie books is Shirley the daughter of that family.

Did anyone else have their feet xrayed to make sure their new shoes fitted properly? It was the high spot of shoe shopping for me. Apparently they had to stop it because we were all overdosed with radiation

www.wired.com/2010/11/vintage-shoe-fitting-x-ray-machines-will-zap-your-feet/

Featherstone's was our local department store.
I remember the polished wooden floors and wooden counters especially in the drapery department. The shoe department was upstairs and yes vampire I think I do remember having my feet x-rayed.
When mum paid for my shoes I loved to watch 'the whizzy thing' travel around the upper floor and disappear down the shoot to the cashier in her booth on the ground floor.

They used the whizzy canisters in the drapery and provisions shops that my mum went to and I loved watching them.

Vampirequeen - I had forgotten about getting my feet x-rayed. And then there was the old saying - have to leave a little room for growth. By the time you grew into the shoes they were nearly done!!

Having my feet X-rayed was the best part of buying new shoes. And there was a splendid 'whizzy thing' in Heywoods in Seven Kings High Road.

I saved a shilling a week with the school bank. We had a paper booklet but each time we saved £1 we had to take in our black bank book which was kept by the school and sent off the bank for our £1 to be added. The black bank book was always completed by someone in beautiful copperplate writing.

When I was 7 the big day came when I had to go to the bank to sign my first signature. Banks were special in those days. Solid buildings with massive wooden doors. People spoke in hushed voices like in church. We joined the queue and when it was our turn a gentlemen in a suit asked how he could help us. Mam said I was there to sign my book. I remember he smiled and asked us to wait a minute. My nose just reached over the top of the counter. It smelt of wood polish and brasso. Another gentleman came who seemed to be more important. I thought he was the manager but now I reckon he was the chief clerk. He told the first gentleman to get me a stool to stand on. He lifted part of the big counter and brought a shiny wooden step. Other customers started to ask mum why I was there and were really nice to me with smiles and 'well done's' The chief clerk put a huge piece of paper in front of me, gave me a fountain pen and asked me sign my name...just like they asked the grown ups. Then I had to sign again in my black bank book. When I'd signed he very formally said, "Thank you, Miss *. You are a valued customer of our bank and we look forward to doing business with you". I felt soooooo grown up. It's stayed with me all these years.

I remember the whizzy things and even the small, local drapers store had one in situ. I remember having my feet xrayed and loved looking at my bones.

We had a man with a horse and cart bring round bread etc and my mother used to run out and collect the horse's droppings for the garden.

Isn't this already on the "Things you don't see any more" thread?

Is it? Oh dear are we having a 'ladies of a certain age' moment

DA used to be the cashier in a posh menswear shop and used to sit up in the corner and the money was whizzed up to her in a canister. They were still using it in the late 1960's.

I remember having my feet X-rayed. The thought of it now!

Some time back I knew the official name for the Whizzy thing but sadly I can only remember half of the 2 word name. It is a Lampson something or other. Anyone else know ?

Lamson tube. More information available on Google.

Thanks Ana.

How come all you people got to have your feet x-rayed?
I was always told I couldn't have it because it wasn't good for you and only people who had a good reason for it could get it done, such as my cousin who had had polio leaving her with a bad leg.

It was common practice in Clark's shoe shops in the 50s, certainly.

I don't know exactly when it was realised that the radiation could cause problems but it was the highlight of the 'school shoe buying' ritual for those of us who remember it - skeleton feet!

I'm sure dd had her feet rayed in the early 70's??

Some shops used the xrays well into the 70s before they were finally stopped.

It might have been dangerous but it was such fun to see your feet.

Was that the reason the shops gave for keeping doing it,vq?