Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK

Cat General => General Cat Chat => Topic started by: Feline Costumier on November 28, 2008, 20:01:43 PM

Title: Woolies is a surprise
Post by: Feline Costumier on November 28, 2008, 20:01:43 PM
Went into Woolies for a Christmas tree of some sort for my flat that would be reasonable Dave proof. Mission successful. But they also had a couple of Christmas themed cat toys. One packet had two fishing rod type toys, one with a rattley red tail with ribbons on the end and the other Santa's head which squeaks also with ribbons hanging off the bottom. The other one is a glove with strings hanging from the fingers with Santa's with bells on the ends of the string.

What a huge success they have been with Dave. Admittedly he's not a fussy cat but he's loving abusing Santa! Well done Woolies and at £3 each packet not breaking the bank either.

Off to purge the guilt of spending money by bidding on lots of stuff in the auction......................
Title: Re: Woolies is a surprise
Post by: alisonandarchie on November 28, 2008, 20:53:46 PM
Sounds great will have a look. Presume they will not be closing just yet :shify:
Title: Re: Woolies is a surprise
Post by: Cheesecat on November 28, 2008, 23:41:58 PM
Dave-proof, I like it!  :evillaugh: For some bizarre reason none of ours played with the tree/decorations last year. Which is strange because our lot will play with absolutely anything!!

I am going into town tomorrow, I will have a look in our Woolies and see if I can find them  ;D
Title: Re: Woolies is a surprise
Post by: Gill (sneakiefeline) on November 28, 2008, 23:52:53 PM
Apparently they will be open until the new Year, selling off stock I would imagine . So their could be some good bargins.
Title: Re: Woolies is a surprise
Post by: alisonandarchie on November 29, 2008, 10:12:35 AM
Great news ;D
Title: Re: Woolies is a surprise
Post by: Christine (Blip) on November 29, 2008, 12:58:59 PM
My first job was a Saturday job on the Woolies make-up counter at the age of 15.  The end of an era...
Title: Re: Woolies is a surprise
Post by: blackcat on November 29, 2008, 13:00:20 PM
snap! my first ever job was on the counter at Woollies during the Christmas break - I think the Australian one is still up and running but it is nothing like what you have here. It really is the end of an era when Woollies goes down the tube ... :(
Title: Re: Woolies is a surprise
Post by: Ela on November 29, 2008, 13:12:04 PM
Quote
My first job was a Saturday job on the Woolies


Me too when I was at Kilburn polytech, I got £1 a week and thought I was rich.  ;D
Title: Re: Woolies is a surprise
Post by: Teresa Pawcats on November 29, 2008, 13:13:22 PM
My first job was a Saturday job on the Woolies make-up counter at the age of 15.  The end of an era...

And I`ll bet your wages for a full days work was the princely sum of £1 and 5 old pennies  :rofl:

My first Saturday job was in heaven Woolies on the sweet counter.
Title: Re: Woolies is a surprise
Post by: Christine (Blip) on November 29, 2008, 13:15:23 PM
Amazing that all four of us did!

My wages were £1 - a fortune to a fifteen-year-old in 19xx  ;)
Title: Re: Woolies is a surprise
Post by: Ela on November 29, 2008, 13:21:33 PM
For the afternoon break could have  a cake  for 3d and then you had to pay for it the next week. Why I have no idea.
Title: Re: Woolies is a surprise
Post by: Ela on November 29, 2008, 13:24:18 PM
This has just reminded me of one of my first 'loves' he worked in the warehouse, unfortunately it did not last too long as I find out he lived next door to a lad I was already seeing. Mind you in those days holding hands was about the most you got up to, or me anyway.
Title: Re: Woolies is a surprise
Post by: Teresa Pawcats on November 29, 2008, 13:28:49 PM
Amazing that all four of us did!

My wages were £1 - a fortune to a fifteen-year-old in 19xx  ;)

Happy Days, I used to give my mum 10 shillings,spend 5 shilliings on my brothers and sisters and had a huge 5 shillings and 5 pennies left for me,used to treat myself to individual "posh" shampoo`s like Dop and Linco beer barrel,well they were posh at the time, didnt need make up way back then and now I`m passed it  :rofl:
Remember Woolies always provided a wonderful staff Christmas party and it was there I tried my first alcoholic drink, Gin and Orange,that was awful. The staff canteen was good too,
also remember it was the time of the trades descriptions act coming out and we spent a whole morning learning that a pen was no longer a biro  :rofl:
Title: Re: Woolies is a surprise
Post by: Ela on November 29, 2008, 13:36:16 PM
Quote
Woolies always provided a wonderful staff Christmas party and


I missed that. I started just after one Christmas and we moved from Hillingdon to Wrexham the next December. :(
Title: Re: Woolies is a surprise
Post by: Christine (Blip) on November 29, 2008, 13:38:58 PM
Yes, Ela and Teresa, the staff canteen was great!  I had baked beans with shepherd's pie for the first time ever there  ;)

And I'd forgotten beer barrel shampoo!  I used to treat myself to Laughing Cow cheese as a luxury item  ;)
Title: Re: Woolies is a surprise
Post by: Teresa Pawcats on November 29, 2008, 13:46:00 PM
Remember those not so wonderful overalls with matching caps we had to wear,and of course hair tied back neatly at all times.
Title: Re: Woolies is a surprise
Post by: Christine (Blip) on November 29, 2008, 13:52:04 PM
Remember those not so wonderful overalls with matching caps we had to wear,and of course hair tied back neatly at all times.

I don't think we had headgear - we did have dull green overalls.
Title: Re: Woolies is a surprise
Post by: Teresa Pawcats on November 29, 2008, 13:54:45 PM
Remember those not so wonderful overalls with matching caps we had to wear,and of course hair tied back neatly at all times.

I don't think we had headgear - we did have dull green overalls.

It was pale yellow on food
Green on none food
wish I could find a pic of those awful caps :rofl:
Title: Re: Woolies is a surprise
Post by: Teresa Pawcats on November 29, 2008, 13:59:05 PM
http://museum.woolworths.co.uk/1960s-food4thought.htm

theres a pic at bottom of this page
Title: Re: Woolies is a surprise
Post by: Ela on November 29, 2008, 14:01:26 PM
Quote
I don't think we had headgear - we did have dull green overalls.

Me too, glad I did not work on food I don't do hats  ;D
Title: Re: Woolies is a surprise
Post by: Christine (Blip) on November 29, 2008, 14:08:29 PM
The store I worked in only had a small food area - no counter-service deli - so I don't think any of the team wore those uniforms.  I suspect one of the reasons was that it was slap bang up against a large MacFisheries supermarket.  Remember those?
Title: Re: Woolies is a surprise
Post by: Ela on November 29, 2008, 14:13:56 PM
I used to be on the Christmas decoration counter and the manager would walk round saying that looks like it is worth a 1d more so does that etc and we then had to increase the price of things.

 I also remember working on the bulb (flower) counter. I hated that as some of them looked like big spiders and I dare not pick them up so I used to get them with a little trowel or small gardening fork.


I certainly do remember MacFisheries, I would not have liked to work there though as I don't like the smell of fish.
Title: Re: Woolies is a surprise
Post by: Teresa Pawcats on November 29, 2008, 14:23:15 PM
MacFisheries always sickened me,counters full of fish looking at you and worst of all rabbits,hares and pheasants hung on big hooks outside.
Title: Re: Woolies is a surprise
Post by: Christine (Blip) on November 29, 2008, 14:44:16 PM
Our MacFisheries was a standard supermarket - in fact, the first in our town.
Title: Re: Woolies is a surprise
Post by: Honeysuckle on November 29, 2008, 15:55:07 PM
 I was a Saturday girl as well - I worked on the batteries and lampshade counter.

I went into Woollies yesterday and they are selling really gorgeous chenelle throws for the sofa or bed for 6 pounds.  They are really warm and snuggly.  I bought one and put it on the sofa and my little one Lyra loved it - she immediately jumped on it and fell asleep.  So I went out today and bought another one for her bed.  The only thing is it says hand wash but I'm going to chance it on the handwash cycle in my washing machine. 

Title: Re: Woolies is a surprise
Post by: koscha (Ruth M) on November 29, 2008, 16:26:56 PM
Don't suppose anyones seen the prices of thier 6ft xmas trees?  :innocent:
Title: Re: Woolies is a surprise
Post by: Mark on November 29, 2008, 17:50:39 PM
Reading this thread.

I remember Macfisheries being a department in Debenhams in Romford in the 70's.

My mum's 1st job was working in Leytonstone Woolworths - must have been quite a common 1st job!  :evillaugh: - she went on to work in a department store (no longer exists) where the staff were even given hygiene instrctions, including washing inside of shoes with disinfectant on a regular basis.

She also worked in Caters stores - the manager was Mr Cohen who went on to found Tesco.

I found you can still buy Linco beer shampoo but in a tube. I'm sure it used to be made by a company called EC DeWitt but it's not on their site now. I remember as I worked for their ad agency in the late 70s when I left school.
Title: Re: Woolies is a surprise
Post by: Gillian Harvey on November 29, 2008, 18:46:21 PM
My mum's 1st job was working in Leytonstone Woolworths - must have been quite a common 1st job!  :evillaugh:

My mum used to live in Leytonstone and she worked in Woolies too!
Title: Re: Woolies is a surprise
Post by: Mark on November 29, 2008, 19:01:05 PM
 :) I assume my mum was 16 when she worked there which would have made it 1955

Title: Re: Woolies is a surprise
Post by: Christine (Blip) on November 29, 2008, 19:29:23 PM
Mark, hun: do you want your mother's maiden name on a public forum?  Just in case... :hug:
Title: Re: Woolies is a surprise
Post by: Mark on November 29, 2008, 21:51:55 PM
I don't suppose it hurts to put a maiden name? - it hasn't been her name for almost 50 years  :evillaugh:
I will delete it if it could be iffy  :scared:
Title: Re: Woolies is a surprise
Post by: Christine (Blip) on November 30, 2008, 13:20:17 PM
I don't suppose it hurts to put a maiden name? - it hasn't been her name for almost 50 years  :evillaugh:
I will delete it if it could be iffy  :scared:


It's just that mother's maiden name is one of the security questions on a lot of cards etc.  If you don't use that one, then it doesn't matter  :hug:
Title: Re: Woolies is a surprise
Post by: Mark on November 30, 2008, 13:32:34 PM
Have deleted it to be on the safe side - thanks C  :hug:
Title: Re: Woolies is a surprise
Post by: Gillian Harvey on November 30, 2008, 16:46:05 PM
I think my mum would have worked at Woolies quite a few years before that then - we had moved by 1955 (well I say we - my mum and dad and brother - I was just a twinkle in the eye  :innocent: )