Thursday, November 27, 2008
The Weird Wonder of Woolworth's
Having injected a new rationality into our view of bankers - thick, two-bit grifters, basically - the Crunch/Crash/Bad Thing is now turning its clear-eyed gaze on the High Street. I mean Woolworth's - what was that all about? Was it, in fact, a shop or some kind of hammy simulacrum? The last time I was inside one - in Fakenham - it never even crossed my mind that they were trying to sell me something. It was like a museum of the early fifties with Britain just poised to escape from austerity. I think at least one branch should be saved for the nation - perhaps the V & A can get involved. The High Street will now make a little more sense, though our hopes for any greater level of coherence must await the disappearance of W.H.Smith.
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A blog about, among other things, imaginary ideas - What ifs? and Imagine thats. What if photographs looked nothing like what we see with our eyes? Imagine that the Berlin Wall had never come down. What if we were the punchline of an interminable joke? All contributions welcome.
ha ha, yes, we talked about this over breakfast! We guessed no one wanted to fixed blakey's heel protectors for their shoes any more.
ReplyDeletelast time I was there I swear a lad was laying sawdust around the floor....
Come along now chaps, no mocking Woolies, that temple of tat, you'll rattle the bars of certain cages.
ReplyDeletePlease Mr recession, take IKEA away.
Look what Googled up
HowStuffWorks "How Recessions Work"
Who decides when the economy is in recession, and on what grounds? ... In this article, we'll find out what recessions are, see why they occur and examine ...
www.howstuffworks.com/recession.htm - 55k - Cached - Similar pages -
Recessions work ?
The point of Woolworths is to be the place that you try last when you're looking for something...anything.
ReplyDeleteHaving exhausted all other remotely likely retail outlets in the pursuit of a particular electrical appliance/baby clothing item/tupperware container/domestic cleaning item/overpriced CD etc, someone will finally say: "Have you tried Woolies?"
You will then go to Woolies and they will have something close to, but not quite exactly like, the thing you want.
Brit is right here. That, unfortunately, is how it was. I did that myself the other day, looking for some stationery I couldn't find elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteI don't think there is a Woolworth's in this town. I did try one once about ten years ago in London and it was like the bar scene in Star Wars except no one looked as if they had the price of a pint. My local high street would make more sense if the invisible hand came down hard on the Kentucky Fried Chicken Emporium as well. This produces an awful pong of frying for many yards in either direction as well as litter everywhere. At least Woolworth's never managed that.
ReplyDeleteIsn't everything in Fakenham much like that Bryan?
ReplyDeleteNow you mention it, yes, even the church is a bit like that
ReplyDeleteI bought an ironing board in Woolies today - £7.80. I know its tat, but it'll do the job. The problem with Woolworths is that it was all incredibly inefficient and under-staffed. Reminds me of the Post Office actually! Not turning the air-con on in the summer months, so everyone waiting in a queue was exhausted and irritated is one example of the retailer not endearing themselves to anyone - would Tesco do that? Nope.
ReplyDeleteI wish somebody would give a thought to the plight of carefree sixteen-year-old shop assistants with their incessant chewing gum and newly-painted-so-I-can't-work-the-till nails. All that indifference is going to go somewhere else. And this is what people forget about Woolworths. It gave a home and jobs to the surly and half-arsed among us.
ReplyDeleteHi
ReplyDeleteLove you to read my blog dated Thursday 27th Nov. Might go a little way towards showing why they eventually went bust. Though in those days you got a bonus after Christmas if they made a profit, one weeks extra pay for each year of service, maximum three weeks. And they always did, make a profit.They also gave you an extra 10% from October to Christmas. Mind you, they moaned if you ever went home. My pay when I started, £4 7s 6d per week.
I worked for Woolworth for 13 yrs. I was a manager of a store in Barnard Castle for 6 years and made a huge profit for Woolworth. The company was not impressd with the sales that I made, usual increase about 30% every week. I made a sales increase of 70% in the record dept.The district manager always left a negitave feedback in my running of this store..I proved myself several years ago when I won deputy manager of the years in Glenrothes
ReplyDelete