Did Woolworths used to sell meat and fish?

SparkleBabeSparkleBabe Posts: 17,065
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I need to settle an argument with my mum. She is convinced that when she was young, in the 60's and 70's that Woolworths had a seperate floor, it was a food hall that sold fresh and cooked meats, fish, cheese and alcohol, as well as tinned foods. She can even remember apparently that above the fish counter, there was a huge plastic model of a salmon with like a waterfall thing gushing over it.

Now Im convinced that she is getting her wires crossed. That would mean that in those days Woolies was a supermarket. I think she is confusing it with Tesco's which was in the town centre in those days.

Or is she right? :o
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  • Biffo the BearBiffo the Bear Posts: 25,859
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    She's right! Woollies used to sell cars as well up until 1971; in fact, the 'butcher' and fishmongers areas generally used to be above the car showrooms.
  • JamfocusJamfocus Posts: 7,024
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    Found this link from google. It seems that it did.

    http://museum.woolworths.co.uk/1960s-food4thought.htm
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 7,481
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    I need to settle an argument with my mum. She is convinced that when she was young, in the 60's and 70's that Woolworths had a seperate floor, it was a food hall that sold fresh and cooked meats, fish, cheese and alcohol, as well as tinned foods. She can even remember apparently that above the fish counter, there was a huge plastic model of a salmon with like a waterfall thing gushing over it.

    Now Im convinced that she is getting her wires crossed. That would mean that in those days Woolies was a supermarket. I think she is confusing it with Tesco's which was in the town centre in those days.

    Or is she right? :o

    She's right. Ours had a small food section upstairs, I certainly remember there being sliced cooked meats and stuff. This was around the 70's I think, don't know when they stopped
  • pault2006pault2006 Posts: 7,878
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    Jamfocus wrote: »
    Found this link from google. It seems that it did.

    http://museum.woolworths.co.uk/1960s-food4thought.htm

    The amount of people queuing up in that shop in the 1920s.

    :eek:
  • SparkleBabeSparkleBabe Posts: 17,065
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    She's right! Woollies used to sell cars as well up until 1971; in fact, the 'butcher' and fishmongers areas generally used to be above the car showrooms.

    How random. Buying a car from Woolies!

    Guess I'll have to eat humble pie now :o
  • ludovicaludovica Posts: 25,726
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    Never had a food section in my local Woolies, ever
    Woolies came to my town in 1968 I think
  • SparkleBabeSparkleBabe Posts: 17,065
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    Ours was apparently downstairs beneath the main section.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,865
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    Still does in NZ. My mother does her grocery shopping there.

    Link
  • alisonrose3764alisonrose3764 Posts: 1,493
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    Hi - it certainly did - I was a Saturday girl on the meat counter - god it was the worst job - I hated cutting the corned beef and ham - actually left cos I started telling customers we were selling Argentinian corned beef and we had just gone to war with the Falklands!!!!!
  • prkingprking Posts: 9,791
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    You'd be amazed by how much some retailers have changed. For example, in the 1980s Boots was one of the biggest retailers of computer software and music.
  • stinkyboostinkyboo Posts: 2,437
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    prking wrote: »
    You'd be amazed by how much some retailers have changed. For example, in the 1980s Boots was one of the biggest retailers of computer software and music.
    :confused::confused:
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 4,297
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    stinkyboo wrote: »
    :confused::confused:


    I remember buying records in boots, and I remember buying cheese etc at woolworths in the 60s.
  • SystemSystem Posts: 2,096,970
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    Marks and Spencers started out as a greengrocers didn't it? :confused:

    Or am I thinking of something else?
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 7,193
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    TD1007 wrote: »
    Marks and Spencers started out as a greengrocers didn't it? :confused:

    Or am I thinking of something else?
    Something else, M&S started as a penny bazaar in Kirkgate Market in Leeds
  • SparkleBabeSparkleBabe Posts: 17,065
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    prking wrote: »
    You'd be amazed by how much some retailers have changed. For example, in the 1980s Boots was one of the biggest retailers of computer software and music.

    Oooh yes! I remember when I was a kid they used to have a whole section upstairs that sold CD's and videos and also electronic stuff such as computers and photocopiers etc

    Now we just think of them as Boots the chemist.
  • SigurdSigurd Posts: 26,610
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    prking wrote: »
    You'd be amazed by how much some retailers have changed. For example, in the 1980s Boots was one of the biggest retailers of computer software and music.
    Boots also used to run a library service, at least in its larger branches. I don't know when that stopped. 1970s, maybe?

    http://www.ambaile.org.uk/en/item/item_photograph.jsp?item_id=777
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,505
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    I need to settle an argument with my mum. She is convinced that when she was young, in the 60's and 70's that Woolworths had a seperate floor, it was a food hall that sold fresh and cooked meats, fish, cheese and alcohol, as well as tinned foods. She can even remember apparently that above the fish counter, there was a huge plastic model of a salmon with like a waterfall thing gushing over it.

    Now Im convinced that she is getting her wires crossed. That would mean that in those days Woolies was a supermarket. I think she is confusing it with Tesco's which was in the town centre in those days.

    Or is she right? :o


    They were massive back in their day.Profits built the first skyscraper.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woolworth_Building
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 7,973
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    ..Now Im convinced that she is getting her wires crossed. That would mean that in those days Woolies was a supermarket. I think she is confusing it with Tesco's which was in the town centre in those days.

    Or is she right? :o

    She's right, ask if hers had a cafe too, thinking on that, when I had a weekend in Blackpool back in the 70's the Woolies there had a restaurant upstairs which was open until about 10pm.
  • rivercity_rulesrivercity_rules Posts: 24,270
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    SANDGATIAN wrote: »
    She's right, ask if hers had a cafe too, thinking on that, when I had a weekend in Blackpool back in the 70's the Woolies there had a restaurant upstairs which was open until about 10pm.

    I think Woolworths on the front in Blackpool may still have a cafe/restaurant. Or at least until recently, I used to go almost every year and I'm sure there was a cafe at least some of the time.
  • SparkleBabeSparkleBabe Posts: 17,065
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    SANDGATIAN wrote: »
    She's right, ask if hers had a cafe too, thinking on that, when I had a weekend in Blackpool back in the 70's the Woolies there had a restaurant upstairs which was open until about 10pm.

    There is a cafe that was added in the early 90's. I can remember it opening. I don't remember one before that, but there may have been on in the food hall.
  • mrbernaymrbernay Posts: 145,811
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    It's amazing when you think back as to how things have changed - when most high streets were privately-owned shops, and Boots, yes, had that library. I think Woolies organised their stores according to location. The bigger ones probably had the food dept, although I can't remember the Piccadilly store in M'cr having one, and the Knutsford store definitely didn't, although both of these almost certainly sold tinned food. Then there was MacFisheries, probably the first fish-only chain...
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 718
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    No laughing now, but Woolworths did actually have the Sinclair C5 on sale at one point to.

    Woolworths was one of those stores were you could get all kinds of things. Now it has been reduced to a tiny shell.

    Quite sad really when you consider the variety it once provided.
  • SparkleBabeSparkleBabe Posts: 17,065
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    Ive heard they may go bust. How weird would it be, a world without Woolies?! :eek:
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 4,297
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    you used to be able to record yourself singing on a 45 record at woolies in the 60's, I did it for a laugh.
  • 80sfan80sfan Posts: 18,522
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    prking wrote: »
    You'd be amazed by how much some retailers have changed. For example, in the 1980s Boots was one of the biggest retailers of computer software and music.

    Back in the 80s, in a larger Boots store they had departments such as:

    Gardening
    Outdoor Living (barbecues, patio furniture)
    Pet Food/Care
    Books & Stationery
    Bathrooms
    Cookshop (everything from cups and knives to microwave ovens)
    'Finishing Touches' (pictures, vases etc)
    Toys & Games
    Sport & Leisure (sports clothing & accessories)
    Coffee Shop (with nice pastries, soup & jacket potatoes)

    The ones at Birmingham and Peterborough even had a 'Bedrooms' department!!!

    How times change :(
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