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History of Woolworths (The Moor)


sheff-lad

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I dont suppose anyone remembers the burglar who broke in Woolworths the moor in the Early 1970s. This person was apparently so drunk he could not remember how he got in there. He had to come to the inside of the front door and alert passers by (or police) to let him out. :loopy:

 

Thats just jogged another memory that my mum told me.She worked at woolies during the 50s ( not sure which one ) but it was in town and they caught a shoplifter stealing a packet of biscuits,they locked him in a window display room and phoned the police.The police came to arrest him and after a thorough serch could not find the biscuits! Yep! He had eaten them all plus all the wrapping so they had to let him go! :hihi:

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I remember seeing a Queue outside the Haymarket one the day they finally ended rationing on all sweets..

Was that in the early 50s...?

 

Meat and cheese rationing continued until 1954, egg and sugar until 1953 and tea until 1952, I remember queuing with my grandmother in the Charnock cub hut for renewal ration books.

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I think there may have been a Woolworth store at Hillsborough.

Incidentally the own label of Woolworth was Winfield, which was the founder's middle name.

 

I worked at Woolworth's in Hillsborough around 1968 as a trainee manager. Didn't last long! Shop assistants, trainee managers and managers were never supposed to mix in or outside work. Apparently if you trained at Woolworth's you could get a job anywhere in retail. Mr Johnson was the manager, then he went on to manage the Moor branch. The top job in Sheffield was to manage the Haymarket branch. The full name of FW Woolworth was Frank Winfield Woolworth.:cool:

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  • 3 years later...

Hi all,

 

Our Sheffield-based theatre company, Sad Siren Theatre, has just been awarded Arts Council funding to produce a new play in the old Woolworths building on the Moor. The play will be about Woolworths, exploring the unique place the store still holds in many people’s hearts and the brutality of its sudden disappearance.

 

In making the piece we will be working with the people of Sheffield, including former employees of Woolworths, to collect memories of the shop which will add colour and depth to the worlds and stories we create. Memories can be submitted - and more information about the project can be found - by Google searching "Sad Siren Theatre Woolworths" (as new users of this site we're not allowed to post a link here).

 

 

Alternatively, on Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th of June (next weekend) we will be handing out free Pick 'n' Mix at the old Woolworths in exchange for stories, memories and other associations about the shop. It would be great to hear from as many of you as possible, and feel free to circulate this to anyone you think might be interested. Any questions, just ask!

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I knew a girl that worked on the biscuit counter where they sold broken biscuits. One day they ran out of broken biscuits which a customer wanted so she picked up some perfectly good biscuits and broke them and sold them at the reduced price!

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Why do I think Woolworths used to be on Union Street, across from the Empire. There was a donation box in the doorway in the form of a Dog and a girl, (perhaps for the blind). I remember the wooden floors in the store and the ice cream machine.

 

Perhaps it wasn't Woolies ??

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  • 1 month later...

Hi everyone,

 

For anyone interested in the history of Woolworths, particularly the one on the Moor, there's a new play opening tomorrow night (Tuesday 14th July) and running until Saturday.

 

It's called 'The Gods of Pick 'N' Mix', and it's a combination of people's memories and stories of the shop delivered word for word, and some fictional material about a former employee of the store. The show is at 6pm and 8pm each night and tickets are £10. You can find more information and book online by typing "sad siren theatre Gods of Pick N Mix" into google.

 

If you are a former employee of Woolworths you can buy a ticket in person on the door for £5!

 

Hope to see many of you there.

 

Very best wishes,

 

Sad Siren Theatre

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