tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post5361695745586115912..comments2023-10-24T14:51:45.756+02:00Comments on Bloggertropolis: Bye Bye To WooliesStevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02133900289384226725noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-30419238436739498482008-12-01T18:11:00.000+01:002008-12-01T18:11:00.000+01:00RB, it was a staple of the high street. Part of th...RB, it was a staple of the high street. Part of the commercial world's daily bread. It shall be sorely missed. *sniff* RIP Woolies.Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02133900289384226725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-4659420601745002922008-12-01T14:40:00.000+01:002008-12-01T14:40:00.000+01:00Yes, I will rather miss Woolies not because it sol...Yes, I will rather miss Woolies not because it sold anything useful, just because it was always there.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-17789022114438272652008-12-01T13:33:00.000+01:002008-12-01T13:33:00.000+01:00TimeWarden, paying the shrink wrapper remover prob...TimeWarden, paying the shrink wrapper remover probably cost Woolies a fortune in wages and speeded up their demise. I prefer my goods to be shrink wrapped too. I like evidence of non-tamper.<BR/><BR/>Rol, I think that just about sums Woolies up: the shop of our childhood. Sadly I don't think the kids of today saw it in quite the same light...Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02133900289384226725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-79374384507057596492008-12-01T12:20:00.000+01:002008-12-01T12:20:00.000+01:00Like you,I hardly ever shopped there, but I liked ...Like you,I hardly ever shopped there, but I liked to wander through and look at the stuff. There was always something worth looking at in Woolies, and it was a bright and cheerful addition to the high street - plus one of the only remaining "shops of our childhood". Sad to see it go.Rolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02103804480646939038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-23574375673310706652008-12-01T08:34:00.000+01:002008-12-01T08:34:00.000+01:00I remember buying a much-treasured black and gold ...I remember buying a much-treasured black and gold plastic Dalek badge in Woolies sometime in the 60s!<BR/><BR/>I missed hearing David Bowie's "Starman", which I'd requested from Radio One, walking through Woolies. It was played as we cut through and the reception was poor on my transistor of the time.<BR/><BR/>Present day Woolies must have someone sitting out the back devoutly removing all shrink-wrapping from DVDs and, for that reason, I won't buy them there 'cos I prefer discs sealed for obvious reasons!TimeWardenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06853837867256272087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-90139214508650271122008-11-30T19:12:00.000+01:002008-11-30T19:12:00.000+01:00We have an accord, Laura. A bit more direction and...We have an accord, Laura. A bit more direction and a lot more quality control could have saved Woolworth's bacon years ago. Whoever was at the helm and steered it onto the rocks should be hung from the mainbrace. Or tied to a Marlin spike. Or something like that. It'll be interesting to see what kind of bird rises from the Woolworth ashes...Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02133900289384226725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-76665620534439364552008-11-30T18:32:00.000+01:002008-11-30T18:32:00.000+01:00You have hit the nail on the head there Steve - Wo...You have hit the nail on the head there Steve - Woolworths panicked amidst all the competition from Argos/Littlewoods on the one hand and the pound shops on the other and lost its way.<BR/><BR/>However I maintain there is still a role to be had for it if it was to specialise in guaranteed quality mid-range stuff that is both useful and beautiful. And in particular sets of kitchenware-for-one etc when students have to provide their own kitchen things at University and want sturdy no-nonsense stuff in primary colours to cheer their dreary student flat, including useful half-pint mug.<BR/><BR/>Oliver at Oliver's Poetry Garret has decided to launch a campaign to spend all our money there and save Woolies - I'm sure he would heartily approve of your valiant efforts on the lego front. When I got my own place a couple of years ago, I purchased at least half of my duck egg blue kitchenware from there, but alas their kitchenware has gone bitty and terribly random since as if the buyers don't talk to each other any more. This is where they are going wrong, not keeping consistent quality and stylishnses in their stock and thinking about what their customer wants to see, particularly in both a credit crunch/age in which we are supposed to be green and buy things to last. However those things to last can still be stylish and should be if we have to look at them for a long time!The Poet Laura-eatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07779308486569849157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-43276870366701546652008-11-30T16:49:00.000+01:002008-11-30T16:49:00.000+01:00Ah but not every town has a Wilkos, Nora. I think ...Ah but not every town has a Wilkos, Nora. I think my nearest is in Coventry or maybe even Rugby - and I don't think I can afford the kevlar body armour that my sense of personal safety would require to get me to shop there.Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02133900289384226725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-23065398608383319832008-11-30T16:22:00.000+01:002008-11-30T16:22:00.000+01:00My memories are of buying 7" singles on a Saturday...My memories are of buying 7" singles on a Saturday morning and of course Pick N Mix. But I have no sympathy for Woolies' demise. Who needs woolies when we have Wilkos?Glenda Younghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03366238040782331941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-18979817638977273512008-11-30T14:47:00.000+01:002008-11-30T14:47:00.000+01:00Woolworth's is like a post office or a ducking sto...Woolworth's is like a post office or a ducking stool. Every self respecting town should have one. It's not proper to be Woolworth-less!Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02133900289384226725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-90193766412813899342008-11-30T13:39:00.000+01:002008-11-30T13:39:00.000+01:00I'll miss it. There is a Woolworths in evry chapte...I'll miss it. There is a Woolworths in evry chapter of my life. High Wycombe, with its Ladybird dungarees. Oban, source of plastic boats for beaches in the days when the raked counters/gondolas had assistants inside them, not a single checkout point. Shrewsbury, where a yob high on something threatened me with a knife, and I bought my first razor (unconnected). Newcastle. Inverness, with its own creaky escalator. Maidstone, also with a short-cut between streets, recently sealed off.Brother Tobiashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14298549883526952305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-82738681616274102742008-11-30T13:22:00.000+01:002008-11-30T13:22:00.000+01:00Thank you kindly Femin Susan - I shall check out y...Thank you kindly Femin Susan - I shall check out your blog shortly!Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02133900289384226725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-35085718649565926172008-11-30T11:12:00.000+01:002008-11-30T11:12:00.000+01:00Hi……… Absolutely fantastic post! Good job!Great! ...Hi……… <BR/>Absolutely fantastic post! Good job!<BR/>Great! Keep writing…….<BR/>Good week……… Welcome to my blog…….Femin Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06261731875448040555noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-89730034423475714172008-11-30T08:10:00.000+01:002008-11-30T08:10:00.000+01:00You're right Kate, I was helping - in my own small...You're right Kate, I was helping - in my own small way - to put Woolies out of its misery. And we do indeed have pound shops here. They go by the imaginatively thought up soubriquets of "Pound Stretcher" and even "The Pound Shop". But alas you can never by any Lego in them. But you can get a nice selection of mop heads and mugs with pictures of horses heads on them. <BR/><BR/>God I will miss Woolies!Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02133900289384226725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-40175225717763045402008-11-30T05:57:00.000+01:002008-11-30T05:57:00.000+01:00Ka-blam!you mercenary Christmas Shopper, you!!! bu...<I>Ka-blam!</I><BR/><BR/>you mercenary Christmas Shopper, you!!! but hey - at least they sold all that lego - and didn't have to give it away to the 1,2,3, DOLLAR STORE (do ya have Pound Stores? or maybe 99p Stores? lol)<BR/><BR/>so really, you were doing Woolies/Woollies (can't decide spelling - they both look stoopid lol) a favour - cos the mark-up on the first two lego boxes would exceed the cost price of the third, i'm sure Xskatey katiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05586048408864521948noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-49344680664123032252008-11-29T19:08:00.000+01:002008-11-29T19:08:00.000+01:00Ha ha! The "Stevenage" was a dead give away OC - n...Ha ha! The "Stevenage" was a dead give away OC - nice to see you around. How are things? I shall try and email you tomorrow - to find out how things are going with you as well as to find out what Woolworth <I>really</I> stands for!Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02133900289384226725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-8205124980917747292008-11-29T17:57:00.000+01:002008-11-29T17:57:00.000+01:00Hi again Steve!Just realised I posted my last comm...Hi again Steve!<BR/><BR/>Just realised I posted my last comment using my hubbie's sign in! Doh! It was actually your old mate Old Cheeser in case you didn't know!<BR/><BR/>Bestest,<BR/>OC aka SimonOld Cheeserhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17871751335676050949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-17621914134418457762008-11-29T17:55:00.000+01:002008-11-29T17:55:00.000+01:00Good and appropriate post, Stevenage. I can't quit...Good and appropriate post, Stevenage. I can't quite believe Woolies is going to the bite the (saw)dust. True, some of us could be quite snobby about it (I remember as a kid thinking WH Smiths was "more classy") yet it's practically an institution. Sob!!<BR/><BR/>A few Woolies facts:<BR/><BR/>- My mum once worked in one as a teenager.<BR/>- There was once a movie made about the Woolworth heiress, Barbara Hutton, played by none other than Farrah Fawcett! I don't think it actually featured the aforementioned department store, though. <BR/>- My friends and I, being highly intellectual types, used to make up phrases using the first initials of shop names like Boots and Top Shop. Boots for example, stood for: "Bishops Only Ordain Total Sluts". We had a few for "Woolworths" but they were even naughtier and I shall refrain from mentioning them here. However you are welcome to email me if you would like me to divulge, Stevenage!Vips do orkuthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01316317741965909303noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-49988896829446736462008-11-29T13:52:00.000+01:002008-11-29T13:52:00.000+01:00Hi Justme, the Pick 'n' Mix was great - both as a ...Hi Justme, the Pick 'n' Mix was great - both as a kid and as an adult. I do wonder what percentage of Woolworth's profits ended up being swiped illegally from the store by light-fingered kids and adults though... after all, you can't bar code individual sweets!Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02133900289384226725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-79781828676302427552008-11-29T13:34:00.000+01:002008-11-29T13:34:00.000+01:00I remember the broken biscuits! They really DID se...I remember the broken biscuits! They really DID sell them. I quite often wander into Woollies in T Wells....usually I wander back out again without having bought anything. But I do recall when my son was a baby I bought quite a few Ladybird clothes which I seem to recall were very good value. And I did go through a phase of eating pic n mix........<BR/>What a shame. I think I shall miss it too!justmehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16768035027235782814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-78279711168663709642008-11-29T12:41:00.000+01:002008-11-29T12:41:00.000+01:00Well I'm very glad you popped in French Fancy and ...Well I'm very glad you popped in French Fancy and do hope you'll be back. There <I>is</I> indeed something about Woolies that taps into everyone's childhood... as said above I really do think they should have tapped into that a little bit more and capitalized on it. It may have saved them.Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02133900289384226725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-56860193313596430992008-11-29T11:44:00.000+01:002008-11-29T11:44:00.000+01:00Hello, saw you on the Brother's blog so had to com...Hello, saw you on the Brother's blog so had to come and explore you, as it were.<BR/><BR/>Woollies - doesn't it always remind you of being young. I had a weekly rummage in the Pick and Mix at the Muswell Hill branch. Store snobbery however does come and I too stopped going there, except for the occasional boring thing. I don't even live in the UK any more but I still don't like the thought of it not being around.French Fancy...https://www.blogger.com/profile/04941577892849157015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-31042048857883744472008-11-29T08:47:00.000+01:002008-11-29T08:47:00.000+01:00Hi Ally, I think Woolies should have concentrated ...Hi Ally, I think Woolies should have concentrated more on nailing the kid's market rather than going into habberdashery, etc - a really good in-town toyshop is what is missing from so many places. Toys R Us is great but usually a real treck to get to.Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02133900289384226725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-3203455975468682042008-11-29T02:30:00.000+01:002008-11-29T02:30:00.000+01:00We are lucky enough to have a BIG W (Woolworth sup...We are lucky enough to have a BIG W (Woolworth superstore) in Newport and it is Beauty's favourite treat to go there JUST to look at the toys.<BR/>I also took advantage of the 3 for 2 offers.I personally go there because it is out of town and easy to park whilst the three Woolworth shops in Cardiff are in High Street locations and they are difficult to access due to lack of parking spaces and it is difficult for me to walk distances.I grew up loving the shop and so did my girls and it will be sadly missed.MOTHER OF MANYhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02555514242369474271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-75666275877372302702008-11-28T23:02:00.000+01:002008-11-28T23:02:00.000+01:00Emma, this other guy is a "banker". Just what are ...Emma, this other guy is a "banker". Just what are you trying to say?!Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02133900289384226725noreply@blogger.com