Woolworths store closures begin

[Adsos Letter]

Source: BBC

More than 200 Woolworths stores across the UK will close later, signalling its final days on the High Street after 99 years of trading.

Barring any last-minute rescue, the remaining 600 stores will follow suit by 5 January and 27,000 permanent and temporary staff will lose their jobs.

The chain is the most high-profile UK High Street casualty of the economic downturn so far.

A number of other retailers have hit trouble in recent weeks, with the most recent being music and games chain Zavvi, which collapsed into administration on Christmas Eve, and the fear is that more could follow in 2009.



Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7800839.stm

[BrklynLiberal]

1. I remember Woolworth's Stores from my childhood...

[Dennis Donovan]

3. Me too - Woolworths & WT Grant's...

Murdered by WalMart.:(

[JDPriestly]

5. And don't forget Kresge's.

[Buns_of_Fire]

7. But isn't Kresge's the forefather of K-Mart?

It seems I remember that from some dark, dank, and dusty recess in what's left of my mind.

Either way, I mourn the passing of Woolworth's. They always smelled like popcorn. Young and innocent days... (And get off my damned lawn, you kids!)

[JDPriestly]

40. Yes, but Kresge's was a real five and ten back when I was a child.

Somehow, now, I believe it is related to K-Mart, but then K-Mart and Sears are also somehow related. The character of the store was very different when it was Kresge's.

[Dennis Donovan]

8. Kresge's is still around as the Big K (K-Mart)...

[NorthCarolina]

22. S.S. Kresge's actually

Had one in the town I grew up in. Still had the wood floors, a lunch counter, and I remember they had little round wooden seats attached to the display tables that were hinged to fold down so you could sit on them when trying on shoes, or just to take a breather if you were so inclined.

[xxqqqzme]

50. Those little stools were at the jewelry counter

where I grew up. You could sit and try on necklaces and earrings - most were clip-on then - and see how they looked.

Woolworths had the wooden floors where I grew up. It always smelled of caramel corn - scorched sugar.

[Phred42]

23. and Ben Franklins

[Rhiannon12866]

12. They closed the Grant's around here years ago.

It was in the plaza where I eventually worked. And Grant's was where I bought my mouse, Franklin D. Roosevelt... :loveya:

And Woolworth's wasn't around much longer. It was downtown, now is the Charley Wood Theater. I once helped a friend choose a parakeet for his Mom. I named him Skyler... :D

[Dennis Donovan]

14. Grants had a lunch counter, too...

My Mom used to bring me there after my Dr's appointments (it was right next door).;)

[Rhiannon12866]

41. That's a nice memory. :-)

I don't really remember lunch counters, though I used to get taken out to eat a lot when I was very small. I was the only kid for awhile, so learned to deal with all the adults in my life. I was told that Bette and Nana liked to take me out, would let me order whatever I wanted. Apparently, I'd pick something like a pickle (they used to imitate how I said it... :-)) and suck on lemon slices... :D

The only place that I remember was one that had a big spiky preserved puffer fish in the window. Must have made quite an impression. It would have been someplace in Albany. Wonder if it's still there... :hi:

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

2. They have been mostly gone in the US

for a long time

[grilled onions]

4. Another Piece Of Childhood Gone

The lunch counter...the balsam cottages they sold every Christmas along side the "hawkers" who convinced nearly every customer they had to have whatever silly thing he was selling(from knives to bow makers). In Chicago Loop they had several big stores. One even had a hot dog stand away from the lunch counter where you bought and eat your hotdog standing up. As a kid I thought it was a grand place of sounds and toys and a place to get a blt cut in four sections with a toothpick in each!So sad to think todays kids will never see such a thing ever again.:-(

[murielm99]

6. I used to love the lunch counter.

When I had my first apartment, I went to Woolworth's to buy all sorts of things for my place. I bought dishes, a teapot, a mirror, an ironing board, and other household odds and ends. I still have some of those things.

I can't imagine going to Walmart for the cheap plastic crap from China. Woolworth's was so much better. I can still remember the smell of the place, the light fixtures and the cash registers.

[Dennis Donovan]

9. I loved the Woolworth's lunch counters...

:9Yum!

[eowyn_of_rohan]

16. Vanilla Phosphates

:9

[Baby Snooks]

24. Grilled cheese sandwiches!

The Woolworth's in downtown Houston had the best grilled-cheese sandwiches. Just the right amount of butter and the right amount of cheese and the pickle juice would run and lend its flavor to what was already perfection. Made more perfect because of the pickle juice.

I wonder if all the Woolworth's had those grilled-cheese sandwiches and if they were the same. There was one other Woolworth's in Houston that just wasn't the same. Maybe it just didn't seem the same since part of the thrill of going to Woolworth's was going downtown.

I never liked Wal-Mart or K-Mart because I was so used to Woolworth's. They really did have this "ambience" about them. I think they reflected where we came from more than anything else.

[InkAddict]

18. I worked at a Woolworths lunch counter

from 5-9PM weekdays and Sat/Sun for a while when in HS - remember using the stone to clean the grill every night and re-bagging the rabbit food while cashiering at the front.

[eowyn_of_rohan]

20. Still mourning the loss of Chicago's Marshall Fields and Fannie May

Candies. We live in MAdison but I have family in Illinois too. When I was a kid we'd take the Milwaukee Road train to Chicago (service stopped probably 25 years ago). A couple times we went at Christmastime to see the store windows. Dad took us to the beautiful Marshall Fields tea room for a big treat, as his aunt did for him when he was young. We always had a big box of Fannie May chocolates at every family gathering - Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving . My first job was working at the Fannie May store in Madison. The big trucks would bring fresh candy up from Chicago every Saturday and Tuesday. After their delivery, they'd drive uptown and pick up Wisconsin butter at the UW to make more candy with. I have taken my nieces and nephews for outings since they were little kids...many times we'd go to Madison's Marshall Fields, and then stop at Fannie May for a piece of candy. I couldn't help but cry when I found out they were closing! And again when we lost Marshall Fields. Macy's doesn't hold a candle to them in terms of service, selection, appearance, organization, etc.

[BrklynLiberal]

30. I just heard on the radio recently that Marshall Fields had become Target!!

I did not know that. My son lives in Chicago, and I remember going to Marshall Fields with him...in the big Water Tower Mall..

[eowyn_of_rohan]

33. I thought Target started in the Minneapolis area...

it's been around quite a long time, well before MF was bought out by Macy's

on edit - Looks like they did have a Target tie-in.
"As part of Dayton Hudson, later renamed Target Corporation, Marshall Field's retained its nameplate, but its buying operations and Chicago headquarters merged with the Dayton's stores and the Hudson's stores under the Dayton Hudson Department Store Company, based in Minneapolis, Minnesota."
Everything you wanted to know about Marshall Field's: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_Field's

[Muttocracy]

39. I don't think it became Target - Dayton Hudson owned Target and bought MF

and the Marshall Fields name replaced the Dayton's department store name. Or something like that. Didn't make sense to me since Dayton's was the flagship dept. store.

[snappyturtle]

35. I, too, have wonderful childhood memories of Field's....esp. at Christmas-time.

Are y ou saying that Fannie May is closing too? My 92 year old Mother sent us a box of Fannie May assorted creams (yum)this past Thanksgiving. Please tell me no!

[eowyn_of_rohan]

36. Well, it was bought out about 5? years ago by a Utah company

They kept the name, but the quality is just not the same, IMO. I am glad you liked the creams -Maybe they are doing better now than when they first took over. I discovered SEES chocolates this year (probably the last one in the country to know about it!) , a very old candy company from California- the flavors, textures and quality of ingredients remind me of Fannie May. Their Honey nougat sold me-mmmmm

[snappyturtle]

38. I thought the candy was very good but....I've never met a chocolate I

haven't loved! Ha! It was a treat. I'll look into SEES...thank you.

[riverdeep]

51. Yes, I remember going to Woolworth's in downtown Chicago.

I had the best hot dog I've ever had there. Slightly toasted bun, onions, hot dog and mustard, cradled in wax paper. That was it. And it was the best.

I found this site talking about Woolworth's with actual recipes. Honestly, some of them don't look that great (the one for Chow Mein using canned everything), so there has to be some nostalgia involved here. This one for a Reuben doesn't look too bad:

"Reuban Sandwich

Ingredients:
2 slices rye bread
3 ounces corned beef slices
2 tablespoons sauerkraut
1 tablespoon thousand island dressing
1 slice swiss cheese
softened butter

Directions:
Lightly butter one side of rye bread and place buttered side down
on griddle (or in a skillet). Place swiss cheese slice on bread.
Top cheese with corned beef slices. Top cheese slices with sauerkraut.
Take second piece of rye bread and spread salad dressing on one side.
Place this side down over the sandwich. Spread outer side with butter.
Grill on both sides, turning once, and pressing down on sandwich with
pancake flipper."

http://community.tasteofhome.com/forums/t/271184.aspx?PageIndex=1

I also remember Goldblatt's, which as I recall was pretty similar.

[SeattleGirl]

10. Woolworth's was my favorite store when I was a kid.

Sad. Just sad.

[acmavm]

13. Woolworth's had a fantastic little 'pet' department. Fish, lizards, little

creatures, birds.

There was an underpass from J. L. Brandies on the southwest side of Douglas Street to the basement of Woolworth's. If it was raining, you didn't even get wet going from one fabulous store to the other (both gone for years now).

[Sherman A1]

11. Sad, beyond the memories of going to Woolworths as a kid

that is a whole lot of jobs that are never coming back.

[trof]

15. I Found A Million Dollar Baby In A Five Ten Cent Store

It was a lucky April shower
It was a most convenient dorm
I found a million dollar baby in a five and ten cent store
The rain continued for an hour
I hang around for three our four
Around a million dollar baby in a five an ten cent store
She was selling china
And when she made those eyes
I kept buying china until the cop got wise
Incidentally
If you should run into a shower
Just step inside my cottage door
And meet the million dollar baby from the five and ten cent store

[murielm99]

28. Dammit.

Now I can't get that song out of my head.

[HughBeaumont]

17. Woolworths . . . ah, the early 80s.

All those stores . .. Hills, Zayres, Woolworths, Gold Circle, Clarkins, Consolidated, Strouss . . . I remember combing Woolworth's tape section and buying some old Rush tapes for a buck apiece. I also remember their lunch counter with the hot dogs and popcorn and the small cafeterias and the Tempest/Dig Dug machines on the side.

That was one of my favorite places to go as a kid.

Then ChinaMart happened. The End.

[eowyn_of_rohan]

19. So sad... lost jobs, and the end of an era

We used to have a Woolworth's and a Kresge's on opposite sides of the square around the state capitol building (Madison WI). Woolworth's was my favorite of the 2, with better food at the lunch counter, and 3 shopping levels and more interesting "stuff", like the live pet area. My friends and I would take the bus downtown on Saturdays when the Square was surrounded by department and specialty stores, restaurants, and a movie theater. We'd window shop, have a treat at Woolworth's (or Rennebohm's - local chain) lunch counter, buy a little trinket or 2, sometimes go to a matinee. I remember when I was about 10, buying a mink sweater guard at Woolworth's (2 white mink covered buttons with a fake pearl chain between) -thought it was so glam. (Wouldnt buy it now...) By the late 80s nearly every store had closed and the once vibrant Capitol Square was no more.

[tomreedtoon]

21. Nice to speak well of the dead, but...I remember the truth.

I remember Woolworth's stores from the 1960's all the way up to the 1980's. They were all grim looking, with moldy green paint on the walls. Their merchandise was shoddy. The stores were dimly lit, and it looked like the linoleum on the floor came from the 1930's, even in modern stores. (It probably did.)

It would be nice to say that Woolworth's deserved to live, but they the company the same problem that the automobile companies currently do; the management of both firms think in ancient patterns and can't adjust to new consumer and societal needs. I'd bet that if someone with the intelligence of the firm's founder, old F.W. himself, was still alive and guiding the fortunes of the company, he'd probably be fighting Wal-Mart tooth and nail...and winning.

[eowyn_of_rohan]

29. ours wasn't like that -nt

[Kolesar]

32. Go back to your hole...eom

[BumRushDaShow]

25. Woolworth's 5 & 10

Didn't realize that many were still around in the UK. I think they still have Sellfrige's to pick up some slack.

So many of these stores are gone - Woolworth's, Korvette's, (and in the Philly area) Clover, Caldor's... I got a few parakeets from Woolworth's back in the '60s as a kid. :D But by then, the stores were way past their peak and were going downhill and were filling up with junk. :(

The "dollar" stores have replaced them now.

[moggie]

56. Those are very different stores

Assuming you mean Selfridges, that is. Selfridges are large department stores. Until recently there was only one, in London's Oxford Street. Something of a tourist trap. In the past few years, they've opened three more around the country. They try to project an image of affluence and aspiration, though I suspect the truly classy wouldn't be seen dead there.

Woolworths in the UK are/were medium-sized cheapo stores which sold a mishmash of stuff, much of it low quality. I have fond childhood memories of my local branch, but for years now they've been depressing places with no clear ambition.

My local branch was still open yesterday, a day after they had been due to close, presumably because they hadn't yet managed to sell everything (and I do mean everything: they have signs up inviting offers for fixtures and fittings). They appeared to be ignoring Sunday trading laws (we have laws governing how many hours stores over a certain size can open on Sundays).

[robcon]

26. I didn't know Woolworth's still existed.

Unmourned.

[elocs]

27. We used to have Woolworths in my city back when the downtown was a downtown.

Downtown had Sears, Wards, Pennys, Grants, Kreske (became Jupiters) as well as at least 2 movie theaters, an A&P food store, and a National food store. Times were sure more simple then.

[jdadd]

31. My hometown had all of those....

Plus we had a Neisner Brothers, Anyone else remember them?

[Kool Kitty]

45. I sure do.

I got lots of paper dolls there when I was a little girl.

[llmart]

37. Ah, yes......

We had the same thing the next town over from us and because our little rural town had no shopping it was a big treat to go to the next town and hit the Sears, Woolworths, etc. At Christmas my father would give us kids a buck or two and drop us off at Woolworths to buy a gift for our mother. I remember buying my mother a rhinestone pin with her first initial. It probably cost me 50 cents. I, too, remember the grilled cheese sandwiches.

Much simpler times. The 80's put an end to that with the Reagan administration's emphasis on greed and materialism.

[noel711]

34. Woolworth's passed away due to bad business practices...

Due to their success in the '50s, they diversified too much...
too much investment in areas that had nothing to do with their
original market share. Spread too thin, they sold most of the
mass marketing, and became Foot Locker... no lie.

Small dime stores and family owned department stores
were victims of the American Dream...

After WWII, the suburbs sprang up like weeds,
and every GI thought it was grand to build a new
life in Levittown (or wherever), a home in a new
development, where wife stayed home,
the kids took the school bus to school,
and everyone drove a brand new car to get everywhere.

With the exodus out of the towns and cities,
folks shopped at the new shopping centers,
and strip malls. Few folks came back into town
for shopping. Thus... the death knell of these
stores.

Woolworth's and the like still survive in Britain
because there's less open space to develop into
housing tracts. But the economy is taking a toll
on any small business... even Woolworth's, which
depends on the purchase power of the working class.

[gauguin57]

42. Ah, Woolworths ... the rancid popcorn smell, the loose parakeets flying around the store ...

... and good stuff, cheap. Those were the days.

[Adsos Letter]

43. OH MAN!!!...

...I had forgotten about the parakeets... :rofl:

I remember them now...I wonder if they were a feature of every store?

[acmavm]

47. Well, it was a feature in the downtown Omaha, Nebraska store. That place

was a kid's dream on a Saturday afternoon. Especially if the kid had a few cents in his pocket.

[Buns_of_Fire]

44. *singing softly* "Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind..."

Reading all this is almost making me all verklempt.:cry:

But I still want you damn kids off my lawn!

[applejuice]

46. Hubby was in a Woolworth's in it's final hours yesterday...

In North Berwick Scotland.

He was with a group of Scouts and they all bought Light Sabers for 10p (about 15 cents) and all the dirt cheap Pick and Mix Candy they could carry. Our local Woolies (in Edinburgh) has been running knock down clearance sales for weeks.

It will leave a big whole in our local high street for sure.

It is reminding me of when our local Ben Franklin's five and dime shut in the small midwestern town I am originally from.

[BR_Parkway]

48. is High Street like the US Main Street? I see it used here a couple

of times, and that looks like the connection, but better to ask than assume.

[applejuice]

53. Yes, you could say High Street is about the equivalent to "Main Street"

In UK towns or villages the shops are usually located on the "High Street", kind of like the "downtown" area in small town USA. Just like towns in the US though High Streets have seen trouble from malls, supersize supermarkets and strip shopping areas.

In my experience though they still are much busier than US downtowns, probably due to fewer cars here, things being closer together, and also public transportation being better.

[No Elephants]

49. I'm 65, Sixty years ago, Woolworth's, aka "The Five and Ten" was pure magic. Sigh.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

52. Had 'em under Reagan, too.

Surprised they're not dead yet.

[T_i_B]

54. What's worse is Zavvi going bust

and that's directly related to nobody being able to buy their supplier Entertainment UK, which was owned by Woolies.

That means that the only place on most high streets in the UK where you can get a good selection of music is now HMV.

[Rockholm]

55. There are still Woolworth's around? Cool.

[DemoTex]

57. "Love at the Five & Dime" .. Nanci Griffith

Rita was sixteen years
Hazel eyes and chestnut hair
She made the Woolworth counter shine
And Eddie was a sweet romancer
And a darn good dancer
And they waltzed the aisles of the five and dime

CHORUS:
And they'd sing
Dance a little closer to me
Hey, dance a little closer now
Dance a little closer tonight
Dance a little closer to me
Hey, it's closing time
And love's on sale
Tonight at this five and dime


Eddie played the steel guitar
And his mama cried 'cause he played in the bars
And he kept young Rita out late at night
Soon they married up in Abelene
Lost a child in Tennessee
But still that love survived

CHORUS

One of the boys in Eddie's band
Took a shine to Rita's hand
So , Eddie ran off with the bass man's wife
Oh, but he was back by June
Singin' a different tune
Sporting Miss Rita back by his side

CHORUS

Eddie played in the barroom band
'Til arthritis took his hands
Now he sells insurance on the side
And Rita's got her house to keep
She sells dime store novels with a love so sweet
And they dance to the radio late at night and still sing

CHORUS

[GoddessOfGuinness]

58. I didn't know there were any left...

I haven't seen one here in about 20 years. Murphy's has been gone even longer

[Rhiannon12866]

59. I actually didn't, either.

Both Woolworth's and Grant's left my neck-of-the-woods long ago. I just remembered that one of my suite-mates in college had a Dad who was a poobah at Grant's and she gave me her discount card when I needed a cage for my rat. I brought him home from Experimental Psych... :-)