Does anyone remember the Ever Ready man?

[electronicskip]

For those of you who worked in electrical shops way back in the day, do any of you remember the Ever ready man who used to visit all the shops selling batteries out of his van?

I always remember going inside it and being amazed at the countless different types of battery he held, some I've still never seen to this day again.

Bit of a nostalgia trip remembering I guess,but fond ones.

[Andrew2]

Yes. Or rather no, I remember the Vidor man and his van. He was a local chap whom we knew anyway and popped in for a cuppa whenever he was passing. This was in the early/mid 70's.
Also the Radiospares man (Sean Potter) who called in every few weeks. And the CPC and the Pinnacle men. Then of course there were the BRC/Thorn man, the RBM man and the strange Japanese people who came to see us before letting us flog their Panasonic and Sony tellies!

[ukcol]

I vaguely remember people from Ever Ready, Pinnacle and the various manufacturer's technical reps, but I do remember in particular the Radio Spares Rep, Baz Johnson, who left Radio Spares to start up SEME with a partner.

[electronicskip]

As well as the Ever Ready man, we used to get the Duracel rep, but he never actually carried stock ,only took orders,
I also seem to remember a sodastream rep too, along with a few others.

[Nuvistor]

I remember quite a few reps from the previous posts. Always "The Company's Representative" never a sales man or very occasionally woman.
I used to enjoy their visits, took me away from the usual jobs for 10 minutes or so and time for tea break.
Yes the Ever Ready man as well, a company's with 90% of the battery business in the 50's, I wonder what it is now.
Frank

[vinrads]

Not the Ever ready man , but how strange I was wondering the other day , does any one remember the Radio spares man, Ron Irwin such a lovely chap I always looked forward to him coming to have a chat and give him an order for parts, now I do remember an Ever Ready man rather short and stocky could all tell a good story and the odd joke or two, carn't remember is name though , he must have covered the Derbyshire area. Happy days! Mick.

[Martin G7MRV]

I never saw an Ever Ready man, before my time sadly, but as a kid in the early 80s we still had door to door sales, the milk man with a proper float (co-op or Doxies) and the Pop Man, but the ones I always remember were the local Fish man, Warners fish mongers who came round in a van, but particularly the 'Paraffin Man'

Not much of this sort of thing left nowadays, even Ringtons are on hard times judging by their recent price rises

[Peter.N.]

Yes, I remember the Vidor man and the Radiospares rep, he used to come once a month, then once in 3 months then once a year, they eventually closed my account because i didn't spend enough money with them.

Peter

[dazzlevision]

Hello,

In my case, I worked for a couple of years in a small TV, radio and lighting shop after I left school. I remember a weekly visit by the "Exide" battery man and his van.

This was the early 1970s and by that time, Exide dry batteries were made by Ever Ready (badge engineering). They were in rather bland grey and red cases compared to the Ever ready blue and white ones. They were sold to the radio and TV trade (wholesale) by Ilco of Oxford in my area.

Ilco did have a retail TV, radio and electrical shop in (Worcester Street?) Oxford but that closed in the later part of the 1970s, if my memory is correct - the premises becoming a Chinese restaurant. They continued to operate their other businesses from the Osney Mead Trading Estate in Oxford.

Regards,

Dazzlevision

[mickash]

An Ever Ready man lived over the road from us (early 1980s) He parked his van outside his house.
He might have been the same chap that Mick (Vinrads) knew, he certainly covered the Alfreton area.

Michael.

[jamesperrett]

I seem to remember Tuesday afternoons were our time for the Ever Ready man back in the late 70's in Surrey. Always remember that he was younger than most of the other reps and dressed more fashionably.

And then there was Les from one of the local wholesalers (HR something??) who seemed to spend most of Thursday afternoon having a chat and a cuppa in our shop.

When I moved from retail into electronics design we would still have regular visits from reps but they're very rare nowadays - unless we're thinking of spending tens of thousands of pounds on something.

[Brian R Pateman]

Originally Posted by jamesperrett

And then there was Les from one of the local wholesalers (HR something??) who seemed to spend most of Thursday afternoon having a chat and a cuppa in our shop.

Harris and Russell perhaps? Now no longer operating.
http://ertonline.co.uk/ERT%20Latest%...l-to-close.htm

I remember my RS man, he used to visit me at home in the 80's. He came round on his last call for a drink and a fag or two. He loved music and had a very good car stereo, we never discussed "RS stuff" mainly music.

[AC/HL]

Not professionally, but I did meet a generous one socially a few years ago.