24th May 2019, 8:50 am | #101 | |
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Location: Southport Lancashire, UK.
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Re: Woolworths Electrical Counter
Quote:
My mother once told me that Woolworths sold tortoises pre war. Some things are better now!
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24th May 2019, 10:23 am | #102 |
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Re: Woolworths Electrical Counter
Izal (medicated) was a bit posh. Bronco is my childhood memory. Also good as tracing paper.
Just learned a new word (after the inevitable conult of Dr. Google)- Cloacopapyrologist Back from household to electrical, anyone remember if they stocked the battery checkers that looked like a pair of calipers with a MES bulbholder on the hinge? Mine might have just been in one of the electric sets I seemed to get as annual presents from about 8 years old.
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....__________ ....|____||__|__\_____ .=.| _---\__|__|_---_|. .........O..Chris....O Last edited by Herald1360; 24th May 2019 at 10:40 am. |
24th May 2019, 11:21 am | #103 |
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Location: Fife, Scotland, UK.
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Re: Woolworths Electrical Counter
Calipers with an MES bulb holder? I remember one in a "Magnetricity Set" I got as a kid, one Christmas.
A bunch of radio amateurs had come from all over the world to the G-QRP doo back in the late '80s. George Dobbs had booked a coach to take a day trip round the sights of Lancashire and Yorkshire. I think my job was to provide translation as needed on the Yorkshire side of the border. We lunched in a pub up the main street of Haworth. One of the American ladies came back from a trip to the loo, giggling. She had just discovered 'Izal Medicated'. Word spread round the group..."WATERPROOF bathroom tissue? What use is that? How can it work?" She had brought samples and handed them out to other visitors. I assumed she felt proof was needed for such an incredible discovery. All I could reply was "It doesn't" "How do you use it?" we were getting onto dangerous ground. "I don't know. I think we made a hell of a lot of it during the war and we still haven't used it up yet. A joke at school was that Avogadro's number was the number of squares you got on each roll." As cultural exchange through the radio hobby goes, denizens of America, Denmark, Australia, Czech Republic, Sweden, Germany acquired deep understanding of Britain. But we can't blame just Woolies for the stuff. And because of the delights of their electrical counters, I'm inclined to forgive them for their part. David
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24th May 2019, 1:05 pm | #104 |
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Re: Woolworths Electrical Counter
The massive penny-in-the-slot weighing machine near the doors.
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24th May 2019, 1:19 pm | #105 |
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Re: Woolworths Electrical Counter
Those weighing machines had huge dials.
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24th May 2019, 1:52 pm | #106 |
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Re: Woolworths Electrical Counter
They also worked by pivoting weights. Their accuracy wasn't degraded as any springs aged. I spent ages examining one in Huddersfield market hall. My penny gave me as long as I wanted, provided I didn't get off. It was fascinating to move a little and figure out the mechanism.
Where can you get that much entertainment for a penny nowadays? David
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Can't afford the volcanic island yet, but the plans for my monorail and the goons' uniforms are done |
24th May 2019, 2:43 pm | #107 |
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Re: Woolworths Electrical Counter
As we're getting general, our Woolies was the same as all the others mentioned above. Presumably they used the same shopfitter back then, it's common with chains. I was always fascinated by the "No Perambulators" sign, they were very old fashioned even then. I believe the UK shops survived long after the demise of their US forebears.
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24th May 2019, 3:15 pm | #108 | |
Octode
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Location: Rotherham, South Yorkshire, UK.
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Re: Woolworths Electrical Counter
Quote:
Probably started off my interest in our wonderful hobby. Do you remember one of Woolie’s own brands was “Winfield” and across the top of the printed word was IIRC.... “see the name.... it’s the mark of value. Are we the first generation to be so nostalgic about everyday things from the past? Or perhaps just the first to be able to share outside the family! Peter |
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24th May 2019, 3:52 pm | #109 | |
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Re: Woolworths Electrical Counter
Quote:
More details here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingfisher_plc |
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24th May 2019, 4:08 pm | #110 |
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Re: Woolworths Electrical Counter
From the name Frank Winfield Woolworth of course.
Regarding the demise of the U.S. and American branches, according to Wikipedia, the American chain went out of business in July 1997, so ten years earlier.
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Mending is better than Ending (cf Brave New World by Aldous Huxley) Last edited by Dave Moll; 24th May 2019 at 4:12 pm. Reason: add paragraph about US closure. |
24th May 2019, 4:09 pm | #111 | |
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Location: West London, UK.
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Re: Woolworths Electrical Counter
herald1360 said:
Quote:
It did not come from Woolworth but I got it in France in 1983. John |
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24th May 2019, 4:09 pm | #112 |
Pentode
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Dorset, UK.
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Re: Woolworths Electrical Counter
Surprised no-one has mentioned the Project Books from the 1970's yet. http://www.woolworthsmuseum.co.uk/st...jectbooks.html There was "Build your own Crystal Set" and "Build your own Transistor Radio". The most complex set in the "Build your own Transistor Radio" book was a reflex/regen set. Does anyone know who the author was for these?, we know the Ladybird "Making a Transistor Radio" was written by the Rev. George Dobbs, but the Woolworths Project books were, as far as I know, not credited. There was also "Build your own computer" and "Experiments with Electricity" Incidentally, I had forgotton about the scales until they came up on here, and how they would carry on weighing for 1 penny until you got off. You could weigh as many kids as you liked so long as one got on before the other one got off!
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24th May 2019, 4:54 pm | #113 |
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Re: Woolworths Electrical Counter
Thanks for reminding me about those Project books, I had (and still have) a few of them. I remember 'Making Working Models' which had various ways of driving model cars, boats and aeroplanes with electric motors, rubber band motors, etc.
I think there was one that covered making simple weather instruments. I've love to see some of the others. Perhaps surprisingly they didn't 'push' items sold at Woolworths. |