| julia |
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The shop which is now Wilco used to be the Co-op clothes shop. It used to seem very grand walking up the staircase with my mother and buying something over the counter upstairs. There was a system of "tubes" for making payments. The assistant would wrap the money up in the invoice, put it all in a cup-shaped container and wiz it off to the office. A few minutes later it would arrive back with the change and a receipt. No credit cards then, although there was a divi system where you could have a card and buy say £20 worth of goods and then pay so much a week to cover the amount. Mr Bass used to call round to your house and collect the payments.
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| Barbara |
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I remember this shop. Downstairs there were big counters with a strip of brass across them, against which the assistant measured material and then cut it to the length you wanted.
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| Jackie |
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Yeah, I remember this shop too. Co-op drapers my Mum used to call it. I can still remember the number I had to say when you made a purchase.
Kate: Yes Jackie and you can still use those numbers at the Peterborough shop at Westgate.- not so much fun though.
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| Roger |
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I also remember the Co-op shop and that fantastic "money tube" system. To a 5 year old the staircase was magnificent and imposing, was there anything else like it in Stamford?
Two points on which my memory may be playing tricks:
1) Did Parrish's Menswear shop on the same side further down High
St. also have a similar "money tube" system?
2) Did not this Co-op shop also sell toys?
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| judy |
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i used to work in coop drapery in 1953 to 1959 they never sold toys when i was there only maybe a few at christmas. we were only allowed to use the money tubes at weekends or christmas when we were busy. I was in wilkos today staggered up stairs and down again it crossed my mind iused to go up three steps at time and down the same and i thought if only i could now 50 years later
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| Roger Partridge |
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Hi Judy,
Must be my memory at fault about the toys, I would have been around 5 years old, so definitely during the period you were working there.
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| Maria |
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I worked in the ladies sction (downstairs) Hated the tubes that we only used friday & Saturday. If you got your hand in the way on it's way back to you it bruised you for a week. Miss Crouch was in charge
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| Chris Scott |
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I also remember Miss Crouch, a very kind old lady (Well, she seemed old to me at that time, probably only about 50) Always wore a beret, I was told she suffered from alopecia.
I had my first high heeled shoes from the Co op Drapery shop, they had what were called 'Cuban' heels, very reserved and would be 'old lady' shoes today, but I felt so grown up, I was 16.
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| Gillian Hendy |
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I remember it as Wilkies before they had the refurb and as you went upstairs there would be a beautiful skylight - very ornate from what I can remember. It's a shame they covered it up because upstairs in Wilkies is quite soul-less. I don't know if I remember it as the Co-Op though, I may not have been born or if I had would have been a baby.
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