Used to love Woolworths. They had wonderful lunch counters and generally a small pet section with gold fish and parakeets to buy --- You could buy everything from clothes to household items and basic pantry items. They were great! Thank you for the short trip down memory lane!
I miss those all in one stores that you just can’t find anymore - especially with their own lunch counters or even eating areas like kmart and walmart used to have.
I miss those lunch counters. Mom use to take me to eat lunch their all the time. Target tried to have a refreshment stand but nothing can hold a candle to woolworths
Dang-loved department stores with cafeterias-I remember the Woolworth cafeteria counter. K-Mart also had a great cafeteria experience too. I would shop with my young child (he is 36 yrs old now) I could get mashed potatoes and gravy for his lunch-and then continue to shop after he ate!
My very first job was at Kmart and I loved it. The managers were great. I remember they opened at like noon on Sundays and closed around 6 pm. It was convenient to have lunch there.
Kmart got that, because Kresge originally had it. Kmart was an offshoot of Kresge's originally, so many of the things Kmart had, especially early on, were just extensions of what Kresge was already doing.
Would go to kresge 's in airway shopping center in Dayton Ohio every saturday with my grandparents. Grandpa would always get roastbeef hotshot and the coca cola dispenser would take a gallon glass jug with the syrup in it excellent memories
When I was college sophomore at Michigan State University in 1988, my roommates and I would get sundaes at the lunch counter in the Frandor Woolworths. I think the location shut down within a few years. We thought the store was cool in an old-school way. Pretty much the only time I’ve ever been to a Woolworths.
Wow!!!! I forgot that some stores actually carried models!!!! Yes, I would have been in that section too, but I have few memories of the store overall, mostly us getting lunch at one while doing downtown shopping. I also seem to remember Sears stores, much more! LOL
I loved going into Woolworth’s which was located on the corner of Main Street and Roosevelt Ave in Flushing Queens, NY. I loved perusing their cosmetic section before I was old enough to wear makeup but when I was old enough I bought my first lipstick there. Aahhh great memories🙂
In Chicago, during the 50s and 60s we actually had two Woolworths downtown (one eventually turned into a Kresges ) but the one on State and Washington had the only double-decker lunch counter I ever saw. It could probably serve 50-60 people at a time. The basement had a full service cafeteria also. The store was so popular that it even had its own entrance from the subway below State St. Fond memories.
Wow that would’ve have been so cool to have seen and eat at! It sounds like it was quite the bustling place back in the middle of the century with people coming from all over. I can just imagine how busy it was. I wonder what’s in that location now?
@@RetailRewindI haven't been downtown in about 20 years so I'm not sure, but the last time I was there the store had been divided up into two spaces (it was that big) and one of the spaces had a fast food business in it. Not a McDonalds but some smaller chain. The other side had a clothing shop. It's so hard to say right now because so many small business have closed with this pandemic and won't re-open. Thanks for asking.
Very cool! Thanks for the update on location. It’s always interesting hearing the transformation of a once prominent business but usually sad. Definitely sounds like a big building!
I live in the West Indies on the island of Trinidad and there were some Woolworths stores there I loved shopping there with my mom so much memories ❤️❤️
I always loved Woolworth and remember going there as a child. They had the best cheesecake and cheeseburger I've ever eaten. The last Woolworth store I've been in was 15 years ago in Greenock Scotland
By the time I was a kid, maybe age 5, the Woolworth in like Los Angeles county(sorry can't remember the location) was like a 99 cent store. My grandmother who seemed to love taking me to this place and K-mart which also no longer exists was a ritual and its probably the best things I remember doing with my grandmother. She seemed to like these places, and I was happy because the toys were very cheap and she bought a lot of toys for me. I don't remember the Woolworth but the K-mart we used to go to had a cafeteria where I was able to secure a greasy fast food meal and my grandmother was happy too. All this happened in the early 1990s. I'm pretty sure these stores closed by the time I was grown up.
Sounds like quite the fun times and memories with your grandmother. Those family memories are always the best! Do you still have any of the toys she bought for you from those stores? I remember going to Kmart with my grandpa as a kid and getting wrestling figurines :)
When I was 17 I got my 1st apartment I shopped their for my household goods enjoyed that store and when I was young girl every evening after school I would go there and by fries & drink sit at the stools counter and they use to sell the best chicken wings yummy😋 loved that store miss it so much❤
Good ol' Woolworth's. There was once a big multi-floored store, in downtown Boston (it was really quite impressive). Also, a standard location in South Boston. As a kid, I'd take my allowance, to the latter, to buy the latest 45s. Those were in a locked case, which did require a sales clerk's help.
had they followed suite with other companies doing the $1.00 store theme.... they would still be around... Dollar Tree used to be Ben Franklins 5 and dime... woolworth should have listened...
Just a follow up ,for the past few years two retail chains ( B&M and The Range) are trying to make themselves like Woolworths right down to the stock they sell and the colours in the shops
usta go to wooolworths lunch counter...they had balloons above the counter, u pick a balloon, they pop it and whatever it says inside, from a penny to 79 cents is what you paid for a banana split. they had everything a kid or parent could want at a reasonable price...and nothing made in cheap. I still have a lot of hand me down Woolworth products in my possession.
Interesting! That sounds fun and I can imagine the excitement of the kids (or parents who were paying) when the balloon came out with a penny price! Thanks for sharing the memory.
I remember a Woolworth's just three blocks from my apartment where I grew up. It sold everything you needed. It also had it's own interior lunch counter. And I played my very first video game, Stunt Cycle, there. Is the a video on Alexanders and Two Guys out there?
Talk about an old school game! Sounds like a fun memory for sure. Thanks for the recommendations, I'll look into Alexanders and Two Guys also. Thanks for sharing your story.
My mother worked the lunch counter at the Utica, NY location. Then at the New Hartford, NY location. She was a dedicated employee for 38 years and stayed on until the stores closed. She just turned 83.
Wow she was very dedicated indeed! You don’t see people working that long for companies anymore. I’m sure she has some fun stories to tell through her years working the lunch counter.
Yep, used to go down to the bargain basement where they put all of the closeouts and one off items, it was really cheap, the stuff down there was .25, .50 and $1 in the 1970's. I remember the lunch counter, my aunt (now passed away) use to buy us lunch there. Memories of my time growing up. My aunt called Woolworth the five and dime store. Had no idea foot locker was Woolworth, I thought San Francisco Music Box company had bought Woolworth but SMB was sold by Venator in 1999
Sounds like a lot of fun memories with your Aunt. It's sad these places are gone and no longer will families be able to create memories at places such as Woolworth.
That’s very interesting, I thought Woolworths or Woolies as we call them here in Australia was part of the US company , that explains how the stores here are thriving while the US stores closed . We also don’t have Walmart
Records, cheap makeup and Evening In Paris cologne. And those hot dogs with the bun that was toasted on the outside. Chocolate malts too. Ah Woolworth. Still miss ‘em.
I worked for Woolco after graduating in 1974....loved it. It was an anchor store in a covered mall with a Woolworths store in the same mall. Woolco take all the business from the Woolworth store. Sorry to see all the Woolco stores close.
I delivered plant goods to every Woolworth in Mass,RI,and New Hampshire in the early 70's.Every one had the same floor plan and of course where else could you buy little turtles and parakeets? Sadly they croaked not soon after.They tried with mall stores and a huge downtown Boston store but not enough.
"And so come out where the fun is; browse all around / Discover why Woolworth's the brightest spot in town / It's fun to shop Woolworth; there's more than ever before / In your fun-filled Woolworth store!"
Loved going to Woolworths as a kid in fairborn ohio.remember going in with my mom one time bought a candy lipstick.payed for it went to car where my dad and brother were.started eating my candy lipstick my father saw me smacked it out of my hand told me u dont eat lipstick.only time ever getting yelled at by my dad.loved getting school supplies there.
6:27 and all 4 were subsidiaries of parent companies- Dayton, Kresge, and Walton's. Also, 1962 saw the first ShopKo open. The year 1962 is big for discount retail, all kicked off when Kresge opened its first Kmart.
I met a lady today in Reno TX, she worked for the company for 35 years, she’s 80 today. She worked in 42 states and started at the age of 18 and quit in 1995 I believe. She had all kinds of stories. Very cool
@@RetailRewind she definitely has a story. She said that when a new manager come in somewhere, they’d ask well who could do this and the coworkers would always say. Ann can. Lol she was known all over
I wonder what she did after 1995 and quit the company. I’m sure it was difficult finding anything else since she must’ve loved her job. Gotta love the dedication though!
I was told she became a maid for a family. For 80 years old she is very outgoing and all she talked about was her experience with that company. She told me that in 1993 or 92 she got a call asking her to go to Hawaii and she told the guy that she loved to go but the manager strictly said ask your mother first. Lol her mother was in her 90s and I guess the company really cared about family because she was told to ask what her mother thought about her going, so she told her mother that the company wanted her to go to Hawaii and her mother said “ your going right? Lol
Haha, oh wow, i wonder that even though her mother said to go, did she go? I wouldn’t mind working there :) It’s a different concept than today where companies actually cared about first, their employee, and secondly their employees family. Today for most companies an employer is just a number than can be replaced. Very fun personal history!
W F. Woolworth. W T Grant J C Penny all these were prominent in the 1940,s thru 1970,s I remember the good days of American owned and operated by Americans
You forgot S S Kresge who was dotting just as many Main Street locatios as those you listed, and in that same time period (until the late-60's when they decided to focus all their attention on Kmart and close/convert existing Kresge's).
In the 70s woolworth and woolco stores were closing or marked down prices. They would have HO scale trains and slot cars marked down to almost free. By the time I was 14 I could cover a basketball court with trains and slot cars.
I remember a line around the block of people wanting to buy Beatles records and merchandise when they first hit America in 1964. I was 4 years old.. This was in New York City, Manhattan, Chelsea neighborhood. It was located on 23rd street between 8th and 7th Avenue. Beatles records always sold well there but not always with lines around the block. In 1964 it did. Soon bookstores started selling Beatles and other groups rock records. I remember when Batman TV show came out in 1966 that they sold a lot of Batman merchandise. I was 6 years old back in 1966.
You mentioned there are still Woolworth's stores in Australia and South Africa. Which you mention that they have no connection to the original Woolworth's. What about the three Woolworth's stores in Acapulco, Mexico? Which are still operating to this day (March 2021) complete with a cafeteria. These stores remind me of the Woolworth's my mother used to take me to in the late 80's and early 90's here in Chicago. Do these Mexican Woolworth's have any connection to the original American stores?
Great comment Aries! Someone had mentioned the stores in Mexico earlier so I did more research and can’t believe I missed this history in the video. I’ll be adding it to the description soon since it’s very interesting. I read that after the 1997 closures in the U.S., the original company sold its interest in the Mexico stores to a holding company that is part of Grupo Commercial. Woolworth first came to Mexico In 1956 and indeed were quite successful. I would love to visit one someday and interested to see what the cafeteria has to offer. These stores definitely had connection with the original Woolworth until 1997. Thanks for your comment!
With reference to Woolworths, Australia. This company was formed by a group of businessmen in Sydney in 1924, headed by a man called Percy Christmas. As the story goes, when it came to register their trading name here in Australia, the businessmen, after considering various names, cheekily submitted the name "Woolworths". The regulator, aware of the American/British company believed it advisable to inform their New York headquarters first. In New York, the enquiry was apparently delegated to a relatively junior employee who merely confirmed that the company had no plans to expand to Australia and advised that the company had no objections. As a result, in later years when British Woolworths expanded to Commonwealth Countries, they were effectively excluded from Australia and New Zealand.
Thank you so much for your comment and such interesting history! I haven't dug too deep into the Woolworth Australia yet but reading what you wrote, makes me want to learn more! It does make you wonder who the junior employee was that messed that one up! I have a feeling their career with Woolworth didn't last too long once things were figured out that they couldn't expand to certain Commonwealth Countries and Australia. Thanks again for your awesome comment!
It's incredible how much Kresge based his store after Woolworth's. It would take the opening of Kmart before Kresge surpassed Woolworth in total sales.
Quite a few of those photos look like they were in the UK. My mum worked in the cafe in Southampton's (yup, Titanic, Mayflower etc) main store in the UK. It was pretty big and there were about 6 Woolies in my city alone. My friend actually used to manage one of them (if you watch a channel called "atomic shrimp", he goes to an international foodstore in a place called Portswood....I don't think he knows that was a Woolworth's and that my friend managed it.
Thanks for your comment! Indeed quite a few pictures from the UK. It’s fun seeing so many varieties of stores and architecture from around the world. Thanks for the video recommendation, I’m going to check it out.
“Gee, I’d love to see you looking swell, baby / But diamond bracelets Woolworth’s doesn’t sell, baby / Till that happy day I know so well, baby / I can’t give you anyhing but love.”
I remember in downtown Minneapolis years ago we had a wool worth.and Michael Jackson came there.they shut it down for a couple hours. For Michael. And he didn't buy any thing. I used to buy a lot of records there
Wow, that would be frustrating to shut the entire store down, lose a lot of money in sales and MJ didn’t even buy anything. Thanks for sharing the story!
Basically Whoolco drained the company because world wars did not know how to run a bigger department store and it lost money since they wanted coupled with the fact that it had inconsistencies of square footage like they would go to a small town and build too big of a store that really screwed them over basically WT Grant had the same problem!
There was more than one Woolworth store in Honolulu - I can think of four - and as I recall, the one in Ala Moana Center had the highest sales of the entire chain for a time.
They had all the poor before homeless sitting there drinking coffee and a big stack of newspapers they didn't have a job. You knew they were there for the air condition and heat. They had a lot of knick nacks They had there own brand on some products Grilled Cheese.
Thanks for kindly letting me know the pronunciation. I've gotten quite a few nasty comments about it with language I didn't want on the channel so I appreciate it :) I realized I said it wrong right after posting the video but was too late so I made a little "correction" statement in the description.
![ALLY - OH MY! [ REACTION ] 'Amarin Nitibhon' #ALLY_OHMY #ALLY #allynitibhon #แอลลี่](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/nX9qpHjVfbQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Used to love Woolworths. They had wonderful lunch counters and generally a small pet section with gold fish and parakeets to buy --- You could buy everything from clothes to household items and basic pantry items. They were great!
Thank you for the short trip down memory lane!
I miss those all in one stores that you just can’t find anymore - especially with their own lunch counters or even eating areas like kmart and walmart used to have.
I miss those lunch counters. Mom use to take me to eat lunch their all the time. Target tried to have a refreshment stand but nothing can hold a candle to woolworths
The rotating roasting nuts at the lunch counter!
i prefer 7-11
@@RichardCockerill Weirdo!
Woolworth's was an EXPERIENCE, miss them dearly
I miss Woolworth too and I especially miss McCrory's
Dang-loved department stores with cafeterias-I remember the Woolworth cafeteria counter. K-Mart also had a great cafeteria experience too. I would shop with my young child (he is 36 yrs old now) I could get mashed potatoes and gravy for his lunch-and then continue to shop after he ate!
My very first job was at Kmart and I loved it.
The managers were great.
I remember they opened at like noon on Sundays and closed around 6 pm.
It was convenient to have lunch there.
Kmart got that, because Kresge originally had it. Kmart was an offshoot of Kresge's originally, so many of the things Kmart had, especially early on, were just extensions of what Kresge was already doing.
Would go to kresge 's in airway shopping center in Dayton Ohio every saturday with my grandparents. Grandpa would always get roastbeef hotshot and the coca cola dispenser would take a gallon glass jug with the syrup in it excellent memories
When I was college sophomore at Michigan State University in 1988, my roommates and I would get sundaes at the lunch counter in the Frandor Woolworths. I think the location shut down within a few years. We thought the store was cool in an old-school way. Pretty much the only time I’ve ever been to a Woolworths.
Who else loved the toy section of Woolworths? The model section was the greatest.
Wow!!!! I forgot that some stores actually carried models!!!! Yes, I would have been in that section too, but I have few memories of the store overall, mostly us getting lunch at one while doing downtown shopping. I also seem to remember Sears stores, much more! LOL
This breaks my heart....my whole childhood was going to Woolworths, Bellscot and Kmart!!
I loved going into Woolworth’s which was located on the corner of Main Street and Roosevelt Ave in Flushing Queens, NY. I loved perusing their cosmetic section before I was old enough to wear makeup but when I was old enough I bought my first lipstick there. Aahhh great memories🙂
In Chicago, during the 50s and 60s we actually had two Woolworths downtown (one eventually turned into a Kresges ) but the one on State and Washington had the only double-decker lunch counter I ever saw. It could probably serve 50-60 people at a time. The basement had a full service cafeteria also. The store was so popular that it even had its own entrance from the subway below State St. Fond memories.
Wow that would’ve have been so cool to have seen and eat at! It sounds like it was quite the bustling place back in the middle of the century with people coming from all over. I can just imagine how busy it was. I wonder what’s in that location now?
@@RetailRewindI haven't been downtown in about 20 years so I'm not sure, but the last time I was there the store had been divided up into two spaces (it was that big) and one of the spaces had a fast food business in it. Not a McDonalds but some smaller chain. The other side had a clothing shop. It's so hard to say right now because so many small business have closed with this pandemic and won't re-open. Thanks for asking.
Very cool! Thanks for the update on location. It’s always interesting hearing the transformation of a once prominent business but usually sad. Definitely sounds like a big building!
@@augustmosco
Sounds like a great memory.
As a kid it felt fancy to eat at the Woolworth's grill.
I live in the West Indies on the island of Trinidad and there were some Woolworths stores there I loved shopping there with my mom so much memories ❤️❤️
I always loved Woolworth and remember going there as a child. They had the best cheesecake and cheeseburger I've ever eaten. The last Woolworth store I've been in was 15 years ago in Greenock Scotland
I miss Woolworth's,Kresge's , Neisner's and Newberry's and they all 5 and 10 stores.
I remember Neisners and Kresge's but not Newberry's.
@@lynnkanerva4519
I don't remember any of those.
I was beginning to think no one remembers Newberry’s. Loved Newberry’s.
mee too.
Tore down the last kmart in Dayton Ohio last year was empty. Now a krogers grocery being built
By the time I was a kid, maybe age 5, the Woolworth in like Los Angeles county(sorry can't remember the location) was like a 99 cent store. My grandmother who seemed to love taking me to this place and K-mart which also no longer exists was a ritual and its probably the best things I remember doing with my grandmother. She seemed to like these places, and I was happy because the toys were very cheap and she bought a lot of toys for me. I don't remember the Woolworth but the K-mart we used to go to had a cafeteria where I was able to secure a greasy fast food meal and my grandmother was happy too. All this happened in the early 1990s. I'm pretty sure these stores closed by the time I was grown up.
Sounds like quite the fun times and memories with your grandmother. Those family memories are always the best! Do you still have any of the toys she bought for you from those stores? I remember going to Kmart with my grandpa as a kid and getting wrestling figurines :)
I worked for a short time at the Woolworths in the Beloit, WI mall- around 1985-86.
When I was 17 I got my 1st apartment I shopped their for my household goods enjoyed that store and when I was young girl every evening after school I would go there and by fries & drink sit at the stools counter and they use to sell the best chicken wings yummy😋 loved that store miss it so much❤
Thanks for sharing your memory. It's fun to look back at such times - especially the food from places such as Woolworth that we can no longer get.
Loved going to Woolworth co. Back in the day. I loved going at Christmas time. Loved eating at the lunch counter.❤❤❤❤❤❤😊
Woolies opened their first store in Germany in 1927 and they're still going strong here today.
Good ol' Woolworth's. There was once a big multi-floored store, in downtown Boston (it was really quite impressive). Also, a standard location in South Boston. As a kid, I'd take my allowance, to the latter, to buy the latest 45s. Those were in a locked case, which did require a sales clerk's help.
Fun memories for sure! I wonder if the 33 LPs were a high theft item also since they were bigger? Thanks for sharing your story.
had they followed suite with other companies doing the $1.00 store theme.... they would still be around... Dollar Tree used to be Ben Franklins 5 and dime... woolworth should have listened...
I miss Woolworth and I never even got to go to one. The way my parents talk about it makes me want to go now! Lol.
At Woolworths the patty melts were so good
Just a follow up ,for the past few years two retail chains ( B&M and The Range) are trying to make themselves like Woolworths right down to the stock they sell and the colours in the shops
usta go to wooolworths lunch counter...they had balloons above the counter, u pick a balloon, they pop it and whatever it says inside, from a penny to 79 cents is what you paid for a banana split. they had everything a kid or parent could want at a reasonable price...and nothing made in cheap. I still have a lot of hand me down Woolworth products in my possession.
Interesting! That sounds fun and I can imagine the excitement of the kids (or parents who were paying) when the balloon came out with a penny price! Thanks for sharing the memory.
I remember a Woolworth's just three blocks from my apartment where I grew up. It sold everything you needed. It also had it's own interior lunch counter. And I played my very first video game, Stunt Cycle, there. Is the a video on Alexanders and Two Guys out there?
Talk about an old school game! Sounds like a fun memory for sure. Thanks for the recommendations, I'll look into Alexanders and Two Guys also. Thanks for sharing your story.
My mother worked the lunch counter at the Utica, NY location. Then at the New Hartford, NY location. She was a dedicated employee for 38 years and stayed on until the stores closed. She just turned 83.
Wow she was very dedicated indeed! You don’t see people working that long for companies anymore. I’m sure she has some fun stories to tell through her years working the lunch counter.
When I lived in St. Augustine Florida in the 1970’s Woolworths was the onky store in town where you could buy records.
Yep, used to go down to the bargain basement where they put all of the closeouts and one off items, it was really cheap, the stuff down there was .25, .50 and $1 in the 1970's. I remember the lunch counter, my aunt (now passed away) use to buy us lunch there. Memories of my time growing up. My aunt called Woolworth the five and dime store. Had no idea foot locker was Woolworth, I thought San Francisco Music Box company had bought Woolworth but SMB was sold by Venator in 1999
Sounds like a lot of fun memories with your Aunt. It's sad these places are gone and no longer will families be able to create memories at places such as Woolworth.
Very well done and interesting
Thank you!
That’s very interesting, I thought Woolworths or Woolies as we call them here in Australia was part of the US company , that explains how the stores here are thriving while the US stores closed . We also don’t have Walmart
No Walmart? Lucky you! We’re trapped in the US by them.
Guess Australia has strong unions? Dealing with unions has kept Walmart out of several countries.
Records, cheap makeup and Evening In Paris cologne. And those hot dogs with the bun that was toasted on the outside. Chocolate malts too. Ah Woolworth. Still miss ‘em.
Making me hungry! Nothing beats a good malt!
I worked for Woolco after graduating in 1974....loved it. It was an anchor store in a covered mall with a Woolworths store in the same mall. Woolco take all the business from the Woolworth store. Sorry to see all the Woolco stores close.
I delivered plant goods to every Woolworth in Mass,RI,and New Hampshire in the early 70's.Every one had the same floor plan and of course where else could you buy little turtles and parakeets? Sadly they croaked not soon after.They tried with mall stores and a huge downtown Boston store but not enough.
Fun shop, made a difference in my life.
"And so come out where the fun is; browse all around / Discover why Woolworth's the brightest spot in town / It's fun to shop Woolworth; there's more than ever before / In your fun-filled Woolworth store!"
I am surprised that a company so old can go down under ♥️♥️♥️
Loved going to Woolworths as a kid in fairborn ohio.remember going in with my mom one time bought a candy lipstick.payed for it went to car where my dad and brother were.started eating my candy lipstick my father saw me smacked it out of my hand told me u dont eat lipstick.only time ever getting yelled at by my dad.loved getting school supplies there.
6:27 and all 4 were subsidiaries of parent companies- Dayton, Kresge, and Walton's. Also, 1962 saw the first ShopKo open. The year 1962 is big for discount retail, all kicked off when Kresge opened its first Kmart.
thank you for making this video!
I met a lady today in Reno TX, she worked for the company for 35 years, she’s 80 today.
She worked in 42 states and started at the age of 18 and quit in 1995 I believe. She had all kinds of stories. Very cool
I can’t believe how many times she transferred, averaged more than one different state a year. She could probably write a book.
@@RetailRewind she definitely has a story. She said that when a new manager come in somewhere, they’d ask well who could do this and the coworkers would always say. Ann can. Lol she was known all over
I wonder what she did after 1995 and quit the company. I’m sure it was difficult finding anything else since she must’ve loved her job. Gotta love the dedication though!
I was told she became a maid for a family.
For 80 years old she is very outgoing and all she talked about was her experience with that company. She told me that in 1993 or 92 she got a call asking her to go to Hawaii and she told the guy that she loved to go but the manager strictly said ask your mother first.
Lol her mother was in her 90s and I guess the company really cared about family because she was told to ask what her mother thought about her going, so she told her mother that the company wanted her to go to Hawaii and her mother said “ your going right? Lol
Haha, oh wow, i wonder that even though her mother said to go, did she go? I wouldn’t mind working there :) It’s a different concept than today where companies actually cared about first, their employee, and secondly their employees family. Today for most companies an employer is just a number than can be replaced. Very fun personal history!
W F. Woolworth. W T Grant J C Penny all these were prominent in the 1940,s thru 1970,s I remember the good days of American owned and operated by Americans
When I visit the US, I always shop a JC Penny's, wish they would ship to the EU, but they won't even let people in the EU look at their website.
You forgot S S Kresge who was dotting just as many Main Street locatios as those you listed, and in that same time period (until the late-60's when they decided to focus all their attention on Kmart and close/convert existing Kresge's).
Woolworth and Ben Franklin. I loved my dime stores!
In the 70s woolworth and woolco stores were closing or marked down prices. They would have HO scale trains and slot cars marked down to almost free. By the time I was 14 I could cover a basketball court with trains and slot cars.
Wow that sounds like fun! If you have any left, I’m sure they’re worth a bit of money today.
@@RetailRewind I loved it. They are all put up and they are all in good shape. Not about to let my childhood be sold.
There is a wool worths in Nashville. They have the original lunch counter and floors that was in the store. They are a restaurant.
Be fun to check out. Have you eaten there yet?
I remember a line around the block of people wanting to buy Beatles records and merchandise when they first hit America in 1964. I was 4 years old.. This was in New York City, Manhattan, Chelsea neighborhood. It was located on 23rd street between 8th and 7th Avenue. Beatles records always sold well there but not always with lines around the block. In 1964 it did. Soon bookstores started selling Beatles and other groups rock records. I remember when Batman TV show came out in 1966 that they sold a lot of Batman merchandise. I was 6 years old back in 1966.
Man they had the best food around when I was a kid in the 70's best shakes ..........
Yes they did. My mother took me to eat lunch at their counter. I miss it so much 😢
very funny the 70's did not exist,just a dream bubba
@@daniellekennedy2338 how about sav on drugs
I remember how my dad and I would get lunch at the cafeteria at stores like Woolworth's and Kmart.
You mentioned there are still Woolworth's stores in Australia and South Africa. Which you mention that they have no connection to the original Woolworth's. What about the three Woolworth's stores in Acapulco, Mexico? Which are still operating to this day (March 2021) complete with a cafeteria. These stores remind me of the Woolworth's my mother used to take me to in the late 80's and early 90's here in Chicago. Do these Mexican Woolworth's have any connection to the original American stores?
Great comment Aries! Someone had mentioned the stores in Mexico earlier so I did more research and can’t believe I missed this history in the video. I’ll be adding it to the description soon since it’s very interesting. I read that after the 1997 closures in the U.S., the original company sold its interest in the Mexico stores to a holding company that is part of Grupo Commercial. Woolworth first came to Mexico In 1956 and indeed were quite successful. I would love to visit one someday and interested to see what the cafeteria has to offer. These stores definitely had connection with the original Woolworth until 1997. Thanks for your comment!
All over NYC was a great time to be young
Good video. Nice pictures.
Thank you very much!
Love them!❤️
Great video and thank you.
My relative Alison Miller used the make the windows nice. Vilma Hammerick was his dear friend.
Can you do a video on WT Grant? They competed with FW Woolworth.
Love the idea! Thanks for the suggestion and I’ll add it to my list.
With my own money, I bought my first 45, Puff the Magic Dragon by Peter, Paul and Mary, at W.T. Grant at Lakewood Center, California. Cost = $.45.
Hola!! ame trabajar para WOOLWORTH POLANCO en los 70's desde Cd Mexico saludos
With reference to Woolworths, Australia. This company was formed by a group of businessmen in Sydney in 1924, headed by a man called Percy Christmas. As the story goes, when it came to register their trading name here in Australia, the businessmen, after considering various names, cheekily submitted the name "Woolworths". The regulator, aware of the American/British company believed it advisable to inform their New York headquarters first. In New York, the enquiry was apparently delegated to a relatively junior employee who merely confirmed that the company had no plans to expand to Australia and advised that the company had no objections. As a result, in later years when British Woolworths expanded to Commonwealth Countries, they were effectively excluded from Australia and New Zealand.
Thank you so much for your comment and such interesting history! I haven't dug too deep into the Woolworth Australia yet but reading what you wrote, makes me want to learn more! It does make you wonder who the junior employee was that messed that one up! I have a feeling their career with Woolworth didn't last too long once things were figured out that they couldn't expand to certain Commonwealth Countries and Australia. Thanks again for your awesome comment!
$ 5.00 could go a long way in this store! Great memories here...
Nice video. Just a quick edit, the store photo marked Camden, NJ was actually in Camden Town, London. 7:57
Sorry for the error but thanks for the nice message and correction. Much appreciated!
@@RetailRewind just a small thing but I used to live near camden, NJ and it didn't look familiar lol. subbed...keep up the good work!😀
Anybody knows where the archives of this venerable company is located? I had a relative that worked for Woolworth's in NYC circa 1940's.
While I'm not certain, I believe that Kresge's evolved into K-Mart. I really miss the $5.00 calendars every year as a stocking stuffer Christmas gift.
I did like Woolworth and Woolco.
I was not born yet but this looks like a cool store I wish it a
Was back today’s stores are crap
6:53 probably by locations, but Sears had more sales in 1979 than any other retailer. Followed by Kmart Corporation, then JC Penney.
When they closed the Woolworths in sacramento I knew the manager and she gave me two of their laminated menus
Nice keepsake you can’t find anymore!
It's incredible how much Kresge based his store after Woolworth's. It would take the opening of Kmart before Kresge surpassed Woolworth in total sales.
Very interesting! Wish I could’ve gone to a Kresge in my lifetime.
Quite a few of those photos look like they were in the UK. My mum worked in the cafe in Southampton's (yup, Titanic, Mayflower etc) main store in the UK. It was pretty big and there were about 6 Woolies in my city alone. My friend actually used to manage one of them (if you watch a channel called "atomic shrimp", he goes to an international foodstore in a place called Portswood....I don't think he knows that was a Woolworth's and that my friend managed it.
Thanks for your comment! Indeed quite a few pictures from the UK. It’s fun seeing so many varieties of stores and architecture from around the world. Thanks for the video recommendation, I’m going to check it out.
July 17, 1977 was a sad day in this country.
There used be 8n in kitchener
"Diamond bracelets Woolworth doesn't sell, baby"
“Gee, I’d love to see you looking swell, baby / But diamond bracelets Woolworth’s doesn’t sell, baby / Till that happy day I know so well, baby / I can’t give you anyhing but love.”
The older days was a lot different than they are today aren't they ?
You try to give the video more brightness it will be great if you do
Thank for the input! I'm not sure how to do that once it's already been uploaded but I'll check and see.
My parents met at one in the 50s my mother served food.
That’s an awesome story!
Woolworth’s restructured and became Footlocker. Betcha did not know THAT!
Image at @8.00 is in Camden London UK definitely not US
What about Woolworths in Mexico, South Africa and Australia ? There still going.
Yes they sure are. This video was a short history of Woolworth in the United States but there are definitely off-shoots in other countries.
I miss Woolworth...Family Dollar is in a way kind of like them but not as great!!!
Wow......Footlocker....Who knew ????
Hutton was the last heir to Woolworth.
She lived an interesting life and seven marriages! I’d like to learn more about her life.
I remember in downtown Minneapolis years ago we had a wool worth.and Michael Jackson came there.they shut it down for a couple hours. For Michael. And he didn't buy any thing. I used to buy a lot of records there
Wow, that would be frustrating to shut the entire store down, lose a lot of money in sales and MJ didn’t even buy anything. Thanks for sharing the story!
Walmart has zero charm & warmth ~ Not like Woolworths did...It's just a warehouse of in - out...boredom...
Too bad management couldn’t have seen the dollar store. Maybe too much whiskey and cigars on the golf course by the board.
Woolworths in South Africa and Australia.
Norwalk, Ct had a Woolworth
Are Woolworths here in Australia the same as a America
Unfortunately the only way they’re connected is by name. The name was able to be used since it wasn’t trademarked in Australia.
Thank you for that information on Woolworths
I wouldn't mind at all if Dollar Tree becomes $2 Tree. I have to buy 2 each at those sizes anyway.
I’ve noticed quantity of their products getting smaller so I hope when they raise prices, products will go back to what they once were.
Basically Whoolco drained the company because world wars did not know how to run a bigger department store and it lost money since they wanted coupled with the fact that it had inconsistencies of square footage like they would go to a small town and build too big of a store that really screwed them over basically WT Grant had the same problem!
Is good he's open his co...and is helps me... becuz I'm poor.but he's was high class, rich nothing wrong. That
Competition is fine but when is there just too much of it one wonders.
Hes worked so hard. Too reach too. The top. Yes a five & tenth stores, his n
Merch... is'nt expensives.either I used too. Shop there n... m... primes.
あなたの最初の誕生日プレゼントは何ですか？
I would go to the Woolworth in Honolulu and no one would be shopping.
I wonder why that is? Was it not a good store to shop at or too much competition?
There was more than one Woolworth store in Honolulu - I can think of four - and as I recall, the one in Ala Moana Center had the highest sales of the entire chain for a time.
Well Woolworths in the UK Existed until 2009
They definitely did and existed in the US until 1997. Original Woolwoorths are still open in Mexico today but under different ownership.
They had all the poor before homeless sitting there drinking coffee and a big stack of newspapers they didn't have a job. You knew they were there for the air condition and heat.
They had a lot of knick nacks They had there own brand on some products
Grilled Cheese.
Woolworths still exists in Australia
Yes they do but no connection with the original FW Woolworth Company.
It was time
Check your pronunciation of “Utica, New York.” It’s wrong. The accent is on the “U.” It’s you’-tih-cuh. Not you-TEE-ca.
Thanks for kindly letting me know the pronunciation. I've gotten quite a few nasty comments about it with language I didn't want on the channel so I appreciate it :) I realized I said it wrong right after posting the video but was too late so I made a little "correction" statement in the description.
Used to shoplift there.
Jeez! Lololol
Friend of mine's bro did too. Security roughed him up pretty good and he sued and won nearly a million bucks. Friend still pissed off about it.
@@theblacksheep5226
Haha wow that's crazy.
Haha hahaha
I remember Woolworths