THAT'S THE WONDER OF WOOLIES...

One shop which features in the childhood memories of many people of a certain age is undoubtedly WOOLWORTHS.  Which of us can think back to our early days and not see Woolworths loom large in our personal history?  Of course, there will be other shops, some local, some national, that we also hold in great affection, but Woolworths is the 'daddy', isn't it?  Or one of the daddies at least, especially when it came to toys (and PIC 'n' MIX).

To be honest, I wasn't always 100% certain about its name.  I, along with most people I knew, called it Woolworths (or Woolworse was the way I pronounced it as a kid), but it was actually known as F.W. WOOLWORTH & Co. Ltd when I was a boy, only switching to WOOLWORTHS in the early or mid- '80s after a management buyout in the UK.  So whether you called it Woolworth, Woolworth's or Woolworths, you were right for at least part of the time.

Amazingly, the British incarnation outlasted the American one (from which it had sprung) by quite a few years, and there has been talk about the name returning to the UK high street a number of times over the last few years, which I for one would love to see.  I suppose HOME BARGAINS is the modern equivalent of 'Woolies', but it would be great to see the original resurrected.

I own a number of goodies bought from Woolworths over the years before its demise, some of which bear the company's name on the packaging.  However, those 'branded' products are mostly generic items made by a variety of manufacturers and were doubtless also available in other stores in different packaging.  Now, though, thanks to the generosity of American reader Terranova47, today I became the proud owner of a MATTEL HOT WHEELS lorry bearing the iconic name of Woolworth on the product itself.

This is an American toy, hence the US version of the name, but hey - whether Woolworth, Woolworth's or Woolworths, it's essentially the same thing.  And remember, Woolworths was actually known as Woolworth in Britain at one time too, prior to the addition of the 's'.

So, many thanks to Terranova47 for reminding me of a much-missed part of my past.  Woolworths may be gone (for the moment), but it'll never be forgotten, regardless of whatever version of its name is the one you remember.

Any fond memories of Woolies that you'd care to share with your fellow Crivs?  Then the comments section awaits your presence.   

Posted in: Cartoons