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Occupations That Have Faded Away

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Richarddye said:
Seems like mine came from the Bull Ring or near there. Regardless they did not seem to last very long! Today we would say operator error :cool:
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we had chicks.off the ragman, i would have given dads sunday suit for one.if i was given half a chance:grinning:
 
Bob Davis said:
They do Timpsons with High Street and supermarket outlets still have shoe repair key cutting and sometimes dry cleaning operations. In your time in the UK they were shoe shops.
Bob
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And watch repairs! At least the one in Barnstaple High St. does.
 
My first job after leaving school was a trainee typewriter service engineer..Mainly in central Birmingham..in the 60s and 70s in those days every shop and office had at least one machine ,and the larger companies had hundreds...all gone.
 
I was fascinated watching a guy repair a pub cash register, one of the older mechanical types. It had thousands of small leavers and springs etc. Another job gone with electric cash machines.
 
Robroy,

I hope you didn't think you had a job for life! We used to have a private typewriter museum in Bournemouth some years ago and when the owner decided he wanted to get rid of it, he offered the typewriters to all the museums and didn't get any takers. I presume that they were eventually just dumped.

Maurice :cool:
 
In the mid 50's there was a shop in Quinton that repaired ladders in ladies stockings. The person doing the job sat in the front window of the shop. I can't imagine that job exists now.
 
Astoness said:
ahh the old pop delivery man but do not see them these days

lyn
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It was a great Saturday job. We went to the Tysley depot for 0800 in 1969/70 Worked all day for a couple of quid. Was still at school then and this paid for a very good night out when a pint cost two shillings. That was the time when a tallish fifteen year old was easily served in most pubs...
 
I do recall a lot of school kids had these unofficial jobs helping out delivery people like the milkmen etc. They would work all day for a couple of quid.
 
Ray T said:
The coal man was a sight to behold for me as a boy in 1950s Sparkbrook. He carried the sacks of coal off his lorry, onto his back and down our entry way, then he'd tip the contents into the cellar of our back-to-back house. I well remember his blackened face from the coal dust. I wouldn't have recognised him if I'd seen him not working.
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I live in Cumbria now and the coal man is still a regular sight up here.
 
Think they did Chris. And did I imagine this, or did someone have a job of collecting up discarded milk bottles (not the ones left on the doorstep) ? Then they were sent back for reuse. Viv.
 
Some occupations still exist but their titles have changed. There were once simply and clearly “cashiers” and “shop assistants” for example. But now we seem to have lots of vaguer titles such as store colleagues, operatives etc. Viv.
 
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Dave89 said:
Hi

So did Mason's. And in the early 50s, the bottle of pop was only 4 1/2d, so the pop
cost half what the bottle did.

Kind regards
Dave
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I have forgotten that 3d back in the bottle. I used to take Gran's empties back and she let me buy sweets with it. Thruppence. It was an M&B Outdoor on the corner of her street. It had a huge mural on the gable end of the leaping stag. I loved it and I knew we were getting nearer Gran's when it came in to view. There were five within a short walk from her house. You don't see offies attached to pubs now. I think they turn them in to snugs. Would you agree? I was told launderettes are disapprearing? My mate's Irish gran called it the bagwash. And Almhouses that are used as such, though we have a few here. Nan used to tell me about the Watercress House.
When I moved in to my first house one house sold milk.
The house next to mine had been a Beer House.
Mine had been a watch repairer using the front room as the shop. My district was full of small businesses.One made rubber stamps.
 
Vivienne14 said:
Some occupations still exist but their titles have changed. There were once simply and clearly “cashiers” and “shop assistants” for example. But now we seem to have lots of vaguer titles such as store colleagues, operatives etc. Viv.
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Remember Floor Walkers usually a mature gentleman like Captain Peacock from Are You Being Served, who would give you advice in department stores? Owen Owen used to have a lady serve you and one to wrap your breakables in a proper box with packing. I do miss that store.
One nice lady helped me with a bra when mum was in hospital. Mum said ask for the bra fitter. But they were long gone. One of my older colleagues told me to go and ask for a Mrs so and so, her friend. That was in M&S.
 
There are still several launderettes locally Nico. I don't use them now but when I was little I used to do the "launderette dance" with Mother each holding the ends of the sheets up off the floor, folding widthways twice then walking towards each other with the ends, a bit like a barn dance!!
rosie.
 
Lauderettes still get used by people in single rooms and also used to be used by me, until a few years ago, when we were touring around Europe and the UK. It was a handy facility.

Maurice :cool:
 
front room shops
We used to pay a 1d. for pink pop if you took your own bottle to be filled.... mind you it was weak flat stuff:grinning:

sospiri said:
Lauderettes still get used by people in single rooms and also used to be used by me, until a few years ago, when we were touring around Europe and the UK. It was a handy facility.

Maurice :cool:
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Our Maurice, there are 24h outdoor Lauderettes on garage forcourts here,dont know about the rest of the country.they are very handy for campers.
 
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