yes carol,even with bradfords whom i forgot to mention if you got there at the bakery, to be quite honest
it was a regulal and well known thing if you are from the right quarter of society parden the expression
and the big gates would be open and you would see all the trucks being loaded up by the drivers
and they would have to walk right back of the ware house section meaning stores
to and from when they was loading up in those days at moseley road and what you would do if loking for abit of coppers
asked the drivers if they needed help in loading up there trays of bread and cakes into there vans
even the stores managers would come to the gates looking for able bodies whom wanted to earn a couple of bob
they only took a handfull of men if you was lucky and got there early you was in with a chance
you would get a 10 bob note it was the same when hawleys taken over
afew later if you went to lodge road where there even big bakery was scribbins you could get a nights casual for 25 quid
but it was hard because there would be about fifty blokes hanging out side the gates but more often than not
these guys was regular and the drivers got to know them and kept them nightly
a matter of fact we have a local national dairy just down the lane from us in worc where i live
they are a well known house branded name can,t advertise there name on here
but with out getting of the subject of trade working of bakerys , dairys , are in the same line of activitiy
by people coming to the gates looking for casual labour only its not evening down here its five in the morning
hoping to get abit of casual couple of hours of them
so that kind of business is been going on for donkeys years , ican tell you that practice when they moved to west brom was on a mulity
scale for casual labour loading the vans best wishes Astonian,,,,Alan,,,,,