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Greenshield

Janet Hunt

master brummie
Does anyone else remember Greenshield Stamps and the Greenshield stamp shop under the Rotunda. I remember this trading incentive vividly as a girl. My Dad was a travelling salesman, so there was never a shortage of stamps to put in the savings book. He gave me and my siblings books each to fill. When we had each filled enough we went up the town with him to trade them in for something we wanted. I saved mine for a lovely Tressy doll. I believe this ran for nearly 30 years. You know what I miss licking those stamps!
 

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Does anyone else remember Greenshield Stamps and the Greenshield stamp shop under the Rotunda. I remember this trading incentive vividly as a girl. My Dad was a travelling salesman, so there was never a shortage of stamps to put in the savings book. He gave me and my siblings books each to fill. When we had each filled enough we went up the town with him to trade them in for something we wanted. I saved mine for a lovely Tressy doll. I believe this ran for nearly 30 years. You know what I miss licking those stamps!
i do i filled me truck up every day and they gave me about a yard of the stamps each time:grinning: i had books full of them and lots off goodies:grinning:
 
I remember them - used to save them up and use a child's paintbrush and an egg cup of water to stick them in the books.
They became Argos didn't they?
I remember the store under the Rotunda - soon after we married we got a clock from there (but it might have become Argos by then).
Still have the clock today - 40 years later. (Apologies if it is blurred but it is a bit high on the wall.)
 

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Yes, spent hours licking and sticking, until I saw the light and used a damp sponge, there was also pink stamps if my memory is correct.
i am sure my sister got one of the hair dryers that you wore like a satchel and had the hose that ran to an elasticated hat that dried her hair, took a few books to get that item.
 
I remember them - used to save them up and use a child's paintbrush and an egg cup of water to stick them in the books.
They became Argos didn't they?
I remember the store under the Rotunda - soon after we married we got a clock from there (but it might have become Argos by then).
Still have the clock today - 40 years later. (Apologies if it is blurred but it is a bit high on the wall.)
it looks a bit slow as well:grinning:
 
I remember them - used to save them up and use a child's paintbrush and an egg cup of water to stick them in the books.
They became Argos didn't they?
I remember the store under the Rotunda - soon after we married we got a clock from there (but it might have become Argos by then).
Still have the clock today - 40 years later. (Apologies if it is blurred but it is a bit high on the wall.)
No Paint brush for me I liked the taste of the glue, not sure it did me any good though. What a gem you found in your clock still working after all those years.
 
Yes, spent hours licking and sticking, until I saw the light and used a damp sponge, there was also pink stamps if my memory is correct.
i am sure my sister got one of the hair dryers that you wore like a satchel and had the hose that ran to an elasticated hat that dried her hair, took a few books to get that item.
Think my elder sister got one of those driers with her stamps, my mum seemed to use it more than her as my sister had short hair. In fact I think my mum persuaded her to get it with her stamps.
 
You had me worried there :rolleyes:
It actually keeps good time until the battery starts to run out. It is supposed to make a noise (a sort of "ping") on the hour but now does that at 5 to the hour o_O.
mom had one very similar but it went wonky after a few years it just kept bonging none stop on the hour untill she took the batery out i still have it in the bedroom minus the pendulum:grinning:
 
I saved for months and months and then went to spend them on saucepans and crockery at the Greenshield shop in Erdington High street, put them in the car boot whilst going to visit another shop and came back to find the car had been stolen
The car was later found minus my Greenshield buys so it was back to saving from scratch.
 
The innovation of green shield stamps were probably a theme on brand loyalty, you recall the co-op at the time had the divide (divi, every one had thier divi number ours was on written on the brick in the wall by the black door) .
At that time in the 60’s and 70’s petrol was relatively cheap and garages plentiful. To encourage custom garages would offer toys , or household implements with every 4 gallons etc. When stamps came on the scene they were launched nationally and supported by a network of shops to swap your completed books for your chosen gifts.
The main outlets as stated by mikejee were Tesco, Fine Fare, most garages. Most outlets would drive sales by offering quad stamps on certain items or gallons of fuel sold as seen on oldMowhawk posting . Garages would offer greenshield items to remind you to claim your stamps see picture attached.
 

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That explains why we had to work hard to complete a book of stamps. We never shopped at those stores or had a car ! Mum always supported local shops wherever possible being a local shopkeeper herself. They also ‘looked after’ each other by paying in kind. No Greenshield stamps involved there. Viv.
 
Fine fare did the pink stamps. Ironically both green and pink were owned by the same company. Didn’t the co op replace the divvi with blue stamps too in some places? Don’t forget the coupons in fag packets too, I always said my mum was saving for an iron lung….she didn’t laugh!
 
I recall some stamps that there issued by local corner shops. They were quite small and had a 10-shilling note logo on them. I assume if you save sufficient, you could claim 10-shillings
 
Remember Geen Sheild stamps . Did they have a store opposite the Locarno. Iam sure if you filled enough books you could get a car . That i will chase up. Be fun looking at one of the catalogues. Iam positive the CO-OP gave stamps and when you had filled a book you spend it instore. My mom had a Divi number and i think you had to spend thirty pound to fill one book and the value of the book worked at around fifty pence.
 

:grinning:
Great post with the catalogue . I thought you could get a car 950 books for a Fotd Escort 1300 . A Ford Escort Mk 1 . Worth a small fortune now.
 
S&H Green Stamps was a line of trading stamps popular in the United States from 1896 until the late 1980s. They were distributed as part of a rewards program operated by the Sperry & Hutchinson company (S&H), founded in 1896 by Thomas Sperry and Shelley Byron Hutchinson. During the early 1960s, it initiated S&H Pink Stamps in the United Kingdom, having been beaten to their green shield trademark during 1958 by Richard Tompkins's Green Shield Trading Stamp Company.

S_AND_H_PINK_SAVER_STAMPS.jpg
 
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