Working for Woolworth's in the 1930s

In Britain Woolies maintained cordial labour relations, despite a strict, benign dictatorship in-store
while in North America the five-and-ten became a hotbed of unrest as staff demanded better conditions

High Street Harmony

Back in the Thirties Woolworth Sales Assistants were paid between 30 shillings (£1.50) and £2 a week. Learners (trainee managers) and stockroom men were paid an extra pound for mobility. They could be moved to another store miles away at very short notice.

The chain doubled in size during the decade, which led to plenty of career opportunities. The firm demanded a consistent operation in every outlet, whether in London, on the west coast of Ireland or the north of Scotland. Store Managers made sure staff were trained and that standards were maintained. The regime was authoritarian but benign. A safety net provided support for loyal workers who were taken ill, or who fell on hard times, but any breach of the rules prompted a stern rebuke.

Many tasks were done by hand that are automated today. For example assistants had to add up customers' purchases in their heads or using 'ready reckoner pads'. Instead of scanning a bar code, they had to record what had been sold in a log and re-order it by filling and posting a form.

To become a 'learner' applicants had to show a good knowledge of every product, its rate of sale and margin. These management trainees also had to command the respect of the staff, and show they could get the job done. The firm's Directors were proud that they had started out by sweeping the stockroom floor and had worked their way up.

Most sales assistants were young, unmarried women. It was so unusual for a woman to carry on working after getting married that the firm offered a combined wedding and leaving present. Very few women returned to work after bringing up a family. Most staff worked full time, five and half days a week. Typically all the stores in a town closed at lunchtime on either Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, which was called 'early closing day', to give the staff a break.

Every Assistant was given a supply of maroon uniforms or stockman's coats, backed by a free laundry service. They were also served a hot lunch which had been prepared by a cook in the staff canteen. They were encouraged to learn about the products they sold. If they wanted to become supervisors they were also expected to work on each counter in turn.

A day in the life of a Woolies Sales Assistant in the 1930s

In the days before widespread car ownership most store staff walked to work or rode in on a bicycle. The great majority lived within a mile or so of the store where they worked. Typically they set out from home at 8.15am, allowing time for a quick cup of tea in-store before their shift began. They had to don their uniform and to be on the salesfloor for morning inspection at 8.45am, 15 minutes before opening time.

Morning inspection gave the Manager the chance to sharpen the displays, check the availability of best-selling lines and give topical tips for the day's trading. In between serving the customers the Assistant would spend the early part of the day preparing a stock list, which was sent to the stockroom. A Stockroom Assistant would gather the goods into a trolley and take it to the salesfloor. Neither Sales Assistants nor Supervisors were allowed access to the stockroom until many years later.

Lunch breaks were staggered, starting shortly after 11am. The approach helped to keep the store well staffed during the peak hours between noon and 2pm. Most branches employed a cook and a cleaner and provided a hot lunch at a subsidised price. After a brief lull in the early afternoon, the store would be packed again from just after 3pm, as mums and children visited after school. In between serving customers, staff would fill the counter from their stock trolley, prepare orders for any missing lines, and double-check that every item was priced. Each week work built toward the weekend. Stores had to be picture perfect by Friday afternoon. At the time most shoppers got their pay packets each Friday. Some hurried to Woolworth's at once, while most made Saturday their shopping day. Most stores closed at 5.30pm. Staff had to wait on the salefloor until all the customers had left before making their way upstairs to fetch their coats and heading off home. The next day the cycle began again. Click for more pre-war pictures of Woolies at work.

Mayhem in Main Street

In North America, President J. Edgar Hoover's New Deal rocked the foundations of the Woolworth Five-and-Ten. From its earliest days low prices had been based on minimal operating costs. Woolworth had hired young clerks on a very low wage. The Founder demanded that if an assistant became difficult or lazy they should be replaced. He was prepared to pay 'a little extra' to retain the best people, but only if they agreed to start early, work late and 'do other chores like window-washing in dull season'.

Fifty years after the first opening the formula had not changed. The chain was slow to add higher-priced 15¢ and 20¢ lines, forcing them to keep wages to the absolute minimum. The New Deal forced a rethink. During the Thirties new laws forced through minimum wages in key industries, collective bargaining and recognition and greater powers for trade unions. Suddenly the staff found a voice.

Company publicity portrayed a happy workforce at the five-and-ten. But the reality was very different. Popular press reports of the extravagance of the 'Woolworth Heirs' caused great resentment among the low-paid staff. The media dubbed Frank Woolworth's heiress granddaughter, Barbara Hutton, 'the poor little rich girl'.

Barbara's mother Edna had died in tragic circumstances when she was just a small girl. As a result at the age of twenty-one she had received two legacies from Frank, one of her own and one from her mother. Her father, Edwin Laws Hutton, encouraged her to sell her large shareholding shortly before the Wall Street crash, ending her link to the firm. The move saw her fortune grow as others lost out.

Hutton's lavish parties and string of failed marriages became the talk of the town. Woolworth staff struggled to understand how their bosses could turn down requests for $8 a week and union recognition when the person they believed was the 'owner' could spend $21,000 on a party frock. Trade unions were quick to exploit the frustration and mobilise the workforce into action.

Months of discontentment boiled over in March 1937. Staff in the largest city centre stores were encouraged to stage sit-ins. They paraded placards demanding trade union recognition and eight dollars a week. The grievances of the 'five and ten girls' received extensive press coverage, including many photos of the makeshift sleeping arrangements on the famous mahogany counters.

Initially Executives dismissed the protests. They argued that neither Hutton nor the other heirs of the founders was involved in running the company. But ultimately a compromise had to be found. The union was recognised, as the law required, the working week was cut and a wage increase was phased in. This ended the strike.

The bosses knew that savings would have to be found. Behind the scenes they set plans to halve the number of clerks employed. They initiated a trial in which customers were invited to 'self-select' from several displays before paying at a central point. This was later extended to a full scale trial, with good results. In 1945 'self service' became the company standard for US store openings. Five years later work started in earnest to convert existing stores to the format.

Ironically, in the final assessment, the increase in wages in the late 1930s resulted in a lower wage bill. The campaign had won better wages and improved working conditions, but for a much smaller workforce.

Quick Links to other exhibits in the Original Virtual Museum

1930s openings   Stock Market Flotation   Buying ingenuity

Working in a 30s store   Woolies' first character items   Keeping prices under sixpence

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