06 January, 2009

Woolworths Closure

So time for some updates about what we have been getting up to during the Christmas and New Year break, starting with a pre-Christmas visit to a soon to be closed Woolworths store (specifically the one in Redhill) -
Woolworths Closure #1
- and what a scrum it was, just hundreds of people all fighting to look through the remains of the stock -
Woolworths Closure #2
- all just shoved on the shelves in the boxes they obviously lived in while being stored out the back -
Woolworths Closure #3
- I scored a bit of a bargain in the shape of a ceramic speed peeler (at 60% off) and Flyingpops managed to get about 20 packs of coloured pencils, crayons and paints (to keep visiting children quietly amused), all the DVDs and games weren't being reduced by much though (at the point we were visiting, anyway)...when it came to be time to pay, we joined the queue of about 40 fellow shoppers and waited patiently, watching (open mouthed) as a succession of people brazenly strolled out through the frantically beeping security barrier with things tucked under their coats - apparently the security staff had been early casualties...
Woolworths Closure #4
Flyingpops then had a ten minute argument with the extremely young till supervisor, who finally yielded and took the correct amount of money off the items she had picked up (no wonder the queue was going so slowly, all the prices on the system seemed to be wrong)...while I got asked if I needed any help by a stressed looking manager who (I'm guessing) didn't want me taking pictures of his plight...I sympathised, as it's got to be terrible to find yourself out of work just before Christmas...

It's going to be an odd high street now with Woolworths gone...I wonder what will fill the space?

5 comments:

Unknown said...

Sad, never thought I'd see Woolies go down, my bet for a replacement is a pub or eating house. That's what usually happens in Dorking and in a few months, it too disappears.

Anonymous said...

I think Wilkinsons will take over! They sell similar bits to woolies!

Unknown said...

Wilkinsons? They are one step above the pound shop! And thinking about it...it's probably a good guess! ;)

boohoo said...

oh Wilkies isn't so bad - and nor is it so cheap. It is exactly like Woolworths which is why I think Woolies went bust. They're just using this credit cruch as an excuse ;)

There was a scrum when our locals Woolies closed the other week. People were just ripping stuff off the shelves in a frenzy! I stayed well away.

Anonymous said...

Looking back woolies were promoting THE BIG RED BOOK a year ago.. was this perhaps how they got into such a mess... can't remember seeing anything about it this year....