The Woolworths Girls Read online

  Maisie looked pointedly at the two girls. ‘So, what do you think?’

  Sarah gasped. Did Maisie want her to comment on her plans to start a family? Her mother had never spoken about such things. Sarah didn’t know what to say or where to look.

  Maisie looked hurt. ‘Well, either you both want some new clothes or not. It don’t bother me none.’

  Sarah felt a wave of relief wash over her. ‘Oh, clothes. Yes, it would be lovely. How about you, Freda?’

  ‘I’d love to say yes, but once I’ve paid my rent, I won’t have much money left to spend on myself. Thank you for the offer, but I’d better say no.’ Freda looked wistfully at Maisie’s smart coat, which had been slung casually over the back of her chair.

  ‘I don’t take no for an answer, my girl. It’ll hardly cost a penny to get you some new clobber on yer back. See this coat?’ Both girls nodded as Maisie took hold of the smart tweed coat and waved it at them. ‘Well, I made it from a man’s overcoat I picked up at a jumble sale. Do you think I’ve got money to waste buying expensive cloth like this? I unpicked all the seams and copied a style I’d seen on some actress on Pathé News at the flicks.’

  Sarah ran her fingers over the fabric and sighed. ‘But we’ve only known each other for five minutes.’

  Maisie snorted. ‘Love, we’re gonna be spending a lot of time in each other’s company if we get these jobs, so we might as well get along. My way of doing it is to make clothes and be a shoulder to cry on when it’s needed. What do you say?’

  Sarah nodded enthusiastically. She liked Maisie’s down-to-earth attitude. The thought of having ready-made friends to work with sounded wonderful.

  Freda looked pleased as well. ‘I’d like to be your friend too. Both of you. I’ve not really had any proper friends before. My stepfather didn’t like it.’

  Sarah wondered again why Freda had left home. She had worked out from the application form that she was only seventeen. She felt there must be a reason, and it probably wasn’t a good one. ‘Friends it is, then, but we’d better finish answering these questions or we won’t even be offered a job.’

  The girls bent back over the papers in front of them, deep in thought as they checked that every question had been answered, oblivious to what was going on around them in the busy canteen.

  ‘Hello, ladies. How did your interviews go?’

  Sarah looked up to see Alan close to her chair. ‘We haven’t finished yet. We still have to finish the arithmetic test. I don’t suppose a trainee manager has to do such things?’ she added cheekily.

  ‘That and much more,’ Alan said seriously. ‘We have to learn every aspect of Woolworths if we want to advance to management level.’

  ‘That’s what you want?’ Sarah asked, looking at his earnest face. Alan might like a laugh and a joke, but he also seemed to be serious about his work. Her dad would approve of him.

  ‘We’ve all got our dreams, Sixpenny,’ he said, looking into her eyes as if his plans included her. ‘Can I get you girls a cuppa while I’m here?’ Alan offered, bringing Sarah back to earth with a bump. She’d only met Alan less than an hour ago and already he had her dreaming.

  By the time Miss Billington returned to the canteen, the girls had completed the long list of questions. Sarah chewed her lip nervously, wondering if she had given enough correct answers to gain full-time employment. She had her savings, and her dad had handed her an envelope with five pounds inside, so she wouldn’t be a burden to her nan, but even so she wanted to work and pay her way. Beside her, Freda had gone rather pale and was staring at the floor. Maisie had pulled a gold-coloured compact from her handbag and was busy powdering her nose.

  ‘That all looks in order. I’ll take these back to my office and check them through, then call you when I’m ready.’ Miss Billington looked at her watch. ‘We’re coming up for staff tea breaks, so have a cup of tea while you wait. I’ll follow up your references whenever I have the time. Goodness knows when that will be,’ the older woman muttered half to herself as she stood up. She brushed down her tweed skirt with one hand, checked the buttons of the matching jacket were securely fastened and headed off to her office. Although only in her early forties, Miss Billington exuded an air of authority that the staff at Woolies would never dare question.

  Follow me, ladies. I’ll show you the shop floor and point out where you’ll be working.’

  Sarah and Freda grinned at each other. They’d been called into the office last. Sarah had thought that they’d failed the interview, but no, they were the successful candidates. Maisie had been called in first and they hadn’t seen her since.

  Miss Billington looked at the excited girls. ‘You will report here for duty tomorrow morning at eight o’clock. You’ll be supplied with your uniforms and a list of your duties and staff rules. Keep the uniform clean and look presentable at all times or it will go onto your report. Now, follow me.’

  Sarah glanced around her as she walked quickly, trying to keep up with the personnel officer. Rumours of war and general unrest in the country had not stopped shoppers trying to pick up a bargain to brighten their Christmas and to fill their children’s stockings for Father Christmas to deliver. Polished wood counters were heaped high with products. Sarah spotted gleaming white china piled high on one counter, while on another glass-fronted boxes of loose biscuits tempted buyers. Customers were pointing to their favourite biscuits, and sales staff were busy weighing them on sets of large scales before placing them into brown paper bags, twisting the top of each bag securely. Sarah would have liked to stop and watch, but Miss Billington beckoned her to keep up before she was lost in the bustling crowd. They stopped by a long counter that stood in the centre of the shop under a canopy of brightly coloured paper chains. Sarah held her breath in anticipation. She would love to work on the seasonal counter, full of Christmas decorations and cheerful wrapping paper, but she thought that only the experienced staff would be placed there. She crossed her fingers behind her back and looked at Miss Billington in anticipation.

  The woman looked at each of the girls in turn. ‘I require two full-time employees to work here. It’s hard work and I expect my staff to knuckle down and serve customers as soon as possible. We don’t want queues and disgruntled shoppers going elsewhere. Sarah and Freda, you will join this section. There are six staff members working here.’ She beckoned to a tall woman standing nearby, who was placing brightly coloured nativity figures into a brown paper bag. ‘Daphne will show you the ropes and help you familiarize yourself with the stock. Report here after collecting your uniforms tomorrow morning.’

  Sarah and Freda stopped to introduce themselves to Daphne as Miss Billington disappeared into the crowds of shoppers. Daphne welcomed the two girls and explained she had only been working in Woolies for two months. She showed them a small diamond ring on the third finger of her left hand and told them she only expected to be working there until the spring, when she was to marry. Both girls sighed as the older woman explained to a puzzled Freda that women never worked once married, as they would have a home and hopefully a family to care for. Sarah was already looking forward to the lead-up to Christmas, and their new colleague seemed very nice. By the big grin on Freda’s face she knew her new friend was thinking the same.

  Heading back to Miss Billington’s office to collect their coats, their heads buzzing with all the rules that Daphne had shared with them, Sarah and Freda were both wondering if Maisie had been taken on.

  ‘I reckon she’ll be on the counter selling cosmetics. Or perhaps pretty scarves and jewellery,’ sighed Freda. ‘It would suit her down to the ground.’

  Sarah wasn’t so sure. ‘I do believe that our Maisie hasn’t made a good impression on Miss Billington. She may have passed the arithmetic test, but she’s not your usual sales assistant. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s been placed somewhere that doesn’t fit with her glamorous appearance, or perhaps she doesn’t even have a job.’

  Freda clapped her hand to her mouth. ‘Oh, don’
t say that. She’s a right laugh. I was looking forward to working with her. I even thought that in time she might sew me a new coat.’

  ‘It’s a shame we didn’t think to swap addresses. I thought I saw that tall girl with the spectacles walking through the shop. It looks as though she might be the third person to be taken on.’

  ‘You’re right there, Sixpenny. Miss Billington has got the girl with the specs selling spuds on the veg counter. I was just humping sacks of carrots down there and spotted the pair of them deep in conversation by a pile of cabbages.’

  Sarah turned to see Alan behind them. She blushed and stammered as she answered the handsome young man. ‘Poor Maisie. I thought she’d be sure to be offered a job. I do hope we get to see her again. I’ve only known her a couple of hours and really liked her.’

  Alan leant on the sack barrow he’d been pushing and wiped his brow with a handkerchief. ‘Don’t you worry about her – she’s been holding court up in the canteen talking to some of the staff. Her kind always land on their feet.’

  Sarah frowned. ‘What do you mean, her kind? You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.’ She didn’t like his tone. Maisie seemed a decent sort.

  Alan laughed. ‘I didn’t mean I didn’t like her. She’s the kind who can weather any storm. You shouldn’t worry. We’ll see her again, I’m sure. How about you, Sixpenny? Where will I see you working every day?’

  Sarah was suddenly tongue-tied. She couldn’t think of a word to say and just stood there blushing. Alan must think her a fool for not replying to a simple question. She felt such an idiot, as one minute she was snapping at him, and the next, when he showed interest in her, she was silent.

  ‘We’re both on the Christmas counter,’ Freda piped up.

  ‘I’ll see you there, if I don’t see you before, Sixpenny.’ He winked at Sarah and headed off whistling.

  ‘I think he likes you,’ Freda giggled as they continued on their way upstairs.

  ‘He’s rather forward,’ Sarah replied, although she was thrilled that he’d singled her out.

  In the staffroom, they found Maisie applying lipstick and checking her appearance in a small mirror on the wall.

  Sarah gave her a hug. ‘I’m sorry to hear you’ve not been taken on.’

  ‘Don’t bother me none. I’ve heard they might be taking on at the Odeon. At least I’ll get to see the flicks free of charge. If not, there’s a job at the grocer’s alongside the mother-in-law. Mind you, it would ’ave been fun here. Much more my cup of tea selling stuff over the counter, and I’d rather not be ’aving to wash me ’ands every few minutes or working in the dark.’

  Snapping the lipstick shut and dropping it into her handbag, Maisie linked arms with Sarah and Freda. ‘Anyone fancy a cuppa? We can still meet up after work if you two want to?’

  3

  Sarah shivered as she headed home through the darkening December afternoon. An icy blast of snow blew into her face as she tried to see her way ahead. Thank goodness she only had a couple of roads to cross and then she would be home. She thought of Freda and hoped that the young girl was home and warm in her lodgings.

  Hugging her woolly scarf tighter around her neck to ward off the cold, Sarah was glad of her matching forest-green mittens, which were doing a very good job of keeping her fingers warm. The hand-knitted set had been a gift from Nan for her twentieth birthday in September. It may have been freezing cold, but inside she felt excited that she would soon be home and able to tell Nan the exciting news about her job.

  A bitter wind whipped off the nearby River Thames as she headed along the deserted High Street towards home. The carol singers had long gone, as had most of the shoppers. In this weather, the best place to be was in front of a roaring coal fire. Nan had said it would be a hard winter, and she wasn’t usually wrong. At least she didn’t have far to walk to work and she would be able to get there – even if she had to dig through snowdrifts.

  Sarah’s stomach rumbled as she breathed in the delicious aroma of fish and chips from a nearby chippy. She’d be more than ready for Nan’s warming mutton stew and dumplings by the time she got back. Teacakes in Mitchell’s tea room, with Freda and Maisie, seemed an age ago now. They’d wanted to celebrate their new jobs and the possibility of Maisie finding work in the town. They’d talked non-stop as if they’d known each other for years, but with the weather getting worse by the minute, they’d decided to get themselves off home. Plans were made to treat themselves to a night at the pictures once they had their first pay packet in their hands. Even Freda, who had to watch every penny, was looking forward to their night out.

  Sarah smiled as she thought about their conversation; she was excited about their new-formed friendship. Maisie had been adamant that she would make Freda a new coat once they’d visited a jumble sale to purchase some old clothing that could be unpicked and made into new garments, and Freda was keen to buy some unwanted jumpers to unravel so she could knit a cardigan. She’d explained how once the yarn was unravelled, it would be steamed over a kettle to take out any kinks and then it would be as good as new. Sarah wished she could knit and sew. Most girls her age were a dab hand with a needle, but her mother had preferred to buy clothes and turned her nose up at home-made garments. Well, now she’d ask Nan to show her how to knit so she too could be useful with her hands like her new friends.

  Sarah didn’t know why her mother was like she was. After all, she was an Erith girl born and bred, and from what she’d overheard her nan saying to her aunt Pat, she was just like the rest of them until her father had gained promotion and moved the family to Devon. This had been when Sarah was much younger. She only knew her mum as a smart lady who was always impeccably turned out and had someone ‘come in’ to do the housework. She didn’t understand her mum wanting to move up in the world. It was Dad who was the breadwinner, and he was the salt of the earth and not at all snobby. She had many happy memories of Dad playing with her in the garden and taking her on trips to the seaside in Devon when she was a young child. She could confide in her dad more than she ever could her mum. He’d even driven her up to Erith so she didn’t have to lug a heavy suitcase on the train. He was spending a few days with Nan so he could do some business at Vickers, in nearby Crayford. She wasn’t sure what Dad’s job was in engineering, but as news of war grew day by day, he became busier and busier.

  Street lights flickered in the gloom of the late afternoon, blurred by the driving snow, as she carefully crossed the busy street to her nan’s house, 13 Alexandra Road. She loved the long row of bay-fronted Victorian terraces and had always enjoyed visiting her nan. She was so happy to be living here. Pulling a string through the letter box, she let herself in with the key dangling at the other end. Nan was inside chatting to Mrs Munro from up the road. From the raised voices, it sounded like another of their heated discussions about whether or not there’d be a war. Was there ever a time when people didn’t talk about war?

  She stepped into the steamy kitchen. ‘I’m home,’ she announced.

  Ruby Caselton got to her feet and hurried round the scrubbed kitchen table to envelop her granddaughter in a bear hug. A short, plump woman with grey hair pulled back into a severe bun, she always had a smile for any child in her house and a toffee in her pocket for those she met in the street. Ruby was well liked among her neighbours.

  ‘Now, sit yourself down and tell me all about your afternoon. I take it they hired you?’

  ‘Yes! I had to sit a test along with some other girls. There were seven of us. I wasn’t sure I’d get picked. Three of us got jobs. I start tomorrow.’ The news tumbled from Sarah as she sat down, cheeks flushed from the cold outside.

  Ruby placed a cup of tea in front of Sarah and sat to listen. ‘There, didn’t I tell you they’d take you on? I’m right proud of you, love.’

  Vera Munro raised her eyebrows in disdain and sniffed from where she sat in Ruby’s armchair by the coal fire. ‘If she was my granddaughter, I’d be prouder still if she was working in an office ra
ther than a shop. My Sadie works in London. In an office. It’s more fitting for a girl than shop work.’

  Ruby stood up, her face going bright red. ‘More fitting? Why, Sarah here has found herself a right good job that she’s looking forward to doing and you turn your nose up at it?’

  Sarah closed her eyes. Oh no, here we go again. Nan and Mrs Munro could have a right ding-dong of an argument one minute and be the best of friends the next. Sarah just didn’t want to be the subject of their latest row. Tears pricked her eyes. ‘Please don’t worry about me. I like my new job.’

  Vera bristled, ignoring Sarah’s plea. ‘Of course she’s done well. It’s just that she could do so much better, if she only tried. My Sadie’s doing very well for herself and will make some man a good wife one day.’

  ‘Well, we ain’t snobs in this house, Vera Munro, and no amount of good jobs can make a good marriage. Our dinner’s about ready to dish up, so I suggest you go home and get your own food on the table. Your Sadie’s gonna be right famished when she gets home from her fancy job in London.’

  Sarah sighed as Vera flounced from the room. She heard the front door slam shut as she wiped her eyes on the edge of the tea towel that Nan passed to her. ‘I like the idea of working at Woolworths. Do you think I should be training to do something else like Mum suggested?’

  Ruby went to stir the stew bubbling on the stove. She looked thoughtful. ‘There’ll always be a place here for you, my love, and you take any job you want to. Life’s about being happy. As long as you’ve a few pennies in your purse and food on the table, life isn’t so bad. The Caseltons aren’t ones for putting on airs and graces, and rubbing shoulders with the toffs. Even if your mum thinks we should be.’

  Sarah started to cut slices from the crusty loaf that was sitting on the breadboard ready to accompany their meal. ‘Thanks, Nan. I think I’m going to enjoy working at Woolworths. I’ve already made friends with a couple of girls who had their interviews at the same time as me. One of them comes from the Midlands.’