So I was left to attend to our shop in Merton, and the house which was behind and above it. My sister lay in her coffin in the parlour behind the shop. One large area in the shop was for the birds, mostly canaries and parrots, along with the rabbits and chickens which were also in cages, rather like our pet shops today. The other area contained all the foods and requisites of the pets. It was called a Corn Chandlers. My father cleaned the cages every morning and fed the birds and animals. I was kept very busy in the shop. I also had to keep the house clean because the housegirl wasn’t able to come. A member of her family had a contagious disease. I remember one day when I had just scrubbed the kitchen floor my father walked across it and left footmarks. Without thinking I yelled at him and then felt distressed and guilty because we were taught to respect our parents. I felt I had done something terrible. However, Dad didn’t seem to notice - I think he might have still been in shock. I had never been taught how to cook and wondered how I could manage the evening meals. I really enjoyed steak and kidney pie so I asked our neighbour how to cook one. After that I remember serving pie many times although no one complained! Twice a week I had to pick up boxes of three-day old chicks from the railway station. We had a lovely area in the shop for them which was cosy and heated. Some of the weaker chicks had been trampled on during the journey and I remember feeling quite sick when I had to put them out of their misery and pain. As soon as we could we sold the shop and moved to Sutton, Surrey, so that we could leave our sad memory in the past and start a new life. Jobs were hard to find and eventually I worked in Woolworths for a while. In those days Woolworths sold nothing that cost more than sixpence! When I married in 1935 we went to live in Chiswick, London, where I had to make new friends. But I found that I hadn’t enough to do, so I joined classes and learned to cook properly, ice cakes and to do dressmaking. Early in 1938 one of my friends who worked at Harrods in London said that they were taking on some staff for their big annual sale. She dared me to go and apply for a job. So I went to Oxford Street in London and sat with other applicants in a large room. We asked each applicant as they came out from the interview room how they got on, and it soon became obvious that most of the vacancies had been filled. After a while one girl came out and said, “Unless you are experienced in selling shoes, you may as well go home because that’s all that is left.” Most of the other applicants left, so I decided I was just the person they needed although I had never sold shoes! My interview was brief. When I was asked where I had received my shoe selling experience I said, “Oh, I come from a business family and my cousin runs a big shop in Ashford, Kent.” So I got the job! What I had said was true, but I didn’t say that it was a general shop which sold almost everything and that the shoes were mainly plimsoles (sand-shoes)! I managed my job at Harrods quite well except that on one occasion when a Lady .... and her daughter asked for ski boots. These were not in the sale and I had to search in the stockroom for them. I had never seen a pair of ski boots, so this was quite interesting for me. Permanent staff looked down their noses at the temporary sale staff and would not help them in any way, so I was fortunate to find the boots in such a large stockroom. When I took them to the ladies, the daughter took one from its box and put it on her foot. Just at that moment the Floor Walker in his black morning suit came forward and gushed, “Oh Lady ........ , how marvellous to see you again,” etc. etc. Then he looked down at the boot on the girl’s foot and without stopping talking to the Lady, removed it and put it on the daughter’s other foot! Oh dear, I knew I was in trouble. When the sale was complete, he angrily called me into his office and really gave me a lecture. Eventually he said, “And what have you to say for yourself? Lady .......... is one of our most important customers.” In a quiet voice I said, “Just as you arrived I looked at the boot, but had I mentioned the mistake the customer would have been embarrassed because I didn’t put the boot on her - she put it on herself!” That was all true. He just said, “Oh! You can go now and be more careful in future.” When the shop closed at night, the staff had to pick up all the shoes that had been scattered around and put them into their correct boxes. Then we had to wait near the door until the Floor Walker came and gave us permission to leave. One night I decided ‘enough is enough’ and went home without waiting. Naturally I expected to be reprimanded but strangely nothing happened! After each sale, the staff who were satisfactory received a letter inviting them to work at the next sale. Believe me, I was very surprised to receive this invitation, and in fact I still have that letter although I didn’t work there again. My daughter Sylvia was born later that year in November. |
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