Remembering Woolworth’s

by Karen Plunkett-Powell

  —Clare Wharton

  Counter girl feeding birds, c. 1937.

  TIME CAPSULE MEMORY

  “The Great Parakeet Caper”

  My mother was a frequent shopper of the Woolworth’s in Irvington, New Jersey. I have to laugh when I recall a story she told me that happened in the spring of 1963. My mother and sister, who was two years old at the time, had gone shopping. They were in the downstairs department of the store, and my sister had wandered off. While my mother was browsing around, a woman came up to her, pointed to the ceiling, and asked if my mother knew what my sister had done. When my mom looked up, she couldn’t believe her eyes! Perched upon the light fixtures were about six parakeets. She rushed over to where they kept the pets and found my sister, happy as can be, freeing the birds from their cages. My mother couldn’t help but laugh. She also didn’t want to stick around when the manager found out, so she took my sister by the hand and made a dash for the side door. Once outside, she asked my sister why she had opened the cages. My sister smiled and said she just wanted to play with them.

  —Sandy Fergesun

  If you shopped at a small or medium-sized Woolworth’s, the pet section was probably rather modest; perhaps a few goldfish tanks, a large cage for parakeets, and another for the ever-popular green turtles. However, the big stores had several aisles of pets, amounting to a pet store unto itself. Regardless of whether the pet department was big or small, you knew you were moving closer to it when you started to hear those familiar noises: birds chirping, hamsters scrambling, chicks peeping, and fish tanks bubbling. Piled high beside the cages and tanks you could choose pet accessories such as pet food, leashes, pet vitamins, and, of course, pet toys.

  The pet department was a constant source of fascination for children, and a steady source of consternation for employees. All the children had to do was gaze adoringly at the cute little turtles as they climbed over each other’s backs, or press their noses against the tropical fish tank to get a better look at the creatures inside—but the employees had to care for all the animals. This required constant supervision, and a lot of time was devoted to cleaning cages and tanks, and feeding the animals and fish. Inevitably, a child, or sometimes an adult, would “accidentally” open a cage door, and suddenly, chaos would ensue in the store. When the parakeets got loose, they would often fly all over the store, landing on the hanging overhead lights. All would be well until they got bored and started dive-bombing the customers at the lunch counter.

  Chuck Wilkerson, who worked for the company for over twenty-five years and managed both Woolco and Woolworth’s stores, still recalls the day that the hamsters got loose in one Ohio Red-Front. Within minutes, hundreds of hamsters were scattered throughout the store, and several escaped into the ceiling area where they chewed on everything in sight, including the electrical wiring. Getting them back into their cages took hours! Wilkerson also remembers asking one of his clerks to amuse the children by fixing up a twenty-gallon tank with all of the accessories, including colored gravel, little shipwrecks, divers, etc. A sign was then placed on the tank: “Invisible fish.” The kids had a great time trying to point out the one they “saw” to their parents or friends. Until the very last, the pet department was one of the favorite stops in the local Woolworth’s. There was something fun, even a bit off-beat, about being able to buy a bird or turtle in the same place one purchased toothpaste and frying pans. Even though the green turtles didn’t seem to last long, and the parakeets sounded a lot louder when you got them home, millions of creatures were happily purchased at Woolworth’s for almost seventy years.

  Woolworth’s in the News: Strange but True

  Back in 1997, when the F. W. Woolworth Corporation announced it would be closing the last of its Red-Fronts, a wave of nostalgic articles and television spots flooded the newspapers and the airways. The vast majority of these were human-interest pieces containing nostalgic recollections of days gone by, articles about particularly historic Red-Fronts, and speculative editorials about the future of the parent company. However, the landmark closing also unleashed a tide of more unusual, sometimes downright strange, memories involving the F. W. Woolworth Company.

  For example, there was the time during the fall of 1987 when videotapes containing Superman cartoons were discovered to include fifteen minutes of pornography. According to the Chicago Tribune, the pornography was reported to police by a woman who complained that her four-year-old son had watched several minutes of sexually explicit material on a tape that was supposed to contain four innocent Superman cartoons. This caused quite a stir in Chicago, and across the country, and the remaining copies were immediately removed from Woolworth’s counters. Naturally, these videotapes became instant “collectibles” to some avid Superman collectors.

  In the case of the Superman videotape mishap, F. W. Woolworth was an innocent victim of an outsider’s tasteless prank (or mistake), but another story involves a salaried employee of the company. The October/November 1998 issue of the nostalgic Diamond “W” Newsletter, published an article which illustrates just how far some Woolworth’s managers were willing to go to increase sales. Back in the 1960s, there was a popular rock group called the Monkees, who were starring in a television show of the same name. One manager (the article did not identify him) placed a display ad in the local paper announcing that the “Original Monkeys” would be appearing live in the record department of his Woolworth’s store at 9:00 A.M. the following Saturday. Naturally, a large crowd showed up for the event, no doubt some of whom were toting cameras and autograph books. They were thrilled to finally be able to meet the wildly popular quartet of musical comedy stars: Peter, Davy, Michael, and Mickey. Instead, customers were greeted by a huge cage suspended from the ceiling of the record department, containing a group of real live monkeys (as in the hairy variety). Amazingly, after the initial shock and disappointment faded, most of the crowd took the publicity stunt in stride, and indeed, sales did increase that day.

  The Woolworth’s manager’s “monkey prank” was considered, by some, to be a bit unethical, but it was certainly not considered destructive. However, another incident was destructive, as well as being quite peculiar. Back in April 1995, a retired trash collector named Milton Anderson brutally attacked scores of ladies’ brassieres in a Denver, Colorado Woolworth’s. For some inexplicable reason, Mr. Anderson, armed with a knife, entered Woolworth’s (and other stores) and purposely slashed the bras in a violent lingerie attack that lasted several hours. A Woolworth’s store clerk found eight such damaged articles, and the report led to Anderson’s arrest for criminal mischief. What was really odd about this crime was the fact that the culprit only slashed the right cup of each garment.

  Another piece of Woolworth’s trivia involving intimate apparel was passed along by former manager, John Compton. “Conventions brought big sales increases for the large downtown stores,” said Compton, adding that these conventions were usually scheduled for three to four days. Although there is nothing unusual about that, what is a bit unusual is “what” merchandise items were the hot sellers during these events. One would presume items such as cameras or aspirin would be the largest sellers, but in fact it was underwear. Compton was somewhat surprised the first time this happened, and thought it might be a fluke, but subsequent conventions held in towns where he managed stores (including Louisville, Kentucky, and Rochester, New York) continually required extra orders for upcoming conventions. Mens and ladies underwear were both popular, and one can only speculate on the reasons for the exceptionally high demand.

  Finally, one of the most far-reaching and bizarre of all Woolworth’s tales involved a simple Social Security card. Back in 1938, a wallet manufacturer (the E. H. Ferree Company in Lockport, New York) made a decision to promote its wallets by showing just how well a Social Security card could fit inside. To prove their point, they decided to insert a sample card in each wallet they sold. Company vice president and treasurer, Douglas Patterson, also thought it would be a clever idea
to design the sample card using the actual Social Security number of his secretary, Mrs. Hilda Schrader Whitcher.

  Well, the wallet was inexpensively priced and attractive, so the F. W. Woolworth Company purchased several thousand of them for a sampling of their Red-Fronts. Over the next few months, the wallets sold well, more orders were placed, and everyone was happy. Then the trouble started. It seemed that many purchasers of these wallets had adopted the bogus Social Security number as their own. In 1943 alone, more than 5,700 people were using Hilda Whitcher’s personal Social Security number! It should be added here that the sample card in question was smaller than the size of a normal legal-issue card, and it even had the word “specimen” stamped across the front of the card. Nonetheless, thousands of people decided, for whatever reasons, to use the number.

  In the mess that ensued, the Social Security Commission voided the number and issued Hilda a new one. Amazingly, the sample number was used for years afterward; the commission estimates that over 40,000 people reported it as their own number as late as 1977. Of course, the grand total of all Mrs. Whitcher’s “alleged income assets” eventually added up to millions of dollars. Mrs. Wichter, who reportedly took the entire matter in relative stride, did marvel about the fame generated from this incident. She also told reporters that as a result of her alleged income, her friends used to greet her by singing a variation of a popular song refrain from the 1920s: “Here comes the million-dollar baby from the five-and-ten cent store.”

  So, if you are at a garage sale or flea market and you see one of these E. H. Ferree wallets, with Social Security card intact, do try to buy it! If you do, you’ll have an authentic piece of Woolworth’s sometimes strange history.

  By the way, the number on the infamous Social Security card was:

  078-05-1120

  Jacksonville, Florida, Woolworth’s store.

  The Woolworth’s experience “coast to coast” was certainly an interesting blend of the humorous, the poignant, the historical, and the bizarre. From the rural Western towns where customers were greeted with a tip of the Stetson and a polite “how-do,” to the briskly efficient “May I help you” in the big-city Red-Fronts, there was something special about every single F. W. Woolworth’s in America. And what made them most special of all were the Woolworth’s employees.

  The Heart of the Red-Fronts:

  The F. W. Woolworth Co. Employees

  It is virtually impossible to get an accurate account of just how many men and women worked for F. W. Woolworth Red-Fronts between 1879 and 1997. Access to employee records is prohibited, and outside sources (such as published books and articles) are not consistent in their totals. It is known, however, that in 1954, F. W. Woolworth Co. employed over 93,000 men and women in the U.S., Canada, and Cuba. By 1979, the year of the company’s centennial, that number had jumped to 200,000. (That total also included people working for Woolco and Kinney Shoes, two major subsidiaries of the company.) Given the 118-year old history of Woolworth’s, it is probably safe to presume that the company employed close to one million people.

  In the beginning, they were simply referred to as “store employees,” but in the early 1990s this changed to “Woolworth Associates.” Over the decades there have been several in-house publications devoted to the experiences and accomplishments of these employees; notably the Woolworth News and Woolworth World. The pages of these newsletters contain a wealth of information about the employees lives, their daily routine, and their subsequent retirement activities. There is now a nostalgic, privately printed newsletter called The Diamond “W.” Publisher Chuck Wilkerson works hard to help former associates relive the old days and recall the special accomplishments of their colleagues.

  One thing is clear from reading all of these newsletters: there was a strong feeling of family among Woolworth’s employees, especially those who worked for the company before 1985. Further, due to the longevity of the Red-Fronts, and the amount of people who drew paychecks from the big diamond “W,” the old newsletters (and the new ones) will never, ever run out of material to write about.

  One million employees! One million different lives were affected—in one way or another—by their time working for Frank’s dimestore legacy. At the nucleus of every Red-Front lay the seemingly all-seeing, all-hearing figure of the Woolworth’s store manager.

  The nostalgic Diamond “W” Newsletter is a wonderful resource for former employees. Write to the address listed for further information.

  Annual gatherings of Woolworth’s VIPs and sales executives were held to view new merchandise for possible sale in the Red-Fronts.

  The Woolworth’s Employee Structure

  The F. W. Woolworth Company had a defined employee structure for most of its history. After the executive board and members, a series of regional, or district, managers kept tabs on a specific number of stores throughout the world. At one point, this structure also included merchandise men, assistant district managers, district managers and Woolworth’s buyers. The position of a Woolworth’s buyer was coveted, and virtually all of them came from the district offices. But the persons ultimately responsible for day-to-day operations were the thousands of Woolworth’s store managers.

  TIME CAPSULE MEMORY

  Ada’s Adventure—1920’s Style”

  In the early 1920’s (the time before plastic and brown bags) my mother, Ada, took a sales job at Woolworth’s. She’d lied about her age, thinking herself too young to be hired, but she did just fine. She added the items in her head, punched down the cash register keys, and figured out the change. It was the cord that got her! One day, Ada carefully wrapped an item in brown paper, tied the cord, and handed it back to a lady customer. A few minutes later, Ada noticed that the roll of cord was still unwinding. She had forgotten to cut it! She dashed from the counter, scissors in hand, and followed the cord through the aisles, out the door and down the block. At last she caught up with the package. and with the lady (who’d never even noticed). F. W. Woolworth suffered a cord loss profit that day, but a few curious onlookers had followed the cord to see where it had started. Fourteen-year-old Ada had brought F. W. Woolworth’s into the streets of New York city—it’s first live commercial!

  —Jan Carol Sabin, Florida

  Straight through the 1970s, almost all managers were male, and all of those men started out as “Learners.” Learners were the stockboys who started their employment career (usually as teenagers) with the Red-Fronts by baling cardboard, stocking shelves, and sweeping floors. If they were bright and energetic, they had a good chance of moving ahead with the company at a relatively rapid pace. Many Learners eventually made it to the rank of assistant manager, and finally, to store manager.

  Store managers selected all the sales employees, stockboys, and “floorwalkers,” and coordinated store displays and in-house promotions. Along with being responsible for hiring and firing, salary management, stocking and ordering, the Woolworth’s managers also had more “human” (and sometimes unexpected) challenges to deal with. One example of such challenges was the aforementioned pet department, and another involved the store’s instant photo booths. According to several managers, these photo booths often attracted crowds of teenagers and, in turn, a rowdy heap of trouble. During the 1940s and ’50s, in particular, local students would head to Woolworth’s and see how many of them could fit in one booth. Fortunately, their antics were usually innocent, and order was quickly restored before things got out of hand. Several former managers also had the unusual experience of having to oust females who decided to go into the photo booth, take off their clothes and pose nude! If the managers got wind of this, the usual tactic was to unplug the machine and whisper (through the curtain) to the customer that she should take her private posings elsewhere.

  A Woolworth’s manager teaching his “Learner” the ropes, c. 1940.

  TIME CAPSULE MEMORY

  “My First Job”

  I grew up in Winchester, Massachusetts, a pretty little town north of Boston. Every S
aturday my childhood friend, Barbie, and I would do our chores in the morning so we could get our allowances and head downtown to wander the long, narrow aisles of our F. W. Woolworth 5&10 cent store. In later years, when I decided I needed an after-school job, that’s where I applied. After a test of arithmetic skills and brand-name recognition, I was hired to help keep the shelves stocked and check people out. I was thrilled, my first payday, when I was handed a small brown envelope with my hourly rate (75¢ per hour) recorded on the flap. My net pay, which was inside the envelope, was carefully counted out by Rose, who had been the woman inside the little office behind the cashier’s bars ever since I could remember.

  —Norma Jean Hissong

  Managers of high visibility, or particular historic, stores, such as those in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Watertown, New York, and the 34th street “mother store” in New York City, also had the responsibility of helping to organize special events during milestone anniversaries of the company. Other managers were involved in large-scale promotions, such as the Tournament of Roses parade in Pasadena, California. Beginning in 1952, and for many years following, the Pasadena Woolworth’s store sponsored the parade, in conjunction with the executive office. The Tournament of Roses Parade was the F. W. Woolworth Company’s first entry into television sponsorship. The parade was broadcast nationally over the NBC-TV network, and on January 1, 1954, it made television history when a mobile unit was used for the first time to telecast it in full color.