Tonight, employees of the former Timaru Woolworths supermarket on Church St will gather for a reunion. The business name has slipped into history but as reporter Rachael Comer discovered, the memories live on.
June Stechman, now 85, remembers vividly the day Woolworths opened in Timaru. Newly employed in the fruit and vegetable department, she described the scene of ‘‘absolute madness’’ when the new store opened its doors for the first time in 1973.
‘‘It was door-to-door full of people,’’ Stechman said.
‘‘We had to keep closing the doors and people were waiting to get in.’’
A former shop worker, Stechman had decided it was time to go back to work when her youngest daughter turned 14.
‘‘I had worked in shops before I went to Woolworths,’’ she said.
‘‘I started there well after I was married. My daughter did a bit of packing at the supermarket after school for a wee while.’’
She said the new supermarket had been an ‘‘exciting thing’’ for Timaru, and she had been part of setting up the store.
‘‘Back then there weren’t many other supermarkets around - I think it was just SuperValue and the Four Square chain.’’
Along with the excitement the new store brought were the opening day specials, she said.
‘‘One of the big bargains on opening day was men’s dress suits for $1. ‘‘They were very popular.’’ Much has changed in the supermarket industry since the 1970s, she said.
She still thought of her old job when she visited the supermarket, normally now New World, in Wai-iti Rd, as it is close to her home.
‘‘I do it all the time because I can’t help but notice all the differences.’’
Those differences included technology, she said.
‘‘Everything is electronic now.
‘‘I remember we used to do stocktaking and it used to be horrendous. Now it’s all done with technology.’’
Another big change was the use of plastic bags.
‘‘We used to have big brown paper bags to pack people’s groceries in.
‘‘One day I took my other daughter to the supermarket on a Friday night while the other daughter was packing there.
‘‘We were watching her pack and she picked up the customer’s groceries in the big brown paper bag and swung it up and the bottom fell out of the bag and everything went everywhere.
‘‘It was her first night packing and I think she was showing off because we were watching.’’
As part of her own job, Stechman had to pack customers’ fruit and vegetable purchases.
‘‘They [the customers] brought the fruit and veges to us and we had to weigh it and put the price on the bag.’’
Back then the variety at the supermarket was ‘‘nowhere near’’ as extensive as it is now, she said.
‘‘We still had a pretty big selection and different varieties, like apples. It used to be a lot more seasonal.’’
‘‘We also had a big deli at the store and there were toys [for sale]. There were a lot of departments too.’’
Stechman worked at the supermarket for about eight years and said it was an enjoyable time.
‘‘It was a social place to work.
‘‘Back then it was 10pm [pub] closing. On a Friday night we’d all rush to get our sections tidied up so we could get out quickly after the 9pm closing and get to the DB Tavern [across the car park] before it closed. ‘‘It was like a 6pm swill.’’ She said she still enjoyed visiting the supermarket.
‘‘Some find it stressing but I don’t mind going and having a look around. There’s a lot more variety now - there’s not much you can’t get at the supermarket.’’
She is looking forward to the Saturday get-together of old staff, and sharing stories.
‘‘For a long time I kept in touch with old workmates but haven’t really talked to anyone from there for a while now.’’
Graham Kitchen remembers his time at Woolworths in Timaru so fondly he has organised a reunion of former staff members.
Now living in Christchurch, Kitchen began at the store in 1974, working there for about 13 years.
‘‘I organised the meeting for Saturday, October 14, as we are all getting older,’’ Kitchen said.
‘‘We haven’t seen each other for 30-odd years.’’
He began at the store he remembers watching being developed.
‘‘Prior to the supermarket being there, there were houses there.
‘‘I remembered seeing houses there and over a period of time they were demolished and the supermarket went up.’’
Kitchen worked as a ‘‘jack of all trades’’, but mainly in the dairy and delicatessen at the store.
‘‘I helped wherever I could though.
‘‘As time went on I worked as a store detective and night fill and checkouts.’’
He said he enjoyed his time at Woolworths.
‘‘There was a good community there and there was a good mix of older and younger people.
‘‘The comradeship was awesome and we had a very good social club and I was president of that for a while.’’
He remembered the business employing about 50 people.
‘‘When I’m in Timaru I go back and visit the store and the biggest change, to me, has been the number of staff. The layout is still pretty much the same, though there used to be two entrances.’’
Another big difference was the price of food, he said.
‘‘A pound of butter from memory was 95 cents, on special for 89 cents.
‘‘On the days it was on special people were lining up for it. We’d sell a lot of it. Now it’s about $5.’’
He worked a 40-hour week at the supermarket, and received a pay cheque of about $35, he said.
‘‘It wasn’t a lot of money and part of the reason I left.’’
He left in 1987 and went to work as the assistant manager at Timaru’s KFC.
‘‘My wage doubled overnight.
‘‘Looking back I wonder how I ever survived on that money.’’
He moved to Christchurch in 1989 and now works as a tour bus driver. Saturday’s get-together will be held at Benny’s Again from 4pm.
Kitchen said he is looking forward to being reunited with old colleagues. He has had confirmation from about 20 people attending, he said.
A Countdown spokesperson said the company was delighted to hear that some of its old team members were planning a gettogether.
The event also tied in with the store’s 44th birthday in December. It rebranded as Countdown in 2009.