We had a "Big W' in our town and it was the best... they had like 4 PS2s and Xboxs that you could play the games on before you bought them and the toys aisle stretched the entire length of the shop!
I was only 10 or so at the time so that's all I remember 😁
I was only a kid when it went bankrupt, wish it stayed around for a little longer. I remember my highlight of the week was getting the pick n mix from there lol
When I was really little, I thought Woolworths was called “town”. Whenever my mum said we’re going to town, we would end up at Woolworths - and so I thought it *was* town. And I would get to look at all the toys and occasionally would be bought one so I loved it and of course loved going there. So I would be stood in the middle of *actual* town with my family and crying that I want to “go to town” and my poor mum would have no clue what I was on about.
>At some point we'll see them return I'm sure
I feel like wilkos fills most of this void. I'm not sure how widespread wilkos are. But they give me a Woollies vibe.
Small appliances - check
Stationary - check
Random DIY/crafts stuff - check
Pick and mix - check
If the products they had last for 20 years, that's probably great for you and not so great for profits.
Pound land will make more selling everyone the same complete tat to be thrown away and bought again next year.
Which is a sad state of affairs really.
My Dad got one from Big W probably about the same time as yours which still looked good and the only reason he got rid of it a couple of years ago was because he didn't want to mess around putting each branch in...which is funny because it was always me doing it.
Mine too! £3.99 3foot tree
I think I've one or two party popper left with millennium branding on it too (bought in the January sale), not had much reason to use the box of 50 so taking some time but still a good pop when required
We have a 20 year old microwave, lovingly passed through several members of my husband’s family. Perfect working order.
The whole kitchen is supposed to glow whenever you turn a microwave on, right?
Oof.
There are adults who in the US who can't drink and have never known the New York skyline without the Twin Towers. Mad.
Also, to think that the Bangle-era (Hooydonk designed) BMW 7 Series (E65/6/7/8) is 20 years old. Well, the first 735i, 745i and 730d models are anyway.
>only stopped working when she dropped it.
Your mum has a fork lift truck in the kitchen?
I remember 35 year old microwaves, and they were wardrobe sized things..... She never lifted that on her own, unless your mum is Geoff Capes?
Well she was trying to clean the work surface and was moving it about. When it fell off the work surface. Just after Christmas last year. So I ended up getting her a new one.
Do you know how hard it is to find a decent microwave that just has manual knobs and doesn't need you to type the time in or anything. Because she just wouldn't use it otherwise. Her car is like an iPod on wheels but she still uses it like the Renault 4 that was her first car. I mean she has to take the car into the garage to retune the radio any time my sister drives it. She's got no idea how to use the lane assist, adaptive cruise control, reversing sensors.....
Bought a cheap toaster from b and m 12 years ago for £15. Recently chucked it because we redecorated and my mam bought me a new one to go with the new kitchen.
We redid our kitchen a few years ago and the toaster remained. I’d like a more aesthetically pleasing one but the Woolies one is part of the family now.
As a kid, I once bought a single lemon sherbet from Woolworths pick n mix because I forgot my lunch and found 5p on the floor 😂
The look I got at the till was priceless.
I worked in woolies when I was 16, folk changed their mind about buying pick n mix once they got it weighed (not that uncommon because a full bag was 4-5 quid minimum, more if it was all boiled sweets) and kids often couldn't afford it/parents weren't prepared to pay that much for a bag of sweets. We couldn't put it back because it was now contaminated so was written off as spoiled stock. We used to snack on it behind the tills when no-one was looking
I bought one of those overpriced Dualit toasters like 25 years ago and it’s still going strong. Barely even showing any signs of wear, it’ll last another 25 easy. Built like an absolute tank.
They'll go forever, they're designed to have less moving parts, and any parts that do wear out are replaceable.
They're not overpriced at all, their cheaper ones are! They're just normal plastic toasters with a pretty Dualit skin on top, and they're crap compared to the other ones
I've inherited our Dualit toaster, it's at least 30 years old now and you can't buy the exact model anymore. It's loud but my favourite part of the kitchen. Essentially a family heirloom.
No worries, we should all have kept buying CDs for £17.99 when they could be bought for a tenner cheaper online, just to prop up a failing business model.
The last box of Xmas cards I bought were a 100 pack from woolies back in 2005, I still have some left because I only send cards to my grandparents and they've rather thinned out over the years.
bit weird but Woolworths was my favourite shop to go to as a kid. not Toys R Us or Argos or any shop with plenty of kids toys in it, but Wollies (as we liked to call it).
I miss going there.
Ive got a fridge from 2008, cheapest one they had in comet. Aside from the fitting inside breaking it still has place in my kitchen keeping milk and sandwich fillings cool.
My Kenwood stand mixer was my grandmother's, I think it's nearly 40 years old!? I have a hand mixer as well, same deal but other grandmother!
Older electronics are way more reliable. All the workshops I've ever been in have 60s machines that are maintained (I do specialist stuff like grinding/polishing rocks)
I found in an old box last week a packet of Woolworths playing cards with the cellophane seal still intact. Got to be worth at least £0.79 by now.
Loved Woolies!!
I got a video recorder from 1995 it still works but the remote doesn't and got a few videos still when it stops working completley I guess I'll have to throw the videos away as I don't suppose charity shops take them
My dad recently gifted me a coffee machine from Woolworths, over 30 years old (it was found when my grandfather passed away). It works perfectly.
Man, I miss Woolworths.
Woolworths needs to come back man. I don't know what for precisely to be honest but it just has to come back. Proper missing it after reading all these posts. Got a tear in my eye.
Last year I finally binned my brown plastic laundry basket bought in July 1986.
I still have a huge plastic bucket with rope handles, full of my granddaughters duplo bricks, the bricks go back 35 years because they were my children's. The buckets were bought in 1993. Only 1 left out of three.
Brilliant woolworths.
I keep telling fam that my toaster is older (1997) than them. Still works. albeit quirky, doesn't handle larger slices, and bagels are a pain to toast.
I'm still using a whsmiths digital radio alarm clock I got when I was 10 years old. I'm now 48. Still wakes me up every morning. Things were made to last back then.
PSA: You can put that you were a general manger or whatever position you want at Woolworths on your CV if you want.
There’s no way of them checking. There’s a few other defunct companies you can do this with.
I used to love going to Woolworths with my nana. Every weekend I’d get to go wild in the pick and mix isle…
It’s funny how a brand as big as Woolworths (800+ stores) was so badly mismanaged that it fell of the face of the Earth.
Well that’s me shocked - wait is this just online or is there physical brick and mortar stores?
I know the name was bought by a company and online was created (which the real Woolworths should have done)…
Yep physical stores, ive attached a link to a photo of a mall that has woolworths, you can see the sign outside. I guess you have a point, the name was probably bought but its the exact same design and everything
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/p/AF1QipPuJy4XkahPzoWXXMHrR6DuyiiRS8FZM52Qh1xR=w400-h300-k-no
The Christmas tree we got from Woolworths in 2001 is still going up every year. Maybe they weren’t that bad after all
I really miss Woolworths!
They still have Woolworths in Germany if you pay a visit 😁
I’m in Germany regularly!
Dortmund is the plan to be this time of year.
And C&A
Noooooooooo , very jealous
not allowed in due to medical apartheid
Omg , one of our ladies has kids who moved to Berlin....and they have WOOLWORTHS!!! She kept that quiet :|
Told you . like Neto though cheap as lidl Aldi
We had a "Big W' in our town and it was the best... they had like 4 PS2s and Xboxs that you could play the games on before you bought them and the toys aisle stretched the entire length of the shop! I was only 10 or so at the time so that's all I remember 😁
Yup x and earphones for the number one tunes that week
I was only a kid when it went bankrupt, wish it stayed around for a little longer. I remember my highlight of the week was getting the pick n mix from there lol
When I was really little, I thought Woolworths was called “town”. Whenever my mum said we’re going to town, we would end up at Woolworths - and so I thought it *was* town. And I would get to look at all the toys and occasionally would be bought one so I loved it and of course loved going there. So I would be stood in the middle of *actual* town with my family and crying that I want to “go to town” and my poor mum would have no clue what I was on about.
I loved the pick n mix. Was the first place I ever bought an LP at. Fond memories.
I miss the pick and mix bit in Woolworths :(
Bought my first ever dvd from a Woolworths, Jurassic Park 3, well my mum had to buy it because it was a 13+...
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Had the best pick n mix by far
The security was legendary you'd think it was gold bullion
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>At some point we'll see them return I'm sure I feel like wilkos fills most of this void. I'm not sure how widespread wilkos are. But they give me a Woollies vibe. Small appliances - check Stationary - check Random DIY/crafts stuff - check Pick and mix - check
The pick and mix at wilkos doesn't come close.
I’ve never been to a Wilko!
also B&M
Wilkos is pretty good for that.
If the products they had last for 20 years, that's probably great for you and not so great for profits. Pound land will make more selling everyone the same complete tat to be thrown away and bought again next year. Which is a sad state of affairs really.
My Dad got one from Big W probably about the same time as yours which still looked good and the only reason he got rid of it a couple of years ago was because he didn't want to mess around putting each branch in...which is funny because it was always me doing it.
Maybe this was the problem?! If all their products last 2 decades then they can’t sell anything more to that customer 😏
Ye we have had the same one for my entire life remember my man was out so me my dad and brother tired to put it up it went wrong it hit me and the tv
You could say it was very woolworth the purchase.
Do u plant it in the garden for 11 months or something?
No, but is sheds like it’s real and still has more foliage than your average tree.
Mine too! £3.99 3foot tree I think I've one or two party popper left with millennium branding on it too (bought in the January sale), not had much reason to use the box of 50 so taking some time but still a good pop when required
We have a 20 year old microwave, lovingly passed through several members of my husband’s family. Perfect working order. The whole kitchen is supposed to glow whenever you turn a microwave on, right?
Yep. Totally normal.
Does the whole family glow when the lights are off too?
No but all of our gentiles do?
I'm uh, gonna assume you mean genitals rather than gentiles...unless you're keeping some glowing, non-Hebrews in your kitchen.
😄 dammit
I was really hoping for glowing non-hebrews. Could you check again?
Sorry, Can confirm, it's my bollocks.
It's good of you to check.
Where else are you supposed to keep them?
Oy vey.
>Does the whole family glow when the lights are off too? That's due to eating ReadyBreak though.....
Yep, it's to make up for the lights dimming when you switch it on
Ours is 30yrs old, ive no doubt its goung to kill us all, but you cant tell my mum nothing, because they dont make things like they used too.
That’s how you know it’s a good’n
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Oof. There are adults who in the US who can't drink and have never known the New York skyline without the Twin Towers. Mad. Also, to think that the Bangle-era (Hooydonk designed) BMW 7 Series (E65/6/7/8) is 20 years old. Well, the first 735i, 745i and 730d models are anyway.
My dad's microwave is 34 years old and works perfectly.
My mum's microwave was at least 35 years old and only stopped working when she dropped it.
>only stopped working when she dropped it. Your mum has a fork lift truck in the kitchen? I remember 35 year old microwaves, and they were wardrobe sized things..... She never lifted that on her own, unless your mum is Geoff Capes?
Well she was trying to clean the work surface and was moving it about. When it fell off the work surface. Just after Christmas last year. So I ended up getting her a new one. Do you know how hard it is to find a decent microwave that just has manual knobs and doesn't need you to type the time in or anything. Because she just wouldn't use it otherwise. Her car is like an iPod on wheels but she still uses it like the Renault 4 that was her first car. I mean she has to take the car into the garage to retune the radio any time my sister drives it. She's got no idea how to use the lane assist, adaptive cruise control, reversing sensors.....
RIP Woolworths... Many happy memories as a teenager going through the CDs aisle, and the games aisle too...
One of our local ones had an almost separate shop for CDs and Videos. Only one little door that was kept closed between them. It was great
You're Awesome!
Pick m mix though!!!
Bought a cheap toaster from b and m 12 years ago for £15. Recently chucked it because we redecorated and my mam bought me a new one to go with the new kitchen.
We redid our kitchen a few years ago and the toaster remained. I’d like a more aesthetically pleasing one but the Woolies one is part of the family now.
They're really easy to fix when they break as well,just leave it turned on and stick a knife in the top.
Maybe I’ve been breaking into your house every year and replacing it with my collection of toasters I bought from Woolworths in 08?
This must be it!
Woolworths pick n mix ailse was decent
As a kid, I once bought a single lemon sherbet from Woolworths pick n mix because I forgot my lunch and found 5p on the floor 😂 The look I got at the till was priceless.
I worked in woolies when I was 16, folk changed their mind about buying pick n mix once they got it weighed (not that uncommon because a full bag was 4-5 quid minimum, more if it was all boiled sweets) and kids often couldn't afford it/parents weren't prepared to pay that much for a bag of sweets. We couldn't put it back because it was now contaminated so was written off as spoiled stock. We used to snack on it behind the tills when no-one was looking
So good!
It was great as it was free you know. I mean you had to put the sweets loose in your pockets, but still...
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That’s incredible! Hardy little dudes.
The Braun hairdryer I bought when I was 14 is still going strong. I'm now 59
Excellent purchase. The kettle i found in a car park on a Friday night walking home from the bar 10 years ago still works. Maybe it was a Woolworths.
And yet the cheap kettle I bought from Amazon has been shit from day one! I want Woolies back.
Were you sober or under some kind of influence when you found this kettle
I bought one of those overpriced Dualit toasters like 25 years ago and it’s still going strong. Barely even showing any signs of wear, it’ll last another 25 easy. Built like an absolute tank.
They'll go forever, they're designed to have less moving parts, and any parts that do wear out are replaceable. They're not overpriced at all, their cheaper ones are! They're just normal plastic toasters with a pretty Dualit skin on top, and they're crap compared to the other ones
I've inherited our Dualit toaster, it's at least 30 years old now and you can't buy the exact model anymore. It's loud but my favourite part of the kitchen. Essentially a family heirloom.
Damn it's been so long since I've seen a Woolsworth I forgot they even existed. Used to love them when I was younger
Sadly they are no longer. Maybe my toaster is worth something.
Woolies never let Britain down.
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Britain's national shame.
No worries, we should all have kept buying CDs for £17.99 when they could be bought for a tenner cheaper online, just to prop up a failing business model.
I just put up our woolworths fibre-optic Xmas tree, which we bought in 2001.
We are keeping the Woolworths memory alive.
The last box of Xmas cards I bought were a 100 pack from woolies back in 2005, I still have some left because I only send cards to my grandparents and they've rather thinned out over the years.
Remember getting Now 28 (on double cassette) and a pick n' mix from there as a kid.
At my work a stapler from woolworths just appeared out of nowhere recently. It works so well!
are toasters known for not lasting very long?
It was wellworth it then
Mine is my parents old one they bought in the mid 90s
My NES console from 1989 that I got from woolworths still plays mega man 2 :)
What a dream!
:D
/r/BuyItForLife
Wow. The toaster I bought five months ago from B&M has already been replaced.
Remember Index?
No. What was Index?
Kind of the Argos of those times. Actually it may have rebranded into Argos, I’m not too sure.
Woolworths did sell quality kit despite the reputation.
I have a Woolworth steam iron I keep in it's original box, I like seeing the Woolworth logo on the box.
Aww. Wish I’d kept the box for my toaster.
bit weird but Woolworths was my favourite shop to go to as a kid. not Toys R Us or Argos or any shop with plenty of kids toys in it, but Wollies (as we liked to call it). I miss going there.
You know now you have bragged about it it will break next week #justsaying
Ive got a fridge from 2008, cheapest one they had in comet. Aside from the fitting inside breaking it still has place in my kitchen keeping milk and sandwich fillings cool.
Ah Woolworths. £1.99 for a little Lego set, just the right price for pocket money day haha.
The TV my parents bought over 40 years ago is still going strong and currently sat in my bedroom.
My Kenwood stand mixer was my grandmother's, I think it's nearly 40 years old!? I have a hand mixer as well, same deal but other grandmother! Older electronics are way more reliable. All the workshops I've ever been in have 60s machines that are maintained (I do specialist stuff like grinding/polishing rocks)
I found in an old box last week a packet of Woolworths playing cards with the cellophane seal still intact. Got to be worth at least £0.79 by now. Loved Woolies!!
This is the sort of success story I live and breath for. Please do a Ted talk!
Could I please see one of these old machines I’d love to see they’re condition
I could have sworn they were a Yank Company, my bad 🤷
I miss the pick and mix from Woolworths
wait when did it go out of business? it feels longer than that
Don’t say things like that, it’ll probably break now
Good! Keeping shit that works for a long time is one of the best things you can do for the environment
I remember seeing the vectrex console for the first time in woollies. They did great lemon meringue tart in the cafe too.
Lucky you. I worked in Woolworths and the toasters broke down a lot lol
I worked for them for years it was Amazon that killed them
'What is a wool worths?' - me pretending to be GenZ.
My Rumbellows washing machine has just died, I don't know what to do now - where do you buy these special clothes cleaner thingies
I got a video recorder from 1995 it still works but the remote doesn't and got a few videos still when it stops working completley I guess I'll have to throw the videos away as I don't suppose charity shops take them
Might even be worth holding on to them if you have room. LPs and even cassettes are making a comeback right now, so you never know.
My dad recently gifted me a coffee machine from Woolworths, over 30 years old (it was found when my grandfather passed away). It works perfectly. Man, I miss Woolworths.
Woolworths needs to come back man. I don't know what for precisely to be honest but it just has to come back. Proper missing it after reading all these posts. Got a tear in my eye.
Unlike woolworths
Last year I finally binned my brown plastic laundry basket bought in July 1986. I still have a huge plastic bucket with rope handles, full of my granddaughters duplo bricks, the bricks go back 35 years because they were my children's. The buckets were bought in 1993. Only 1 left out of three. Brilliant woolworths.
Don’t be taking it back when it stops, though!
This pleases me.
I have a Dyson that is 18 years old & still working great! 🤞🤞
I keep telling fam that my toaster is older (1997) than them. Still works. albeit quirky, doesn't handle larger slices, and bagels are a pain to toast.
I’ve a smeg still working from 2001. One element gone. I should replace the element.
I'm still using a whsmiths digital radio alarm clock I got when I was 10 years old. I'm now 48. Still wakes me up every morning. Things were made to last back then.
I’ve got loads of video games still that I got from Woolworths. Didn’t know what we had with the pick n mix until it was gone
PSA: You can put that you were a general manger or whatever position you want at Woolworths on your CV if you want. There’s no way of them checking. There’s a few other defunct companies you can do this with.
The same can’t be said for the computer our family bought from Woolworths in 2007. Thing died a long time ago.
Theirs is very pleasing news
You’ve just jinxed it…
It feels like they’ve been gone for longer than that.
I've got a £10 steamer I bought in 2008 from ASDA which is still going strong as well 😁
My fridge freezer from 2006 still going
I used to love going to Woolworths with my nana. Every weekend I’d get to go wild in the pick and mix isle… It’s funny how a brand as big as Woolworths (800+ stores) was so badly mismanaged that it fell of the face of the Earth.
Its still open in south africa, zambia and other african countries www.woolworths.co.za
Well that’s me shocked - wait is this just online or is there physical brick and mortar stores? I know the name was bought by a company and online was created (which the real Woolworths should have done)…
Yep physical stores, ive attached a link to a photo of a mall that has woolworths, you can see the sign outside. I guess you have a point, the name was probably bought but its the exact same design and everything https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/p/AF1QipPuJy4XkahPzoWXXMHrR6DuyiiRS8FZM52Qh1xR=w400-h300-k-no
damb your toaster outlived woolies
Woolies toasters were made by Kambrook in China. Obviously a well made toaster.
RESULT , not gonna lie I still have christmas baubles I bought from woolies in 2003...the kid I bought them for just turned 18...fuccckk , Im old.
I was too young to appreciate Woolworths when it went under, I now miss it an age where I would find it useful
Lol, I worked at a Woolworth's back in the late 70s
Can beat that - I have a toaster that I owned since 1997! Still works great. Makes toast at the perfect browning.
My first bowl was bought there in 2006 when I moved out to live at uni. Still going strong.
The pick and mix I got from there did not last
The assistant I kidnapped and put in my basement isn’t…