The manager reminds me of a blend of Dads army's Captain Manwaring and CJ from Regional Perrin. What a great character. "Now listen here, we're spending far too much in the frozen ices department". " I didn't get to where I am today by spending far too much in the frozen ices department".
Very few department stores left now. Many quality independent stores were taken over by the Debenhams brand and disappeared fairly recently. As well as the wide ranges of goods, these usually had a cafe and restaurant, plus of gourse the Christmas toy floor. Our local store, Lewis's had a fantastic Dalek extravaganza in 1965 I remember as a kid . Full size Daleks, Silver and black whizzed around menacingly, plus the gold Emperor Dalek. Scalextric, Triang Hornby railways, lego, meccano, Corgi and Dinky cars, childhood delight.
1962: Running a DEPARTMENT STORE at CHRISTMAS | In View | World of Work | BBC Archive 1140am 24.12.24 did he locate it? one would like to think so... he would certainly have been carrying around a bag of sovs as he and his mates tried to get a rise out of the local security personnel who were, no doubt, jolly batey after having their hats knocked off and their uniforms spattered with ink balls... japes abound in the heady world of proto BJ... i surmise watching are you being served? will highlight to anyone worth their salt how best to run a department store in the big smoke.
All that paperwork and all pre computer. Probably all worked out by hand and hand typed on manual typewriters. That really does blow my mind. This must have been a mammoth task. Also what's amazing is how similar that is to shops even today. Same escalators, same warm air fan as you enter the store, even similar stock as we have today. Again, very interesting to see it from back then to now and see how little has changed. One of the best short documentaries i have seen.
They had rooms, large rooms full of people calculating sums and figures, each one a respected middle class office worker who would have provided a house and car for their family. Now they are all gone replaced by a few servers - boxes the size of a fridge freezer. Look up productivity increase vs the increase in wages the average worker takes home.
@mikesully110 Yes, and that's the sad part about it. I love computers, don't get me wrong, but they have replaced a lot of jobs now. But I guess that's progress. Still the other way of looking at it I guess is that we still need people to operate the computers, but for doing different tasks. And thank you for the recommendation. I will definitely look up your suggestion.
@@mikesully110 They told us, that it was going to make life easier, but it just made some people richer and didn't and still hasn't made the redistribution of wealth fairer.
Retired five years ago. I began my career with a typing pool where you sent your letters to be typed up from a taped dictaphone, and on final day I handed in my work laptop on which I'd made zoom calls.
Many thanks for the nostalgia trip. When UK really was a pleasant place to be. My Mum had a "Chamber Pot Hat" and would wear it regardless of our pleading. Happy days.
1962: Running a DEPARTMENT STORE at CHRISTMAS | In View | World of Work | BBC Archive 24.12.24 is that a terrible joke from the palsied brow of a wearied mother of a star trek fan of stock on tees? that was an odd episode, granted...
When the January sales were in January. Then, it became the Boxing Day sales. Now the sales start before Christmas Day! The kids - the girl wanting both a bike and a scooter and at the opposite end of the scale, the boy who just wanted a box of cowboys.
Sat here in 2024 born 1959 thinking. Those wigs were fashionable ! Also thinking I wonder how old the apprentices are now. Those typed records must of had a good typing pool!
Absolutely loved this ❤ back when you could say the word christmas & everything was normal & sane..people enjoying going to shops for their christmas shopping, no shopping online, no computers/mobile phones or social media, people were polite & intelligent, spoke proper english. Wish i had a time machine ❤🇬🇧 xx
I mean you can still say Christmas now. I’m British Indian and my work colleagues and personal friends say it all the time. The only difference is the very senior managers will caveat it with ‘Merry Christmas- if you celebrate it’. I think people get too worked up over nothing when it’s just the media trying to stir up nonsense stories for profit. Also did you not hear some of the background commentary - there were a fair few moans about people not being polite! 😅
@moominmay you are so wrong, you can't say christmas for many things now FACT!, try going to christmas markets in the uk nowdays esp as a stallholder the word christmas has been banned FACT! , also so much food and drink packaging no longer say the word christmas on it anymore yet again FACT!, all so we dont offend a certain religion ..the uk has totally lost the plot..
Things haven't changed that much in a way when you look at this. That woman at the beginning with the handbag walks like the character from Mars Attacks the way she glides across the store
I'd love to see a food retail documentary from this era (60's/70's/80's). Seeing the likes of Sainsbury's which was king during this era and how Tesco was laying the groundwork of what would be today when it would become king in 1995 with the launch of 'Clubcard' and Sainsbury's saying "it'll never work". Also, how society has changed since then in terms of food habits and what we used to buy. Think in the 1960's, not everyone had freezers, or ready meals, what's a ready meal? You must have something in the archive, BBC?
I know everybody acts a bit different when big cameras and lights are brought into a store, but I wouldn't want to work for any of these department heads. The workdays would drag on forever.
Impressive. Of course they hadn't the IT of today but the imperatives of running a successful department store were the same then as now. You have to remind yourself this was 62 years ago. Its interesting that the manager mentions world events far from the site such ss the Cuban Missile Crisis and the border clashes between India and China affecting business ( decades before either became the economic power houses they are today).
I don't believe for one minute that the woman's negative voice-over is real. This has been added......otherwise a brilliant piece just shows how professional, incisive and proud of their role(s) and just how much they cared and wanted to do the best they could.
Even the weather comes to affect business , even the Syrian crisis , and the Chinese , Indian problems con all have effect in suddenly taking away the boy of trade .
It’s so odd to me that England was once like this & white people looked and sounded like this. Nowadays white women don’t even look their race with the heavy tan/fillers & this accent has changed to central cee type of slang. Family structure has changed completely too.
True, women shopping and spending their husbands money. Men organizing and managing infrastructure to create employment. Yes, very sexist, the women really are getting over.
They are clearly showing the way things were, not the way things are now. If you have difficulty determining the difference between now and then you really should not consume any media whatsoever.
I think he means the manager in the video looked like he was wasting time & acting serious in the meeting when retail goods normally sell themselves as long as the store is clean.
“You’ve all done very well.” “Thank you Mr Grace”.
The little boy @7:39, ‘box of some cowboys, that’s all I want’. Bless him.
The manager reminds me of a blend of Dads army's Captain Manwaring and CJ from Regional Perrin. What a great character. "Now listen here, we're spending far too much in the frozen ices department". " I didn't get to where I am today by spending far too much in the frozen ices department".
Very few department stores left now.
Many quality independent stores were taken over by the Debenhams brand and disappeared fairly recently.
As well as the wide ranges of goods, these usually had a cafe and restaurant, plus of gourse the Christmas toy floor.
Our local store, Lewis's had a fantastic Dalek extravaganza in 1965 I remember as a kid .
Full size Daleks, Silver and black whizzed around menacingly, plus the gold Emperor Dalek.
Scalextric, Triang Hornby railways, lego, meccano, Corgi and Dinky cars, childhood delight.
Love the door at the start
Incredible footage to have.
16:40 So this is where Boris Johnson as a young man shopped for his ultimate and lifelong fashion statement.
And Michael Fabricant.... 😁
Too many peasants mulling around that department store for the likes of Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson to frequent.
1962: Running a DEPARTMENT STORE at CHRISTMAS | In View | World of Work | BBC Archive 1140am 24.12.24 did he locate it? one would like to think so... he would certainly have been carrying around a bag of sovs as he and his mates tried to get a rise out of the local security personnel who were, no doubt, jolly batey after having their hats knocked off and their uniforms spattered with ink balls... japes abound in the heady world of proto BJ... i surmise watching are you being served? will highlight to anyone worth their salt how best to run a department store in the big smoke.
My parents used to take my brother and I to see Father Christmas at Jones's store in Bristol every Christmas during the 60s. Happy memories!
Nice to hear the words 'Father Christmas'... that seems to be replaced now with Santa..
All that paperwork and all pre computer. Probably all worked out by hand and hand typed on manual typewriters. That really does blow my mind. This must have been a mammoth task. Also what's amazing is how similar that is to shops even today. Same escalators, same warm air fan as you enter the store, even similar stock as we have today. Again, very interesting to see it from back then to now and see how little has changed. One of the best short documentaries i have seen.
They had rooms, large rooms full of people calculating sums and figures, each one a respected middle class office worker who would have provided a house and car for their family. Now they are all gone replaced by a few servers - boxes the size of a fridge freezer. Look up productivity increase vs the increase in wages the average worker takes home.
@mikesully110 Yes, and that's the sad part about it. I love computers, don't get me wrong, but they have replaced a lot of jobs now. But I guess that's progress. Still the other way of looking at it I guess is that we still need people to operate the computers, but for doing different tasks. And thank you for the recommendation. I will definitely look up your suggestion.
@@mikesully110 They told us, that it was going to make life easier, but it just made some people richer and didn't and still hasn't made the redistribution of wealth fairer.
Retired five years ago. I began my career with a typing pool where you sent your letters to be typed up from a taped dictaphone, and on final day I handed in my work laptop on which I'd made zoom calls.
Anyone else hear the "Are You Being Served?" theme in their heads?
" I'm free Mr peacock"
Amazing ❤ loved seeing that ,having spent 32 years working in retail ❤
17:56 the Rod Stewart wigs were a huge hit before he was even a thing.
Many thanks for the nostalgia trip. When UK really was a pleasant place to be. My Mum had a "Chamber Pot Hat" and would wear it regardless of our pleading. Happy days.
It was another 5 years before they managed to shift the last of the stock of furry hats for the Star Trek episode 'The Trouble With Tribbles'.
That's exactly what I was thinking. All this time, Tribbles were just unsold ladies wigs.
1962: Running a DEPARTMENT STORE at CHRISTMAS | In View | World of Work | BBC Archive 24.12.24 is that a terrible joke from the palsied brow of a wearied mother of a star trek fan of stock on tees? that was an odd episode, granted...
When the January sales were in January. Then, it became the Boxing Day sales. Now the sales start before Christmas Day!
The kids - the girl wanting both a bike and a scooter and at the opposite end of the scale, the boy who just wanted a box of cowboys.
Golden days, how I wish I could live in the past
I wasn't even born then. It looks like an awful place to be.
@@hopebgood "It looks like an awful place to be."
@@TheDanEdwards I'm not sure what you mean tbh but I hope you have a wonderful Christmas 😀
Running a Dept store on reams and reams of paper. Makes me anxious thinking about it.
And the railways etc. AND it worked!
But it worked!
Those Daisy Sonic guns were brilliant, shame we can't get them now
17:18 We meet again meester Bond.
Sat here in 2024 born 1959 thinking. Those wigs were fashionable ! Also thinking I wonder how old the apprentices are now. Those typed records must of had a good typing pool!
Looks like Jones opened in Bristol in 1957 and by 1972 had been replaced by Debenhams
and the building is still empty
My dad thinks stuff like this so cool.i can't think things like this cost so much less to todays money I'm happy my dad shows me these type if videos
Absolutely loved this ❤ back when you could say the word christmas & everything was normal & sane..people enjoying going to shops for their christmas shopping, no shopping online, no computers/mobile phones or social media, people were polite & intelligent, spoke proper english. Wish i had a time machine ❤🇬🇧 xx
100% agree. Give me a shout if you find that time machine!
Yawn!
I mean you can still say Christmas now. I’m British Indian and my work colleagues and personal friends say it all the time. The only difference is the very senior managers will caveat it with ‘Merry Christmas- if you celebrate it’. I think people get too worked up over nothing when it’s just the media trying to stir up nonsense stories for profit. Also did you not hear some of the background commentary - there were a fair few moans about people not being polite! 😅
@moominmay you are so wrong, you can't say christmas for many things now FACT!, try going to christmas markets in the uk nowdays esp as a stallholder the word christmas has been banned FACT! , also so much food and drink packaging no longer say the word christmas on it anymore yet again FACT!, all so we dont offend a certain religion ..the uk has totally lost the plot..
@@jameshardy6277 will do 😁👍
that was put on their headstone.😊
That manager Mr Mullins reminds me of a mixture of Captain Mainwaring and Don Vito Corleone.
That door mechanism is genius.
Things haven't changed that much in a way when you look at this. That woman at the beginning with the handbag walks like the character from Mars Attacks the way she glides across the store
I'd love to see a food retail documentary from this era (60's/70's/80's). Seeing the likes of Sainsbury's which was king during this era and how Tesco was laying the groundwork of what would be today when it would become king in 1995 with the launch of 'Clubcard' and Sainsbury's saying "it'll never work". Also, how society has changed since then in terms of food habits and what we used to buy. Think in the 1960's, not everyone had freezers, or ready meals, what's a ready meal? You must have something in the archive, BBC?
@Hertfordshire247 Ready meal? Vesta Chow Mein in a box.
Love,bbc,archives
More,please
Fascinating!
Jones & Company Ltd (Bristol). Opened in 1843. Bought by Drapery Trust and renamed Debenhams in 1972.
Not even Christmas lights for the homeless in Broadmead this year!
Aw, I loved a department store. All closed down round us now 😢
I know everybody acts a bit different when big cameras and lights are brought into a store, but I wouldn't want to work for any of these department heads. The workdays would drag on forever.
1962: Running a DEPARTMENT STORE at CHRISTMAS | In View | World of Work | BBC Archive 1154am 24.12.24 i didnt know scampi was a colour
Impressive. Of course they hadn't the IT of today but the imperatives of running a successful department store were the same then as now. You have to remind yourself this was 62 years ago. Its interesting that the manager mentions world events far from the site such ss the Cuban Missile Crisis and the border clashes between India and China affecting business ( decades before either became the economic power houses they are today).
Life looks so much better all round back then. Look at the dystopian state of the nation now. Corruption from the top has shafted this poor country
Yeah, corruption didn’t exist in those days 😢
@mattsan70 I suggest you look up 1960s government minister, Ernest Marples. One of the most corrupt British politicians in history.
Always watched with my brother the counter weight going up and down in the lifts 1960......... lifts are different now and uninteresting.
19:14 - the Myra Hindley look
"Are you free Mr Humphries" I'm free"
This felt like a very sobering watch…
10:09 Those apprentices look over 30 years old. :D
11:55 - a lesson in retail.
Who else is just dying for Mr. Bean to make an appearance? LOL
I don't believe for one minute that the woman's negative voice-over is real. This has been added......otherwise a brilliant piece just shows how professional, incisive and proud of their role(s) and just how much they cared and wanted to do the best they could.
Are you Being Served 😂
Being in the UK, they probably do their weather report one year in advance - dull and wet, grey and wet, cold and wet, rainy and wet, drizzly and wet.
I never realized before how accurate Are You Being Served was!!!! : O
Even the weather comes to affect business , even the Syrian crisis , and the Chinese , Indian problems con all have effect in suddenly taking away the boy of trade .
Who is ‘the boy of trade’ and why was he taken away? So many questions!😀
@@AtheistOrphan buoyancy of trade
Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962.
Old 🇬🇧😍
0:54 looks like Taylor Swift strolling through.
Miss Humphry are you free?
Fail 🤦
IM FREE ….
Hare Krishna!
Thanks.
1962: Running a DEPARTMENT STORE at CHRISTMAS | In View | World of Work | BBC Archive 1153am 24.12.24 why did they blow it up?
It’s so odd to me that England was once like this & white people looked and sounded like this. Nowadays white women don’t even look their race with the heavy tan/fillers & this accent has changed to central cee type of slang. Family structure has changed completely too.
I wonder what their pronouns were? 😅
This is very dark. History can show us a great deal.
I do wish the bbc would not show sexist videos like this in 2024.
How is it sexist?
True, women shopping and spending their husbands money. Men organizing and managing infrastructure to create employment. Yes, very sexist, the women really are getting over.
The simple answer is
.. don't watch them then
What do you mean exactly?
They are clearly showing the way things were, not the way things are now. If you have difficulty determining the difference between now and then you really should not consume any media whatsoever.
Rumbold manslpaining dept stores like it’s actually hard.
Pardon?
@@orderofmagnitude-TPATP I’m freeeeeeeeeee
I think he means the manager in the video looked like he was wasting time & acting serious in the meeting when retail goods normally sell themselves as long as the store is clean.