Do You Remember Woolworths..And These Prices?

OneEyedDiva

OneEyedDiva

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New Jersey
I used to get hot dogs and root beer floats at Woolworth's counter. Then my supervisor, who was of Polish descent, hipped me to the fact that they also had good fried chicken. So we'd get that for lunch sometimes. Here's an old Woolworth's menu.
Woolworth 1957 Menu.jpeg
 

Sure do! My girlfriends and I would go there after school for burgers, fries and a coke. I was able to feed myself back in those days and actually live well on my allowance!
 

Remember the Pick-A-Balloon promotion at the lunch counter.

ff55925cbc4f7efe21a8eede5b7352d7--woolworth-banana-split.jpg


When I was little I also remember going with my mother to visit the turtles, goldfish, and parakeets in the Woolworth's pet department. Many thanks to my mom for having the time energy and imagination to give us kids a memory! :)

"Oh, old days
Good times I remember
Gold days
Days I'll always treasure ..." - James Carter Pankow, Chicago
 
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Aunt Bea said:
Remember the Pick-A-Balloon promotion at the lunch counter.

ff55925cbc4f7efe21a8eede5b7352d7--woolworth-banana-split.jpg


When I was little I also remember going with my mother to visit the turtles, goldfish, and parakeets in the Woolworth's pet department. Many thanks to my mom for having the time energy and imagination to give us kids a memory! :)

"Oh, old days
Good times I remember
Gold days
Days I'll always treasure ..." - James Carter Pankow, Chicago
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I don't remember the Banana Split promotion but I definitely remember going to their pet department. I also remember the photo booth where you could get 4 photos for a quarter, I think.
 
Yeah, but another thing to remember about the "good old days" and those prices, is the kind of wages most people made back then. 50 cents for a sandwich probably sounded like a lot to a person who was supporting a family on $5,000 a year.
 
The "girls" from the Summons Bureau used to race the couple of blocks from the office to Woolworth's for lunch. It was the most inexpensive of the restaurants in the area to eat. We were young and at the bottom of the pay scale, so, it made a difference to us.
 
I don't remember the prices, but knowing how poor mom and dad were, and mom treating me to a milkshake and fries every now and then, that tells me everything I need to know about affordability in those days.
 
Woolworths was the 1940's/1950's version of today's Walmart. It was the store of choice for millions of people. Given the wages that existed in that era, it was the best choice for most shoppers. Then, in the mid '50's, McDonalds started to appear, and 50 cents for a nice hamburger became the norm.
 
Sunny said:
Yeah, but another thing to remember about the "good old days" and those prices, is the kind of wages most people made back then. 50 cents for a sandwich probably sounded like a lot to a person who was supporting a family on $5,000 a year.
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Not true Sunny. I was a kid with only an allowance but prices back then were so reasonable people could live well and eat well even kids like me. Maybe the poorest of the poor were in financial distress but there's no comparison to the price gouging that goes on now. :oops:
 
Don M. said:
Woolworths was the 1940's/1950's version of today's Walmart. It was the store of choice for millions of people. Given the wages that existed in that era, it was the best choice for most shoppers. Then, in the mid '50's, McDonalds started to appear, and 50 cents for a nice hamburger became the norm.
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I remember McDonald's hamburgers costing 19 cents.
 
I remember Woolworth's but in the early 70's. My mom would treat my daughter (toddler) and I for lunch at the lunch counter in the store. I loved the steakum sandwich - don't remember how much it was. I was sadden to see it close; you could pick up department store stuff pretty cheap.
 
That was my favorite store. I used to steal postage stamps for there. These we stamps for collectors and from all over the world. They came in these small envelopes.
About the prices. way back then. I love Perry Mason (1956-62?) reruns. In one scene a man has breakfast,- coffee, eggs, toast. He gives the clerk 50 cents, and gets change BACK. And a room in a good motel, with TV, and air conditioning= a whopping $3.59/ a night.

While Woolworth's closed, I think Dollar General, and stores like it are reincarnations of Woolworth's.
 
we had McCrory's in the middle of downtown, Chester, PA. they had the luncheonette area. big center staircase to the lower level.

as for prices. i remember Gino's (pre mcD's?) had $.15 burgers and fries. i remember gum & lifesavers being a NICKEL. have been driving since mid-60's and remember gasoline at $.25-30/gallon.
 
I remember Woolworth's, Newberry's, McCrory's, and Kresge's stores downtown. A kid could walk into there with a quarter, and feel like a king for all the small toys and other things you could buy!
 
Gaer said:
I remember the cinnamon rolls they had every morning that smelled scrumptious!
I was at the lunch counter in Woolworths when JFK died. Everyone started crying and screaming.
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Fyrefox said:
I remember Woolworth's, Newberry's, McCrory's, and Kresge's stores downtown. A kid could walk into there with a quarter, and feel like a king for all the small toys and other things you could buy!
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We had Newberry's, Woolworth's and Kress stores...all downtown as well as several department stores. Some of the department stores also had restaurants.
 
hollydolly said:
I believe FW Woolworth the American store.. which had branches worldwide, and the one I worked for is not the same as Woolworth Australia...
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Correct....the Australian store had nothing to do the stores elsewhere.It may still exist.
 

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