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Arthur Day - Ladies' Outfitters
13 High Street
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Memories of working at Arthur Days from the 1960s
My
earliest memory of Arthur Days was how big the shop wasfour floors and no
lift, so you kept quite fit, also the beautiful clothes and how expensive they
were!
I found out about the job in the newspaper and Nellie Day interviewed me. She was shorter than me, very motherly and kind. She told me that my starting wage would be 2-12-6. I finished school on the Friday and started work on the Monday this was in 1960.
I was quite nervous on my first day, but the staff were very nice. I started as a junior and was taught how to pack clothes in boxes. I seemed to spend years in that packing room. It gave you a good fashion sense and how to co-ordinate your colours. At first I would wear a black dress or skirt and jumper, not too short or you were told. In later years, we were supplied with an Eastex crimp suit.
When I first started, we were down on the floor by 9.00am to hoover there was dust everywhere. Coke was brought up for the Parkray heaters in tin chutes. At 10.00am, I would go around the staff with a list for cakes and shopping for tea, bread and lunch. We had a 15 minute tea break. When we had a phone call up that the parcels had arrived, we would go to the basement where there would be anything from two to twenty parcels to unpack. We would then hang up the clothes ready for Les [Day] to price them and then wed take the clothes to their departments.
The staff and tea room were on the top floor at the back, plus the alteration room. On the top floor at the front were the suits, skirts and dress/jackets. The next floor down were knitwear and dresses (sizes 10 up to 60 inch hips). On the ground floor were coats, sheepskins and rainwear. Going to the back we had millinery. In the basement it was unpacking parcels, roller rails and hangers.
I learnt that the customer was always right, even if she had the whole shop out and had not bought anything. When someone came in for a wedding or funeral outfit, you were expected to fit her out from top to toe in a well-fitted outfit. Nowadays you go to a shop, pick what you want off a rail and just pay. Theres no personal service.
If we were having a sly sit down, you could hear Nellie Day coming up the stairs and we would all fly into action tidying the stock.
We used to get 10% off clothes we bought and sometimes if he was feeling generous, he would give you special price. On birthdays we used to go out for meals and we always went out at Christmas. In later years, the Days put on a fashion show where I used to help dress the models.
I worked there for 13 years and when I left I was 8 months pregnant with my first. By then the stairs were getting a bit much. When I left, we were given a beautiful Pedigree navy pram.
Interview with a former member of staff by Paul Nicholson c. 2007
Page last updated: 28th January 2014