Woolworth Memories and My Father... (circa late 1950's)

From my cousin Agnes...

My Woolworth memories:

Paul, I couldn’t resist sending this to you since there is definitely one of these that you will recognize.  I remember working for your Father at his store on 23rd Street in Manhattan.   My brother, Bobby, and I would take the bus from Jersey City to Hoboken,  then the Path train to 23rd Street, then walk a couple of blocks and be there before the store opened!   I think I was around 12 years old when we worked on Saturdays for  your Dad.  He was the best…the best.  With love to all,  ...  xoxox Agnes

Here's a fun (for us old fogies) age test...
Have you ever shopped at this store?

And here’s another funny part of the story about working for Jim Maurer at Woolworth’s on 23rd Street in Manhattan:  I know I wasn’t 13 yet when I worked there….(((about 10 – 12 yrs old commuting into NYC by 2 modes of transportation - bus and Path train/aka NJ subway into NYC)))….. because I started wearing a bra at around 13.  Here’s the story to explain why:

My First job on my first Saturday:
Before the store opened, Jim asked me to arrange all the bras by size/they were all messed up all over the place.  There were many “molds” of breasts to put the bras on.  So I worked very  hard with dozens of bras.  When I told Jim I was finished… he looked and said “You’re finished???”…. ”Yes, Jim, I am”.  There were many empty molds (with NO bras on them)   Well, I had all the 32s on one mold (including all cups sizes), the same with all the 34, 36, et all.  There were so many molds with nothing on them because I had mountains of 32s, 34s, 36, etc….all on a mold each.  I guess he then realized I was still wearing and undershirt!

Second Job:
Then he sent me over to put price tags on some vases.   I did that for a while….then the store opened up.  Some customer asked me where is xxxxx?  (btw, I had a woolworth’s apron-thingie on over my clothes).  I said to the customer….oh, I have no idea where the needles/thread/whatever are….I don’t really work here!  So I found jim and told him what I said!.  Yikesssss… child labor laws.   I was moved off the main floor/store level IMMEDIATELY. 

Third and final job that day:
So then he sent me to the ATTIC where I would not do too much harm.  I spent the entire day using a pinning machine to pin those little white cardboard price tags (about ½ in square) to ladies underwear.  Of course, I worked hard but it was BORING.  So I talked as I worked (I guess Jim didn’t realize that woman/girls can multi-task!)…with this lovely older woman Alice whose job was to pin all day long in the attic.  As we chatted away, all of a sudden I heard Jim’s voice (I did not see him)….just heard him….????  like he was God overseeing me.  He said:  Agnes, Agnes…..I kept looking around… what Jim, I finally said…. Alice pointed to the intercom to show me where the voice was coming from.  Jim said:  if you talk, you’ll not get your work done!  Well, I decided whispering was the way to go.

BTW, bro Bobby worked in the basement lifting/sorting/rearranging boxes, carrying them up/down stairs,  etc.  Really hard labor. (no wonder why Bobby and I finally got our college degrees.) But Jim did pay us something at the end of the day and I was delighted.  We went home with Jim….so we worked an 8 or 9 hour day.  We did go more than once, but I never was positioned on the main floor ever again!  I was sent to the attic most of the time.

How much I loved Jim….and Bobby Snyder…..and good ol’ stories from the late 1950s/early 1960s.

I hope these stories of my Woolworth days  made you laugh…and enjoy a great
“Jim Maurer” story.  Xoxoxoxoxox   Agnes, the underwear pinner

Thank you Agnes