The Woolworths Girls (23 page)

Freda grinned. ‘I can’t wait. I’ve wanted to go to the seaside ever since I saw the poster on the platform at Charing Cross Station when I travelled down here. It’ll be such fun. Even if we are at war,’ Freda added quickly.

‘Thank you for coming to see me, Sarah. There are a few things I need to go over with you.’

Sarah sat in front of her boss in the small office. Paperwork was heaped upon the desk and Betty looked harassed. The last time she’d seen her was as family and friends waved her and Alan off on their honeymoon. They’d spent their first night in the Wheatley Arms Hotel in the town before setting off for Whitstable after breakfast. Thanks to her dad, it had been a wonderful honeymoon that she would never forget. Betty had still been wearing her bridesmaid dress as she waved from the pavement, her pretty headdress slightly askew after hours of singing. It seemed strange now to see her in a formal suit sitting across from her desk. Sarah wondered if she should call her Betty or Miss Billington.

‘Sarah, I’m so relieved to see you back at work. As you can see, I’m snowed under here. Half the male staff have either joined up or given us notice of when they leave our employ. Some of the female staff have left to work at the Vickers factory as well. I understand the pay is very good.’ Betty didn’t look happy as she checked a list in front of her. ‘It does leave us with rather a staffing problem.’

‘If it’s any help, I don’t plan to give up my job. Alan leaves for his RAF training on Monday and I’d like to work as many hours as possible so I don’t have time to think about what is happening to him.’

Betty smiled. She knew that Sarah would be worried about her husband while he was away but would still work hard when called to do so. Sarah Caselton, or Sarah Gilbert, as she was now, would not shirk her duties. ‘I’m pleased to know we shan’t lose you just yet. In fact, I have a change of job for you. That’s if you are interested?’

Sarah frowned. She liked working on the stationery counter. She wouldn’t be so keen to be moved to some of the other areas of Woolies. Especially not the vegetable counter, or indeed haberdashery and knitting wool. Nan and Freda had both patiently taught her how to fashion items out of wool, but it was still a struggle, and she was still surprised when a sock or balaclava appeared after hours of sweating over those knitting needles. To be faced with wool and needles every day at work would only remind her that she just didn’t have the skill required to be a proficient knitter.

‘I’ll help if you think I’m suitable, but I’m not sure I’d be much good on some of the counters.’

Betty could see that Sarah was concerned. ‘There’s no need to look so worried, Sarah. I’m thinking more of a promotion than moving you to another counter.’

‘Promotion? I know we had a conversation about me one day possibly making supervisor, but I didn’t think it would be so quick.’

‘We live in changing times. With our menfolk off to war, it leaves us women to keep things on an even keel ready for their return.’

Sarah nodded. She could see the sense in her boss’s words. ‘What would my duties include?’

‘To begin with, you will assume the job title of supervisor, and there will be a pay rise alongside your increase for reaching twenty-one years of age, but I’d like you to work with me rather than on the shop floor.’ She waved her hands above the pile of ledgers and papers on her desk. ‘Not only do I have extra duties working alongside Mr Benfield, but there’s all this paperwork. New staff require training, and then there are the duties of fire watch and making sure all our staff know what to do if there’s an air raid.’ She ran her hands through her hair and sighed. ‘I’m drowning under all this work.’

‘Well, you have me to help you now. Where shall we start?’

Betty checked her wristwatch. ‘I have to be in a meeting with Mr Benfield in half an hour. We have visitors coming down from head office. There are three young ladies starting this morning and I have to finish a report. Would you take the new staff? They need to collect their uniforms and have the beginner’s talk. I usually do that in here, as you know. Perhaps if you took the girls to the staffroom, there should be time before the next tea break to go through the ropes and give them a tour of the shop floor.’ She rummaged on her desk and pulled out a file and a clipboard. ‘Here are their details and the sections where I’d like them to work. Use your judgement as to where you feel each girl should be placed. Their uniforms are on the top of the cupboard by the door.’

Sarah took the paperwork and tucked the overalls under her arm. Before she left the office, she turned to Betty, who was already busy writing in a ledger. ‘Betty, thank you for trusting me with this job. I promise I’ll do my best to make you proud of me.’

Betty smiled. ‘I know you’ll make a good supervisor, Sarah. That’s why I offered you the job. I think we will make a good team.’

‘I think so too,’ Sarah grinned as she headed outside to where three young girls were waiting to start their new jobs.

‘Follow me,’ she beckoned, leading them towards the staffroom, where the delicious aroma of lamb stew was coming from the kitchen area. She waved to Maureen, who was busy mixing flour and beef suet to make dumplings. ‘Take your coats off and find yourselves a seat, ladies. Would you like a cup of tea?’

The three girls accepted shyly, not making eye contact with the self-assured woman they saw in front of them.

‘Bless ’em, they look terrified,’ Maureen said as she poured strong tea into the four cups on the counter. ‘A new intake, I suppose?’

Sarah, who was piling slices of seed cake onto a plate, licked her fingers and nodded. ‘Yes, I’m about to show them the ropes before they start down on the shop floor. It’s part of my new job,’ she added quietly, not sure how her mother-in-law would view Sarah’s promotion. She needn’t have worried.

Maureen wiped her floury hands on her apron, rushed round to the other side of the counter and hugged Sarah until she was fit to burst. ‘I’m that proud of you, my love. Alan will be too. I take it he doesn’t know yet?’

‘No. Miss Billington has only just told me about it. It’s not a management job or anything. It’s just that she needs help while we are short-staffed.’

‘Don’t you put yourself down, my girl. It’s as good as being management. You’re in the office. Look at Alan. He might be a trainee manager, but he’s never out of that warehouse coat, and nine times out of ten he’s got a broom in his hand.’

‘He’s got prospects, though,’ Sarah added quickly in defence of her hard-working husband, ‘and Woolworths have told him that his job will be here for him when he returns after the war.’ She chewed her lip thoughtfully. ‘I wonder how long that’ll be.’

‘Well, it can’t be soon enough for me. If I could get my hands on that Mr Hitler, I’d wring his bloody neck for making all this trouble. Whatever does his mother think of him, causing all this war nonsense? If he was mine, I’d box his ears for him.’

Sarah smiled. Maureen sounded just like Nan when she got talking about the war. They might only be a week in, but it was all anyone spoke about. She knew her mother-in-law was worried, even though she put on a brave face.

‘Alan will do his best, Maureen, and I’m sure he will be back to visit us both as soon as he can. He won’t be away training forever, and with a bit of luck he will be based down our end of the country.’

‘But he won’t be at home in the mornings to bring in the coal and eat the breakfast I put on the table, will he?’

Sarah could see Maureen was getting upset. ‘No, he won’t, and we will both miss him, but I’m living with you now and we must both show him we can cope on our own until he comes home. We don’t want him worrying about us, now do we? Mind you, he’ll moan something rotten if you don’t have that stew cooked when he comes up here for his dinner break later on. Him and everyone else at Woolies.’

‘Oh my,’ Maureen said, straightening her apron and rushing back round the counter. ‘I’d best get on. Now, can you tell that Miss Billington that if there are any spare staff to be had, I’d like some help here? More people seem to be eating at work at the moment and I’m fair pushed at times to get all my jobs done.’

‘I’ll make sure to mention it – don’t you worry.’ Sarah picked up the tray of tea and cake, and took it to the table, where she spent the next half-hour running through the duties required of the three young newcomers before heading towards the narrow staircase to show them to the counters where they’d be working.

Arriving at the door to the shop, she bumped into Alan as he struggled through with a couple of boxes in his arms. He placed them on the ground before kissing his new bride soundly, much to her embarrassment. Sarah was proud that her new husband had insisted on returning to work for the few days between their honeymoon and heading off to join the RAF. At least she got to see him while he was at work too.

‘Alan, please,’ she scolded as she wriggled away from him. ‘I’m working.’ She indicated the three young girls, who had burst into giggles. ‘It’s not that funny,’ she insisted, trying hard not to grin and to act as she thought a supervisor should. ‘This is my husband, Mr Gilbert. He is a trainee manager and is about to join the RAF to fly Spitfires.’

This silenced the three young girls, who looked at Alan in awe.

‘Now, let’s get you three working or it’ll be time to stop for your dinner break.’ She ushered the girls through the door as Alan caught her arm and frowned.

‘What’s all this about?’

‘Miss Billington has promoted me to supervisor and I’m helping her by getting the new staff working, as she has a meeting with people from head office.’

He quickly stole another kiss before Sarah could escape through the door. She would love to have lingered in his arms but was aware of her charges waiting and the possibility of being seen by other staff members, let alone the customers. ‘Well done, my love. I’m really proud of you. We will have to celebrate before I leave for Scotland.’

‘Don’t be daft – it’s not important. Besides, we’re off to Margate the day after tomorrow, and you will be leaving early the morning after.’

‘Then we will have to celebrate when we are alone,’ he said, running a finger across her lips.

Sarah shivered with delight. She would miss Alan when he left Erith. However would she cope?

‘You look like a mother hen with yer little chicks,’ Maisie called out as Sarah passed by her counter. ‘Where are you going with the youngsters?’

Sarah stopped and ushered the girls to where Maisie was unpacking teapots from a hamper and wiping each one with a cloth before adding it to an impressive display on the high mahogany counter. ‘These are the latest intake of new staff. Two are working with Freda on haberdashery, and the other is on household goods.’

‘Two more on haberdashery? Whatever is the world coming to?’

‘They’re short-staffed. Freda was thrilled to be transferred to that counter. She’s wanted to work there ever since she joined Woolies. Two girls have gone off to work in a factory. I just hope Freda doesn’t get any silly ideas about joining them.’

‘Too late for that. She’s got some bee in her bonnet about doing her bit for the war effort and reckons working at Burndept’s factory will mean she’s doing something more than working in a shop,’ Maisie said as she blew hard on a teapot lid, sending dust and bits of straw towards the three girls, who stood staring at Maisie, looking as glamorous as ever even though she was hard at work.

‘Oh dear, that’s all we need. I’ll have a word with her. I don’t like to think of her down at the factory. They employ hundreds of staff and it’s hard graft. I’m not sure Freda’s up to it.’

‘She can take care of herself. It’s not as if she’ll be working miles away. The factory is only down the road, and her digs are close by. Then again, perhaps she’ll move in with Ruby now she’s on her own?’

Now that Maisie had mentioned the living arrangements at number thirteen, Sarah couldn’t miss the opportunity to ask if she would move in with Ruby herself. ‘No, I think she’s happy where she is, and if she does go to work at Burndept’s, it’ll be even closer than Alexandra Road.’ Sarah fiddled with a box of silver teaspoons, which Maisie had displayed close to the teapots. ‘Actually, Maisie, I wonder if you’d do me a favour.’ She looked to where the new girls were waiting patiently nearby.

‘Well, spit it out. We ain’t got all day.’

‘I wondered if you fancied moving in with Nan. I’m worried about her now she’s on her own. I know Dad will be popping in when he’s up this way, but with the chance of bombing and all, she shouldn’t be on her own, should she?’

‘Gawd love you. That’s the best thing I’ve been asked in a long while. I’d go home and pack right now if I didn’t have these bleeding teapots to sort out. I swear if the old bat reminds me one more time that her son has done me a favour by marrying me, I’ll swing for ’er.’

Sarah was relieved that her friend accepted the invitation so quickly. She knew that behind Maisie’s bravado there was a very sad woman who was missing the man she loved. She looked at the large clock on the wall of the store. If she didn’t get a move on and get the new girls to their sections, she would be stripped of her supervisor status before she’d even done a whole day’s work. ‘Look, I need to get cracking. Do you mind if I tell Nan a little white lie?’

Maisie grinned. ‘As far as I’m concerned, you can tell her a whopping great big lie as long as I can move into number thirteen and escape the mother-in-law as soon as possible. She does nothing but harp on about how her Joe could have done so much better than me. She thinks I’ve got nowhere to go.’

‘Well, she’s wrong, isn’t she? Look, I just want Nan to think that you are moving in because of Joe being away and the situation with his mum. I need to know she won’t be alone if anything should happen.’

‘It’s hardly a lie, is it, ducks.’

Sarah felt a tug of guilt. Was she really tricking her friend into moving in with Nan? Really, it was all for the good. ‘As long as you don’t let on to Nan. You know how independent she is.’

Maisie tapped the side of her nose. ‘A nod’s as good as a wink, ducks. Now, you go sort yer young brood out, while I finish stacking the crocks. I’m supposed to get this job finished before dinner break and it’s a bit touch and go as it is without standing here chatting to you.’ She gave Sarah a broad wink before turning to the task of displaying her teapots.