Price marking stamps

Started as a Saturday student in 1965 until 1966. I was dumped into a soiled laundry wicker basket by a few butchers and the basket lid leather strap was fastened & then the basket turned upside down and I was left under the the stinking butchers aprons for about 15 minutes until someone rescued me. I then got a telling off for being on the shop floor late!

I loved working at Sainsburys and in 1966 went full time as a Junior Salesman - Chef's jacket with double breasted black buttons and an apron working on what would be now the Deli section. When a Saturday boy, stacking shelves with wooden spacers to keep the tins aligned, with spaces between different products. This so affected me, that to this day I still stack and space tins at home.

Pricing cans with Plonkers, was an art! Opening boxes around the centre with a hooked Stanley knife and splitting the box in two. Choosing the correct plonker, inking it and plonking each exposed can, then removing one can in each half box and plonk and slide a top can to reveal the can underneath and shuffle through the box. A box of 48 cans could be plonked in less than a minute!

JS FO RQ UA LI TY - Morning and afternoon daily codes for fresh deli products. RED, BLACK, BLUE, GREEN, YELLOW, WHITE daily printed prices on pre-packed products such as pies, to keep track of item age. No Best Before or Sell By dates back then.

I left in the Autumn of 1966 to work for GPO Engineering Dept. 8/6d more / week. The store manager (Mr. Trewella) didn't want me to leave and said he would put me on a Management training course if I stayed. Aged 16, the 8/6d tempted me away. It was a good choice, but I often wonder how a career in JS would have worked out.