The company name on the corner of Anglesea and Liverpool Streets in Hamilton may have changed over the years, but one thing has remained constant.
Woolworths team member Maree McRobbie still fondly remembers her first day at work in 1972. Her colleagues quickly became close friends, and she loved the sense of camaraderie.
“I first started on the checkouts at SuperValue on Bridge Street. After being there for three years, it became Woolworths following a sale. There was no weekend work back then and everyone really was like family. We had a social club and became great friends,” she said.
Supermarket work in the 1970s and 1980s was highly manual. Grocery items were labelled using hand-held pricing guns, stamped directly onto packaging.
“When customers brought items to the checkout, we had to punch the prices into the registers ourselves.”
Learning prices was a serious part of the role, particularly the weekly specials.
“We were given a list of about 250 items each week to memorise at home over the weekend. On Monday, we were tested, and if you got more than three wrong, you had to re-sit the test before being allowed back on the tills.”
At the time, cash registers also did not calculate change, making mental maths an essential skill.
“When the power went out, we used a hand crank to open the drawer and continue working,” she said.
In 1991, McRobbie started at the then-new Big Fresh supermarket on the corner of Anglesea and Liverpool Streets, now operating as Woolworths, where she has remained ever since.
Over the years, the store changed ownership and branding from Big Fresh and Franklins to Countdown and now Woolworths. Along with the brand changes came many uniforms and roles.
“We used to have separate winter and summer uniforms. Some were stylish and others… not so much.”
McRobbie has also worked under around 40 store managers and held several roles, including store promotions manager.
“I used to visit schools, radio stations and organise Christmas parades,” she said.
Now working four days a week as an online supervisor, McRobbie has witnessed the dramatic growth of online orders.
“I’ve seen them go from five a week to over 300. It’s become essential for busy families.”
At 70, retirement is not yet on the horizon.
“I’d get bored. I still have my health, and I still enjoy working.”
