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Littlewoods Catalogue 1953


hilldweller

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Some time ago an elderly relative gave us a large quantity of family papers. Browsing through them today we discovered a pristine copy of a Littlewoods Mail Order Catalogue published in the Coronation year 1953.

One interesting aspect of the scheme was that the "Agent" was expected to collect a weekly amount from each customer and they were then expected to draw lots for sending for one of the required items when enough cash had been collected.

In other words there was no credit extended and if you were back of the queue then you might have been paying for months before you got your goods.

The catalogue contains about 200 pages, mostly coloured and when I get a bit of time I'll post some pictures of wringers, dolly tubs and unguarded electric fires "suitable for a child's bedroom". :o

The catalogue is a fascinating record of fashions in clothing and household items of the time.

I'm a bit busy at the moment, been renovating the back bedroom.

HD

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Hi hilldweller

Lots of places of work used to run simmillar schemes, such as shoe clubs, where you paid in a small weekly amount from your wages, and when your turn came around, you got your new shoes or whatever the club was for. imagine being desperate for shoes and being the back of the queue.

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Hi hilldweller

Lots of places of work used to run simmillar schemes, such as shoe clubs, imagine being desperate for shoes and being the back of the queue.

So was it called paying on the "never never" because you paid up but never got your goods? :huh:

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So was it called paying on the "never never" because you paid up but never got your goods? :huh:

I though it was because the prices were high and payments reasonably small so you never stoped paying for the item.

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I though it was because the prices were high and payments reasonably small so you never stoped paying for the item.

So did I,

But having read the first 2 posts of this topic I am not so sure.

I have also heard that the old pawnbrokers sign of 3 balls, 2 mounted high and 1 low, is supposed to symbolise,......

"If you pawn it, the odds are 2 to 1 (reference to the sign) against you of ever getting it back!" lol

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I though it was because the prices were high and payments reasonably small so you never stoped paying for the item.

The prices were high, but :

IdiomDictionary.com

on the never-never

Meaning

  • on hire purchase; by instalments Example They’re paying off their new car on the never-never. (Note The rueful – and often correct – popular perception was that the interest charged on these payments never did get paid off.)

It was the interest charged that ensured that the debt never, never quite got paid off.

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The prices were high, but :

IdiomDictionary.com

on the never-never

Meaning

  • on hire purchase; by instalments Example They’re paying off their new car on the never-never. (Note The rueful – and often correct – popular perception was that the interest charged on these payments never did get paid off.)

It was the interest charged that ensured that the debt never, never quite got paid off.

High Interest rates that never get paid off :o

I though that applied to loan sharks, some of which work illegally and if you don't or can't pay up they are likely to send the boys round. B)B) B)

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