Tag Archives: shopping

Way back when when, Wednesdays

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Giving the people what they want

There would have been mayhem when a hoard of local shoppers attended the opening of the new Peoplestores retail outlet in the St. Agnes Shopping Centre in 1971. The North East Leader celebrated the event with several pages of photographs, articles and advertisements for the discount department store, in the edition dated 17 November 1971. Just in time for Christmas shopping.

Peoplestores St. Agnes Mall page 5

Image:  North East Leader, page 5, 17 November 1971

Peoplestores St. Agnes was the eighth store in the retail chain to open in South Australia. In 1971, Peoplestores also traded in Gouger Street in Adelaide City, Modbury (at Clovercrest shopping centre), Para Hills, Rosewater, Elizabeth, Findon and Reynella. There were also six stores in country South Australia.

Peoplestores article page 5

Image:  North East Leader, page 5, 17 November 1971

Ladies wear advertisement

Advertisement for Peoplestores women’s apparel.  Image:  North East Leader, page 9, 17 November 1971

manchester and men and boys clothing department photos with captions

Image:  North East Leader, page 10, 17 November 1971

Library staff who shopped at Peoplestores remember the department stores as being fairly basic, it was better than Kmart but not an upmarket shopping experience. It really was a shop ‘for the people’. Peoplestores was fitted out with large bins, through which you would rummage to find your size or chosen colour. This was possibly an attraction, as shoppers love a treasure hunt to find a bargain.

Peoplestores St. Agnes Interior

Peoplestores interior at St. Agnes with entry through the Mall.  Image:  North East Leader, page 5, 17 November 1971

One staff member recalls that Peoplestores always had lovely window displays. Another remembers shopping with her mother at Peoplestores, as they stocked a quality product. It reminded her of a country store with racks of garments on display, grouped around the shop floor. Peoplestores was especially good for buying wool for crochet, dress materials and habedashery such as buttons. They also bought little girl’s Red Robin socks! It sounds like Peoplestores did not move far from its origins as a drapery.

Fashions for the family

Image:  North East Leader, page 6,  17 November 1971

 

Peoplestores dress materials and crochet

Image:  North East Leader, page 6, 17 November 1971

In a sales cross-promotion, Peoplestores offered the same special prices on goods to shoppers at its Modbury stores as at the new St. Agnes branch. Plus free gifts for children.

Haberdashery with Judy

Image: North East Leader page 7, 17 November, 1971

Peopestores Key Man trousers

Advertisement for menswear at Peoplestores.  Image: North East Leader, page 6, 17 November 1971

Roland suit

Advertisement for womenswear.  Image:  North East Leader, page 6, 17 November 1971

Homewares and outdoor furniture advertisement

Advertisement for homewares, manchester and dress materials at Peoplestores.  Image:  North East Leader, page 11, 17 November 1971

Peoplestores drapery was founded by W.H. Williams in 1905. The cloth merchant was built in 1905 on the corner of Gouger and California Street South near the Adelaide Central Market. Peoplestores expanded several times on the same site in Gouger Street.

1708-a24a-5c46-80ae-5429abd7f376 Peoplestores in the early 1900s Gougher Street

Peoplestores Gouger Street in 1938. Image:  State Library of South Australia, https://collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/resource/B+7416

In the past, people used to travel to the city centre to make special purchases as Adelaide did not yet have suburban shopping malls. Peoplestores on Gouger Street was also close to Moores, Adelaide’s iconic department store on Victoria Square. The former Moore’s building now houses the law courts and has been renamed the Sir Samuel Way Building.

In this photograph taken around 1939 the façade of the store has had a smart renovation in the Art Deco style, which was popular in the 1920s and 1930s.  The renovations included large plate glass windows and a wide cantilevered verandah (https://collections.slsa.sa.gov.au).

Peoplestores Gouger Street

Peoplestores Gouger Street, circa 1939.  Image:  https://collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/resource/B+8175

B-37471.jpeg Peoplestores 1970s

Peoplestores Gouger Street in 1979.  The cars parked outside the building have certainly changed over the years!    Image:  https://collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/resource/B+37471

 

Peoplestores Grote Street entrance with cars 1954

Entrance on Grote Street Adelaide to the Gouger Street Peoplestores in 1954.  The Adelaide Central Market is to the right of the photograph.  Image:  https://collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/resource/B+12989

The large store in Gouger Street was eventually redeveloped as part of the Adelaide Central Market. This building has now been demolished and is currently the site of several food outlets, including Krispy Kreme donuts.

During the 1980s Peoplestores ceased trading in South Australia, closing its last remaining stores.

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Way back when, Wednesdays

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Big sizes, low prices

Adelaide’s fascination with buying in bulk to save money is not new. Before Costco, shoppers flocked to Half-Case Warehouse. Our local Half-Case Warehouse store opened in February 1980, at 432 North East Road, Windsor Gardens, which is currently the site of the Bunnings construction site. The Leader Messenger published a large advertising spread for the Half-Case Warehouse first birthday sale, on Wednesday 11 February, 1981, from pages 9 to 11. Half-Case Warehouse provided genuine competition for the big retailers such as Coles and Woolworths. In the same issue, Target and Coles advertised as offering ‘Warehouse’ and ‘Discount warehouse’ prices respectively.

Half-Case Warehouse supermarkets were so named because most of the goods on display were sold in half-carton lots. Instead of standard supermarket shelving, you might choose your purchases from large cartons positioned on the floor. If you had found a single item for sale, it would have been in a large size. Unlike Costco, you did not need to pay a membership fee at Half-Case.

Half case warehouse.png

Half-Case Warehouse at Windsor Gardens was operated by former Australian Rules footballer Bob Hammond. His status as a local hero probably raised the profile of this particular store. Bob Hammond played in the SANFL for the North Adelaide and Norwood football clubs from 1960 to 1975. He coached the Redlegs, leading them to win premierships in 1975 and 1978. Bob also coached the South Australian State team. He went on to coach the Sydney Swans towards the end of the 1984 season. At the end of 1990 he was appointed as the first chairman of Adelaide Football Club.

You might wonder how you could possibly store all this food that you bought in bulk. You would certainly need a lot of cupboard space. The trend in the 1970s and 1980s was to buy a large freezer, to accommodate buying bulk meat or other perishable goods. My parents owned a Malleys Tucker Box but there were many other brands of freezers available, such as the those pictured on sale at Kelly’s Electrical Discounter at St. Agnes Shopping Centre.

freezers

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