1970 was the year I started with another new employer. Now 19 yrs of age. (At this stage I was back in town, again, sigh!) It was a very old, and famous stationer called W C Penfold's Store.

Now, as we launch into this part of my story, I'm wondering if the lawyers and legal eagles are getting out their knives for me. Alas, the fact is, as a zoom forward... WCP finally closed down, and its place was taken in stationery supply by the big Officeworks stationery group. So no worries there.

Firstly, let me say, at the outset; Penfold's was a very good company to work for, in the time I was employed there. They were very good to their staff in a time of need. At one stage, I was ill with pneumonia and had already used most of my sick leave. The company, very graciously, sent wages home for the fortnight I was off sick. I will always be grateful for their generosity.

At the time of my application for employment at Penfold's, my first point of contact was the Floor Manager. This person turned out, to me, to be a very complex identity but more on that subject, later. On the first visit, inquiring about the position advertised, the "floor manager" spent about an hour going through shop procedure with me. Then when I commenced with the company, there was another two-hour session, with him.

It was a session on product knowledge and rules of service, before being let loose on the shop floor. The "old fashioned-ness" of the place was accentuated by the using of "Mr or Mrs or Miss so and so" when speaking to staff, even in the presence of staff only. As a matter of fact, the old British show "Are You Being Served - Grace Brothers" on the television brings back some very strong memories of those days, in more ways than one. For starters, I wonder if they thought I was "Gay", as was almost everyone else there- the male staff, anyway...

In thinking back to my employment at "York Air Conditioning" previously, it was a really good lead-up to this job. Especially being a stationery store, dealing with a lot of the same thing I had done at the former job.

In the early days of my time at Penfold's, in 1970, I was "Called Up" for National Service.  My ball had been selected from the "lottery".This was similar to the American Draft, and at the time was to get young men to train for service in the War in Vietnam. I failed the Medical in any case. But then, had I qualified medically, I am still not sure I would have actually ended up in Vietnam as the then Labor Government (Americans read Demoncrap or DEMONRAT equivalent) - abolished Conscription (National Service.) The place where the Medical examination was carried out was the "Grace Building" then leased to the Dept of Veteran's Affairs, and where I was to work some years later - a strange coincidence.

An aspect I found quite difficult, was standing up all day. I know most retail stores require staff to be on their feet throughout the day's trading but this floor was hard concrete. I had a few visits to the Podiatrist or Chiropodist as they were then called, during my time at "Pitfalls" as I liked to call them. (As it was located in Pitt St., in the City)

Unfortunately, I never understood the usefulness or method of application of the "Arch Supports*" the podiatrist supplied to me as they were known back then, for inside my shoes. To be quite honest, I don't think he instructed me properly on their use, either. I am now a permanent wearer of not just "Arch Supports" anymore; but now the new name and new, technologically designed shoe insert known these days, as "Orthotics."

It was during my employment at Penfold's' I became more interested in the minds of people and their idiosyncrasies. Someone accused me, at one time, of visually undressing a customer with my eyes, when I was serving her in the shop. I couldn't tell if she was flirting with me, or accusing me of sexual harassment, but we never got any further. Although I must say; I had my favourite customers, usually young office girls that got me going.
So at least my hormones, it would appear, were working ok - to a point anyway, in those days. Just as well my eyes were in better shape then than now, as the eyes seem to do more looking in the different directions - these days, literally, than they did back then. (Due to the old corrected 'turn' operated on as a child, wearing out.) The Ophthalmologist these days says I am too old to do another muscle correction.

It certainly was a great honour from time to time, to meet, and even be the one to actually serve some famous people. One of these was Jerry Lewis. I don't know what he was doing in Sydney. Maybe I knew better back in those days, but I have forgotten, now. Man! That guy must have bathed in "Brut" deodorant! Maybe the company was one of his sponsors? It certainly drew a crowd from all over the several floors of the store. Nice being the almost centre of attention at that time. Should have got an autograph. 

Another famous personality was Sandy Scott. He was a well-known singer, here in Australia for many years. I actually almost got to deal with him twice, at Penfolds.  The first time, I served him, he wanted to pay by cheque. The store policy dictated that to accept cheques, I had to go upstairs, and get it authorised by one of the managers.

The next time Sandy Scott came in, to another section. He again wanted to pay by cheque. When the assistant wanted to get the cheque verified, he started to throw up his arms impatiently, looking over to me, to help him. I just had to say,
"Sorry, sir,  that is a company procedure. Anytime someone wants to pay by cheque we have to get it authorised." 
Bankcards were very new in those days, similar to today's Mastercard and Visa, or even American Express. Amex was probably around long before any of these others anyway.

I can still remember, a fellow who worked in the upstairs storeroom. The uniqueness of this chap was the "atmosphere," that surrounded him. (I certainly could not insult the word by calling it "ambience?!") I was not aware if he had a problem with it, but after this guy passed you, you could count to five and then this "cyclone" of body odour, foot odour, bad breath and any other pongs or  "atmospheres" you could imagine, would swiftly almost knock you off your feet. Another fellow used to like putting a different colour through his hair (what was left of it), each week. We ended up running a competition to see who could guess what colour his hair was going to be the next week.

The floor manager guy I mentioned earlier was really dedicated to his work. So much so, on the job he watched you like a hawk, was very serious with you at all times, and didn't miss a thing. However, off the job (at lunchtime), he was quite good-natured and sociable towards you. Sort of a "Jekyll and Hyde" make-up, if you will. In more recent times, I have been reminded of him again, in the person, would you believe, of our Local Federal member, Mr Chris Bowen - who is actually my old boss's Nephew, pretty sure! The Local member's father worked for the railway - I remember his Uncle, probably, talking about his brother working on the railway. Go figure!

There was a fellow who was the window dresser and "would-be-boss person". Every time you would say...
 "see you later" he would return with...
 "not if I see you first". And one of his other favourite expressions in response to...
 "excuse me", was...
 "I did when I first saw you". Groan! The truth be known, you probably smelled him before you saw him, anyway. Seeing he was a very heavy smoker. I think smokers also lose their sense of smell, in some cases, as well as their taste*. More on this, again as promised earlier, in my "*Geoffossary" at the end of this book.

As far as the women in the store went, cutting it really short, their "grapevine" would make "Peyton Place" & "Harper Valley PTA" look like Sunday school, with their tongues. I know there were a lot of "cliques" around the store in the different departments. I am sure many staff were the source of, particularly, the women's breakfasts. I got on with most of the women there ok.

I still remember the great event of stocktaking every year. We had to count every pen nib (script, calligraphy etc.) - every sheet of carbon paper - do we still have that around? And I'm sure some of the stock we were counting had been in the store since it opened in 1830 or so... (just kidding!)
 
The shop was on the Ground and Basement levels of a 15 storey building at 88 Pitt St Sydney and one of the big events I can remember, from the "Penfold’s" days, was the time when the sewerage system, for the entire building, collapsed and we ended up with about 3 inches of raw sewage running throughout the "Office Systems" section, in the basement of the store. Pew! Staff members were offered overtime to stay and help clean it up; needless to say, I didn't accept the offer.

Towards the end of my time at Penfold’s, I began to be trusted with more responsibility. I was allocated the position of "Register checker". This entailed starting early before all the rest of the staff arrived. I would go around to each of the banks of registers to record the numbers on the counters of each machine. Most of the register "banks" had six drawers underneath including below them, six ‘counters’ of numbers to record each transaction made on each of the six sections of each register bank. We are speaking of an era prior to check out operators and self-serve aisles and strictly "over the counter" personal service. No computer controlled, barcode scanning registers in those days.
 
The early start and finish were a big help especially travelling all the way in from the north-western suburbs, as I was every day I worked. I think management knew I was getting restless and in fact, I had already found the new job I was moving to closer to home again at the Macquarie University. They offered me a Departmental Manager position in one of their soon to open suburban stores, closer to my home. I had already set my heart on the job at the University and turned this very nice offer down.