Shopping in the 1960s

Every Saturday, we would head off into the town to get our weekly shopping. It seemed a very busy place back then with the pavements jammed with people. It was a time before superstores so everyone headed in to get all the food etc that they needed for the week. There was no pedestrianisation and the streets would be packed. Parking was always a job but we always seemed to either end up parked on the bomb site where Sainsbury's now stands or the bomb site where Toys R Us stands near Frankfort Gate. A man would wait at the entrance and issue us with a ticket (there were no machines back then). Dad would park up our Vauxhall Viva and we'd head off into town. We'd visit all the bigger shops but my favourite was Woolworth's. My memory might be playing tricks on me but many of the items seemed to be 6/6 including that painting of Kynance Cove that seemed to be on everyone's walls in the 1960s (now only found in charity shops and in doctor's surgeries!).

  

We would always end up at the Magnet Restaurant (as did everyone) for dinner. It was always quite busy and we'd go in and get a table for four. As far as I can remember, there was soup (usually oxtail), a roast and ice cream for afters. I'm sure there were other things on the menu but that's what I always had! The Magnet was very popular and I would always see kids from school with their parents there. My best friend's mum worked there at the time. BHS later opened a restaurant with a conveyor belt, which all the kids were fascinated by, so the Magnet lost some of its custom for a while. Back then, modern technology like conveyor belts were something only seen on programmes like Star Trek! Later, in the 70s, Plymouth got it's first fast food burger bar, a Wimpey! Dad would take me there to get a cheeseburger, which was 26p. You'd sit down and, if you were lucky, your cheeseburger would arrive about 40 minutes later. I loved them!
Anyway, after we left the Magnet, we'd do a bit more shopping, usually visiting shops like Spooners, Yeos, BHS, the Co-op, the Green Shield Stamp shop and Costers. If you were in any shop after 4.30pm, especially Woolworth's, a bell would go off to tell you that the shop would soon be closing.

Of course, by that time, the town was mainly deserted as everyone had left early to make sure that they were home in time for 4pm to watch the wrestling on tv! Les Kellett and Jackie Pallo seemed to be everyone's favourites!
Back at school on Monday morning, there was always a kid who would say, 'I saw you at the Magnet Restaurant on Saturday with your mum!'
Seems like a different world, although, I suppose, it was a very long time ago!