Happy Memories from Pamela

My first memory of Steinbergs was walking into a part of the Production Control office on my first day, only to find my friend from school had started a couple of days before me. Our job was to print the size and name labels for clothing. Customers were Alexon, Marks & Spencer’s etc all high end quality items and back then way beyond our budget. We had fiddly little letters and numbers which we had to place in a block and set the printing machine away. We were covered in ink every day but everyone was so friendly it was like having a day out with friends rather than working. There was also a huge Rank Xerox copier in our room and everyone used to come in our office for their copying. I used a manual typewriter for any letters which were necessary. On occasions such as staff sickness, I used to work in the Bonus office. I’m sure the boss in there was called Joyce, and there was about two or three other girls. I remember using a manual adding machine which will now probably be in Beamish. The HR boss was called Betty Saville and no one messed with her. We occasionally had to also do work in the Time & Motion office, and were very friendly with the staff there too. Immediately outside our office was the Cutting Room where piles of cloth were turned into the various parts of garments. The blades on the knives had to be very sharp but I never remember any accidents happening. There was rows of machinists, all of whom were very friendly too and we always had a chat when passing on the way to the stores or the canteen. They held sales regularly to the public and my friend and I were able to pick a garment we liked and get it made from scratch to our size and pay weekly from our wages. I remember the Alexon Herringbone hacking jackets we had. I felt so proud wearing it, for a girl of 17 it was amazing! I also had a brown corduroy jacket which I wore for years.  I worked there from 1976 until just after I was married and moved to Spennymoor in 1979. They provided a bus to collect workers from Ferryhill, Spennymoor, Bishop Auckland etc.
Such happy memories of working there and such friendly people.