Wednesday, June 27, 2018

The changing world (137) May - Aug 85

May 5th   Steve preaching.
7th            Presbytery
12th          Steve preached
19th          Led in morning. Elliott preached.
24th          Session.
26th          Elliott preached.
Jun 2nd     Steve preached.
9th            Steve preached
13th          IPC AGM.
16th          Joe preached.
23rd         Joe preached.
28th          Session
30th          Elliott preached.
Jul 1st       Congregational meeting.
6th            IPC international food fair
7th            Steve preached. Cartmels to lunch.
14th          Elliott preached
21st          Elliott preached
24th        Session retreat for planning
27th         Life picket outside the abortion clinic.
28th         Paul Clowney preached
Aug 2nd  On holiday in Wilmslow.
5th           To Alton Towers. Deb was afraid of the Corkscrew until late in the day. Then she loved it and went on continually for the queues had gone.
10th          Back home.
11th          Joe preached.
12th          My diary is incomplete but by this time I believe I was manager for a new pharmacy in store at the supermarket of International Stores, Brentford. The post was advertised and it did not offer me more than my present employment but in such circumstances one would tell one's employer hoping he would make it worth one's while to stay. My manger advised me not to try that with my employer Dawes. But I did and at first he offered me a little more money. I accepted but after a couple of days Dawes told me to go. He scared me because he had just lost a manager to another company. But this pharmacist was immediately unhappy and asked Dawes for his job back. He earned less than me so Dawes took him back and told me to go. I did get a little sweet revenge as I recruited two of Dawes good dispensers to work with me in Brentford.
   But the move was not straightforward. International Stores needed to move the drinks sales area in the store to accommodate the new pharmacy. It was a simple case before the licensing magistrates; or so they thought. But the chairman of the magistrates bench was Stockwell an Ealing pharmacy owner and the license change was refused. As a result I had no job to go to. I approached Andrews, superintendent pharmacist at Moss and he gave me a temporary job in Feltham. International appealed and had a barrister presenting their case. Stockwell excused himself from the bench. The license was approved and I was manager of the pharmacy from the day it opened. My manager was a larger than life orthodox Jewish last, Sandra Walters. She was the best boss ever. The only one who would praise you fro a job well done. Unfortunately she left for Selfridges and her replacement was not half the man she was not having the weight of personality to argue the case for pharmacy among the grocers of International. So some of my best and worst employers were Jewish.  In store pharmacy was fine except the regular stock takings. Normally they are annual events in pharmacies and done by professionals employed  for it. Supermarkets have frequent stock takes and if their 'shrinkage' is deemed excessive, they mat be sprung on you any time. Dispensary stocktaking was still done by outside experts bu one had to do the rest of the stock with ones own staff out of normal hours, a right bind.
18th     Raju preached.
25th     Elliott preached.
26th     IPC Discoverers.



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