Maine,

   You said it very well. It WAS a different world.  I have been deliberately vague but could be much more specific and titillating.  Back then (late 60s and the 70s). It was normal to have both a cigarette and cup of coffee on the block with you, pretty much all day, and for many guys a bottle of liquor UNDER the block.  It was common to go to liquid lunch and have a half dozen beers in that hour. Christmas week mostly no one was sober, but even supervision was ok with that and participated.

As time went on I saw smoking move from openly on the block to "discretely" on the block (don't let the customer or store mgr. see) to where it was only ok in the cooler when grinding, breaking beef, or cleaning, to where it became only ok in the back room behind the cutting room, until finally you had to go outside the store to smoke.

Mainemeatman wrote:

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it was a different world

many meat dept. had 3-5 wrappers, hams were wrapped as was all poultry

this was back in the 70's and before....different world

you go in the breakroom, it was a cloud of smoke- most folks smoked back then, and you did in the breakroom..
this was an era before the sexual harrassment policies of today- you could joke around, not afraid to offend someone,

you worked hard, and liked to joke around for levity, to break the monotony- it was a close knit group, and when you have males and females working together-things happen-you still see it today- people in stores have affairs and such-

i can tell many stories, but i'd have to change my screename to be anonymous to protect the innocent (and guilty)

Here's one example- I was working late doing inventory on a saturday night and one of the wrappers was on the rotation- she shared some "troubles" and wanted to talk, so i listened....next thing you know , she's wanting a hug, well,
if i didnt stop, things would have happened quickly...



I remember having to move to get "full-time" in a new chain store, the meat supervisor drilled me on being professional, and conducting myself with dignity -he did this to everyone...
well, the second day i was at this high volume state of the art store, im walking to my car, and there are the meatcutters in a car in the parking lot-drinking beer....always keeping an open seat for a wrapper or deli girl
again a different world.

i remember going to a store with my grandmother in the mid 70's(before i got in the business) the meatcutters were handing out free "eggnog" that had alcohol in it- while smoking cigarettes right in the store.

lots of things went on,,or are still going on,,,but its not for public consumption-thats why you dont hear about this stuff

my first job as a clean up kid,,,was because a friend of mine,,who had the job, got caught smoking weed in the cooler - he got caught, and fired,,but from what i heard, that was a store tradition on saturday nights, even with some managers

you dont "hear" about alot,,because most wont air dirty laundry or water under the bridge, or frankly, was not too proud of it...

once all the stores installed cameras everywhere- alot of people got let go- even managers-but officially, they wouldnt tell you it was because they got caught drinking or messing around...bad press- no store wanted that stuff aired

different times back then,,,,doesnt make it better or worse, just a different world-

I remember one meat manager had to be carried to the compressor room -to get him out of sight of the district manager-it was before christmas, and he had too much to drink

i could write a book-but im on the other side of it now- we had a new store opening, and i was interviewing for meat dept personell
I could smell whiskey on this meatcutter's breath-
he had good experience- i took him outside and said " if I smell whiskey again, you will be asked to leave immediately"

today you have to take an overkill attitude because of liability- that wasnt such an issue years ago, and once a manager "knows" about something and doesnt "react" he and/or the company can be sue'd severely.

when i talk to the old-timers that worked in the 60's and 70's, the stories they tell are hard to believe- it was a different world


I get some young fellas asking me this stuff from years ago- i dont volunteer much-although i have some good stories,,,,doesnt set a good example or tone for today

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