For us Old Times. During our working careers we all experienced the passing of JFK. Share with us what store you were working in.
I had just moved from the minor leagues to the major leagues and landed a job with the A&P up in Stratford Conn. That's where I got my nick-name coalcracker. We had a crew of about 10 guys and gals including deli and fish. Lou, our meat manager gave me $10 and said; go get 2 dozen donuts for the crew. There was a Dunkin Donuts store in walking distance from the store. I went in the store and sat down at the counter waiting for my order and while having cup of coffee it was around 11:30 I believe. They had a little b/w 5" TV on a shelf and the reception was terrible. I began to sip my coffee and all of a sudden the program was interrupted with a news flash about the assignation, you could hear a pin drop. So I grabbed my donuts and ran back to the store which only took a few minutes. Nobody in the store knew at that time. I ran into the cutting room and Lou took one look at me and said; what's the matter coalcracker. I told him and all the crew stopped what they were doing to listen to my news.
Now it was Friday a big day for that state of the art new store. The news spread so fast that in a matter of minutes the store emptied out. Remember there was no cell phones back then. All of us employees were shocked. Our crew held hands and we said a prayer for the fallen president. We all took our aprons o smocks off and went out on the floor where the store manger gave a little talk and said we might as well begin our clean up and go home. But before that the entire crew of the store had to get all that food in the buggies back on the shelves. That took an hour with over 35 or 40 employees. What's your story ?
I was a young 17 year old cutter at A&P on Navco Rd, Mobile, AL, we kept a radio in the cutting room, when that came on, strange as it may seem no one in that market cared about him, only the fact that a president had been killed was the only thing that piss every one off. The store manger brought a bottle of JD back and we had a few drinks, went back to filling up the case and clean up and went home, we had very little business the rest of the day after the news.
Burgermeister I'll answer part of that, his minor league store he may have been cutting two cattle a week, when he step into A&P in those days you had to break 6 to 8 cattle every Monday morning to get started, then fill the counter and do all that boning. In other words you ROCK & ROLLED in A&P's in those days, at that time A&P rules American with over 3600 stores. Another thing even with the union in them, If you didn't move you didn't stay. you were transferred to a small store out in the country side some where where they didn't need speed
I'll let coalcracker finish answering this now lol just wanted to get my two cent worth in here
I don't recall the day but am pretty sure at that point in time I spent my time terrorizing cats, dogs, and other stray animals when I was able to escape from the sandbox. I was just over 2 and pretty sure I had never tasted a steak yet.
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I'm not a vegetarian, but have eaten many animals that were.
Since I was born in 1977 I can't answer this. How about where were we on September 11th 2001? Like the JFK Assasination must people should remember that day clearly. I know I do.
Burgermeister I'll answer part of that, his minor league store he may have been cutting two cattle a week, when he step into A&P in those days you had to break 6 to 8 cattle every Monday morning to get started, then fill the counter and do all that boning. In other words you ROCK & ROLLED in A&P's in those days, at that time A&P rules American with over 3600 stores. Another thing even with the union in them, If you didn't move you didn't stay. you were transferred to a small store out in the country side some where where they didn't need speed
I'll let coalcracker finish answering this now lol just wanted to get my two cent worth in here
Thanks Leon I couldn't have said it better myself. LOL>
Burgermeister I'll answer part of that, his minor league store he may have been cutting two cattle a week, when he step into A&P in those days you had to break 6 to 8 cattle every Monday morning to get started, then fill the counter and do all that boning. In other words you ROCK & ROLLED in A&P's in those days, at that time A&P rules American with over 3600 stores. Another thing even with the union in them, If you didn't move you didn't stay. you were transferred to a small store out in the country side some where where they didn't need speed
I'll let coalcracker finish answering this now lol just wanted to get my two cent worth in here
Thanks Leon I couldn't have said it better myself. LOL>
I'd guess that any meat department in 1963 is major league compared to almost any meat dept today. But I'm sure you'd agree that you were a major league cutter back when you were in the so called minor league store.
The terms major and minor league have meaning to me because I used those terms to cut down a previous company I worked at and to praise my 2002-present place. I said it, but knew it wasn't true and if there's any truth to it, it's on the stores and not on the individuals.
I was in typing class Lancaster SC. What a terrible day. Had a brother in the FBI who was later killed, came by the IGA one day two weeks before Christmas and told me he was afraid he was going to be killed , he went on to say over 20 agents have been killed that know what I know and I am afraid my time will come , he went on to telll me he couldn't tell me anything or my life would be in danger also. To make a long story short he was killed less than two weeks later and we never found out anything about it. A funeral home in NC called me and said they had a body shipped to them and what to do with it and had my phone number.
I was cutting meat at Little Five Points in Atlanta, Store manager came back and told us he had been shot, to clean up and go home, he would write us out. The next day hardly anyone came in. For all my friends and family, two of which was in service took it hard. we had all voted for him. To this day I have never believe the Warren Commission.
I was in typing class Lancaster SC. What a terrible day. Had a brother in the FBI who was later killed, came by the IGA one day two weeks before Christmas and told me he was afraid he was going to be killed , he went on to say over 20 agents have been killed that know what I know and I am afraid my time will come , he went on to telll me he couldn't tell me anything or my life would be in danger also. To make a long story short he was killed less than two weeks later and we never found out anything about it. A funeral home in NC called me and said they had a body shipped to them and what to do with it and had my phone number.
I was in 7th grade gym class. I saw JFK in 1960 when he had made a stop at our school ( irish/catholic nuns ) just before the election. We had a raised stage/gym combo. A couple of friends and I were running off the stage to see who could jump the furthest. One of them landed on the gym teacher. The principal saw this and we were called to the office. After we got smacked we were sitting outside the office waiting for the period to end. We heard the news on the office radio. The period ended, we went back to class, the teacher heard about the jumping, we got smacked again. We told her what we heard on the radio. She smacked us again for ' making up a story ' Then the announcement came over the p.a. system.
