Please Do Not Ask For Credit

Back when I was a kid, you would see this sign behind every counter of your corner shops. The reason for this post my local shop as recently put a sign like it up in there shop. The previous owner of the shop would allow you a small tab/credit but those days have gone it would seem.

Has a kid growing up in the seventies it was very much part of our weekly shop running up what we called a tab at the local shop. Where I lived in the Docks area we had two local shops, Saddlers were we didn’t have a credit arrangement. I am not sure if they allowed credit but I do remember one time coming up short with some cash and instead of saying, “pay me later”, I was made to run straight home to return with the right money.

Dad worked hard but some times the money didn't stretch to a week making for the need for a bit of credit I suppose todays equivalent would be a trip to the food bank.

Marion’s the other shop was our main shop and personally my favourite – it sold comics, sweets and sausage rolls three things I found I needed growing up. Mum had a credit arrangement at Marion’s and with dad paid on a Friday, Thursday was the main day for mum to use it. Mum would write out a list, I would leg it to the shop hand over the list and be asked “was this on the book” yes I would say, and on Friday, it would be paid off.

Years later after marriage and a move we found a helpful shop not just one but two and they were next door to one another who offered credit to trusted customers, which we became and like back in mums days could run up some credit. It was handy for times money was tight and one of the shops would not allow credit on cigarettes nor booze neither were a priority in our household anyway.