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Re: T.G.&Y. Stores:Gone but not forgotten
Generals64 - Did you ever work at the City of Moore store? I have a memory of salesclerk at that store named Julian helping me find my mom. I think he worked in sporting goods because I seem to remember him behind the gun & rifle counter. Odd the things that stick with you...
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Re: T.G.&Y. Stores:Gone but not forgotten
RAPID did TG&Y in all on their own.....Originally Posted by Generals64
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Re: T.G.&Y. Stores:Gone but not forgotten
You got that right. The details that came out after the fact are really the kind of stuff that should have been published. Greed, dishonesty and subtrafuge. The people who took over TG&Y were slimy, creepy, dispicable.
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Re: T.G.&Y. Stores:Gone but not forgotten
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Yes during the original store layout in 1965...(store was located where Harry Bear's used to be). Then during the original layout of the store where it ended and once during that store's remodel:...the guy's name was Jerry Julian and he was the co-Manager of that store.
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Re: T.G.&Y. Stores:Gone but not forgotten
This thread is so good to read. It's bringing back a lot of memories for me. In 1968, I was working as the office cashier in the store at 50th & Meridian. That store also held the office of the Supervisor, Ray Hicks. I was never the best at typing (in fact, I’ve always been an awful typist) but I was told I was to be his secretary. He was a nice man to work for and he later became a VP in California, I think. I don’t remember for sure.
After Ray Hicks was transferred to another division, I found myself working for Calvin Skaggs out of the same office. Mr. Skaggs always had difficulty keeping me busy. At one time he sent me on a covert mission to the stores in western Oklahoma. I was to try shoplifting, switching price tickets, etc. and see if the store personnel would catch me. Only one tiny little store caught a switched ticket. It was scary duty for an 18 year old. Mr. Skaggs would also send me into his local stores to get the list of “best sellers” from his managers. That’s where I first ran into David Green in the Penn Square store. (By the way, Jess Murphy was the manager of the Penn Square store before David Green. I know. I started working for the company there in 1966.) Mr. Green always made time to help me with my "assignment". (But, then, all the managers were good to work with me.)
The story goes that since Mr. Skaggs didn’t have enough work to keep me busy, he “traded” me to another supervisor, Ralph Thompson, for a store manager. So…. I went to work in the office over the Capitol Hill store (#11) with Ralph Thompson, Mr. Allen and Edwina Jones around the fall of 1969! Tough duty for a 20 year old!!
As a side note: In 1969 we (women) couldn’t wear pants to work yet. We all wore dresses or skirts until about a year later when the company policies were changed to allow us to wear “pant suits”.
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Re: T.G.&Y. Stores:Gone but not forgotten
I'd forgotten that. I went to work in the HQ office in 1969 and was a press operator in the print shop. I had to wear a white shirt and tie to run a dirty, nasty printing press. And a tie was dangerous with a press, so I always wore a clip-on tie. The women then had to wear dresses or skirts and hose. One of the ladies who ran a press got too close to the spinning hand-wheel one day and it took her skirt off. Instantly! Standing there in a slip and a blouse, she looked really surprised.
A couple years later women could wear "pant suits" but still had to wear hose. I didn't like that at the time, because the fashion was still mini dresses and skirts. Ha.
Men had to have good haircuts and facial hair or sideburns were not allowed. In about a year I started wearing sideburns. Then I grew a mustache. Some of the VPs frowned at me, but nobody ever told me I had to shave. Around that time it was getting to be hard for the old school guys to keep it the way they wanted. It was still years before they cracked down on store managers misusing their positions to get "special favors" from female employees.
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Re: T.G.&Y. Stores:Gone but not forgotten
Hey '64! The former Capitol Hill location is for lease!
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Re: T.G.&Y. Stores:Gone but not forgotten
Hey '64! Let's go get it and have another good little store. We could do it.
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Re: T.G.&Y. Stores:Gone but not forgotten
'64 can stock it out of his van.
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Re: T.G.&Y. Stores:Gone but not forgotten
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I tried to lease it one time before and the repairs that the building needed was astronomical. I still think a GOOD Variety Store chain could make it in old TG&Y locations.....Remember????TG&Y always had what you needed. Maybe not what you wanted always but if you really needed it....For your dollars best buy shop TG&Y....sheesh....
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Re: T.G.&Y. Stores:Gone but not forgotten
I still have one of those in-store jingle tapes. "Keep your eye on T.G.&Y. just around the corner with your very best buy."
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Re: T.G.&Y. Stores:Gone but not forgotten
General64:
Do you remember a toy called "Klackers"? They were acrylic balls on a cord. A family acquaintance claims that his father, who was a TG&Y manager, invented them and the family used to make them in their garage for resale. Do you know if this is true?
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Re: T.G.&Y. Stores:Gone but not forgotten
Don't know if it is true, but I would like to meet his father and wring his chicken neck. That has to be the most annoying toy ever invented.
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Re: T.G.&Y. Stores:Gone but not forgotten
I don't think a TG&Y store manager (Invented) the "Clackers" toy.....They were sold to ALL of the stores by a guy named Bud Smith who owned the Big Red shops around town. I wish I knew the name of the manager you were talking about as I was involved heavily with TG&Y when those #$@&% things were being sold. They quit selling us when one of the balls came off and went through the front window of the store at 59th and S. Penn....I was there.....luckily no got hurt.....let me know by PM the guys last name please....they had NO liability insurance at the time....
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Re: T.G.&Y. Stores:Gone but not forgotten
I was wondering if anyone on here might know or be this person that I am trying to locate. He has black hair and blue eyes, was a manager at TG&Y in Clinton Oklahoma around 1975-1976 until ?. I believe his first name is Randy " possible " last name Reinke.
If you have any info please send me an email at : comedy_tragedy65@yahoo.com
Thanks!
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Re: T.G.&Y. Stores:Gone but not forgotten
I fired off an email to an old friend who lived in Clinton from about 1980 to about 1989 to inquire. I'll follow up if I hear back from him.
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Re: T.G.&Y. Stores:Gone but not forgotten
R.I.P. E.J. Braun. Once the president of T.G.&Y., he presided over the company when it was still very profitable and not in a wild frenzy to find a "new thing" (like Aim for the Best). He passed away last Saturday and his services will be at St. Eugene's on 9/1/2010 at 11:30 AM. I took him and his wife to the last two T.G.&Y. reunions that they attended. He was a brilliant man, very stern-looking at the office but very warm-hearted on a personal level.
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Re: T.G.&Y. Stores:Gone but not forgotten
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Now there was a First Class Act. He was pretty strict to the guys in the field....Man, that brings back major memories......
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Re: T.G.&Y. Stores:Gone but not forgotten
If I remember right, Mr. Braun had a major vendetta on "coverage".
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Re: T.G.&Y. Stores:Gone but not forgotten
Uh:..................plead the fifth.................
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Re: T.G.&Y. Stores:Gone but not forgotten
Do I have my "chain of command" memories right? Mr. Braun was President when I moved into the headquarters. After him came Newgent? Then Kelley? But before him was it Henderson?
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Re: T.G.&Y. Stores:Gone but not forgotten
Mr. Young....C.A. Henderson....W.W. George...E.J. Braun...then Mr. Newgent....Dan Kelly.... Mr. DelSanto...John Herron....Then Rusthoven....50 years of Retail.....Down the Drain......22,000 employees....2.6 Billion Dollars in Sales Revenue....and a great Oklahoma Tax Base.....Where have you been lately girl? Too many Wine Festivals in Texas???? Do they still consider Lone Star Beer as the state Nectar?????
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Re: T.G.&Y. Stores:Gone but not forgotten
I had forgotten about Mr. George!. I was there through the DelSanto, Herron and Rusthoven days. Those guys came and went fast, with terrible results. I must have blocked them from my memory. They each brought in their own people to put in charge of us. It was pretty bad at times. During that last year I had problems with one man. Several of my buyers reported to him. His name was Jack Schwitter. If I said "up" he said "down". One day I'd had enough and I walked into his office and asked him if we had a business problem or a personal problem. It took him by surprise I guess. He then recounted each problem we'd had and told me that each and every time I'd been right. When I went back and told my boss what he'd said to me, he DENIED IT! His name I won't forget!!! EVER!!!
On a better note.....Yes. There are some beer drinkers down here and we let them celebrate that at our wine festivals too. Actually, we keep MGD in the fridge in the garage. Grapefest is still 15 days away and you've probably seen some TV ads in OKC too. When you live in Grapevine though, Wine is King!!
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Re: T.G.&Y. Stores:Gone but not forgotten
Hey".. if ANY of you guys and gals have any old TG&Y (Golden T) memorabilia could (or would) you bring it to Saturday's Meeting?...Steve Lackmeyer wants some pictures made and I would be a great time to do this....
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Re: T.G.&Y. Stores:Gone but not forgotten
Where is this meeting of which you speak? Time?
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