A Woman Behind the Counter

 This 1979 advert from a London area newspaper shows that Mecca Bookmakers were actively recruiting women to work behind the counter at the betting shop. For an industry that had been traditionally dominated by men, this must have been a bit jarring for some of the old guard. Here's the "Pollywasher" take on it: 


"Well I had her landed on me, didn’t I? No say in it. I suppose Charlie Sparkes was ahead of his time because it wasn’t long before the betting shops were full of women behind the counter, you couldn’t move for them. All the big chains did it as they spread round all the towns. But when he told me I was being lumbered with one to help me in the shop I won’t repeat what I said to him but let's just say I wasn’t happy about it. Sparkes, he says to me, “well a dolly bird might fetch the punters in and make the housewives feel more at home.” There were more of them coming in to put their bets on than we expected, all blowing their housekeeping on the favourite at Royal Ascot, thinking if it’s alright for the Queen Mum it’s alright for them. Sparkes says to me, “think of her like a barmaid. You go in the pub for a pint, who do you want serving you, a hatchet faced old git with a scowl or a smiling dolly bird with big bazookas? Well, that’s Barbara he says, nice big…eyes.”  I says to him, “oh I’m the hatchet faced old git am I?” And he told me I was a quick learner and went off and left me to it. She came waltzing in a couple of days later and I just had to get on with it."


Download "Pollywasher " from Amazon today. Search Amazon for Sarah Miller Walters books. 



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