Sainsbury's remembered by customers

The first Sainsbury store opened in Drury Lane, London, in 1869. To mark the occasion, a birthday cake was cut over the bank holiday weekend by Linda Oliver, Corrine Bailey, Mary Oliver and Daniel Cruttenden, who is the fourth generation of his family to have worked in Sainsbury's Bexhill.

Linda has worked in the store since 1972. She said: "When I joined I didn't expect to be here more than 37 years later. But I really enjoy working here - there have been so many opportunities to learn and develop.

"I feel honoured to have been asked to start the 140th birthday celebrations."

Store Manager Kevin Davies said: "Our 140th birthday is an exciting time for us, and it's fantastic to have customers, colleagues and friends from Bexhill joining us to celebrate this amazing achievement.

"I'm so pleased Linda and members of her family have agreed to be our guests of honour.

Customers were given free Bags For Life over the bank holiday weekend, and a scrapbook of customers' memories and pictures has been bound.

Some customers recalled the Buckhurst Place opening in 1976, while others stretch further to the supermarket's first appearance in Bexhill in 1923, then a small store at 62 Devonshire Road.

Beryl Sanders said: "I remember dark mahogany counters, high chairs for the customers and the amazing brass tracks for the money to whizz to and from to the accountant's corner."

Different counters supplied customers with different products, with a great deal of showmanship on display in the way hams were hung and cheeses and butter cut.

Many remembered that in the 40s and 50s, John B Sainsbury, the founder's son, lived in Collington Rise.

Maureen Measures was a neighbour of his. She said: "He held garden parties for local charities, and had a wood opposite his house so my brothers and I used to ask him if we could pick some flowers for our mum.

"He always let us gather as many as we wanted and I expect we supplied a good many neighbours with his flowers too."

Others reminisced about leaving their children in prams outside the Devonshire Road store, and seeing the bankers carry money out by hand.

Sandra Willard said: "Most days, you would see four or so of the Sainsbury's staff walking together up Devonshire Road to the bank, carrying bags of coins literally thrown over their shoulders. They would all be chatting away, with no thought of danger."

Pictures from various trolley dashes and staff parties were also included in the booklet, which will be kept behind the customer service desk in Buckhurst Road should anyone be interested.