Green Shield Stamps

Wishbone Ash

Remember those?

They were all the rage in the 1970s. They were given by supermarkets for customer loyalty depending on the amount spent. There used to be small one and large ones. One large one was equivalent to four small ones. They had to be stuck into a book and then they could be exchanged for various items. When I was sent to the shop, my mother used to always add "Don't forget to ask the girl for the stamps".

I don't recall a brochure as such for choosing items but everyone seemed to get Thermos flasks with them. I suppose it was the era when people took a lunch to work. It was also common to hear people reply "Oh, I got those with the stamps" when something in the house was admired.

Hagar

You used to get a stamp for every 6d spent ie 40 to the £.
Big attraction in petrol stations. There used to be signs like "Double stamps on Tuesdays". I remember my Da going to one garage all the time because he knew that guy and used to get loads of stamps for free.

They didn't encourage loyalty to any supermarket though as everyone gave out the same stamps.

Ryaller

Remember when Quinnsworth (or was it Tesco?) gave you stamps with your shopping that you filled a leaflet with and could swap for twenty quids worth of toys?

Ah, Zoidzilla - you will be mine.

Wishbone Ash

Hagar wrote:

They didn't encourage loyalty to any supermarket though as everyone gave out the same stamps.

Yes, I was thinking that 'loyalty' wasn't the appropriate word alright.

I'd forgotten about the "Double Stamps" days!

Flukey

Green Shield Stamps were big in their day. I remember them well.

Gaspode

I have a couple of full books of green shield stamps up in the attic. S'pose its too late to cash em in now?

dubtom

Greesn shield stamps,well worth saving.
Can't remember the rest. You should sell those books on ebay deswalsh, you might get thrupence happeny.

jos28

Green shield stamps had a catalogue. Household stuff like towels, lamps,radios,sets of screwdrivers, step ladders, toys......
Some of the things I remember.
Their HQ was in Henry St where the entrance to Jervis St Centre is now. You queued up, filled in the form, the staff counted your books of stamps and approved your order. Then came the exciting bit, they put your form into a small capsule and into the chute and it shot off into cyberspace or somewhere. 10 minutes later your requested goodies appeared on the counter. Magic !

crosstownk

jos28 wrote:

Green shield stamps had a catalogue. Household stuff like towels, lamps,radios,sets of screwdrivers, step ladders, toys......

Yes - I remember my mother getting a ceiling light for the front room with Green Shield Stamps. I barely remember the stamp books - orange, iirc. But I've no idea how the whole thing worked. I must ask the Ma and see what she remembers.

I also remember all those stamps that the petrol stations gave out - I think the Texaco radio-watch was one of the first. And then all those drinking glasses the petrol station gave out. My dad drove taxi back then and the amount of watches, calculators, glasses, stamps, free-a-nippers and other 'petrol stamp' things in the house was crazy!

L1011

They became Argos, if anyone remembers the first Argos store was where the green shield claim shop was... I've been told you can still exchange the stamps for cash somewhere but I dunno where - not Argos anyway. There was definately some charity collecting them recently enough anyway.

Wishbone Ash

I see that the humble Green Shield Stamps were the subject of Government debate in 1975!

Senator Russell put his finger on the nub of the whole thing when he spoke about Green Shield stamps, because Green Shield stamps in my view are the greatest fraud that this country has seen since Shanahan stamps, and we should have learned enough from that at the time. The problem with Green Shield stamps in regard to petrol, as against groceries in supermarkets or any other form of business where they are given, is that supermarkets and so on can adjust their prices to compensate the cost of the loss on the Green Shield stamps, but on petrol there is a profit that cannot be altered and when a retailer gives Green Shield stamps he is giving away his profit. Fair enough. If a person is foolish enough to give profits away it is his own business. However, as a result of the collaboration between the petrol companies and Green Shield stamps, there is the danger that we will have a restrictive practice. I should like the Parliamentary Secretary to take note of this. When a dealer gets Green Shield stamps he gets a franchise and nobody else in that area will get them. The petrol companies have taken up most of the franchise and the petrol dealer is losing the [323] business because, even if he wanted to, he still could not give Green Shield stamps. This is legalised blackmail. The Green Shield company know they have the advantage so long as everybody does not have the stamps. That is all I would ask the Parliamentary Secretary to do, that is, to make them available to everybody and as a result they will lose their value. If they can be obtained in every station, business will not be attracted to any particular station and the petrol companies will drop them. One of the petrol companies are now giving them for central heating oil and as a result they are getting the major part of the business.

When these submissions were made to the former Minister for Industry and Commerce he agreed with them and decided to make an order preventing this practice. However, a month after this, the then Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry and Commerce opened a big gift store for the Green Shield company, so we can judge the sincerity of that decision. I would appeal to the Parliamentary Secretary that if Green Shield stamps are to continue he should lift the restriction and make the stamps available to everybody. Then all will be equal. As a petrol retailer, I welcome the extension of this Bill and I hope it will be reviewed in three years' time.

Hagar

I seem to remember a Green Shield Stamps office in Suffolk st. where Elvery's / The AA office were.
Henry St maybe, but I don't remember it.

jos28

Here they are_

byte

I remember something similar to Green Shield in the 80s or early 90's in a local shop. The stamps were collected in a red book, and i think it was a charity. Nearly sure it was SMA or something like that

Wishbone Ash

jos28 wrote:

Here they are_

Those are the small ones. There were also large ones (4 small=1 large).

arybvtcw0eolkf

I got my first fishing rod on my greenshield stamps book!.

As far as I can recall the shop was on Henry St. (Dublin).

L1011

byte wrote:

I remember something similar to Green Shield in the 80s or early 90's in a local shop. The stamps were collected in a red book, and i think it was a charity. Nearly sure it was SMA or something like that

Sure that wasn't "The Cope" stamps? Might be too far down the county, but they go in a red book...