  Dfd Member Username: Dfd Post Number: 661 Registered: 09-2004 |
Did anyone on here work at Hudson's Dept. Store( or know someone who did)? What did you do? | ||
Maof2 Member Username: Maof2 Post Number: 704 Registered: 06-2008 |
I'm assuming you mean the downtown Hudsons? My mom worked at Eastland. | ||
Diane12163 Member Username: Diane12163 Post Number: 370 Registered: 07-2008 |
I worked at Eastland in the Rainbow Budget Store of Hudsons from about 1983-1986. My boss was primarily Bob Pooley. Ate at the Lemon Tree right outside the basement door and also Sanders. | ||
Maof2 Member Username: Maof2 Post Number: 708 Registered: 06-2008 |
Mom worked in the candy and pantry department in the 80's and early 90's. I remember the Lemon Tree and Sanders very well. My sister also worked at the hair salon at Eastland at the same time. | ||
Dfd Member Username: Dfd Post Number: 663 Registered: 09-2004 |
Either one. I'm guessing they where a big employer. | ||
Mikem Member Username: Mikem Post Number: 3690 Registered: 10-2003 |
My mother was the interior decorator's secretary, downtown, 1938-1940. | ||
Pffft Member Username: Pffft Post Number: 1738 Registered: 12-2003 |
Either one? There were lots of Hudson's. I worked Christmas sales at Oakland Mall Hudson's as a teenager. As temporary Christmas help you'd be put in a different department every day. I was painting kids' names on Christmas stockings one day, selling Girl Scout uniforms another day, then vitamins and health food, and most dangerously, men's shirts. The learning curve in men's shirts was steep, I was not a stellar salesgirl there. But I still have my "I'm happy to help you!" nametag. | ||
Mschievous Member Username: Mschievous Post Number: 274 Registered: 04-2008 |
I worked at the only real Hudson's (for me anyway) in downtown Detroit in the late 60s, early 70s. I was hired as a 'contingent' worker, means they called you when they needed you, mostly during the Christmas holidays. Loved it! Loved the smells, the various shops, the people, the revolving doors, the bells, and those classy ladies who ran the elevators and could tell you where absolutely anything in the store was located | ||
Mortalman Member Username: Mortalman Post Number: 330 Registered: 03-2007 |
Worked at J.L.Hudson's downtown in the package pick up department in 1963. Was at work the day JFK was assassinated and saw the crawler around the Detroit Bank & Trust Company building announcing his assassination. J.L. Hudson's had a memorial store window with a large photo of JFK, flowers, streamers and his name. We still marched in the Thanksgiving Day Parade a few days later. In those days Hudson's paid a day's wages if you marched in the parade. | ||
Greebomusic Member Username: Greebomusic Post Number: 14 Registered: 08-2008 |
My Mother worked at the Northland Hudson's in boy's wear and then cosmetics. I believe she started off downtown. | ||
Detroitplanner Member Username: Detroitplanner Post Number: 1912 Registered: 04-2006 |
I worked at the Hudson's on Warren Avenue. | ||
Warrenite84 Member Username: Warrenite84 Post Number: 395 Registered: 01-2007 |
I worked at Hudson's Oakland in stock and Package pick-up from 1985-1991. Met my wife there too. She worked in costume jewelry and the Swatch Watch counter. (Message edited by warrenite84 on September 24, 2008) | ||
Grumpyoldlady Member Username: Grumpyoldlady Post Number: 248 Registered: 06-2005 |
Hudson's Eastland store was my first job after I graduated from Denby High School in 1967. I worked in housewares, notions, books and childrens wear during the few months I was there before going to work for Ma Bell. | ||
Stinger4me Member Username: Stinger4me Post Number: 314 Registered: 08-2007 |
John Murphy was an acquaintance and he worked there. I think he was a buyer of sorts. | ||
Diane12163 Member Username: Diane12163 Post Number: 373 Registered: 07-2008 |
I used to go to Hudson's Downtown with my mum in the late 60's and 70's. We would just go browsing and sometimes she'd buy things. We'd eat in the restaurant there like a couple of society ladies dressed in our finery enjoying an afternoon of sandwiches or even better an entree and then we'd have some Sander's ice cream sundaes. I loved their ornate elevators with the brass doors and where you could see as you ascended or descended floors. Those were very special times spent with mum and I miss them. One of only a few good memories of my childhood. | ||
Dfd Member Username: Dfd Post Number: 665 Registered: 09-2004 |
"and where you could see as you ascended or descended floors." I remember the same thing from Lazarus in downtown Columbus OH in the 60s. | ||
Eastburn Member Username: Eastburn Post Number: 474 Registered: 03-2008 |
I worked in the night audit dept. at the downtown store in 1962 & 1963 while attending U of D. We primarily worked after the store closed. We cleared the tapes out of the cash registers throughout the store. Since we got to leave when all the work was done (the supervisor stayed & punched us all out) we didn't bother to turn on lights as we ran our "routes". I could basically find my way through the whole store in the dark. I also worked days for the accounting department making copies on a huge old ozylid machine which was an ancient wet copier. Worked in the upper floors of the store shuffling boxes of old records around. They let me use the executives' "Club 26" (26th floor) to shower after work before going to school. Once had J. L. Jr. waiting for me to get out of the shower. | ||
Sharms Member Username: Sharms Post Number: 71 Registered: 07-2007 |
During the summer (out of school) I worked downtown Monday through Friday. I was also a contingent. The way it worked for me was to report to a personnel representative on the first floor. He or she would give me a card that would tell me where I was to report for work. 99% of the time I worked in either men's furnishings on the second floor or sporting goods, also on the second floor. It was a full-time summer job. Loved selling the sweaters, shirts etc. Sporting goods was fun other than selling the sports shoes. Mostly bowling shoes in those days. (Late 60's) My dad was a fairly high ranking executive with offices on the 13th floor. Early on he would come down and ask me to have lunch with him in the Hudson's executive dining room. It was a nice invitation, but I always said no. I ate mostly in the very nice employee cafeteria with the folks I worked with. For a college kid, the employee discount was great. I loved working at Hudsons when it was a classy, almost formal, place. | ||
Sumas Member Username: Sumas Post Number: 288 Registered: 01-2008 |
I was an assistant buyer in the children's division. Loved working downtown | ||
Reddog289 Member Username: Reddog289 Post Number: 603 Registered: 08-2007 |
My father worked at Hudsons back in the 40,s. Got pix of him at some dinner with a bunch of ladys. MY mom worked in gift wrap during the holidays. Was at Hudsons the last Christmas before they closed Downtown, that was sad. Marshall Fields i could handle, but i ain,t bought nothing from Macys | ||
Mauser765 Member Username: Mauser765 Post Number: 3266 Registered: 01-2004 |
If anyone worked at Eastland, my grandmother may have been your supervisor. | ||
Norwalk Member Username: Norwalk Post Number: 369 Registered: 11-2006 |
My Grandmother retired from Hudsons. Worked the whole time in the Maturnity Department Downtown. She retired in 1974 and shortly before the store closed I took her back and I was amazed how many people knew her that were still working there. I am the proud owner of all her JL Hudson years of service pins. | ||
Crystal Member Username: Crystal Post Number: 285 Registered: 05-2007 |
My Dad was born in 1917. His first job was at Hudson's in the 1930's. He earned 25 cents an hour in the shipping department. He wrote the route number on each package for delivery by the ubiquitous Hudson's trucks. Fast forward 50 years. In 1987 I worked as a buyer for a laboratory in Novi. I needed to buy shelving for a new storage building, and settled on a vendor who sold shelving that had been in the Hudson's on Woodward. I remarked to Dad that all the shelving I had just bought was Hudson's green. I also mentioned that there were names painted in red, in old English script on the vertical edge of each shelf. Dad said that the names were Detroit street names that he had painted when he worked at Hudson's as a teenager. He then named the streets on every route. It's a small world! | ||
Burnsie Member Username: Burnsie Post Number: 1475 Registered: 11-2003 |
Maybe someone could fill me in on something I've always wondered about. Between when the store closed in Jan. '83 and when the last office workers left in Oct. '86, were there strict restrictions against wandering around the huge unused parts of the building, or were the workers able to "explore" during lunch breaks, etc.? | ||
Detroitbred Member Username: Detroitbred Post Number: 129 Registered: 06-2008 |
I worked at Northland, small appliances, met my husband there. He worked in paint / hardware, patio shop and other departments as well. My mother in law worked at the Oakland Mall store. Over all, it wasn't a bad place to work. Spent most of my paycheck on clothes ( the danger of working retail ). I remember they would cash you paycheck as long as you paid at least $5.00 on your charge account balance. Now that I think of it, my bedroom furniture came from Hudson's when my husband and I got married. We still have it ( won't tell you how old it is...still good though )! | ||
Dfd Member Username: Dfd Post Number: 667 Registered: 09-2004 |
How many Hudson's stores were there? | ||
Mortalman Member Username: Mortalman Post Number: 334 Registered: 03-2007 |
This is my employee number tag that went on my keyring! Does anyone else have one of the older ones before this version? J.L. Hudson's employment was employment like no other in the early days. It carried a status with it that others were envious of. The other young people in my neighborhood thought I had gotten a "plum" of a job. The girls, especially took an interest in me because of the perceived excellent employment opportunity I had obtained. I remember women coming to the Hudson's store downtown in chauffeur driven limousines that drove into the covered drive between the Farmer Street and Woodward Street sides. They came from Grosse Pointe for the Monday Sales; you’re never too rich that you can’t appreciate a good sale, followed by a very elegant luncheon with other of their lady friends from the Pointes in the fine dining room of the downtown store. We have it so much better today than they did in yesteryears, NOT! When I worked at Hudson's we did gift wrapping for free, we delivered your packages to your home or office for free and we had merchandise that fit every pocketbook. If longing for those days is living in the past then give me the past.  | ||
Burnsie Member Username: Burnsie Post Number: 1477 Registered: 11-2003 |
Dfd-- Go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H udson%27s Might not be 100% complete but it's a good start. | ||
Dfd Member Username: Dfd Post Number: 669 Registered: 09-2004 |
Looks like about 25 stores in all the states listed. The middle part of that wikipedia article kinda makes your heart ache doesn't it. Of course it's probably a lot worse for those of you who experienced the hey day of the store. What was the time period of the chauffeur driven limousines? That must have been neat to see all of that going on. Mm thanks for posting that picture. Burnsie, thanks for the link to wikipedia. Interesting to see where American Motors came from. | ||
Wanderinglady Member Username: Wanderinglady Post Number: 115 Registered: 10-2007 |
My sister worked as a temp salesperson in the linen department at the downtown store during "Downtown Detroit Days" (remember those?) and in the summer in the '70's. I worked at Northland the summer of 1986 in the "bridge" (i.e., just below designer) misses department (I can't remember what they called that department). Mind you, I just graduated from college, so that made me about 20-30 years younger than my average customer. So I had to deal with either the motherly types, who gave mostly unwanted advice, or the bossy types, who wanted everything RIGHT NOW. Service standards have changed so much since then -- there was no way I could have been as unhelpful as current sales personnel are now. That is, when you can find them! Anybody belong to Hudson's credit union? I had an account there from the time I worked there until the time the credit union closed. |
