Stuff that your Dad used to get from work...

[Joey Shabadoo]

For a while my dad worked as a delivery driver for a Cash n Carry grocery wholesaler. The summer of 77 was spent with me riding along in either his van or one of his mate's helping out. It was the year Yorkies came out and I recall eating loads of them because, my dad assured me, the driver was allowed to keep any boxes that got dropped My sister's birthday party had the kids talking for years about the boxes of Mars bars, Curly wurlies and so on whilst my mum had her own personal collection of Walnut Whips.

One night there was a banging at the door as one of the other drivers passed on the news that the warehouse was on fire. I jumped in the van with my dad and we raced up there. As the firemen piled in the big loading doors, wading through rivers of chocolate, we joined the other staff going in the back door and "saving" thousands of fags, bottles of booze, beer etc.

And lighter flints. That was my contribution. All that booze and fags and what do I grab? A big box of lighter flints - 6 in a little plastic strip, 144 strips on a display stand, 96 display stands in a box. Over 80,000 flints - most of which are still up my dad's loft.

 

[Tin Pot]

A cow?

Gonorrhoea ?

 

[Firestorm]

When my dad worked in the design department of an electrical company, they were bought out by Phillips as the were a major competitor but much smaller, he occasionally brought home electric motors which my brother and I added gears to and made vehicles with meccano

All my kids will remember is boxes of computer "pyjama" paper and highlighters

 

[raleighnut]

For a while my dad worked as a delivery driver for a Cash n Carry grocery wholesaler. The summer of 77 was spent with me riding along in either his van or one of his mate's helping out. It was the year Yorkies came out and I recall eating loads of them because, my dad assured me, the driver was allowed to keep any boxes that got dropped My sister's birthday party had the kids talking for years about the boxes of Mars bars, Curly wurlies and so on whilst my mum had her own personal collection of Walnut Whips.

One night there was a banging at the door as one of the other drivers passed on the news that the warehouse was on fire. I jumped in the van with my dad and we raced up there. As the firemen piled in the big loading doors, wading through rivers of chocolate, we joined the other staff going in the back door and "saving" thousands of fags, bottles of booze, beer etc.

And lighter flints. That was my contribution. All that booze and fags and what do I grab? A big box of lighter flints - 6 in a little plastic strip, 144 strips on a display stand, 96 display stands in a box. Over 80,000 flints - most of which are still up my dad's loft.

 

[madferret]

My Dad was a bus driver, at the end of the shift they had to settle up by putting all the money in a machine. There were a large number of fake pound coins in circulation around these parts (made of lead I think), and the machine would reject and spit them out. He had to pay the difference so got quite good at knocking them back on the actual bus, but a few would get through. He used to get to keep the lead ones/

Every morning, on the mantelpiece would be 2 pound coins for our school dinners. More often than not, you can guess which ones me and my brother were taking to school! I remember a couple of times wondering why they didn't work in arcade machines. He didn't admit this for years.

 

[outlash]

My Dad was an engineer for GPO (later BT) at their international exchanges in the City of London. Never used to bring home anything of note from work (stationery most likely), but I do remember he would occasionally pop into Dunkin' Donuts and bring those home which in the late 70's/early 80's was quite exotic.

 

[Katherine]

I only ever got boxes of stripey continuous stationery; white with green stripes, tractor-feed. Useful for scribbling/drawing/paper aeroplanes.

It was often used. This was long before the data protection act.

We got piles of computer paper too.

 

[nickyboy]

My Dad was a plumber. All I can remember him bringing home for me were the chalky "grid" things that radiated heat in old gas fires. I don't even know what they're called.

Anyway, they were perfect for chalking pictures and stuff on the pavements

 

[Profpointy]

My Dad was a plumber. All I can remember him bringing home for me were the chalky "grid" things that radiated heat in old gas fires. I don't even know what they're called.

Anyway, they were perfect for chalking pictures and stuff on the pavements

Mmn, not asbestos I hope !

 

[RedRider]

My dad worked at Sellafield. I don't know what they were called but one time he brought these cool little glow in the dark nuggets home. I used to stick them in my nostrils, turn the lights out and pretend to be R2D2.

 

[RedRider]

Is your name Bart Simpson?

Cowabunga!

 

[nickyboy]

Mmn, not asbestos I hope !

I don't think so...am still here to tell the tale

They were a chalky material. Dunno what they were actually made from. A quick google has confirmed they're called "radiants". As may be expected in the internet age, there's even a website devoted to selling them
http://gasfireradiants.com/

 

[Profpointy]

I don't think so...am still here to tell the tale

They were a chalky material. Dunno what they were actually made from. A quick google has confirmed they're called "radiants". As may be expected in the internet age, there's even a website devoted to selling them
http://gasfireradiants.com/

Ah, I think I know the bits you mean - a kind of grid out of firebrick type stuff.

 

[Toshiba Boy]

My dad was a mechanic, so all the old ones off busses he used to bring home. All very shiny !

Dad was a machine tool fitter at Automotive Products in Leamington Spa. Was there from late 1960's to late 1980's, with c5,000 people working there in the 60's and 70's. The site is now a retail park.

 

[pawl]

We were talking in the office about stuff that our Dads used to bring home from their work, late 70's it was Bluebird toffee then early 80's Ever Ready batteries... must be a generation thing, the younger children of the 90's in the office were perplexed Dad brought stuff home for 'free' ahem...

My dad worked for textile machine manufacturer.

These machines were about 40 feet in length. Glad he didn't bring one home as he had a hernia