Taking orders and door to door delivery is nothing new. Looking back to Methley in the 40’s and 50’s you would remember a surprisingly large number of retail deliveries being made.
Starting with the Co-op, Bernard Russell would visit customers taking orders and 2 days later, hey presto, the goods would be delivered to the door (beat that online if you can).
Charlie Bentley, Walt Riby and Stan Pyrah would easily be remembered with their weekly horse drawn canvas covered cart selling mostly farm goods including their specialty forced rhubarb selling under the light of the Tilley lamps.
Varleys of Castleford like Charlie Bentley rang a bell to sell an extensive stock of hardware including pegs, galvanised buckets and step ladders from their van.
Who could forget fresh milk delivered by Connie Sykes with her pony and trap.
The pony Connie reminds me was called Nancy, the milk was deliciously creamy and occasionally warm. Connie dispensed it by immersing a log handled gill measure into the churn and pouring the half pints into the jugs of the queuing housewives. I clearly remember the day in the backs of Bondfield Terrace when the pony reared and tipped Connie and the milk churns and measures onto the ground, fortunately there were plenty of grown ups to give assistance,
Other delivery men were, Hey Bros selling lemonade and that thirst quenching dandelion and burdock and I suppose you could include Anthony Fell (another bell ringer) with his cornet twists and Johnny Walker the Butcher with his large wicker basket of meats. Also Maturi’s sharpening cutlery, Joe Thompson delivering coal, George Timson (Timoshenko) selling fresh fish from his handcart. haberdashery sold by Lamberts of Hunslet, Betterware and Gilligan’s roundabout taking either money rags or glass jars for your child’s ride.
Perhaps star of the show was Jackie Bosworth with his wooden handcart with the converted singer sowing machine wheels. Imagine Jackie taking orders on the internet then going to see Jack Raby at the colliery sawmill for all the offcuts for sale as firewood.