Interview 9
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A: Pharmacy.
Q: Pharmacy?
A: Well I’ve actually worked in this pharmacy for 25 years. It’s erm, owned by Mr Sirpal – Mr Rakesh Sirpal and he’s owned it for, I think, coming on 26 years now.
Q: Right.
A: So I, I basically started with him not long after he opened.
Q: Right and do you live here?
A: No I actually live in Stoke on Trent now, but I use to live on St Paul’s Road, which is just up the road from Ladypool Road. Erm, I’ve been in Stoke on Trent for probably about 10 years now, but obviously before then it was this area.
Q: So you’ve been working here for say, 25 years. What changes have you seen?
A: A lot!
Q: yeah
A: A lot of changes in shops, not that I would say it’s for the better. Errrrm, we have a lot more obviously restaurants opened up. A lot more clothes shops and there’s, there’s not much diversity for anybody, I feel personally, to come to the area anymore. Whereas before, we used to have… Co-op, we used to have the bakery, we used to have fishmongers. We used to have err, Asian butchers and English butchers. There used to be erm a couple of bars or pubs, whatever you want to call, however you want to call them. And like, a little hardware store – independent shops that sold a variety of things and not just one product, not just one thing. Whereas now, you find that it’s all either clothes shops, which nothing wrong in clothes shops, or restaurants. So people don’t tend to come to the area, unless they want to go for something to eat or buy a sari -
Q: Unless they’re ill to buy some medicine!
A: Yeah or ill! And also as well, I mean erm with pharmacy as well, I’ve noticed in the years that I’ve been here, that the business in pharmacy has dropped dramatically. And a lot of it is, I feel personally, that it is to do with the area because you’re not getting passing trade, you’re getting people that are ill, like you say, that need to come here. Whereas if you have people walking up and down shopping, “Oh, there’s a pharmacy, I’ll just pop in, and I’ll have a look and see what’s in there, buy something.” But we, we very rarely get that now.
Q: Ok, so it used to be a normal practice previously that people would just pop in and have a look around?
A: Yeah, yeah we had, I mean obviously you have your regular customers, errrm, but you used to get a lot of people that just used to walk in, passing traders they call it, just used to walk in just to see what you’re about, ask your advice and…
Q: Yeah. You’ve just mentioned the change that you’ve seen in the businesses in the last 25 years. Could you throw some light on what was the environment like before and now, say for example the roads and the general environment of this, look of this road?
A: Err… the look of the road was a lot cleaner… than it is today!
Q: Ok!
A: Erm… The, like I say because of the shops, there was more people. The people that were here… were more diverse, erm, so you had a very mixed community. You had English, West Indians, Erm Muslims, Indian, Jewish… erm, and it was a nice atmosphere, nice people, nice atmosphere. And then as I feel the businesses disappeared, and more clothes shops and restaurants opened, so has the community in a sense. It is still a nice community but for me personally, it’s not… its not as diverse anymore. Whereas before it was diverse and you could get anything for anybody, any nationality. Whereas now it seems to be all sort of centering on one nationality and the diversity’s gone for me.
Q: Ok and how has people’s attitudes changed in the last 25 years as you said that it is now dominated by one?
A: Erm, attitude really, I mean…
Q: Is it more friendly or?
A: No I don’t… No it isn’t! No, they are friendly don’t get me wrong, they are friendly but erm… and I think it’s with everywhere, everywhere you go, I think society’s just made people… rush more and there’s, there’s not the sense of ‘I know so and so down the road, let’s have a chat’ and the slowness and the community and the happiness, I think people are just…
Q: Yeah, it’s a fast moving community.
A: They just come in, they what they want and they go.
Q: No time to chat.
A: And they don’t want you to have a chat. They don’t like “Oh let me tell you about a new product or let me tell you about this – No not now I’ll come back!” Where as before people would come in, especially the older community will come in and it’s, it’s the highlight of their day because someone actually stood and chatted to them…
Q: Yeah
A: And they’d spend half an hour erm… and it wasn’t so much they wanted to buy something they just wanted the company.
Q: Yeah
A: Whereas, you don’t get that anymore.
Q: Why do you think that is? Is there less old people in the locality?!
A: I actually don’t know - if I’m honest. I wouldn’t say there’s less because obviously you’re gonna have a mixture of generations. I don’t know whether it’s because of the way society’s changed and elderly people don’t feel safe.
Q: And do you think the language is another barrier?
A: Erm… I’m not too sure actually because I don’t, I only speak English and I don’t generally have an issue. I, its occasionally that I do need to ask somebody to help me but normally we can, I can understand what a person wants and they can understand me. I, I don’t think its language; I think it might be society and people feeling safe. I think that’s what, what it is.
Q: And how do you see yourself I mean in 25 years…. I would consider it as a great kind of achievement that you are at one place for 25 years, when people just move one place to another because of dissatisfaction. So I am sure that you’re happy with you’re employer but, how do you see the changes when you first moved here? What was your role then and what is your role now?
A: Erm, it hasn’t changed much! No, it really hasn’t changed much if I’m honest, the role yeah the role’s still the same so… We all still work together, we work as a team and obviously it’s a nice place for you to work otherwise I wouldn’t be here!
Q: What are your achievements working as a pharmacist, here, on this…
A: Well I’m not a pharmacist, I’m just, I’m a pharmacy... well I work…
Q: Ok…shop assistant?
A: Yeah. What is my role…or how has it changed?
Q: I’m asking what have you achieved here what have you gained here experience wise?
A: Well obviously a lot of experience, erm because obviously you care used for……contra indications with other drugs, erm obviously giving it to……asking questions so that we don’t kill somebody, in a sense. Achievements, plenty of achievements here.
Q: What are you proud of particularly?
A: A lot of things really…..
Q: Can you share something with us? If you can remember?
A: Proud of, proud of in work? Proud of….
Q: Yeah.
A: Probably being here for 25 years.
Q: Yeah yeah something to be proud of, and how do you think the role of women in business has changed in this area?
A: I still don’t notice a lot of women working…
Q: You still don’t notice……?
A: Notice a lot of women working… they’re working but not in higher jobs if you know what I mean.
Q: On this road particularly?
A: Yeah they’re not sort of…….obviously the restaurants are very still dominated by men……and even a lot of the clothes shops as well… there’s still quite a few men, that work there. I think in this area it is still very quite dominated by men, but that’s my opinion.
Q: Yeah absolutely.
A: So….
Q: But in general do you think women contribution has increased particularly in this area.
A: Oh yeah yeah, I have noticed that there are a lot more stronger women, especially when they come into the shop……erm….and they speak their mind a lot more now where as they never used to and I have noticed that. Yeah so……
A: I still think in this area certainly, it probably still will be male dominated. I haven’t seen that big of a change to say that women are gonna have girl power……It would be nice.
Q: Would be very nice.
Q: How about these clothes shops which have suddenly spurted and they’re predominantly by women or at least they’re there on the counters more.
A: Yeah but I mean, like I was saying… clothes shops are everywhere and erm yes they are run by women but it’s women that shop there. So really for me, it would be a business where men and women shop, and to a see a woman in charge, to see a woman running that business and be treated equal by males, as customers and as people who work with them, colleagues…… that’s what I would like to see. Whether it will happen I don’t know, my lifetime, I don’t know.
Q: Yeah so do you think that in coming time, in future this scenario will change?
A: Maybe it will because I do see a lot stronger women coming through, so maybe it will, but you never know. Things, things do change.
Q: Do you see erm people that are born and probably brought up in Ladypool Road, do they stay here or do you think a lot of them move?
A: A lot of them have moved, a lot of them have moved…because I was obviously born and brought up around here and occasionally I still see people that used to live by me, and I’ll say “ I haven’t seen you for ages, where are you, are you still round here? ” “ No I moved ages ago.” A lot of the people, that…..the ones now, tend to stay round here because they’re families are obviously here, but the older generation when I was growing up, they’ve all moved.
Q: Why do you think that changed?
A: I don’t know, I don’t know. Obviously some people may have passed away and children have moved on, better themselves or move to different parts of the city or even out of the city, but I don’t know, if I’m honest.
Q: So thank you A:, thanks for this interview and you’ve given us really a very important information about the businesses on Ladypool Road and the role of women. How you have noticed the change err…thank you very much.
Q: And this interview was conducted by Dr Q: Mukesh Sharma.
A: A lot of changes in shops, not that I would say it’s for the better. Errrrm, we have a lot more obviously restaurants opened up. A lot more clothes shops and there’s, there’s not much diversity for anybody, I feel personally, to come to the area anymore. Whereas before, we used to have… Co-op, we used to have the bakery, we used to have fishmongers. We used to have err, Asian butchers and English butchers. There used to be erm a couple of bars or pubs, whatever you want to call, however you want to call them. And like, a little hardware store – independent shops that sold a variety of things and not just one product, not just one thing. Whereas now, you find that it’s all either clothes shops, which nothing wrong in clothes shops, or restaurants. So people don’t tend to come to the area, unless they want to go for something to eat or buy a sari -
Q: Unless they’re ill to buy some medicine!
A: Yeah or ill! And also as well, I mean erm with pharmacy as well, I’ve noticed in the years that I’ve been here, that the business in pharmacy has dropped dramatically. And a lot of it is, I feel personally, that it is to do with the area because you’re not getting passing trade, you’re getting people that are ill, like you say, that need to come here. Whereas if you have people walking up and down shopping, “Oh, there’s a pharmacy, I’ll just pop in, and I’ll have a look and see what’s in there, buy something.” But we, we very rarely get that now.
Q: Ok, so it used to be a normal practice previously that people would just pop in and have a look around?
A: Yeah, yeah we had, I mean obviously you have your regular customers, errrm, but you used to get a lot of people that just used to walk in, passing traders they call it, just used to walk in just to see what you’re about, ask your advice and…
Q: Yeah. You’ve just mentioned the change that you’ve seen in the businesses in the last 25 years. Could you throw some light on what was the environment like before and now, say for example the roads and the general environment of this, look of this road?
A: Err… the look of the road was a lot cleaner… than it is today!
Q: Ok!
A: Erm… The, like I say because of the shops, there was more people. The people that were here… were more diverse, erm, so you had a very mixed community. You had English, West Indians, Erm Muslims, Indian, Jewish… erm, and it was a nice atmosphere, nice people, nice atmosphere. And then as I feel the businesses disappeared, and more clothes shops and restaurants opened, so has the community in a sense. It is still a nice community but for me personally, it’s not… its not as diverse anymore. Whereas before it was diverse and you could get anything for anybody, any nationality. Whereas now it seems to be all sort of centering on one nationality and the diversity’s gone for me.
Q: Ok and how has people’s attitudes changed in the last 25 years as you said that it is now dominated by one?
A: Erm, attitude really, I mean…
Q: Is it more friendly or?
A: No I don’t… No it isn’t! No, they are friendly don’t get me wrong, they are friendly but erm… and I think it’s with everywhere, everywhere you go, I think society’s just made people… rush more and there’s, there’s not the sense of ‘I know so and so down the road, let’s have a chat’ and the slowness and the community and the happiness, I think people are just…
Q: Yeah, it’s a fast moving community.
A: They just come in, they what they want and they go.
Q: No time to chat.
A: And they don’t want you to have a chat. They don’t like “Oh let me tell you about a new product or let me tell you about this – No not now I’ll come back!” Where as before people would come in, especially the older community will come in and it’s, it’s the highlight of their day because someone actually stood and chatted to them…
Q: Yeah
A: And they’d spend half an hour erm… and it wasn’t so much they wanted to buy something they just wanted the company.
Q: Yeah
A: Whereas, you don’t get that anymore.
Q: Why do you think that is? Is there less old people in the locality?!
A: I actually don’t know - if I’m honest. I wouldn’t say there’s less because obviously you’re gonna have a mixture of generations. I don’t know whether it’s because of the way society’s changed and elderly people don’t feel safe.
Q: And do you think the language is another barrier?
A: Erm… I’m not too sure actually because I don’t, I only speak English and I don’t generally have an issue. I, its occasionally that I do need to ask somebody to help me but normally we can, I can understand what a person wants and they can understand me. I, I don’t think its language; I think it might be society and people feeling safe. I think that’s what, what it is.
Q: And how do you see yourself I mean in 25 years…. I would consider it as a great kind of achievement that you are at one place for 25 years, when people just move one place to another because of dissatisfaction. So I am sure that you’re happy with you’re employer but, how do you see the changes when you first moved here? What was your role then and what is your role now?
A: Erm, it hasn’t changed much! No, it really hasn’t changed much if I’m honest, the role yeah the role’s still the same so… We all still work together, we work as a team and obviously it’s a nice place for you to work otherwise I wouldn’t be here!
Q: What are your achievements working as a pharmacist, here, on this…
A: Well I’m not a pharmacist, I’m just, I’m a pharmacy... well I work…
Q: Ok…shop assistant?
A: Yeah. What is my role…or how has it changed?
Q: I’m asking what have you achieved here what have you gained here experience wise?
A: Well obviously a lot of experience, erm because obviously you care used for……contra indications with other drugs, erm obviously giving it to……asking questions so that we don’t kill somebody, in a sense. Achievements, plenty of achievements here.
Q: What are you proud of particularly?
A: A lot of things really…..
Q: Can you share something with us? If you can remember?
A: Proud of, proud of in work? Proud of….
Q: Yeah.
A: Probably being here for 25 years.
Q: Yeah yeah something to be proud of, and how do you think the role of women in business has changed in this area?
A: I still don’t notice a lot of women working…
Q: You still don’t notice……?
A: Notice a lot of women working… they’re working but not in higher jobs if you know what I mean.
Q: On this road particularly?
A: Yeah they’re not sort of…….obviously the restaurants are very still dominated by men……and even a lot of the clothes shops as well… there’s still quite a few men, that work there. I think in this area it is still very quite dominated by men, but that’s my opinion.
Q: Yeah absolutely.
A: So….
Q: But in general do you think women contribution has increased particularly in this area.
A: Oh yeah yeah, I have noticed that there are a lot more stronger women, especially when they come into the shop……erm….and they speak their mind a lot more now where as they never used to and I have noticed that. Yeah so……
A: I still think in this area certainly, it probably still will be male dominated. I haven’t seen that big of a change to say that women are gonna have girl power……It would be nice.
Q: Would be very nice.
Q: How about these clothes shops which have suddenly spurted and they’re predominantly by women or at least they’re there on the counters more.
A: Yeah but I mean, like I was saying… clothes shops are everywhere and erm yes they are run by women but it’s women that shop there. So really for me, it would be a business where men and women shop, and to a see a woman in charge, to see a woman running that business and be treated equal by males, as customers and as people who work with them, colleagues…… that’s what I would like to see. Whether it will happen I don’t know, my lifetime, I don’t know.
Q: Yeah so do you think that in coming time, in future this scenario will change?
A: Maybe it will because I do see a lot stronger women coming through, so maybe it will, but you never know. Things, things do change.
Q: Do you see erm people that are born and probably brought up in Ladypool Road, do they stay here or do you think a lot of them move?
A: A lot of them have moved, a lot of them have moved…because I was obviously born and brought up around here and occasionally I still see people that used to live by me, and I’ll say “ I haven’t seen you for ages, where are you, are you still round here? ” “ No I moved ages ago.” A lot of the people, that…..the ones now, tend to stay round here because they’re families are obviously here, but the older generation when I was growing up, they’ve all moved.
Q: Why do you think that changed?
A: I don’t know, I don’t know. Obviously some people may have passed away and children have moved on, better themselves or move to different parts of the city or even out of the city, but I don’t know, if I’m honest.
Q: So thank you A:, thanks for this interview and you’ve given us really a very important information about the businesses on Ladypool Road and the role of women. How you have noticed the change err…thank you very much.
Q: And this interview was conducted by Dr Q: Mukesh Sharma.
Sonia Sabri Company, 202 Moseley Street, Birmingham B12 0RT UK