Shopgirls: The True Story of Life Behind the Counter

Dr Pamela Cox presents this three-part series following the journey of the shopgirl from an almost invisible figure in stark Victorian stores, to being the beating heart of modern shops.

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Created By
Status	Ended
Original Name	Shopgirls: The True Story of Life Behind the Counter
First Air Date	June 24, 2014
Last Air Date	July 8, 2014
Seasons	1
Episodes	3
Episode Runtime	59min
Language	English
Original Language	English
Production Countries	United Kingdom
Production Companies	Betty TV
Networks	BBC Two

S01E03

The New Cool

During the London Blitz, shopworkers rescued evacuees and served customers from bomb-damaged premises. The war created flexible working opportunities on the shop floor and gave rise to a new concept, the working mum. By the 1960s, teenagers emulated the beautiful shopgirls working in trendy boutiques like Mary Quant's Bazaar in London's Kings Road. Shopgirls were crucial to the success of stores like Biba, where their jobs were more about modelling the clothes and hanging out rather than giving customers the hard sell.

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