If You Can Remember When This Was Displayed in the KH - You Ain't No Spring Chicken! (page 3)

Journeyman

SydBarrett - I'm not sure which country you're in but you may have just missed it. I believe the food service stopped here in the UK in the early '90s, and charging for literature shortly after that. Not sure about the US, but presumably around the same time as I guess it was a global change.

Definitely by the late '90s when I was around, that had all stopped. It was just something I heard about anecdotally. I remember literature desks and distribution at conventions, but no food distribution and no charging for literature anywhere, although we still had a list at the hall which had 'suggested' donations for main items eg: Bibles, mags, etc. It was around that time they kept drumming into us to tell householders the literature was offered "without charge" NOT "free", because there was still a cost to produce it! 🙄

I used to hate being given cash contributions because of the hassle of having to remember to take them with you to the next meeting and drop them in the box. At least now it's easier that they don't accept cash from the ministry, and publishers are not expected to mention donations. Downside is all the begging for money is on the congregations themselves now, of course!

SydBarrett

"I believe the food service stopped here in the UK in the early '90s, and charging for literature shortly after that."

Interesting. So what was lunch like at 90's conventions? Did most people pack a lunch for the family each day, or did the local restaurants gets flooded with thousands of hungry JW's?

I remember at the end of the Sunday session, most people had purchased more food tickets than they needed, so people would line up to buy whatever concessions were left. You'd always end up going home with 2 weeks worth of breakfast pastries or cases of Shasta cola and whatnot.

Journeyman

A bit of both, depending on the venues.

For years, the main conventions I attended in London were at the Twickenham and Crystal Palace sports stadiums and there were not many food places near them, so mostly people brought their own cooler bags, etc.

But in the past decade or so most of the conventions have moved to indoor venues like conference centres that have lots of food chain options like Costa, KFC and McDonalds, so these get packed out during the lunch break. Or they used to, pre-COVID. It will be interesting to hear the reports of what happens this year across the country. Local retailers used to love it when the JWs were in town at the weekend as they made a lot of money, but if numbers at conventions start falling, then the attraction of having them around will soon fade!

smiddy3

I remember the chart well .I was in Melbourne at my first cong.in a rented hall ,Clifton hill , in 1960

I was 20 then.and I do remember the scripts.

Black Sheep

I remember them.

stan livedeath

i can remember going to a couple of internationals in the 60's--at Twickenham UK. There was mass catering on an industrial scale. Hot food dolloped on to a large plastic / laminate tray, woodgrain effect,---with different compartments. Standing at rows of tables--no seats. Eat and go.

Next stop were the mass latrine tents.

Early form of recycling.

BluesBrother

I well remember the Service Chart at the front of theHall. It was a whopper! at least 6ft tall for all to see. Notice that we had quotas rather than goals to achieve. If you failed to report 10 hours in a month, there was something wrong. We also had quotas for placements so you were expected to leave 10 magazines with people, for money , as well. .. Happy days ? I think not.

We always moaned about Convention food . But we moaned even more when they took it away.... . Mind you if you volunteered in food service, that was good fun !