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Summary

A staff training film for the Boots Pure Drug Company introduced by the company's chairman John Boot.

Year:

1935

Duration:

0:35:25

Film type:

Black & White / Sound

Genre:

Training Film

Master format:

16mm

Description

(The opening of the film is missing). John Boot (Baron Trent) sitting behind a desk provides an introduction for a film that shows work at the firm's Beeston factory. We see exterior and interior shots of the plant and the private railway that brings in raw materials (including the firm's fireless locomotive). We see the storage of supplies, the cleaning of bottles and the subsequent filling of bottles of Parrish's Chemical Food and then tubes of toothpaste. There are also shots of the laboratorary where product testing is carried out.

After a link from John Boot we continue with a film that was designed for staff training in the retail side of the business. An unwell man working in an office is advised to go to Boots to buy a tonic. He receives poor service from the Boots staff who do not engage with him. We then see another shop assistant at work who offers better advice and asks questions to ensure he is recommending the best product. We also see a woman on the photography counter who is also keen to offer advice. Next in a house a family discuss Boots and their concerns about the speed of service. The daughter, Miss Smith, announces that she has applied for a job with the firm and then goes for an interview with the general manager. We then follow her training as a sales assistant as she develops the skills required by the firm. We see examples of selling technique with a woman who is unsure if she wants an expensive hair brush and another woman who is an awkward customer when buying a handbag which she later returns.

The film ends with the staff leaving the shop at the end of the day with Miss Smith amongst them. John Boot ends with a final closing section that led into a staff discussion when the film was originally screened.


Credits

No credits specified