Had to shop alone yesterday. My better half is ill with flu and the sprogs were both still in bed, old enough to be up and embracing whatever it is they like to do. Sleeping in must be what they enjoy.
While out alone, I decided to shop around for various things (after my little spat with tesco’s teenage management last week).
It took an hour longer, but the pennies dictate, with some success and some failures.
The town I shop in, is a typical small town centre, bargain shops, charity shops galore, discount stores all around, people don’t have much money and parking is available if you know where to go.
Things I noticed:
- Queuing behind a muscle-bound fella in one of the discount stores, he spent the queue time on his mobile, frantically texting someone, ignoring his partner.
She paid, straight out of the sliding doors, into the white BMW, which was parked in the disabled bays immediately outside the door. Got in without saying a word then sped off. - Lady with toddler waiting at the traffic lights to cross, as I approached.
Lady bent down to carry toddler across the road, resulting in her dress being wedged under toddler, revealing all her leg and very nearly her behind.
Strange that not one of the four blokes in the group crossing, pointed this out to her. More strange than none of the women pointed it out to her either. - Retail staff at one discount store, really don’t give a stuff about customer service. Standing around laughing and joking while the queue for the till was growing down the last aisle.
When called for over the tannoy, only two came (“All staff to checkouts”) looking like they’d lost some money. No enthusiasm, no drive, not a jot of eagerness. - Millions of playstations, xboxs’ and other assorted games consoles are made and sold. When they are no longer able to play the latest games, new models come out. Funny how none of these old models appear in charity shops?
While awaiting new glasses a year or so ago, I was browsing around a charity shop for the blind.
A bloke was chatting away to the lady behind the till, holding a hard wood empty veg box.
He gave the box to another lady and she disappeared out the back of the shop.
“I’ll take all your stock as I can fix them!” Offered the bloke.
“Even the older ones?” she quizzed.
“Yes, I can delete the hard drives and then they are good to go.”
They then had a discussion about how slow business was on the carboot sales in a nearby town. From their conversation it was revealed that the lady at the till runs a stall at various carboot sales on her Sundays off and moves around to a different one every week.
I wonder where she gets her stock from?
The other lady came from out of the back with the now full to bursting box, covered with an old piece of cloth.
“Thanks love, I’ll be back around this way in two weeks,” he shouted when leaving.
“It’s OK, we’ll save you all the ones we get in!”
Charity begins at home was never more apparent. - People pay for their shopping by scanning their mobile phone.
Not very secure really, now they don’t even need a card or a pin number. - Why do supermarkets have twelve tills installed, but only ever open four of them?
- People walk around a supermarket, telling each other they are “Finding bargains!”
If you remember what the supermarket’s role is (ie. it’s a business there to maximise profit) then the sheen they use in their marketing (also paid for by the prices YOU pay) that they are there for you, fades away and you’ll see the greedy money grabbing monopolies they really are. - People continue to shop in discount stores, then pack their shopping in upmarket bags, in the back of their top of the range, private reg vehicles.
I thought people no longer did this?
Today I shall be mostly lifting heavy things. Joy.