Skip to main content

Life in a supermarket

I am in the UK basking in temperatures I have rarely experienced here in the summer let alone February.  Here is the warning, however, the fresh meat section in the supermarket is so cold that my fingers turned white and I couldn't wait to get out of the aisles.  If they wish shoppers to linger and maybe buy more, or if they are hoping that the shoppers are having a pleasant experience in their stores, they are deliriously wrong.  It is a miserable experience.  I was so cold that even when I moved into non fresh food aisles I was suffering from lingering hypothermia.  My verdict - too cold, too much plastic.

My son works for a supermarket and we were trying to change his pension contributions.  On contacting the pension provider I was told that as the pension belongs to an outside source of independent stature that I should contact their human resources section for advice.  I rang them.  'That is a self-service proposition' I was told, 'so we can't help you.'  I asked what that meant and he repeated it - 5 times - as though it was going to become clearer.  'Yes, I know what you are saying and repeating it ad infinitum won't make it more understandable.  It is just gobbledygook.  Can I speak to someone who can actually give me advice and information on my son's pension? '

'That is a self-service proposition', he said, 'so we can't help you.'  'Well as a self-service proposition I would like to propose that you learn to speak plain English.'

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

D day lasts 3 days

 This morning, with my head full of things I still have to do, I got on the tram and forgot to scan my ticket.  The inspector got on 2 stops later and said I had to pay 45€ for this lapse.  Why can't I scan it now?  a reasonable question in my opinion, was met with scorn, so I  paid up.  On the tram back from the hospital there she was again and checked my ticket with glee.  While she was doing that a young man got on, sat down  and did not show any sign of even having a ticket, let alone scanning one.   The inspector passed him by without a second glance.   Today is the last day for packing and organising.  Tomorrow the removal company will arrive at 6am to take it all away and put it in storage.  Tomorrow night I will sleep in a sleeping bag on the floor and Thursday I go to the hospital to be nuked for the last time.  The sleeping bag is the one that saved me from hypothermia when a friend and I were lost for ...
1 comment
Read more

I'm Free

 After being incarcerated in my son's house waiting for the results of the day 2 test I was finally allowed out today.  I went to Chichester and was saddened by the number of familiar shops that have disappeared from the town centre.  Bognor is the same.  You wouldn't die of thirst in either town though as the number of cafes has increased.  Both town centres were busy making it difficult to keep a safe distance from others but many people were wearing masks in the street. I was pulled over by Customs in Caen.  As I opened the trunk of the car one of the officers asked me if I was carrying goods.  'Yes,' I replied, ' French Champagne and French wine'  They nodded approvingly and waved me away. During my 3 days in the house, I have cleaned, filed all their paperwork, mended the shower, cooked dinner and tried watching television, the latter being totally uninspiring.  The news consists of covid, travel restrictions, forbidden Christmas parties...
Post a Comment
Read more

How Apt

 As the sewage piles up around the apartment I think it is appropriate that we highlight World Toilet Day, which took place yesterday.  I have lived in countries where sewage systems were non-existent and where toilets were a luxury, even outside but I didn't really expect to endure the same in the middle of Saumur.  However, after 4 weeks, tomorrow will see workmen arrive to deal with the problem.  Please don't let there be a strike.  When they have fixed the broken  pipe we have to work out what we do with all that sewage just laying around.  I don't normally wish for torrential rain, or any rain at all, but please can it pour down on Friday?   The mairie phoned yesterday to say that they had spoken to the Prefecture who had given them a telephone number that I can ring to get an appointment to change the address on my identity card.  It is the same number I have been dialling for weeks and which is always busy. I read that Boris Johns...
Post a Comment
Read more