After Westfield And Eastfield, Is Croydon Getting Southfield?
It is good that shopping in Croydon is getting a makeover. Surely this one should be called Southfield.
I do hope that the makeover, also makes it easier to get a westbound tram from West Croydon station.
I’m An Attack Shopper
I don’t mess about shopping and especially where groceries are concerned.
Take this morning, which as I’m going to football at Ipswich this afternoon, was very much a small weekly shop for my staples and supper tonight.
My local Waitrose in Islington opens at 08:00 on a Saturday, with the Sainsburys next door opening an hour early. Because too, of the dreadful news from Australia, I decided to go as early as possible and left my house at 07:40. I didn’t buy much as the picture shows.
The Spoils Of My Attack
I did have to go to both stores, as Waitrose don’t sell my favourite Genius bread.
I don’t know when we started doing our shopping early on a Saturday morning, but this behaviour of a direct and early Saturday morning raid on the shops, was very much part of our married life.
The one difference, is that I use a list and C rarely did.
I tend to behave in the same way with IKEA. I needed some small pieces yesterday, so as I had nothing to do yesterday afternoon, except read the Internet or the Standard, I went to their store in Edmonton, reading the paper on the way.
Some might find this very much obsessive behaviour, but I do like to maximise the use of my time.
On the trip to football today, I’ll be reading the paper again and doing some difficult Sudokus.
How To Get A Free Plastic Carrier
I know they are still free in most of the UK, but sometimes I get a plastic bag from the supermarket, as they fit my waste bin well.
Today, when I got my copy of The Times, it was raining hard and I asked for a plastic carrier to keep it dry.
A Free Bag To Keep My Paper Dry
It worked well and I was able to get an unsoiled dry paper home.
Only In Waitrose In Islington
I couldn’t help noticing the carrots in the Waitrose in Islington.
Only In Waitrose In Islington
Perhaps, though the idea worked as I bought two!
I’ve seen carrots stacked neatly in places like India and Africa, but never in the UK.
And Now There Are Four!
I collected the third and fourth of my dining chairs today.
And Now There Are Four!
I did it like I did last time on a 30 bus.
As you can see, they still stack well, even with the IKEA cushions.
No Wonder The Co-Op Is In Trouble
The Co-op is reportedly in trouble financially, so today they are in the news, not about curing their problems, but because of their new office block. Here’s the first paragraph.
The Co-operative Group’s £100m new office has been declared the most environmentally friendly building in the world – ahead of its official opening by the Queen today.
One Angel Square achieved the highest ever eco rating for a building by BREEAM, the industry environmental assessment experts.
“Does the Queen get a divi?” was asked on BBC Breakfast this morning. I suppose to the BBC in Manchester, this is a low-cost story, as their crew, can just get on the tram.
I occassionally go into the Co-op at Dalston Junction station, but rarely buy anything except a paper and the odd grocery item. It does sell Genius bread, but the last time, I tried to buy one at the store, there was only one very sorry example on sale.
I can see this morning, why they are in trouble. Flagship projects and forgetting about customers.
I Miss My Boots
Boots in Islington is being expanded as I showed here.
But it now looks like May 2014 before it is fully opened.
It is a bit of a pain, as it is so convenient and very much up the ladder of helpful.
A Hassle And Courier-Free On-Line Purchase
I’ve had various issues with couriers in the past, like this episode.
So on Saturday night, when at 23:00 or so, I decided I needed some new trousers, I ordered them on line from Marks and Spencer and said that I’d like to pick them up sometime today, in their shop at the Angel. I chose the Angel store, as usually I pass through the area, at least once a day, often when I go to the Waitrose a few doors away or Chapel Market.
The original e-mail from Marks, said that the trousers would be in store after midday, but this morning I got an e-mail saying that they had been delivered to the store at 09:30.
I picked them up just after lunch.
Forty years ago, this small store, had been our local Marks and Spencer when we lived in the Barbican and most Saturdays we’d push the children up the hill to the Angel to do our weekend shopping.
Times have certainly changed. Picking those trousers up from Marks and Spencer was certainly less handle and there was nothing couriers could do to to throw spanners in the works.
Searching For A Genius Loaf
I generally have a soft brown, Genius loaf in the bread bin and today, I threw the remains of the last one out, as all I had left was the wrapping and two rather battered crusts.
So as I wanted to get a paper, I thought I’d get a new one at the littleWaitrose at Highbury Corner. But they only had the soft white bread, which would not be my first choice.
I know I can usually get the desired bread at Sainsburys at the Angel, but that would have meant coming back from there in the scrum of the rush hour. so I took the Overground to Dalston Junction, to try to buy the bread at the Co-Operative store at the station.
They did have a loaf, but the sell-by date was not very far away and the loaf felt, as though it was not that fresh.
So I took the bus home.
It’ll teach me not to do all my shopping at a bigger Waitrose like Canary Wharf or Bloomsbury. I don’t think I’ll bother with buying food at that Co-operative again.
Tesco Decide To Give Customers A Laugh
Unfortunately, this story about Tesco bombarding customers with adverts, won’t apply to me, as I don’t drive, but to have a laugh, I’d willingly buy someone some petrol to see what inappropriate adverts I got. After all, you’ve got shaving products, Downton Abbey boxed sets, holidays outside of the EU, gluten-rich fast food joints like Burger King and Subway, cars and car insurance for a start.
Some could be a lot worse than just inappropriate. Imagine showing a Jew or a Muslim, an advert for some of the finest pork sausages, a woman, who has trouble conceiving, an advert for children’s’ toys. I would laugh loudly, if I got shown an advert for a romantic all-in holiday for two, but others wouldn’t find it so funny!
In fact, this is one of those ideas that could create a whole lot of work for some smart lawyers, who know every niche of the law.
It may catch on, but not in the way Tesco feel it should!
The Anonymous Widower 