If you read my blog you’ll know that I’m always moaning about the supermarket checkout operatives.  Last week our local supermarket had some of those self-serve gizmos fitted.  Now is this a good thing or not?  My initial response is that I’d rather deal with a human being than a machine, but then I complain about most of the humans who serve me - chewing gum, talking across the tills, not meeting my eye, treating my food in a heavy-handed way.

My wife says that the solution is not machines, but better training and pay for the operatives.  I’m not so sure, so I’ll be having a go with the machines to see what they’re like.

Further reports to follow …..

I was at the supermarket this weekend and I felt that the shelves looked different but it took me a while to work it out.  All the stuff was still in the boxes!  They’ve just plonked them on the shelves and cut the end of the box off.  What happened to taking things out, to unpacking them and placing them on the shelves.  Years ago there was a supermarket that sold out of the boxes - pile ‘em high and sell ‘em cheap.  And it was cheap and the stuff was pretty rubbish too.

The difference now is that it’s not cheap.  Oh no, it’s well pricey.  And on top of that quite a lot of the own brand stuff is going down in quality.  I wonder if they think we won’t notice?  That because it used to be good quality at reasonable prices then we’ll just carry on?  I’m not sure that we will.  I’m already noticing that we are buying less, and that we are beginning to favour more local stores where people know your name - because if you’re going to have to pay high prices then you might as well get the quality and the good service to go with it.

Have just arrived home from the supermarket - exhausted!.  I couldn’t believe how busy it was.  I had to actually queue for a parking space.  And this on a Monday morning.  I’ve never shopped on a Monday before - I always go at the weekend, but didn’t have time this week.  I was expecting it to be very quiet, but no, it was packed.  People didn’t seem to be doing their weekly shop, it was mainly small trolleys or a basket.

Nowadays, with all this 24 hour shopping you would think that the shops would be quieter because the shoppers are spread more thinly but this doesn’t seem to happen - so I can only conclude that we are spending more time shopping.  When I was a kid then the supermarket was closed not only on a Sunday but also on a Monday - so that the shelves could be re-stocked ready for the week.  And of course they were all closed by 5.00pm apart from Thursdays and Fridays when they were open until 8.00pm.  However did we manage?!?!