LATEST MOAN FROM YOU AND ME - 2022

Sounds logical. But unfortunately what is logical and what is real aren't always the same think.

It's not just Germany by the way, I'm just slightly disappointed with Germany because they have the finances and political clout to make a difference, but they choose not to, or more specifically, their politicians do. I have no beef at all with ordinary German folk.

But that aside, the issue is that fuel is a commodity, and priced as such. It goes off the market rates. If the larger consumers can't get enough, even if everyone else has plenty, then those that struggle to source it will have to pay a higher price. If one customer has to pay more, and everyone else is willing to pay more even if there are no supply issues, then the price goes up.

Look at it like this. If you sell potatoes to a neighbour who for whatever reason can only buy from you, maybe they can't travel elsewhere to buy potatoes or maybe they've been barred from every shop, then you can put your price right up. If the other shops see you've put your prices right up and haven't lost all your customers, then they will also put their prices up and as long as their customers only know how to cook with potatoes, they'll keep buying them anyway.

 

A great explanation of price fixing.

 

I went today to get Tesco Cat Biscuits which are the only ones appart from Purina that Bella will eat, and I decided to buy some chocolate eclairs for myself.

They were horrible like a mouth full of sugar
No taste of chocolate or cream, just sweet sickly sugar
I won't be buying them again.

That's my moan ... I try not to moan

 

When I worked the boss would occasionally buy us some cream cakes if he was passing a bakery in his travels.
All was well until he came back one day with some and said he had found a new shop and they do really big cakes with lots of cream.

It turned out it was that manmade cream,not sure what it is but very sickly, any way we ate them and didn't say anything, being a pretty diplomatic bunch.

After that he kept getting them but he must have over heard us talking one day, as it stopped and we went back to the real cream ones.

 

That means someone else has been nicking. I live in a much more chavvy neighborhood than you, and it's policy in all our local shops because shoplifters were going in, filling their bags up, and just walking out. I think the idea being that even if you're spotted loading your bag up, nobody bats an eyelid to someone walking out carrying a shopping bag because everyone is.

I usually do my main Tesco shop quite late because it's quieter and because I usually have other stuff I want to do (or have to do) earlier in the day. It's quieter, but it's also the time most of the riff raff are in. Loads of times I've seen the security guards actually earning their keep

 

Saw something the other day about this and they dont challenge shoplifters anymore in certain areas due to the fact they will probably end up stabbed or at least knocked about a bit.

Its getting bad and the law isn't interested, they just moan that they haven't got enough money.

But mostly its about who is getting robbed, if you tried it in Harrods you wouldn't get away with it, try it in a local corner shop and the owner has to expect it.

 

It's funny you should say this, because on Saturday I was in a nearby posh town (well, posh for the northeast). We saw a shoplifter get chased down and subdued by an old man. I set off to assist but the old bloke was managing fine and had the younger man totally under control by the time I got across the road. I assume someone had called the police immediately because no sooner was the thief restrained by the old man, not one but two police vehicles came hurtling round the corner.

Contrast that to the more common parts where I live, the coppers just aren't bothered. I saw a fight break out in Aldi once. About half a dozen people physically scrapping inside the shop. The two security guards just dealt with it, no coppers to be seen

 

Coppers around here seem to spend more time sorting out domestic problems rather that tackling crime.
Its the same houses all the time with the police car parked outside.

 

I believe you The staff have to be diplomatic. Nowadays all the big shops are on Facebook, where they get crucified if there's any possible way to suggest they treat anyone differently to anyone else. So while I didn't think for one second that you'd be a suspect, if they let you use your bag while stopping someone else, they'd be in the news by the next morning having received a thousand really harsh comments on Facebook.

 

Normal service has been resumed at my GP; I spent 20 minutes in a phone queue yesterday. You still need an appointment to enter the surgery and there appears to be a preference for email and phone contact with GPs.

 

I don't think we have many supermarkets around here where you scan the stuff as you go round.

They tried it some years ago but it seemed to fizzle out, maybe they were losing too much stuff.

The big thing around here seems to be ripping out all the manned tills and making nearly all of them self checkouts .

They can't get the staff, mainly because they don't want to pay them a decent wage, but for some reason they haven't worked that out yet.