The Pros and Cons of Empty Shelves.

I got talking to a woman in the supermarket today. She talked cannily about the economy, damn politicians, and the rugby match between England and Wales last Saturday. (She was Welsh, you see, and Wales won rather handsomely. Her late husband had also been a coalminer in The Valleys, as well as a rugby player.) She looked to be in her mid seventies, but had the mind and bearing of someone in middle life. She told me she was ninety. She’d worked seven days a week throughout the war, she said, the seventh day having been expedient to pay the £1 weekly income tax. We got on, you know? We did.

And do you know what brought these two unlikely creatures into contact? We were both waiting for the special offer litre bottles of White & McKay to be replenished. The space on the shelf was empty, and I’d got one of the assistants to bring some more through from the warehouse. So you see, it isn’t only dogs that bring people together.

*  *  *

Talking of empty spaces on shelves, today was the fifth week out of seven that I was unable to get my favourite bread. I enquired of one of the bakery assistants, and was told that they have plenty in every morning, but it’s nearly always gone by lunchtime.

Sainsbury’s is one of Britain’s leading supermarket chains, and this is the 21^st century. If their organic, stoneground, wholemeal bread is so popular, wouldn’t you think they’d have a bigger delivery? If it happens again the complaint will have to be escalated to manager level, though I doubt it’ll do any good. It never does. This is, after all, the 21^st century.