[jambutty]

Supermarkets are an evil necessity and I suffer them with British stoicism.

It all starts in the car park. There is rarely a disabled parking space because some are taken up by vehicles not displaying the blue badge. The Blackburn Asda at Grimshaw Park has ATM machines near the disabled parking. “I’ll only be a minute” is the response that I sometimes get when reminding the illegally parked driver. Most times it is usually some uncomplimentary remark ranging from “Mind your own business” to “Go and occupy the cemetery you old goat”. In spite of many letters to the Asda management they will not go out and tell the offender to remove the car. All they do is put a piddling little flier on the windscreen but only when reminded of the offending vehicle. I have my own, which are much more to the point and highly visible to passers by.

Inside I suddenly become invisible and take my life in my hands, as trolley pushers are never looking where they are going because she has seen something on a shelf that she might want to look at or wonders if she should buy it. If she doesn’t crash into my ankles, she stops with the trolley across the aisle practically daring someone to push past. People charge out of aisles into the main thoroughfare without looking. “Sorry I didn’t see you” is a frequent response as the collision sends me spinning out of control down the aisle. OF COURSE YOU DIDN'T SEE ME, YOU WEREN'T LOOKING WHERE YOU WERE GOING! I wonder if they drive their cars in the same way?

If I see two people having a natter and almost blocking the aisle a “If you moved this trolley a bit further this way, no one can get past” is a comment that brings some strange responses.

Why can’t I buy just two teacakes any more? Now it is packs of 4 or more. BUT I ONLY WANT TWO!!! Packets of bacon or cooked meat are rarely in packs of less than 10 rashers/slices. Supermarkets are not geared for the single person.

Bread! First of all the shelf stackers ram the loves into the shelves with scant regard and in doing so squash the fresh loaf, which stays squashed. Why can’t they leave the bread on the trays that they were delivered in, like they used to? Of course that day’s delivery is always at the back. If I can actually find a fresh loaf and it hasn’t been squeezed to a pulp then the checkout girl grabs it around the middle and what I get is slices of bread with an hourglass figure. “Please don’t squeeze the loaf” to checkout girl usually brings the response “Pardon!” or she looks at me with a quizzical look as she grabs the loaf with one hand and crushes it whilst offering it up to be scanned.

Own brand products are tasteless rubbish with precious few branded goods around any more.

Packing? They haven’t a clue as tins of this and that get dumped on top of squashable items. I won’t let them pack my shopping.

Finally, IF I have managed to find a disabled parking place I find that some clown has parked across my exit point as he stands in the queue waiting his turn at the ATM.

As I said - Supermarkets are an evil necessity and I suffer them with British stoicism.