[WillowTheWhisp]

Originally Posted by pipinfort

So in other words he`s not bothered........? but well done for confronting him...........

Well actually he did seem very bothered. He wanted to be able to speak to the person who had raised the issue so that he could understand their concerns and their objections. I really had to struggle to find something to object to myself. He asked me what I thought he should do and he considered if he should ask the council if he was doing anything wrong. He does have customers who buy those things from him so if he stopped selling them he would lose those customers but I got the impression he would be willing to do that if there was anything unethical or illegal there. Shops where kids buy sweets also sell tobacco and tobacco related items. He doesn't even sell tobacco. He was very concerned that anyone should think he was selling anything illegal.

On a different tack I pointed to the keychain 'laser beams' and said if I personally was going to object to anything I would object to those because they are dangerous. He said they are not actually lasers, just torches with a narrow beam of light, not the lasers which people were using and shining at aircraft etc. I queried whether children could still damage each others eyes by shining them at each other and he said he didn't think so but asked if I would like him to stop selling them. If they aren't dangerous then I don't see any reason for him to stop selling them.

He did actually say that if people will approach him direct and tell him that there are things they want him to stop selling, and why, then he will take those concerns seriously but so far no-one has ever told him that they object to anything in the shop and this is the first he has heard that anyone had any complaint, second hand, through me, from an anonymous person on a website he has never seen. It seems perfectly reasonable that he would like to hear from people themselves if they have any complaints. He won't eat you.

So if any of you want to complain in person, in the shop, he would welcome the opportunity to address your concerns. He didn't even know about them until yesterday. That doesn't mean he doesn't care.

I still can't see anything in that shop any worse than things in other shops. I don't see any of it and think "drugs" - I may think "smokers" and I don't smoke and have always discouraged my children from smoking but I can't object to the shop round the corner from me having cigarettes on display can I because they are perfectly legal?

Anyway, I really would be interested to know how this works out and if anyone does take it any further.