*Bob*

Why? Are you going to offer me a job?!

A shitty old tarp, bungied-on provides an 'unappealing lift' (in both senses). I had a partially rotten, slightly oily treated-canvas one which did the trick for many years. It was weighty but floppy - and didn't rustle like a giant crisp packet and blow about in the wind the way the plazzy ones do.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24762474

Ah yes - there was the rampant theft. I do have fond memories of that. Gareth B_______ would steal Parker Pens and Transformers to order, which went on for some time. Until the day he got fingered (in the old-fashioned sense) by the security staff and was found to have several Parker Pens concealed in the lining of his blazer. The school had a visit from a local bobby who gave a rather sweet talk on the perils of embarking on a life of crime.

Illegally-harvested non-FSC teak I expect.. if you're bovvered about that sort of thing.

oh, 4 Pounds. How could you.

We had a Montego as well as a Princess. And a Servis washing machine. All paragons of quality engineering paired with an effortless style. Are there any other British brands we can romanticise about that were well past their sell-by date at least a decade before they shut-up shop?

I miss the Austin Princess - with it's sleek lines, plush trim and reliable engine. So sad to see it go. These modern cars just aren't the same.

It's Dixons I really miss. The demise of their outdated business model for flogging electrical goods to a world which had long since moved on - regularly leaves me with a nostalgic tear in my rose-tinted contact lens.

From 'Po-Faced sceptic' I'm now 'looking forward to giving it a try' It's all down to the food though. At that price point and given the location - if it's not 'darned good' it'll be a short ride for the patch.

numbers Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > everyone knows its not an actual hotel Three people on tripadvisor would disagree. It's just an anecdote - about tripadvisor and it's irrelevance to local matters. I have nowt against the place.

There are a few gems on there. http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g186338-d1454087-Reviews-Dulwich_Bed_and_Breakfast-London_England.html

I suspect that Tripadvisor has little impact with regards to the purchase of (eg) cakes and tea in non-'destination' London suburbs. I take the wider point though. But I guess if fight you must, you fight the battles you can win.

Tripadvisor has a legal team. That's the diff!

They have 50 Cent / We have 4 Pounds.

It's not a loyalty card, it's a membership card. Why is this concept so hard to grasp? The Co-Op may be in trouble, I don't follow them closely, but if they are, I blame the Co-Op and its members. The Co-Op has failed to explain and sell (to you, for one) its perfectly admirable business model to most of the population. Co-Op members get angry at dividend time when their basket-a-week fails to pay - but perversely have chosen a mortgage with HSBC.

So, to recap: In this thread, you want to have a say in how your local Co-Op is reorganised. The supermarket in question is the only major supermarket that allows its members a say in how their organisation is run - and a share in the profits. But you don't want to be a member because you don't want them to know whether you buy Napolina or shops-own?

There's still an old-style Co-Op dividend, the principle is unchanged. The problem is that - for some reason - some Co-Op members truly believe that buying carrots every week in their local store ought to reap untold riches. If you believe in the Co-Op, you buy your food with the Co-Op, you insure your house with the Co-Op and - most importantly - you get your mortgage with the Co-Op.

If you're keen on the Co-Op but a resisting that membership card, then 'the point' of the Co-Op has passed you by. As for who gets to redesign the interior, I nominate Dr Who.

The staff in there are nice though. I agree on that one.

Is is it Ready, Steady, Cook? One of those two.

It's like a well-stocked nuclear bunker. There will always be tinned soup and something to wipe your bum on, but.. Sometimes we like to re-enact our own version of the 'Can't Cook, Won't Cook' challenge, when someone returns from the shop in question with a carton of button mushrooms, a bottle of Fairy liquid and a tin of Chopped tomatoes - and the other person has to make the best of it.

I ran-out of positive posts back in 2008, unfortunately. They could just take a wander up the road to the Forest Hill S'Market and see what weird and wacky foodstuffs people regularly buy there. CRAZY things like fresh herbs. WEIRD fruit such as limes. EXOTIC produce such as chillies.

Judging by the last few 'makeovers' that shop has had, you'll most likely be seeing.. (drum roll..) ..... exactly the same bog standard identikit product range as before.

Bins down in Friern Road. Please use alternative routes.