Jump to content

Recommended Posts

I am inclined to agree that the proprietor was his own worst enemy. I never had a problem with him personally but always got the sense that I was never more than a moment away from some sort of patronising or offensive comment. There was a little of the Basil Fawlty about his attitude in the sense that being a shop owner would be wonderful if only one didn't have to deal with riff-raff. I was in the shop once when he refused to refund a customer for some sort of faulty goods - he insisted that the chap return it to the manufacturer even though the customer quite rightly pointed out that his contract was with the shop.

Louisa Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Erm how about W H Smith in Rye Lane?

>

> Louisa.


The last time I patronised the establishment, the range of cassettes for my Dymo label maker was poor in the extreme.

And as for the selection of Moleskin notebooks...

I made note in the Moleskin I carried at the time, that 'should I wish to label WH Smith as anything, I would not be able to do so, for the lack of Dymo label cassettes'.

An apercu that found its way to several salons, let me tell you.

Sue Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> :))

>

> Edited to say: I believe it's Moleskine - with an

> e. At the end.


Oh, crapping Nora.

Of course you're right, Sue.

I've just looked at my collection of notebooks containing my thoughts, reflections, feelings and receipts for the last 30 years and realised they've been recorded on Moleskin, rather than Moleskine.

How could I have been so stupid?

Buying out of a suitcase from Romford Nigel that's how.

Oh how I rue the day I met that cunning rogue who sold me a 'set of notebooks that'll keep you going for the next 50 years'.

It's just not the same now it's not Moleskine.


Louisa, I withdraw my critical remarks concerning WH Smith and will ensure that I visit tomorrow and seek out Moleskine notebooks, of which I am sure there will be a wide selection and plentiful supply.

The final record in my Moleskin notebook will be that I have litttle or no confidence that they will be any less sh!t in the supply of Dymo label cassettes.


Fondest regards to you both.

Mr Ralon has been extremely kind and generous to our voluntary org during our various campaigns for justice. He donated heavily discounted supplies and photocopies and always took a personal interest in our clients? causes.


He did so much more on a humanitarian level on behalf of some of our clients but I cannot disclose the details here for reasons of confidentiality.


I've always found him to be honourable and scrupulously honest in every respect - a perfect gentleman.

I remember being completely outfoxed by our friendly stationery Nazi once (wouldn't a stationary Nazi have been more intriguing?).


I was trying to buy a pen, and I asked if I could check it was working before I made the purchase. He said no, I had to buy it first.


Somewhat taken aback, I asked him if he was taking the piss. He was more concerned about my choice of language than the fact that he was taking the piss.


This tactical red herring left me so confused that I left the shop without the pen, feeling that it was me that had made the fatal transgression.

Most modern pens are assembled in ways that prevent the ink drying out before the pen is used for the first time.


Two examples:

1) Some pens have a sealant applied at the manufacturing stage that prevents the ink from drying out and clogging up the writing point. The seal breaks as soon as the pen is used for the first time.

2) Some pens have a tiny pressure pump that floods the writing tip with ink the first time it is used - prior to that the point is ink free and acts as a spring loaded airtight seal.


Trying out such pens destroys their seals and starts the aging process.


Ralon stocks hundreds of different writing implements: it is unreasonable to expect display samples to be available - it would cost a fortune: they would likely dry out long before customers bought enough pens of each type to justify the cost of the samples.

Domitianus Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I was in the shop once when he refused

> to refund a customer for some sort of faulty goods

> - he insisted that the chap return it to the

> manufacturer even though the customer quite

> rightly pointed out that his contract was with the

> shop.


Oooh, that might have been me. Was it 12 years ago? I stood my ground though & threatened trading standards. He gave me the refund though he made his cowed looking lady assistant give it to me from her personal purse (!! what was that about?). Then he banned me from his shop forever. It hasn't really had a negative impact on my life, but I'm glad to see the nasty little man go finally.

Huguenot Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I remember being completely outfoxed by our

> friendly stationery Nazi once (wouldn't a

> stationary Nazi have been more intriguing?).

>

> I was trying to buy a pen, and I asked if I could

> check it was working before I made the purchase.

> He said no, I had to buy it first.

>

> Somewhat taken aback, I asked him if he was taking

> the piss. He was more concerned about my choice of

> language than the fact that he was taking the

> piss.

>

> This tactical red herring left me so confused that

> I left the shop without the pen, feeling that it

> was me that had made the fatal transgression.


This amusing little anecdote made me smile - but, I suspect, for the wrong reasons. Huguenot, somehow I simply cannot imagine you ever being "outfoxed" in this way.


I wish I'd been there as you left the shop scratching your head!:))

paulino Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> if the pen works, they will buy it


The main problem is that lots of people just want to try out pens until they find one they like. One can't force someone to buy a pen they've tried but one can easily change a pen that doesn't work - that way the shopkeeper retains control of the transaction and avoids getting ripped off.


Pen sellers are particularly vulnerable: I know of cases where a special pen (or other art supply) was purchased for a one-off job and then returned as faulty (usually deliberately broken) for a refund.


Imagine going into Sainsbury's and insisting on opening every tin and bottle before purchasing in case one doesn't like the flavour or the contents have gone off?

HAL9000 Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------


> Imagine going into Sainsbury's and insisting on

> opening every tin and bottle before purchasing in

> case one doesn't like the flavour or the contents

> have gone off?


WHY, OH WHY do you always make me laugh HAL9000! I am quite certain you didn't intend to be funny here at all. But I can see the expression on your face...and then I laugh!!


ha ha ha

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Latest Discussions

    • These have reduced over the years, are "perfect" lives Round Robins being replaced by "perfect" lives Instagram posts where we see all year round how people portray their perfect lives ?    The point of this thread is that for the last few years, due to issues at the mail offices, we had delays to post over Christmas. Not really been flagged as an issue this year but I am still betting on the odd card, posted well before Christmas, arriving late January. 
    • Two subjects here.  Xmas cards,  We receive and send less of them.  One reason is that the cost of postage - although interestingly not as much as I thought say compared to 10 years ago (a little more than inflation).  Fun fact when inflation was double digits in the 70s cost of postage almost doubled in one year.  Postage is not a good indication of general inflation fluctuating a fair bit.  The huge rise in international postage that for a 20g Christmas card to Europe (no longer a 20g price, now have to do up to 100g), or a cheapskate 10g card to the 'States (again have to go up to the 100g price) , both around a quid in 2015, and now has more than doubled in real terms.  Cards exchanged with the US last year were arriving in the New Year.  Funnily enough they came much quicker this year.  So all my cards abroad were by email this year. The other reason we send less cards is that it was once a good opportunity to keep in touch with news.  I still personalise many cards with a news and for some a letter, and am a bit grumpy when I get a single line back,  Or worse a round robin about their perfect lives and families.  But most of us now communicate I expect primarily by WhatApp, email, FB etc.  No need for lightweight airmail envelope and paper in one.    The other subject is the mail as a whole. Privitisation appears to have done it no favours and the opening up of competition with restrictions on competing for parcel post with the new entrants.  Clearly unless you do special delivery there is a good chance that first class will not be delivered in a day as was expected in the past.   Should we have kept a public owned service subsidised by the tax payer?  You could also question how much lead on innovation was lost following the hiving off of the national telecommunications and mail network.
    • Why have I got a feeling there was also a connection with the beehive in Brixton on that road next to the gym
    • Ah, thanks,  it all comes flooding back. I've actually been to the Hastings shop, I'd forgotten all about it, along with her name! Didn't she (in between?)  take over what  was then The Magnolia, previously The Magdala, now The Lordship, with her then partner? Or is that some figment of my imagination?  In fact, didn't they transform it from The Magdala (much missed) to The Magnolia? With flowery wallpaper covering the front of the bar? Which reminds me of the pub's brief period after The Magnolia  as the ill-conceived and ill-fated The Patch.
Home
Events
Sign In

Sign In



Or sign in with one of these services

Search
×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...