MONDAY 21 MAY 2007 - PROMOTION COMMOTION!

OK, I know it's been 2 weeks or so since my last diary entry but I took the chance to go to France to 'visiter ma femme'. So, 2 weeks away from the orangery and has absence made my heart grow fonder? In a word, no! So, it is with a somewhat heavy unfondered heart that I make my first task trip to Sainsbury's after returning. Actually, it turned out to be a really exciting visit but more of that later. First, I have noticed that the car park in which I park has won a ParkMark award. Whatever is this? Well, some research (internet) revealed that ParkMark awards are awarded (surprise, surprise) by the British Parking Association, an august body with a seemingly huge number of members. To join you have to have a proper car park (so my off-road parking space isn't quite enough it seems) or be a parking professional (basically anyone with an interest in car parking such as planners, consultants etc). If you are any of these you then pay £50 and you're in! You then get a specially trained Police Officer called an Accredited Assessor who comes along to your car park (does he or she park for free I wonder?) and assesses your car park against the 'Safer Parking Scheme Criteria'. Quite what these are is not disclosed but, anyway, if it's up to the mark you get a ParkMark award. What's in it for us users I hear you ask! Well the BPA website says that 'Park Mark awarded parking areas are run by responsible operators who are concerned with your safety and the safety of your vehicle, and who have done the best they can to reduce crime and the fear of crime on their site'. Well, frankly, I don't see it in 'my' car park. Although I will now specifically check I cannot see anything that makes it any different from any other multi-storey car park and if the operators are so concerned about safety how come the ramps going in and out continue to deteriorate at an alarming rate? I feel an e-mail coming on! Talking of e-mails I had a reply from Sainsbury's about the 'recycleable' clear bags used for vegetables and so on. It was clearly a cut & paste reply though as the font of 'Dear Otto' was completely different to the body of the reply, which was disappointing, and it was, inevitably, full of the usual worthy statements but, to give S credit, it did answer my question! And the answer is that there are recycling points their stores for plastic bags. Needless to say I looked for one today and there is indeed a big orange (as opposed to Big Apple) plastic letter box type thing near the doors oozing bags from every orifice. I have to say I look at the doors a lot as I inch through the checkouts and I don't remember seeing this contraption before so maybe, after my e-mail, Sainsbury's had a big push to get them into all their stores? And of course there should be a big sign in the store telling us all what to do and how it all works - make it easy for us customers please! Now, on to the exciting bit! As I was buying my pork pie I noticed a small sign saying that if I was to buy 5 products with 'Enjoy Summer' stickers on I get a free cool bag or picnic rug! Needless to say I was really up for this and busily started to look for products with the sticker on. After a bit I realised that I must only buy things I would ordinarily buy otherwise I am, in effect, buying a cool bag or rug that I would never buy in a month of Sundays but in the end I managed it by buying 2 pasties, some (healthy) pate, a quiche and 2 scotch eggs. Not very good on the Wheel of Health I admit but a rug is a rug! Anyway armed with this lot I get to the checkout leaving the 5 qualifying products till last and as the cashier finishes swiping, lasering, barcoding or whatever it's called I proudly ask how I get my rug. She looks at me as though I'm insane and I have to explain how it all works and show her my Famous Five and she looks at her screen and in the end calls over a supervisor who says I should have picked up a rug or cool bag from the piles in the store and then I have to wait while she goes and fetches one and I apologise to the tutting queue behind me and finally she comes back and the cashier books it through the till but then it won't automatically credit the £4.99 the rug costs so she has to do it manually and eventually it all works and I have my free rug! And very smart it looks too. Whilst all this was going on I noticed that the Active Kids promotion runs out in a couple of weeks time and no-one has yet e-mailed me for my vouchers! I feel a trip to the local school coming on ... Finally, I decided to start a savings card this week and I excitedly put my £1 coin in the machine and get out ... my £1 coin! So, I ask another supervisor what the problem is and she telephones the cash office who tell her that it has run out of stamps and the next delivery isn't until the afternoon. Apparently they are delivered by Securicor! Anyway I leave the supervisor apologising profusely and leave the store to ... spend my £1!

Items bought 26
Cost £33.91
Average cost per item £1.30
Checkout no 14
Nectar points 1645
Active Kids vouchers 64