TUESDAY 25 JULY 2007 - SWIPE GRIPE

Coming out of the lift this week a man came in pushing a trolley and looking at the buttons asked me, in a semi-hysterical voice, if there was a floor 2 and, if so, how on earth could he get there? Readers who've been with me since the start will recall that I had this problem early on so it's good to know that I am not the only geographically challenged shopper! I was tempted to let him suffer but took pity on him instead and told that he needed to take the lift to level 3 and then walk down the ramp to level 2. My good deed for the day! Also on the way in (is there no end to this excitement) I met someone else I knew!! I bet there'll be another soon I thought, thereby proving the 'buses come along in threes' theory for humans as well. In the store I decide to buy another cheese & onion sandwich for my lunch only to find that they are no longer made by **. They are now made by . Whoever is now seems to make all the Sainsbury's sandwiches so well done them for getting one over on **. No doubt at the ** factory, when they heard the news that Sainsbury's were taking their business elsewhere, all you could hear was **** and *******! Moving on, I took a good look round for cameras this week and I can report that there are none apart from the brown glass thingy over the drinks aisle. So, it seems that it is relatively easy to shoplift in 'my' Sainsbury's! I know that shops measure their shrinkage (theft) and it would be interesting to know how much is lost from 'my' store. I suspect a lot. At the checkout I noticed that the wobbly card wipe machines on stalks have been fixed so they are no longer wobbly. I commented on this in my diary ages ago so maybe somebody is reading it after all. I remarked on the stiffening (of the machines on stalks) to the cashier in the hope that it would result in some stimulating conversation, but it was not to be. And guess what! In the checkout queue there was someone else I knew! QED!! Actually, to be fair, I wasn't sure it was someone I knew and I wasn't prepared to say hello to a woman on her own without being absolutely sure - I could get arrested for that kind of thing these days. Anyway, I'm 99.9% certain I did know her so I claim her as my third scalp. Now, I spent more than £10 or whatever it was I needed to, but I didn't get my Nectar swipe card. I realised this on the way out but hadn't the heart (or, to be frank, the interest) to go back and make a scene. Next time I will remember to ask!

Items bought 27

Cost £33.20

Cost per item £1.22

Checkout no 17

Nectar points 2461