Why is there no personal service?

Today is going to be all about RANTING because as you all know, my owner loves to rant!!!


After my morning walk I had to stay 'home alone' because Ann had a few little errands to run.

First she went to the Post Office to post a birthday present to her nephew. Mmmmmm............... our nearest PO has the grumpiest, inefficient staff in the world and there were at least 20 people in the queue in the street (and who knows how many in the queue inside the PO).  So do you know what Ann did?........................... she jumped on a bus and went to the PO a mile down the road, where there were only four people in the queue and very nice staff. Oh and Ann had a very nice chat with the woman in the queue behind her, who had also jumped on the bus and who also thought the staff at our local PO were the unfriendliest, incompetent, and inefficient people ever. …....She'd even gone as far as to report them to our local MP???? Not sure what good that would do, but hey ho at least it made Ann feel that she wasn't the only person that hates our local PO. Jumped on a bus home and when she passed by our local PO the same people were still in the queue!!

Second job was to go to the bank to pay in a cheque. Ann never goes into banks because she is very hip and trendy and does everything online. She's not hip & trendy enough to know how to photograph a cheque and pay it in online. Girl on the door told her that the easiest way to do it was to use the 'paying in machine' and do it herself. Ann attempted to do this but the machine didn't like her card so 'girl who just stands around telling people that they have to do it themselves', then had to direct her to a real live person. ….............Why couldn't she just have done that in the first place?

Third job was a trip to Marks & Spencers to buy a gift card. Our local M&S used to have the nicest staff ever............................. Now they have hardly any real live staff and all their check outs are self service so Ann hasn't been in there for months. Obviously buying a gift card via a self service check out is not the easiest experience in the world because the bagging area doesn't actually think you've bought anything. And while we're ranting....................... only one assistant to help at about 8 self service check outs?? Ann had to wait for what seemed like forever.

Fourth job – Popped into Superdrug to buy a new lipstick. Mmmmmm................ even though Ann has hardly worn any make up in the last 9 months she wouldn't dream of going out without her lipstick. Even when she takes me out for my bedtime wee, she puts her lipstick on. Tropical Pink!!  Superdrug didn't have her lipstick so she asked the girl at the checkout to order it for her. Girl at checkout said she couldn't do that. Apparently Ann has to go online and order it herself?!!

Fifth and final job – a trip to Waitrose. All Ann wanted was a couple of cartons of soup and a pint of milk. Put them into her basket, spotted an empty check out till, with a real live assistant, unloaded her shopping onto the conveyor belt. …..............And then she spotted a sign that said, 'Please queue in aisle 11.' Seriously??!! Is that really necessary? Is having everyone queue in one aisle really COVID friendly? ….......And then she noticed two staff having a chat and obviously not directing the waiting customers in aisle 11 to check outs very quickly.

…..............And after all that trauma.............................. when Ann came home, she had to lie down on the sofa and have a rest. To be honest she doesn't feel very well. She's just tired the whole time but she doesn't know whether it's because she's actually ill or if it's because she's not doing anything that is making her not wanting to do anything, so the less you do the less you want to do?? Who knows??

Fortunately I am her main priority so she took me out for an hour this afternoon. And then she had to go out and do a 'Meet & Greet' but as luck would have it, it was in the street next to ours so she was only out for about 40 mins.

#thingscanonlygetbetter