It's The Little Things

I recently travelled from West Kent to London on a day return ticket. Not my usual commuter season ticket, but the little paper one that the guard likes to stamp authoritatively. How sweet when I noticed that instead of the usual round punch there was in its place a butterfly. Now the service wasn't particularly great - the carriage was dirty and the train ran 15 minutes late. But it was the butterfly that I remembered at the end of the journey. I found myself smiling when the standard of service would otherwise have made me feel grumpy. Why? Because it suggested attention to detail, and care for passengers, it was done for no other reason than to give a little pleasure.

British Supermarket's - time for change?

I have ordered my weekly online supermarket shop from 3 of the biggest supermarkets now. I don't order from Tesco anymore because there are too many own label options, and not enough branded ones. I don't order from Waitrose any more because they screwed up my Christmas dinner shop and managed the enviable feat of sending me rotting onions 3 times in a row. In desperation I stuck with Sainsburys despite our ups and downs. Like sending me 'ripen in the fruit bowl' nectarines when I deliberately order ready to eat. Experience has taught me that 'ripen in the fruit bowl' means 'I go from rock hard inedible to mouldy without ever passing through the juicy ripe phase'. But this week Sainsburys managed the corker of all corkers. They delivered a rough-looking cauliflower, out of which a piece had clearly been cut with a knife - the edge of the removed mouldy bit still in evidence at the periphery of the cut. Talking to others I see I am not alone. The customer service departments somewhat perversely also verify this.
Has anyone actually found a supermarket that delivers fresh food that looks fresh and not the stuff that they can't sell instore? Supermarkets spend a lot of time looking at each other and comparing prices. They forget that most people don't enjoy the shopping experience that they offer - they shop there because they have no choice. It is ironic that the nation of shopkeepers has become a nation beholden to just 4 supermarkets. Yes, consumers do increasingly have a voice, but not yet it seems when shopping for their groceries.