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Can't get the staff...

Grumpy Old Lemons Like You
redsturgeon
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Re: Can't get the staff...

#183680

Postby redsturgeon » November 29th, 2018, 8:28 am

Shopping in Romania sounds very much like the Monty Python cheese shop experience.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3KBuQHHKx0

John

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Re: Can't get the staff...

#183685

Postby didds » November 29th, 2018, 8:47 am

Indeed wrt departments.

I once went to a burger place in Prague, circa 1989, just after the "revolution" but all the "old" systems wewre in place still .

There were separate quees for burgers, fries and drinks.

which meant if you werent in the know, by the time you got your drink your burger was cold!

I guess Foyle's had to change once the advent of amazon et al occurred...

didds

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Re: Can't get the staff...

#183689

Postby redsturgeon » November 29th, 2018, 8:57 am

There is a butchers in Stockbridge Hampshire that, the last time I used it a couple of years ago, still had the system where you had to get a chitty and pay a woman behind a hatch before getting the meat from the butcher.

John

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Re: Can't get the staff...

#183723

Postby Watis » November 29th, 2018, 11:57 am

Remember MFI?

Peruse the merchandise in a warm, well lit store, then choose and pay for the furniture you'd chosen.

Then . . . over to a cold, dank warehouse and wait with the other punters for your order to reach the top of the pile, whereupon a warehouseman (who I suspect didn't want to be there either) would pick it up and wander off, eventually to return with the stuff you'd bought.

Watis

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Re: Can't get the staff...

#183742

Postby TUK020 » November 29th, 2018, 1:35 pm

redsturgeon wrote:There is a butchers in Stockbridge Hampshire that, the last time I used it a couple of years ago, still had the system where you had to get a chitty and pay a woman behind a hatch before getting the meat from the butcher.

John

There's actually some sense in this in terms of getting different people to handle money and raw meat

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Re: Can't get the staff...

#184127

Postby sg31 » December 1st, 2018, 11:02 am

redsturgeon wrote:There is a butchers in Stockbridge Hampshire that, the last time I used it a couple of years ago, still had the system where you had to get a chitty and pay a woman behind a hatch before getting the meat from the butcher.

John

I was in Eastbourne and decided to get fish and chips. The place had seating inside for diners and an outside hatch with a queue of people. I didn't want the sit down dinner option so joined the queue at the hatch. Eventually, after a wait so long that I almost didn't bother, I reached the front of the queue and asked for the required items. Much to my surprise I was told the hatch was for collection only and that I needed to go inside first to place my order and the rejoin the queue to collect it.

I found I wasn't hungry after all.

redsturgeon
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Re: Can't get the staff...

#184131

Postby redsturgeon » December 1st, 2018, 11:36 am

sg31 wrote:
redsturgeon wrote:There is a butchers in Stockbridge Hampshire that, the last time I used it a couple of years ago, still had the system where you had to get a chitty and pay a woman behind a hatch before getting the meat from the butcher.

John

I was in Eastbourne and decided to get fish and chips. The place had seating inside for diners and an outside hatch with a queue of people. I didn't want the sit down dinner option so joined the queue at the hatch. Eventually, after a wait so long that I almost didn't bother, I reached the front of the queue and asked for the required items. Much to my surprise I was told the hatch was for collection only and that I needed to go inside first to place my order and the rejoin the queue to collect it.

I found I wasn't hungry after all.


Fish and Chip shops seem to invent Kafkaesque ordering systems of their own...

The best one in my town has the following system, which if you don't know then nobody will tell you.

You walk in and see several customers milling about in no special order, you need to ignore these, they are not important.

You also see two women serving and taking payment, you also need to ignore these for the moment.

You will also spot a couple of guys walking in and out from the back storeroom, one of whom is the fryer. You need to catch his eye.

"Can you put a couple of haddock in for me please", is the necessary request at this stage.

He will oblige and you then mill around with the other customers.

At some stage the women will stop fulfilling orders already taken and will start taking new orders from customers.

You step up to the mark and put in your order,

"Haddock, chips and mushy peas twice please."

"Can I have two haddock please!" she will shout to the fryer."

But you being clever have saved yourself five minutes by pre-empting this stage of the process.

The women gives you a sly look, recognising you as one of the inner circle who has fathomed the Byzantine nature of things here.

She motions you to wait to one side while your order finishes cooking.

While you wait you can entertain yourself by watching the confused look on the faces of new customers who walk in unawares to this melee.

Eventually the cry from the fryer, "Haddock ready!" is heard, followed by "Who (sic) was the haddock?" from one of the women.

Your meal is now almost within your grasp.

It is boxed, you pay (cash only) and run home with your hard won spoils.

A meal hard earned always seems to taste better.

John

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Re: Can't get the staff...

#184146

Postby bungeejumper » December 1st, 2018, 1:07 pm

In my experience there's often an alternative outcome.
Scenario One:
redsturgeon wrote:Eventually the cry from the fryer, "Haddock ready!" is heard, followed by "Who (sic) was the haddock?" from one of the women.

Your meal is now almost within your grasp. It is boxed, you pay (cash only) and run home with your hard won spoils.

Scenario Two::
"Cor, that was quick!", says the woman who's only just ordered her double haddock. (Yells): "Over here!" So she gets yours and you get hers, five minutes later. :(

Seems to happen all the time at the cappuccino counters in National Trust tea rooms. Staffed by volunteers, and frequented by little old ladies with short memories and poor eyesight. So what are you supposed to do in that situation - elbow the queue-jumping old dears out of the way, or grind your teeth and put up with it? I generally manage to do the latter.

Just.... :roll:

BJ

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Re: Can't get the staff...

#184150

Postby redsturgeon » December 1st, 2018, 1:29 pm

I remember cod wars...that would be a break out of haddock wars!

Pollacks to that, I'd put her in her plaice.

John

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Re: Can't get the staff...

#184279

Postby UncleEbenezer » December 2nd, 2018, 9:04 am

redsturgeon wrote:I remember cod wars...that would be a break out of haddock wars!

Pollacks to that, I'd put her in her plaice.

John

Baring your own sole there?

Mine's a sturgeon and chips, thanks.

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Re: Can't get the staff...

#184295

Postby bungeejumper » December 2nd, 2018, 10:29 am

UncleEbenezer wrote:
redsturgeon wrote:I remember cod wars...that would be a break out of haddock wars!

Pollacks to that, I'd put her in her plaice.

Baring your own sole there?

Mine's a sturgeon and chips, thanks.

Manta man, this discussion is getting properly turbot-charged now. Wow, I know I'm a bit hard of herring, but I cod hardly believe that. Listen, the next time the evil old trout opens her snapper to queue-jump on me, I reckon I'm just gonna fillet or somefin. Even if it means I get awrassted.

BJ

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Re: Can't get the staff...

#184297

Postby redsturgeon » December 2nd, 2018, 10:38 am

bungeejumper wrote:
UncleEbenezer wrote:
redsturgeon wrote:I remember cod wars...that would be a break out of haddock wars!

Pollacks to that, I'd put her in her plaice.

Baring your own sole there?

Mine's a sturgeon and chips, thanks.

Manta man, this discussion is getting properly turbot-charged now. Wow, I know I'm a bit hard of herring, but I cod hardly believe that. Listen, the next time the evil old trout opens her snapper to queue-jump on me, I reckon I'm just gonna fillet or somefin. Even if it means I get awrassted.

BJ


If she tries to mussel in on me I'll mackerel stink about it and carp on rather than clam up.

John

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Re: Can't get the staff...

#184300

Postby bungeejumper » December 2nd, 2018, 10:47 am

redsturgeon wrote:If she tries to mussel in on me I'll mackerel stink about it and carp on rather than clam up.

Thanks for that. Whelk commented there. Maybe I'd do better to mullet over for a while?

BJ


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