I very rarely shop at Waitrose these days, after experiences like this, but today I had to go to the High Street to get some bits for Mum and it was convenient to go.  It was fine apart from two very polite ladies on disability scooters colliding two or three times.

Then at the check-out, this:

“Would you like your free coffee?”

“No thanks, I don’t actually like the coffee here, and it seems to me very disruptive. People don’t seem to co-ordinate their shopping and their coffees very well.”

“You would not believe the goings on here when things don’t go smoothly and customers don’t get their something for nothing! The fuss they make when we run out of cups. The apologies we have to make. They have to buy something to get one now, so they come in and buy one banana, would you believe it?”

(Yes I would, I believe all these things, I’ve seen them.)

“Aren’t they going to stop it soon?”

“They are going to make people bring in their own cups. I’m really not looking forward to that! They will complain like hell!”

“It’s not been a very successful idea has it? Independent coffee shops have suffered, and now look what’s happened with John Lewis profits….it doesn’t seem to make people spend their money here…”

“No, our bonuses are cut to nothing, stores are closing, jobs are going, so that these awful, self-entitled people can have their free coffees. And do you know the staff aren’t allowed to have a coffee?”

“You’re joking!”

“No, I’m not. We can come in on our day off and have one. That’s it.’

“Oh, I’m really sorry, and about your bonuses. It’s seems such a good business model, this partnership…’

“Well, yes it used to be….”