How our government solves problems: more tax

[NotAllThere]

All you need to know about the state of our country and its future prospects.

If they're going to do this, at least make it something more than the price of a packet of fags.

Next, they'll be issuing on the spot fines to the asbo generation. Oh wait, they've already done that haven't they? Yeah it's really working.

http://news.uk.msn.com/Article.aspx?...mentid=7553649

So, I've decided to give up. Then I get the urge to have a ciggy. So I go to the fag shop, and remember I've not got a license. So I go to the post office, apply for a license, then wait four weeks for it to come through. Then I can buy the ciggy I've been craving.

Obviously in the world of this think tank, they've not heard of black market cigarettes smuggled from the continent, nor, indeed, bumming a fag off your mate.

wazzocks.

[vetran]

Denny

All you have done is cause an employer to berate someone who is on close to minimum wage, probably in debt up to the eyeballs just to live and all because they failed to treat you like a rock star. Get a grip!

Next time buy a paper and read it while you wait like everyone else, then when you come to the cashier treat them with respect and politeness and expect them to return the compliment, I find most cashiers manage it.

Or horrors of horrors actually talk to the other people in the queue, you may learn something.

[PAH]

Or horrors of horrors actually talk to the other people in the queue, you may learn something.

Such as what the weather's like outside, seeing as you've been waiting at the checkout so long it may have changed. You'd then have chance to go and add a brolly to your shopping if need be. Oh wait, Denny hates umbrellas.

[PAH]

I expect the government have lost of lot of fag tax as a consequence of their own health campaigns to get people to quit along with the July 07 smoking ban in July

No to mention the loss of alcohol tax seeing as many of the pubs are empty now their regulars can't be arsed to go outside for a smoke.

At least there's the underage drinkers propping up the treasury.

[expat]

So, I intercept the cashier scanning in the customer's vouchers and asked the following question politely: is this going to take a long time, or is it worth me moving to another checkout?

To the reasonable and intelligent cashier, this would be a reasonable question, requiring a reasonable answer along the lines of: 'no madam [sir] this won't take long, just a couple of minutes, I'm sorry for the hold up...'

Did I get this type of answer? No.

What I got was this: 'I'm serving this customer [as if I didn't know this already.]

The cashier was self-centred, in a literal sense. He or she addressed his or her own concerns, not yours; and probably couldn't tell the difference between the two.

Tesco's training can't help that, it's too late. I blame the parents (TM).

[OwlHoot]

Professor Julian Le Grand, chairman of Health England ..

Wasn't this Le Grand guy peddling the same idea a few months ago, with the smoking permit costing £200 ? I seem to recall he also suggested employers should be obliged to enrol all their staff in an "exercise at work" scheme like Chinese tractor factory workers lined up outside doing arm swings to martial music.

The guy is a crank, pure and simple, and I gather he was sacked from his former role as a Government health advisor, probably as a result of all his embarrasingly potty proposals.

P.S. and "libertarian paternalism"? Do me a favour - It's a contradiction in terms!

[VectraMan]

I had to wait in a queue in a petrol station today whilst both cashiers closed up the tills (that may be the wrong term). Petrol stations really piss me off because you can't put back what you've bought and storm out if the queue is too long. Whilst waiting, chav boyfriend of one of the cashiers walked straight past the queue and left them the cash. I was very tempted to walk up to the front and tell them I'll come back and pay tomorrow (I only had cards), but I imagine you'd be in trouble for doing that.

But why can't you? I've made myself available for a reasonable amount of time for them to take the money, and they haven't.

In Tesco, they always say "do you need any help with your packing" every single bloody time, which they've obviously been told to say. So far I've managed to hold back from saying "No, do you need any help operating the till?" But I will, one day I'll snap and no doubt the cashier will think I'm being offensive.

So I think I'm actually with Denny on this one.

[Churchill]

I had to wait in a queue in a petrol station today whilst both cashiers closed up the tills (that may be the wrong term). Petrol stations really piss me off because you can't put back what you've bought and storm out if the queue is too long. Whilst waiting, chav boyfriend of one of the cashiers walked straight past the queue and left them the cash. I was very tempted to walk up to the front and tell them I'll come back and pay tomorrow (I only had cards), but I imagine you'd be in trouble for doing that.

But why can't you? I've made myself available for a reasonable amount of time for them to take the money, and they haven't.

In Tesco, they always say "do you need any help with your packing" every single bloody time, which they've obviously been told to say. So far I've managed to hold back from saying "No, do you need any help operating the till?" But I will, one day I'll snap and no doubt the cashier will think I'm being offensive.

So I think I'm actually with Denny on this one.

Yeah and I bet you're both on the same medication.

FFS, slow down, don't let life pass you by! Get off the train and smell the flowers!

[lilelvis2000]

So I just switched queues anyway. But I fully intend to ring Tescos head office to give them a piece of my mind and get them to drag these ignorant numpties into a training room and introduce them to concepts they are clearly unfamiliar with: good manners and a helpful attitude to answering perfectly reasonable customer queries. Hopefully, they will take action, and perhaps send me a voucher for some free goodies too, by way of an apology.

Why wait. You should have gone straight to the manager. My wife once complained about the service at one of the ASDA cafe's (which arn't actually run by ASDA eventhough everything in them says ASDA and the staff have ASDA name tags) and got a free meal for the entire family. I would demand that your next shopping trip be on the house - be sure to fill your trolley up as high as it can go!

[lilelvis2000]

I was very tempted to walk up to the front and tell them I'll come back and pay tomorrow (I only had cards), but I imagine you'd be in trouble for doing that.

Wife did that once too. She had forgotten her debit cards and had nothing to pay with. They gave her a credit note and took her details. She paid the following day.