Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Shopping....

Dear Mr Store Manager

I really thought that after being open for a while now that all those annoying little teething problems like broken fridges, untrained staff, apathetic staff, flies on food, low stock of everything etc would be over and done with.

Today I had to come into your store. I had a trolley half full of stuff, the other half of which you did not have in stock (so what else is new?) and had to wait in a queue for about 10 minutes before being able to pack out my things, pay and still make the free parking limit. It was only 10am in the morning but damn it all to hell why did you only have 2 tills operating??? It's not like your store was empty...both tills had about 6 or 7 people at it! There were many other customers walking around zombie like, trying to figure out where all the products had gone. Your policy, boldy stated right there at the till points for all to see, quite clearly states that no customer will ever wait in a queue...not very successfully implemented in your store though.

Apathetic staff and service is what we have all become used to in the new South Africa, our reputation precedes us world wide so this is not a racist white bitch rant on mainly black serving staff. This is a wtf is wrong with people rant! The packers (yes you actually staffed the till points with 2 packers each, why I really don't know) tried their best to do their jobs but really, maybe you should spend some time, money and effort teaching them that eggs, strawberries and bread do not go into the same bag as heavy cartons of juice! And maybe teach them some English while you are at it. It doesn't help employing people who cannot communicate properly! And who don't understand when I politely ask that said items do not get packed along with everything else.

Till point rage, just like road rage, is a very real state of mind. Customers go postal at till points and take it out on the wrong people.

Next time, when you have customers lining up to complain, make sure your store is staffed with the relevant people, like floor and store managers. It's your damn job to make sure the store runs smoothly but you can't do it if you are not even there!

Yours sincerely,

A highly dissatisfied customer considering boycotting your store!

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Motherhood is much like a pack donkey

At a certain stage in your childrens' schoolives, you become a pack donkey. It all starts innocently enough...mom I can't carry my school bag, school books, tracksuit and lunch bag...please help! Then it progresses to...mom I can't pick up my school bag, school books, lunch bag and carry it to the classroom...please help! Until finally, they run off, looking back at you wondering why the hell you are out of breath and bent double under the weight of 2 lunch bags, 2 tracksuit jackets, a pair of sneakers, 2 school bags (one on it's wheels all trolley-like) and the other over your shoulder, your own shit all while still having a conversation with your husband about your daughter's inclusion in a school art production thingamabob!

Friday, February 06, 2009

Ginger pudding

Childhood memories...the stuff of life.

My grandmother died in 1994, the year I turned 24. For the few years before that, she lived in a frail care facility. When we had to clear out her room, we discovered that some of her belongings had been taken. The theft didn't bother me as much but what hurt was the loss of her most prized recipe book.

It started life out as one of those put-together recipe books you find for sale at a church fund raiser, with all the bestloved home cooking and baking recipes that only older ladies in any church community can make, those ones that send you straight back to your grandma's kitchen where you spent your childhood licking out bowls of batter, licking spoons and generally being a pest about whatever was cooking.

She would make a ginger pudding every Christmas that we would eat with steaming hot custard. I remember hiding under the diningroom table one year, stuffing the leftover ginger pudding into my cheeks, much like a hamster stores food in it's cheek pouches. The last time we had that ginger pudding was the year before she went to live in the frail care facility, that must have been around 1991. I have not had it since then.

Over the years I have searched and scoured old recipe books, recipe websites, picked older people's brains and have not been successful. Until 3 weeks ago. I posted a request on http://www.recipezaar.com/, the African forum...I never expected a response. Well, I got one almost immiately and tried it out for the first time today.

Ma, wherever you may be today, I found it.

Sunday, February 01, 2009

What a week!

Survived a week of stomach flu. No, don't worry, I won't be going into the gory details of the shittiness factor :).

But now I am back, albeit with a head cold and enough snot to keep any special effects company in business for a year at least!