I’ve just done the weekly grocery shop at Sainsbury’s in Selly Oak. As usual, the main clientele on a Tuesday evening consisted of students from Birmingham University, which is very close.
Being that time of year again, they’re either self-catering freshers, or second years who have moved out of catered halls into their own accommodation. But the real division is into:
- slightly lost souls wandering round with a near empty basket and no idea what to put into it,
- and cheerful pairs and trios wheeling piled up trolleys, squealing with delight at the adventure of cooking their own food.
They certainly brighten up the weekly chore. But I can’t help wanting to borrow the tannoy microphone when Customer Services isn’t looking, for a public service announcement along the lines of: “Sainsburys? Are you mad? Aren’t you on a really tight budget? There’s an Aldi down the road for goodness sake! And why aren’t you buying your fruit and veg at the market?”
I haven’t so far. But if you ever hear of a madman being expelled from a supermarket after a public address incident, that’ll be me.
Keri Davies 
Those people are just like me! Except I’m avoiding Sainsbury’s and heading straight for Morrisons!