A much ado about nothing!

Some people really are jobsworths. You know, those goons that take their job oh so seriously and abide by every minute rule in the stuffy book. I suppose being this way isn't the worst thing to be in life but, sometimes you can't help but think - really?!

So, there I was in my local supermarket, it was after 10pm, the hour and beyond in which the odd weirdo or two can be seen skulking the various aisles.  Anyway, after grabbing a few required bits and pieces I remembered that I needed washing powder so I made my way to that particular aisle. On arriving I observantly noticed that this washing detergent alley was home to a party of chaos, a medley of  boxes scattered on the floor waiting for their contents to be stacked onto shelves.

I stood for a moment looking for my usual detergent, after a fruitless inspection I asked a man in green if they had my brand. The fair headed chap flatly retorted that they didn't have it. This didn't impress me so I stood for a further moment and had another scan in this region until I finally noticed it was on the highest shelf. The top shelves in my supermarket are there solely to store extra stock.

"There it is," I said to the worker. He didn't look as pleased as I was in hearing my detergent had been spotted. "Which one?" he drearily asked. "Er, that one, the Smart Price one." (OK, OK, I was in Asda alright! and I use Smart Price detergent to wash my clothes - this account isn't about that).

The man looked up at it then uttered a quite incomprehensible line to me which went like this: "I haven't had training to get it for you - I will have to call a colleague."

Let's say one and a half seconds passed as I processed the sheer nonsense that had just been said to me. This man, as I was now looking at more intently was barely 5'6 and ludicrously had just told me he couldn't get a packaged pack of washing detergent for a loyal customer due to him not receiving training!! (I'm sure I wouldn't have been spoken to in this manner in Tesco's or Aldi for that matter). Well I had to smile at the bizarre nature of the statement. I quickly replied: "I'll get it then." Top shelf, no problem, I'm comfortably tall enough to reach it so it makes sense, I thought to myself. Plus, I was rapidly suspecting that this Asda employee was embarrassed about his height and he knew the real reason why he didn't want to get my Smart Price washing powder for me - the fact was muggins couldn't reach.

"No, you can't get it, health and safety."

I smiled again at this line.

"I'll just go and call my colleague."

He returned with a man who I assumed  was an expert in the field of locating things from a top shelf. A faint mock chuckle filtered from my mouth when I saw this 'expert' - he was actually smaller than than the initial worker of whom I had been speaking with. Talk about irony.

The two Asda men wouldn't have looked out of place scuttling around middle earth as they briefly discussed this complex dilemma. They both looked up at the tall shelf as though it were the Eiffel Tower with the smaller hobbit then disappearing off and coming back with a stool that he promptly clambered up on then delicately tip toed in his small shoes as he cautiously plucked the small boxes from shelf and proceeded to give me one after carefully getting down from his precarious stool. 

At last! I had to thank these men for their thorough endeavours in enabling me to complete my shopping with the last addition being Smart Price detergent - but wouldn't it just have been easier and quicker for me to reach up and get it myself?

Demola, TCC