Ridiculous things shops do

[gg1]

Selling mince pies which go out of date several weeks before Christmas.

Nothing wrong with that as far as I'm concerned, it bothers me far more that mince pies aren't sold all year round.

 

[najaB]

Nothing wrong with that as far as I'm concerned, it bothers me far more that mince pies aren't sold all year round.

Indeed. It's not like there's a rule which says that mince pies can only be eaten between December 25th and Jan 6th.

 

[Thirteen]

I think it's rather as it was for smoking before the outright ban in 2005, it isn't technically illegal to vape indoors but businesses can of course choose not to permit it.

Most perhaps do because it's easier than making a distinction between vaping and smoking as much for any health or comfort reasons.

In places like cinemas and theatres, it's not allowed for obvious reasons.

A medium Costa cappuccino has 300mg of caffeine in it (3 shots of espresso).

A 500ml bottle of Monster Energy has 160mg of caffeine in it.

I suppose the difference between a cappuccino and Monster Energy is you can buy the latter in bulk fairly cheaply.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Also the massive sugar content and the guarana.

Some of the Starbucks sweet drinks are as bad, but at nearly a fiver a go kids simply aren't going to be buying those.

 

[Thirteen]

Also the massive sugar content and the guarana.

Some of the Starbucks sweet drinks are as bad, but at nearly a fiver a go kids simply aren't going to be buying those.

I love a bit of Starbucks but I couldn't drink more than one in a day, not because the cost but you'd been needing the toilet more times than is necessary.

It always amazes me how people can drink more than one can of these energy drinks per day, I can barely drink one without getting caffeine jitters.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I love a bit of Starbucks but I couldn't drink more than one in a day, not because the cost but you'd been needing the toilet more times than is necessary.

It always amazes me how people can drink more than one can of these energy drinks per day, I can barely drink one without getting caffeine jitters.

There's also the practicality of it - you can't go and buy a load of Starbucks on the way to school and stash it in your bag. You can have one before it goes cold, realistically.

OK, you could fill a Thermos with it, but what schoolkid carries one of those?

One energy drink might not be an issue, it's lots.

 

[jon0844]

Judging by the smell, a lot of young people may no longer smoke tobacco but they do smoke cannabis, and plenty of it. Which is very likely a result of making it so hard to get hold of tobacco.

Far more people vape than smoke weed, but - yes - that is becoming more common.

 

[skyhigh]

Selling mince pies which go out of date several weeks before Christmas.

The alternative being... not selling them until closer to Christmas?

Given that I am a big fan of mince pies (and have already purchased a couple of packs this season) I have no issue with this at all. If you want ones that last until the 25th wait a few more weeks before buying them!

 

[PG]

Selling mince pies which go out of date several weeks before Christmas.

As discussed upthread they'll still be fine after their sell by date.

Nothing wrong with that as far as I'm concerned, it bothers me far more that mince pies aren't sold all year round.

Seconded, to the best of my knowledge the ingredients aren't seasonal. The only plus side is being able to buy them in January at knock down prices as stores offload them post haste.

 

[Herefordian]

My first suggestion went down well!

What about Easter eggs being sold just after Christmas?

 

[najaB]

What about Easter eggs being sold just after Christmas?

Chocolate also has a long shelf life.

 

[pdeaves]

My first suggestion went down well!

What about Easter eggs being sold just after Christmas?

Is that 'ridiculous' (in the sense of doing something stupid and expecting the customer to understand/comply/etc.), or is it a commercial decision (that the customer can ignore until they are ready)? I would suggest the latter, because enough people start buying over-priced chocolate that early. It would be different if January was the only time you could get them!

 

[Herefordian]

Chocolate also has a long shelf life.

It doesn't in my house!

That's why I wish they'd wait until nearer Easter before selling them.

 

[Bikeman78]

It's also worth keeping in mind that the government isn't proposing outright bans on specific food or drink, or even consumption of tobacco containing products. People who want to eat unhealthily or who want to damage their health through smoking will still be able to, all the changes like moving high calorie items away from the checkouts, plain cigarette packaging or higher alcohol pricing are intended to do is to try and ensure that it is a conscious decision rather than a default action.

If the crisps are right by the checkout I can pick them up without thinking about it whereas if I have to go looking for them then I probably won't. Or kids can pick them up and it's easier to just let them have the snack rather than telling them off in front of everyone.

Not having crisps or sweets next to the checkouts is rather different to randomly moving items around within the shop, which was the OP's complaint. I don't think my local supermarket has sweets by the checkouts. If it does, I'm oblivious to them! Most M&S food shops will need a major redesign. Normally the queue zig zags through hundreds of sweets, chocolates and nuts.