Saturday 7 November 2009

A sour experience


An elderly shopper was barred by a supermarket from buying two lemons for health and safety reasons. Pensioner Chris Pether, 70, was shopping at his local Asda superstore in Aberdeen but was told that health and safety rules forbad the sale of more than one loose lemon, orange or grapefruit in a single transaction.

The policy was introduced because local youths had been throwing the fruit at people. (Probably one of the few times that people in Aberdeen do buy fruit, I would have thought.) Mr Pether was offered the alternative of buying a pack of ten small lemons. Because they are smaller they obviously are less dangerous when thrown.

The retired oil worker visited Asda’s store in the Garthdee area of the city about a month ago and was using a self-serve checkout when the problem arose. He weighed the two lemons on an electronic set of scales, when a message flashed up on its screen preventing the purchase.

An Asda supervisor said: "local youths have been known to throw lemons at people and it also happens with oranges and grapefruits.”  Mr Pether thought it was some kind of joke but was assured it was Asda policy to sell loose citrus fruits only one at a time. Eventually Mr Pether was allowed to buy his lemons, but had to pay for them in two separate transactions to circumvent the store's computer system.

Asda denied the ‘lemon limit’ and explained: “It sounds like one of our colleagues was having a really bad day. People can buy as many loose lemons, oranges and grapefruits as they like.”

Source: Daily Telegraph 30/10/09

15 comments:

  1. Oh No! Elven Safety strikes again!!!

    How stupid to think that 10 small lemons are safer than 2 decent ones!

    X-TM you are amazing at finding these nuggets of stories! Honestly. I hadn't heard this one and I read the Scottish News all the time.

    Do Not give up journalism! Please!

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  2. I've just been reading about Scurvy making a reappearance in young English children. Apparently citrus fruit is an effective treatment (but then so is a portion of 'fast food fries'.)

    I suggest that us scots be allowed far more lemons to pelt at the English - as an act of human compassion, of course.

    Just joking.

    I would love to know how they make hospital custard. I've said before that you can't stop eating it once you start but it's in a puzzled state of mind. It's oddly not sweet but you're eyes and sense of smell can't actually compute the taste. I wonder what it REALLY is. One of my colleagues reckoned what he was in the navy bromide was hidden in hte powdered milk. He said that it was impossible to find black coffee or tea. It came already with powdered milk. Do you think? No! Surely not?

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  3. Your,Your,not you're - sorry

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  4. I might have had a small glass of port. Do you get a dram at the hospital mr Ex TM. Duty free spirit is supplied to hospitals for the nights before surgery and other uses. Ask for one. See what they say. I think you aremore than entitled to have one and as a taxpayer i would wonder where it's going if not to the patients.....

    Just saying

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  5. This must be a Scottish NHS thing. A quick Buckfast and Vimto before going under the knife. You'll be telling me Rab C Nesbit is an anaethetist next!

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  6. Well, he does know how to get anaesthesia... It's a Uk thing Mr Ex TM. Seriously - ask. Just don't expect them to have irn bru.

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  7. Ah carolyn, can you get a tipple before seeing a gynecologist too? I hate these internals, they always say it won't hurt and then you know they're lying.

    Mr Traction, the folk who live in Garthdee are a thin-skinned lot. That's possibly why they can't cope with double lemons. I doubt if most could cope with a double sherry.

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  8. (Probably one of the few times that people in Aberdeen do buy fruit, I would have thought.)

    Oh indeed X-Man, why up there they think knifes and forks are pieces of jewellery.
    Elf and safety strikes again, wonder who makes up these rules, does someone sit in a darkened office thinking them up.

    How about this one, my friend is a detective in England, when they are on stake out, and they take their radio's, sometimes you get into places where there is no reception, so they say " you are in a black spot ", so they know they cannot get any reception, memo to all cops, they are not allowed to use the word " black ", so what are you supposed to use I asked her, purple spot, pink and yellow spot, oh who knows Ann she said, they have not come up with a word yet, has the world gone freakin mad.

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  9. Forgot to mention, it has stopped raining, yeah, the sky is blue, my heart feels happier.

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  10. We live in a world goverened by spineless, lily-livered, retarded morons. The amount of time devoted to political correctness is a scandal.

    I'm glad the rain has stopped. That's the power of Fado.

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  11. Yes, I read as well that a portion of fast food fries is enough to keep scurvy at bay. Quite honestly I found this hard to believe as these fries are made out of reconstituted potato with all the goodness powdered out of it. Weird...

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  12. Strange news! The whole beauty of vegetable and fruit shopping is in the possibility to weigh out as many or as few pieces of the individual items as you like; some of them aren't weighed out, but they have a fixed price per piece, but then again you may take as many as you want; unless it is a special offer with a limited amount per shopper. Sometimes though you even have to take two or more to qualify for the special offer price.
    May you always have a piece of lemon to go with your salmon bagel! Have a nice sunday! Barbara

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  13. Come on X-MAN, it is Sunday, where is the chicken escalope, I have a bet with myself, will it be pink, or white, or maybe if you are really lucky it might have a blue tinge to it today.

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  14. Asda denied the ‘lemon limit’ and explained: “It sounds like one of our colleagues was having a really bad day. People can buy as many loose lemons, oranges and grapefruits as they like.”

    How can it be that a member of staff can give a pensioner a bad day just because they're having a bad day. In my world that's just meanness. Spiteful, even.

    Ah well. You know what they say. When life hands you lemons, make limoncello :-)

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  15. Well if the employee was having a bad day, how come the computer til joined in by refusing to sell the lemons and forcing the man to make two transactions,. Me thinks someone in Asda PR department is lying their head off.

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