Friday 23 October 2009

More collective madness


Richard Littlejohn does seem to divide public opinion almost as much as Jan Moir, but I make absolutely no apology for posting this little snippet from his column in today's Daily Mail:

Proof of insanity
More proof of identity madness. Andree Evans, from South Mimms, Herts, bought a birthday card from Marks & Sparks. As she went to pay, the till beeped. The assistant looked at Andree and said: 'That's OK, you're over 25' and put the card in a bag.
When Andree asked what was going on, the assistant said that she wasn't allowed to sell the card to anyone under 25. Why? On the front were three small pictures  -  one of a wine glass, a second of a corkscrew and the third of five bottles of wine and an empty glass.
Elsewhere, in Wisbech, Cambs, a 15-year-old boy was chased down the street by a shop assistant who then confiscated a packet of wine gums he had just bought. He was told you have to be over 18 to buy anything containing alcohol.
For the record, wine gums don't contain alcohol. And neither do birthday cards.
I need a drink.

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16 comments:

  1. Bangkok Blogger23 October 2009 at 20:47

    This is typical of the nanny state of the UK.
    Well over the top. The Government are control freaks - and their philosophy is well entrenched in the NHS. I wish you well Traction Man

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  2. bonnie23 October 2009 at 21:03

    i read this too and nearly choked with laughter as i read it eating my lunch. I just wish i could have been there to see it. It does make you wonder if the people who did this have ever had any form of education or posess any common sense at all. Actually, they probably have a university degree.....

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  3. Anonymous23 October 2009 at 21:04

    So, TM, if we send you a birthday card with a picture of a wine bottle on it, will *it* be confiscated?

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  4. Suzanne Bosworth23 October 2009 at 21:11

    I think Jan Moir has early signs of something worrying. She may have seen something nasty in the woodshed of course, and has never quite forgiven herself for not joining in.

    As for birthday cards and wine gums .. hey wait a minute - 25??????? What's going on!!! It's adding sheer lunacy to the existing madness!

    *bangs head against wall, repeatedly ..*

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  5. maria23 October 2009 at 21:12

    Been away from your blog for a few days, and I'm SO glad to hear that you'll be out of traction soon!

    Your writing a blog that makes thousands of us laugh has got to be good for your recovery -- maybe even an antidote to the "food" they're trying to pawn off on you?

    I went through a prolonged patch of bad health myself a while back, and one of the few good things to come of it was that it forced me to develop a sense of humor.

    I've got grad school exams right after your birthday, so will be banning myself from using the computer for non-research purposes. So Happy Birthday in advance!

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  6. Katy Marriott23 October 2009 at 21:14

    Oh. Must be just my birthday cards that contain alcohol.... oops!

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  7. Lavengro in Spain23 October 2009 at 21:41

    Is this true? Can you provide confirmation? The mere fact that it is reported in the British media is no reason why I should believe it.

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  8. Kirsten Elliott23 October 2009 at 21:50

    The wine gums story is definitely true - see the Wisbech Standard for full story. The shop has now apologised and given him a voucher to spend on all sorts of goodies. The other one only seems to be in the Daily Mail so ... draw your own conclusions.

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  9. Traction Man23 October 2009 at 21:53

    I'm afraid these mad episodes are true and becoming more common each day. THere appears to be a collective madness overtaking the country. I suppose the blame must be laid at the door of the 'no win, no fee' legal vultures,

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  10. impoftheyard23 October 2009 at 22:02

    That is so scary... I need a wine gum...

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  11. Anonymous23 October 2009 at 22:11

    Last week I picked up some ibuprofen with my groceries in Waitrose and the till flashed up telling the assistant to check my id. I'm bloody 59 next week, old enough to buy painkillers I would have thought.

    Gill

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  12. Traction Man23 October 2009 at 22:11

    Well don't eat too many wine gums and certainly don't drive afterwards!

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  13. Julie23 October 2009 at 22:24

    I think the scariest part of the M&S story is that it wasn't just one poor confused (ie loopy) shop assistant who did that but that the till had been set up to request age ID when it scanned those cards.

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  14. The Nurse23 October 2009 at 23:25

    Insanity! That is what it is! Total insanity!

    But, it did make me smile!

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  15. PeterP24 October 2009 at 00:12

    So if I buy a card with a picture of a naked, oiled and willing Nicole Kidman then all my dreams come true?

    Lord, if it were only that easy!

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  16. Kirsten Elliott24 October 2009 at 10:22

    This story is true, because it happened to a friend of mine at a Tesco Express. Matt is in his thirties and ex-Army. He is patently over 18. The girl at the checkout asked for identity because he was buying alcohol and she thought he might be underage. He hadn't got any - who would have thought he needed it? The customers told her and her supervisor they knew him and he was in his thirties,but Tesco's rules are - once you've been asked for identity, you've got to supply it before they can serve you, even if it was a manifestly silly request in the first place. Result - a pile of groceries dumped on the counter and another Down with Tesco campaigner is born!

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