Bizarre!

[vanessan]

Yesterday I bought an item of clothing as a gift for someone from Roy’s in Wroxham (or Hoveton, whichever you prefer!). I asked if I could buy one of their paper carrier bags and the answer was - ‘no, they are free for customers who spend over £50, you can only buy a plastic one’. I then got a lecture on the damage being done to trees. Now, I am trying to do my bit for the planet and virtually never buy plastic carrier bags which will no doubt eventually end up in landfill. To be told I am not allowed to buy a paper bag but I can buy a plastic one, I found somewhat bizarre. I feel sure paper must be the lesser of the two evils?

Not actually bizarre but something I find myself questioning, is the emergence of Starbuck’s ‘drive throughs’. They seem to be springing up all over the place particularly at Motorway Services. I can see the benefit in not having to queue inside but isn’t it encouraging people to drive off and drink their coffee or whatever as they drive? There is a Starbuck’s drive through at the Maidstone Services in Kent, it is actually situated after you have left the car park and are on the road exiting the services. 

[trambo]

Totally agree, very bizarre, especially if there made with recycled material.

Starbuck's a bit strange if you have to drive and drink. Of the big coffee chains I find Starbuck's is a bit acidic for my taste. Prefer  the clout of a four shot Cafe Nero.

Fred

[Guest]

36 minutes ago, vanessan said:

Yesterday I bought an item of clothing as a gift for someone

God I love it when Grace goes to Victoria's Secret or similar and gets me a gift to unwrap later on 

Not sure about the carrier bags though, seems daft, Primarni as an example only issue paper bags I believe and are completely free of charge having done away with plastic

[grendel]

next thing you know shops will be wrapping your purchases in brown paper and string (eminently reuseable if you dont tear it) just like they used to years ago, I can still remember all of my school books had to be covered at the beginning of the new year, as soon as you got them, in brown paper, then write your name and the book subject on the front, just think if everything hadnt been wrapped in brown paper, we would have had to buy some. nowadays the only free brown paper comes all scrumpled up in Amazon Boxes, it takes ages to straighten it out and roll it up..

[vanessan]

15 minutes ago, Jayfire said:

Primarni as an example only issue paper bags 

I’m glad to see you are a discerning consumer Cap’n. 

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, vanessan said:

I’m glad to see you are a discerning consumer Cap’n. 

You mean about Primarni? 

Have you seen the prices in Victoria's Secret??? There is none of my monthly pittance left for me after the cost of a piece of string masquerading as underwear has been taken out, worth it though 

[vanessan]

16 minutes ago, grendel said:

nowadays the only free brown paper comes all scrumpled up in Amazon Boxes, it takes ages to straighten it out and roll it up..

Lakeland also use scrunched up brown paper. It’s well worth saving it to reuse for a multitude of things, particularly wrapping items if you’re moving house. 

[Coryton]

1 hour ago, Jayfire said:

God I love it when Grace goes to Victoria's Secret or similar and gets me a gift to unwrap later on 

Not sure about the carrier bags though, seems daft, Primarni as an example only issue paper bags I believe and are completely free of charge having done away with plastic

In Wales you have to pay 5p for a paper bag.

Even the ones that fast food places put your food in.

 

[vanessan]

18 minutes ago, Coryton said:

In Wales you have to pay 5p for a paper bag.

Even the ones that fast food places put your food in.

 

I was quite happy to pay for a paper bag, I just wasn’t allowed to! I wonder how long it will be before English takeaway establishments follow suit. 

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

1 hour ago, vanessan said:

 Not actually bizarre but something I find myself questioning, is the emergence of Starbuck’s ‘drive throughs’. They seem to be springing up all over the place particularly at Motorway Services. I can see the benefit in not having to queue inside but isn’t it encouraging people to drive off and drink their coffee or whatever as they drive? There is a Starbuck’s drive through at the Maidstone Services in Kent, it is actually situated after you have left the car park and are on the road exiting the services. 

Don`t do Starbucks, costa, or any of those trendy crap overpriced coffee chains. I much prefer to go to local tea rooms. Much better value for money, and i can get a decent cup of Earl Grey. It`s also much nicer to patronise an independant local business instead of a multi National chain. We also pay cash now too, the small independant businesses have to pay a charge for every card transaction. Support local businesses, that`s what i say.

[Chelsea14Ian]

All well and good,but not may tea rooms in the city.

[Coryton]

23 minutes ago, SPEEDTRIPLE said:

We also pay cash now too, the small independant businesses have to pay a charge for every card transaction. Support local businesses, that`s what i say.

They do, but handling cash has costs too.

 

[vanessan]

57 minutes ago, SPEEDTRIPLE said:

Don`t do Starbucks, costa, or any of those trendy crap overpriced coffee chains. I much prefer to go to local tea rooms. Much better value for money, and i can get a decent cup of Earl Grey. It`s also much nicer to patronise an independant local business instead of a multi National chain. We also pay cash now too, the small independant businesses have to pay a charge for every card transaction. Support local businesses, that`s what i say.

That’s not the issue speedtriple, my point is that people seem to be being encouraged to pick up a coffee and drink it whilst speeding along a motorway. 

[Guest]

16 minutes ago, vanessan said:

That’s not the issue speedtriple, my point is that people seem to be being encouraged to pick up a coffee and drink it whilst speeding along a motorway. 

I think that because it isn't specifically illegal then the big business chains will continue to do everything they can to sell their product in as many ways and as easily as they can, and probably quite rightly too in a business sense, let's face it McDonald's have had drive through's for years without any come back.

It remains the driver's responsibility to ensure that drinking a coffee whilst driving does not leave them open to accusations of careless/dangerous driving. Whether driver's are capable of that responsibility is certainly debatable.

[vanessan]

59 minutes ago, BroadsCruiser said:

let's face it McDonald's have had drive through's for years without any come back.

Do McDonalds have drive throughs on motorways? I can’t recall ever seeing one. (I think most who use McD’s drive throughs take their food to a nice quiet place, eat it and then leave all the packaging for someone else to clear up! But that’s another story.)

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

I`ve had a drink while i`m driving thousands of times with no problems. You can easily sip a drink while still watching where you`re going, especially if it`s a bottle with a spouty thing. If it`s a screw top, Karen always unscrews it for me first.

[vanessan]

7 hours ago, SPEEDTRIPLE said:

I`ve had a drink while i`m driving thousands of times with no problems. You can easily sip a drink while still watching where you`re going, especially if it`s a bottle with a spouty thing. If it`s a screw top, Karen always unscrews it for me first.

I think you are a bit of a rebel speedtriple, what with parking etc. There are those that just like to be different...............

[TheQ]

9 hours ago, vanessan said:

Do McDonalds have drive throughs on motorways? I can’t recall ever seeing one. (I think most who use McD’s drive throughs take their food to a nice quiet place, eat it and then leave all the packaging for someone else to clear up! But that’s another story.)

Normally on the road between Stalham and Palling, I guess that's when you have finished scoffing that rubbish, between Roys of Hoveton and that point..

[MauriceMynah]

8 hours ago, SPEEDTRIPLE said:

I`ve had a drink while i`m driving thousands of times with no problems. You can easily sip a drink while still watching where you`re going, especially if it`s a bottle with a spouty thing. If it`s a screw top, Karen always unscrews it for me first.

Bet you don't do that on the bike. :-)

[Gracie]

I find a straw in the wine bottle whilst I'm driving helps 

Grace

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

49 minutes ago, MauriceMynah said:

Bet you don't do that on the bike. :-)

Actually, you can, but with a tube it's surprising what's available for drinking while riding. Racers often had a water pouch inside the back of their leathers with a straw going through the chin gaurd. This was more fore endurance racing rather than the more common racing. Road riders sometimes used to, but was more difficult, you needed  a strong suck. If riding with an open faced lid, it would be easier, but not something I would do, or advisable. 

[ChrisB]

F1 drivers rehydrate on most laps, obviously on the straights, it is delivered by pump and has a button usually on the thing they call a steering wheel.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Gracie said:

I find a straw in the wine bottle whilst I'm driving helps 

It sure couldn't hurt to help you avoid all those kerbs on each bend in the road I know that. It's terrifying enough having you "drive" nevermind you being tanked up too 

[vanessan]

Another bizarre event today. Shopping in Morrison’s and looking at tomatoes. The usual array of salad, plum, vine, beef etc etc but only two varieties were British - Kent and Cheshire. Everything else came from Holland or the Netherlands (🤔 no, me neither!!). English tomatoes are so nice so why on earth can’t the supermarkets stock them? Before anybody mentions it, we sadly haven’t got a farm shop near us otherwise I would be there like a shot. 

[vanessan]

3 minutes ago, Jayfire said:

It sure couldn't hurt to help you avoid all those kerbs on each bend in the road I know that. It's terrifying enough having you "drive" nevermind you being tanked up too 

Or    even!!