Alder's Tone

Winners
Starbucks. A quiet haven in the major panic that is the Christmas shopping rush. So much so we have dedicated our java spend unto them and got a Starbucks card.

Toys R Us. A couple of great offers that have been so tempting, but to buy three games when you just want the one just to get one free, well, it does make sense but then again it doesn’t. And with something practical on offer all the time there’s reasons to keep going in for a look.

play.com*. Despite a large order being dispatched as individual items over a two day period, everything arrived within a reasonable time. They key phrase being “everything arrived”.

And, in depth, the losers…
The management at Fort Kinnaird, Edinburgh. Or rather lack of management at Fort Kinnaird. Traffic chaos, eejit drivers who have no clue what a one-way car park system is, or what a disabled space is, or a parent and child space, 4x4s clogging up the pavement areas, lazy bastards parking in the aisles instead of finding a space, all helped by the fact there is no traffic management in the car park to keep things flowing. And the bricks and mortar retail sector wonders why we turn to the online stores? Just look outside the door, that’s why.

Pier, George Street, Edinburgh. On a quick visit with the family this lunchtime we needed to go downstairs. Not a problem, there’s a lift. However, the lift was occupied by a large stack of shopping baskets, but with enough room for the pram and one of us. On exiting the lift downstairs, a young (and as it transpired blissfully ignorant) member of staff who stared at us coming out of the lift proceeded to put a chair in the lift. The chair was still there a few minutes later when we needed the lift to go back upstairs, so MOTS duly dumped the chair back on the shop floor, leaving the baskets as they were. The member of staff in question was nowhere to be seen.

Directusbstore / Royal Mail. MOTS placed an order, chased it twice, got two responses on the same thread stating despatch on the 4th and the 6th. So which one? And an item was wrong. And Royal Mail attempted delivery on the 7th but failed to leave a card, there was a great risk of it being returned as recorded items are only kept for one week. Thankfully it was still there, so when we finally got the tracking number I managed to collect it. MOTS is still waiting to hear regarding the incorrect item.

* No links in here for play.com, if you want to visit play.com click here and follow the links for play.com, it all helps Richard over at filmstalker!