We're big fans of John Lewis. Good quality. Usually excellent service. Last Saturday we had to buy some dull stuff like curtains, sheets and towels. Liz, noticing the haunted look that came over me on hearing about her plan that purchasing this stuff should be a joint venture, suggested we went early and had breakfast. Sold. She is so good at this husband manipulation stuff.
In the restaurant at John Lewis, Cribbs Causeway, are magazine racks. The one nearest to us contained a Marks and Spencer catalogue and nothing else. We thought this an amazing sign of store confidence in its own product and said so to the friendly guy who came to replenish the racks a few minutes later. He simply pointed out that the catalogue must have been left by a customer and removed it at once.
We noticed the daily newspapers he was putting in the racks - Telegraph, Mail, Express. 'Wot no Guardian?' we asked. 'No' he said, 'Our customers don't read it.' We pointed out that we were customers and we did read left-aligned papers and he duly noted this with that cursory shrug-off and die look that some people can deliver while still smiling.
So, in a store which is one of the best examples around of employees as shareholders (the workers do joint-own the means of production), the left-wing papers are banned.
Is that odd?
4 comments:
Maybe I'm just a cynic (or hate shopping - or both), but have always thought the John Lewis thing a bit over-hyped.
I've always liked the fact that John Lewis is worker owned, but tends to be frequented by wealthier right wing types (not that all wealthy people are right wing of course (or all right wing people are wealthy for that matter)). I'll shut up.
They do great free warranties on electrical stuff.
Never knowingly undersold. Has anyone tested that price guarantee?
Neither more nor less surprising than knowing which daily news paper has the most unionised journalists.
Post a Comment