Computer literate?

When I first went to work in the shop, Keith's son made me laugh by saying that he thought people should not be allowed to buy computers unless they had passed a test first.
Now, however, I am beginning to think he might have a point, especially when you have someone telling you they need a monitor which will work with Windows 98, or you spend 10 minutes on the phone talking someone through the spec. of a laptop and they ring you 5 minutes later, complaining that they haven't been told any details about this laptop except the price, so before they come to see it, they would like you to fax them the details. Then there's the lady ringing up on behalf of her husband for a 'power supply.' What is it for? you ask - a tower, a laptop, a monitor? A tower. Do you mean the 'kettle lead' ? I ask. Yes, that's right, she says. The husband then comes on to tell me it's for a small tower and it's only 6 inches long. Eventually, we establish that it's a PSU that he is looking for. The best today was a lady who came in and spent several minutes scrutinising the computer systems on display. Eventually she wandered over to ask if the units (part of the shop fittings) they were displayed on were for sale as she is looking for a corner unit for her son's computer.
(Maybe I'm the one who needs to do a test!)

Shopping for the desperate

Today has been a day for reorganising the shop. As this involved moving two large counters around the shop, (pictures tomorrow) we decided we had better close at least while this was being done. Shutting the door and putting the closed sign up had no effect. People still picked their way through and around the chaos as if nothing unusual was happening.
So then we put the shutters down, only half way, as we didn't really want to feel as if we were working in a metal container. Two minutes later, two more intrepid members of the public bent double to get under the shutters and came in to have a look around.
So, now we have the solution next time we have a quiet day and want to attract customers:
Pull the shop to pieces, put up the closed sign and pull down the shutters. Test their ingenuity!

Snow?

Yesterday at about 4 o'clock in the afternoon it began to snow. At first it was a whirlwind of huge flakes which disappeared as soon as they reached the ground as it had already been raining. (The weather was probably the reason why so few parents came into our school software fair.) Driving back to the shop, the snow was beginning to stick. In fact, on the fields, it was forming quite a thick layer. By half past five, my car was covered by about 3 inches of the stuff.
This morning, it took me about ten minutes to scrape inches of frozen snow off my windscreen, and that was with the aid of 2 different brands of de-icer!
Now I know some people love the snow, and I must admit, looking across to the hills from here, it is like a Christmas card, but snow in November? It's as bad as the shops putting up their Christmas decorations in October! I'm STILL waiting for summer!!

Feed the World

Today I heard the new version of Feed the World and saw the video. It was shown on BBC early this evening and I was delighted to see that Sugarbabes are part of the line-up. You may wonder why a 'more mature' person such as myself, and even worse, a more mature person who keeps telling everyone that nothing decent has been written since the Sixties, should be so pleased about the appearance of this group or even know of its existence!
The answer is that when Heidi Range (the blond one) was six years old, she was in my class. So that's my one and only claim to fame. Pathetic isn't it!!! :)

Tidying up

Today was 'tidying up' day - or at least the first of what promises to be several. Keith was organised to lift the heavy stuff and we had the back storage areas sorted in no time -well, a few hours, anyway. By lunch- time, he had gratefully accepted an invitation to have the afternoon off and duly scuttled off home. You can't get the staff these days! :)
Tomorrow - it's the office area. Now that IS a challenge!

Banks 'R not Us

This morning I tried to move some money from one account to another online but the pages were so slow to load, it kept timing out. Not to be outdone, I decided to check another account with a different bank. My first attempt to log-in failed because I made a mistake with the pass number. Second time, it was correct but it still wouldn't log me on. Third time was also correct but again I was refused and told I would now have to change my pass number but I could do it online.
I did try, but got the message that my request couldn't be carried out because some of the systems were down. There was a phone number, so eventually I did it by phone and was told that the new pass number would be sent by post and would take three days! All because I was locked out of my own account by problems with their system!
Sometimes, I think it would be better to keep my money in a sock under the mattress!

Busy day!

Yesterday was hectic in the shop, which is how we like it. Maybe Christmas shopping is finally getting under way, but in the middle of all the madness and mayhem, an elderly lady suddenly appeared before Keith and myself.
"I know this is a silly question," she said, "but do you sell cotton?"
Keith and I in unison: (very politely and shaking our heads regretfully) No, I'm terribly sorry, I'm afraid we don't. Have you tried next door?"
And off she went, one happy lady. Customer service! That's what it's all about! lol