Nice people thread part 7 - a thread in its prime

zagubov

Nikkster wrote: »

Oh my goodness. I've just got very close to shouting at the television.

I was watching 'Dispatches' on channel 4 - about supermarkets and fruit and veg. Some it was pretty sloppy journalism - like making the statement that supermarkets sell a lot of fruit and veg, and then listing the profits of the supermarkets. And pointing out that Tesco (should mention there is a bit of family VI) make the most profits - but forgetting that they probably sell the most non-food items of the supermarkets.

They did highlight a 'Which' report which found that a lot of the 'was' prices decline to mention that the item was often also on a multibuy at the time (eg. 'was 2.20' but was also on 2 for £3).

A lot of the rest of the programme might have been informative for non-MSE folk I guess, but I really did think that people 'got' that the supermarket convenience stores were often pricier than the big supermarkets.

Spotted something very shifty the other day. Two almost identical looking bottles of laundry products in tall wide white bottles. One was 1,89l and the other was 1.47l. I struggled to tell them apart by sight . You could only just notice the different depth by looking closely at a side view.

The smaller one was on a 2-for-1 price compared with the older bigger bottle so you'd have to do your reseacrh to compare prices properly but Im sure buy the time the BOGOF offer's over we'll have forgotten the original price.

The cunning geometry of the container got me wondering how many other tricks and camouflaged price rises are just whooshing over my head.:eek:

misskool

GDB2222 wrote: »

I wasn't suggesting that Misskool should not go, just that as it seems likely there is a lot of expense involved the department should contribute. I think that's reasonable.

Edit: Ah I see the misunderstanding. I said "Surely, this is a matter for your manager to, umm, manage? Give him the problem to sort out!" I meant he should manage the travel situation for Misskool and help her out, not manage without her and let the experiment go to pot.

I thought it was up to the employee to get to work, everything at work was fine, all paths clear etc.

Southern rail is ridiculous though, amended train timetable running again today so just off to catch a train!

vivatifosi

zagubov wrote: »

When I did lecturer training back in the 80s we were taught the miracles of Matrix Management. Friends in private industry sometimes find it baffling especially when subordinates manage their bosses within their work teams but it seems like second nature now. Not sure it's widely used outside of education though.

I'm from a matrix management background too. The company I used to work for, for 14 years, was headquartered in the US but had a European HQ in France. The complexity of the business made matrix management the right way of doing things. It worked well.

lostinrates

Dh's office are encouraging pOne to work from home as much as possible this week (ah, he is going to miss this attitude when back in the City) and looking at the weather I have suggested he leave tonight. I hate that. Sleeping in the same bed is so treasured. But, otherwise the snow predicted might lead to transport issues tomorrow? ( and he has a meeting he really has to attend tomorrow). He has flights on Thursday, hoping things will be flowing better by then at the airports.

BertieUK

misskool wrote: »

I thought it was up to the employee to get to work, everything at work was fine, all paths clear etc.

Southern rail is ridiculous though, amended train timetable running again today so just off to catch a train!

I think to be fair to the railways they are asking you to check with their revised timetables as to what trains are running rather that disappointing you with having services cancelled.

If that makes sense at this time of morning. Have a safe day.:)

lostinrates

BertieUK wrote: »

I think to be fair to the railways they are asking you to check with their revised timetables as to what trains are running rather that disappointing you with having services cancelled.

If that makes sense at this time of morning. Have a safe day.:)

Our rail provider is giving different advice on line, over the phone and in station. Very frustrating. My parent was given an arrival time thirtyfive minutes 'out'.

BertieUK

lostinrates wrote: »

Our rail provider is giving different advice on line, over the phone and in station. Very frustrating. My parent was given an arrival time thirtyfive minutes 'out'.

If you try the following link and entering your area train station you can check the times of trains as they leave stations prior to arriving at your station. This should be more accurate.

http://traintimes.org.uk/live/

SingleSue

Lydia - one was from my ex mother in law who knows all about James' joints! I did lay it down on the line and she responded that she was joking...hmm, it didn't appear that way when she was agreeing with someone else and liking his post!

BertieUK

SingleSue wrote: »

Lydia - one was from my ex mother in law who knows all about James' joints! I did lay it down on the line and she responded that she was joking...hmm, it didn't appear that way when she was agreeing with someone else and liking his post!

Mmm maybe a little bit of the real ex coming out here. Character wise that is:(

GDB2222

misskool wrote: »

I thought it was up to the employee to get to work, everything at work was fine, all paths clear etc.

It is your responsibility to get to work, and if you can't make it because the trains are not working then you have to take that day as holiday or lose a day's pay. However, if the consequences of not being able to get there are that a fortnight's work is lost, that is a cost the employer has to bear. So, in those circumstances and perhaps more generally, an enlightened employer will try to assist the employee to get to work in cases where they are having genuine difficulty.