A Pot of Tea - and a Stamp!

Ok, I have to admit that I've never written a cheque, but I don't live in the UK and were I live cheques are not widely used, I doubt my parents ever used one.


I think the best "I've no idea how to do that" thing was the one trainee who was sent out to buy milk and had to ask how to do that!



Adresses seem to be another thing, a lot of our trainees have no idea how to write them correctly and adress stickers they have to put on envelopes turn up in very unusual places, at the back of the envelope, where the stamp should go and so on...


But I think the most important thing, which I also notice with a lot of adults, is just plain common sense and the ability to use your brain. So many people rather ask someone else than just think for a second... I had people at work asking me how to get to the upper floor of the building while they stood next to the stairs and the elevator...

I considered myself a young 'un until not so long ago but i' m aware the gap is very much there.

'Chip and Pin' is very much my generation. I was asked by a young girl in the pharmacy if I was "paying by chip or pin?" Er both I have a Chip and Pin card says I completely confused. The dear girl explained that the chip was for contact less payment and the pin was for if I paid by putting the card into the machine.

It dawned on my then that our world is moving extremely fast. I'm 38 and of the technological age but very much being left behind.

GreyQueen wrote: »

I once watched the three mid-teen offspring of a family in a YHA kitchen make an unbeliveable fist of doing some washing up. The sum total of their task was to wash five mugs, five small plates with crumbs on them and five knives with butter/ jam smears. Three of them and they couldn't even do this without incredible difficulty.

The cynic in me would wonder if this was maybe a ploy so that they never got asked to do it again.

Not too long ago I was in the supermarket looking for Trex or something similar. I collared a young lady assistant and asked her where the white fats were. She looked blank so I explained that I wanted it for pastry. "Oh, pastry," she said, her face clearing, and led me to the frozen foods and pointed out the Jusroll. No, I said, I wanted to MAKE pastry. "MAKE PASTRY?" she asked in tones of sheer blind disbelief. "Can you do that?"