Tuesday 24 March 2009

Please read above notice

Just as I am sure a professional singer winces when they watch the X-Factor auditions, so do I as a communicator/writer feel actual pain when errors and omissions from daily communication attack me unsuspectingly as I go about my business. Please don't get me started on apostrophes - even M&S commit the sin of sticking them in places where they have no right to be - the word biscuit's hanging on a sign in the grocery aisle had me juddering in true consternation. If a bastion of englishness and quality like M&S can't get it right then God help the rest of the country! Yesterday I was in Hobbycraft (buying new paintbrushes - still haven't found my old, trusty ones). I obediently inserted my payment card into the chip and pin machine and was confronted with the rather odd instruction 'please read above notice'. This was rather ambiguous - was it asking me to read the notice above or read something above the notice? It also didn't make sense since there were no notices to be seen above, to the side or anywhere close by (not even one that said biscuit's). As I have very little to do these days, I thought I would spend my time wisely and questioned the assistant as to the meaning of this obscure request. She replied that "no one knew what it meant or why it was there". In which case, why hasn't somebody done something about it? How long could it take to amend the little message to say something else like 'please wait' or 'thank you for your custom' or 'we love biscuit's'. Shows a shocking lack of concern for standards...

Ever get the feeling that perhaps my time would be better spent in paid employment? Just as well I've got that job interview tomorrow... Shop assistants around the country cross their fingers in anticipation...

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