Supermarket delivery drivers are so friendly, says Fakenham columnist
Home deliveries, Wimbledon and Formula One are up for discussion by Fakenham columnist Jim Harding this week…
Covid changed a lot of aspects in all our lives. Shopping, for example. We used to spend hours wandering the aisles of supermarkets but since Covid, the supermarket has come to our front door on a fairly regular basis.
My wife tots up the items written on a list attached to our fridge and subsequently places an order online to be delivered on a particular day at a more or less specific time. So far it has worked very well.
What has particularly impressed me has been the wholehearted attitude of the drivers who carry out this work day by day. They have been invariably cheerful, ready to make changes or return items if there's an error of some sort, and have accepted their new role with, dare I say it, enthusiasm.
We always exchange bits of chat and I have nothing but positive words to say about this unforeseen way in which the provision of food and other items has been carried out. It surprised me just recently to hear from a driver that some of his customers can be quite rude when he turns up. This might be because he is either early or late due to circumstances outside his control or there may be a problem with the order.
We have experienced advance phone calls if there might be a time factor to mention and this has always been appreciated. I reckon the service which the supermarkets have been able to provide has been exceptional, especially when it covered that period when we all had to take much greater care of ourselves and others when we were out and about for any reason.
Things have greatly improved now but as I no longer drive, the system has become part of our life style and we see no special reason to change it in the short term. So hats off to all those drivers and all the supermarkets who have gone the extra mile to make themselves available and helpful to so many people in our town and elsewhere to ensure they get by week by week. It has become a service we now depend upon and a genuine source of comfort as we increasingly find ourselves less likely to be able to get out and fend for ourselves as we used to when younger.
I'm not that enthusiastic about watching Formula 1 racing but the same cannot be said for our eldest son and my wife. They love it and were both more than delighted - as was I - when Lewis Hamilton finally mounted the podium as winner at Silverstone just recently.
We have an amusing memory of this track. After returning from a holiday in the west country, we drove close to it and shared a laugh when seeing a road sign which declared: 'Drive Slowly'. I did see a fraction of a Formula 1 race when I was in Mexico for the Olympics in 1968. On that occasion, the winner may have been a very successful Australian driver, Jack Brabham, who had a very high profile in the sport. Mind you, as the cars flashed past me, I was hardly able to identify any of them so it was all a bit negative as an experience.
Having commended our supermarkets for the proactive role they have played in our lives over recent months, I would also like to put in a good word for the ball boys and girls who do such a great job on court during the Wimbledon fortnight.
Thousands of you will have watched televised matches for the excitement and skills they generate, naturally, concentrating on the serves and rallies which take place. Few take much notice of those who make sure the stray balls are gathered up and redistributed and this is understandable. But the discipline of the youngsters is exceptional. They are seen but ensure that they stay in the background so that play is hardly interrupted.
I know how much training goes into the procedures involved and admire how everything manages to keep going like clockwork. It's much harder than it looks and it always appeals to me when I hear that a player occasionally acknowledges the excellence of this small, but crucial, aspect of every match. Some have even been known to give an autograph or even sign a T-shirt.