Michael Gorey

A blog is somewhere you can rant. Here are my latest gripes:

Family Assistance Office: This misnamed department of the Howard Government sent us a letter threatening to cut our childcare allowance unless James was immunised.

All our children’s immunisations are up to date, and they always have been. We go to the Bright Medical Centre when they’re due and they’re promptly done. What happens to the paperwork after that is a mystery to me, but I presume it’s entered into the system through Medicare.

I had to write a letter to the so-called Family Assistance Office explaining these facts and giving evidence of James’ immunisations. I pointed out that their letter to us was unsigned. How can government departments justify bad manners like that?

Myrtleford Bi-Lo Supermarket: We shop locally in Bright as much as we can, but as I work in Myrtleford several days a week I sometimes call in at Bi-Lo, especially for bread, milk and other essentials. Their discounted bread is the best deal around for a big family.

I’m annoyed though, that they never have enough checkouts opened, usually just one or two apart from the fast lane (eight items or less).

Perhaps I notice this because I generally call in at lunch time, and the same issue probably applies to all supermarkets.

Anyhow, I generally try to purchase eight items or less, so I can use the express checkout. I’m careful not to abuse the system and feel guilty if I have nine items.

It’s therefore frustrating that Bi-Lo allows people to go through the express lane with 20 items or more. I was stuck behind such a person this week, who chatted amicably with the experienced attendant.

He had at least 20 items, mostly vegetables, which had to be individually weighed. The man’s wife intruded later with a couple of extra items she had obviously been prowling for while the husband was checking out.

This is not the first time I’ve experienced this.

After the cheeky couple departed, my senior “checkout chick” turned around to serve some newly arrived customers at the other counter who wanted cigarettes, ignoring the queue in front of her.

My question to Bi-Lo management is do they deliberately encourage people to go through the express lane with more than eight items?

That’s what happens at Myrtleford. The only way to stop this is for staff to direct such customers to another checkout.

Likewise, is it Bi-Lo policy to fast-track cigarette buyers to the detriment of grocery shoppers? That’s what is happening at Myrtleford.

I’m obviously motivated to comment on these seemingly trivial issues, and may write to the store manager.

These articles might be of interest:

• Bread and milk
• Porepunkah River Walk
• Call centre workers