Surprise in store for super shopper

EVERY town has its suburbs. I live in hertford and my suburb is Bengeo. We are lucky in that we don’t have to go to the centre of town to do our grocery and everyday shopping. We have a local Co-op that stocks everything we need and has the best possible staff. The sales assistants are observant and take great care of their customers. If I ever need something from the top shelf, they will happily get it for me. If I forget my specs and want to see the expiry date on a packet, they are happy to rush over to tell me. When I get to the till, they say: ‘It’s nice to see you again.’ If the weather is bad, they will tell me to be careful on the way home. They even offer to carry my bags to the car. One day, on my usual shopping trip, I entered the store by the automatic door. Once inside, I was surprised to be surrounded by the staff. I wondered if I had done something wrong as they were shouting for the manageress to come over to see me. She arrived and said that they’d had a referendum to choose not the customer who had spent the most money in the store, but the most friendly and likeable character. I was astonished to be told they had all voted for me! She presented me with a large musical card signed by all the staff and wishing me all the best. This was accompanied by a large bag packed with all my favourite goodies. I had never heard of such an honour. I was astounded and flattered that I had been selected from my local Co-op’s hundreds of customers — an event I shall never forget!

Bob Hunt, Bengeo, Herts.