Following on from the thread on the Cwedit Cwunch where MH asked how it was 
affecting us all, here is a good example of how people don't help 
themselves.

On Saturday, I was doing a job in my kitchen that I am refitting, and needed 
a bit of bog standard planed 2x2. About a metre was enough. We have a 
hardware store / mini builder's yard in the village, that has always been 
owned from 'within' the village - until a few weeks ago. It has now been 
taken over by an 'outsider' ...

So I trot off down there and ask the spotty faced yoof in there for a metre 
of 2x2. He leads me towards the back (where you used to get led to go out 
the side door to the timber store, where a suitable sized piece of wood for 
your needs, would be found and priced up by holding a finger in the wind). 
Instead, he stops by a small rack containing at most, thirty 2.4m lengths of 
assorted sizes. I asked him if that was all they had got now, and he told me 
that he thought so. I found a length of 2x2 and asked if I could have just a 
metre, as the whole length was priced at an eye-watering £5.50. At this 
point the new owner sidles up and asks if he can help. I told him that he 
could, by cutting me off a metre of the wood. "Oh no", he sez, "I can't do 
that because it will leave me with an offcut that nobody wants, and I will 
lose money on it."  "What, no one like me will want it ?" sez I. "I only 
need a metre." "Well, have the whole piece", he sez, "and then you'll have 
some left over for the next time."  "What, at £5.50 ? I don't think so. I'll 
leave it, thanks."

Now being in business myself, I know all about dead stock, and losing money 
on it, but sometimes, it has to be considered as 'good will' stock. It was 
the third time I had been in the shop in as many weeks, so he should have 
recognised me as a 'regular' customer - we're only talking a village here, 
remember. That length of timber cannot have cost him more than about £1.50 
wholesale, even in the relatively small quantities that he is buying it in, 
otherwise, he's being ripped off by his supplier. He could have said to me 
that he would cut me a piece off, but he would have to charge me a couple of 
quid for it, in case he got left with the other 1.4m on his hands. Chances 
are I would have taken him on that offer for the convenience. Instead, by 
adopting the attitude that he did, he has now lost a customer, as I wouldn't 
now give him my money, if he begged me into his shop. If he carries on like 
this, especially in a village, he won't last long, and doubtless, he will 
then be bleating that the reason his business failed, was that he didn't 
have enough customers, due to the credit crunch.

I made the 8 mile round trip to B&Q and got a 2.4m length of planed studding 
that they had on offer for £1.98 (the actual size was not important as it 
was only to be used as corner bracing for a plinth I was building). At the 
end of the day, I don't care that it probably cost me the £5.50 in lost time 
and petrol, and that I put out enough CO2 to kill off a species of Bolivian 
tree frog, it's the principle of the thing.

Arfa

Arfa Daily wrote:
> Following on from the thread on the Cwedit Cwunch where MH asked how
> it was affecting us all, here is a good example of how people don't
> help themselves.
>
> On Saturday, I was doing a job in my kitchen that I am refitting, and
> needed a bit of bog standard planed 2x2. About a metre was enough. We
> have a hardware store / mini builder's yard in the village, that has
> always been owned from 'within' the village - until a few weeks ago.
> It has now been taken over by an 'outsider' ...
<SNIP>

I'm a great fan of independant shops myself Arfa, I have a page on my site 
dedicated to them http://www.medwayhandyman.co.uk/suppliers.htm

I find them geographically handy for a start, if I'm working on the Grain 
penisular a trip to B&Q or Wickes can take an hour with the traffic around 
here, so the shop in Hoo is realy useful.  Its also handy that they will 
supply short lengths of timber, waste pipe etc - not so much worried about 
cost because my customer pays, but I don't want my workshop clogged up with 
'useful' offcuts.

Home & Garden in Rochester is great for timber, good quality, properly 
stored, they will sell you a foot of something.  Johnsons is an Aladdin's 
Cave for hardware, everything you could want & they will sell you 1 bolt if 
you want it.

Thats how they stay in business as you say, don't think the shop you 
described has got a hope in hell.

All of these shops have a pile of my cards & recommend me if anyone asks. 
Interestingly, they all asked for them, they see it as another service they 
can offer.

I just hope they all survive the Cwunch.


-- 
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

"The Medway Handyman"  wrote in message 
news:5fSnk.40566$E41.22402@text.news.virginmedia.com...
> Arfa Daily wrote:
>> Following on from the thread on the Cwedit Cwunch where MH asked how
>> it was affecting us all, here is a good example of how people don't
>> help themselves.
>>
>> On Saturday, I was doing a job in my kitchen that I am refitting, and
>> needed a bit of bog standard planed 2x2. About a metre was enough. We
>> have a hardware store / mini builder's yard in the village, that has
>> always been owned from 'within' the village - until a few weeks ago.
>> It has now been taken over by an 'outsider' ...
> <SNIP>
>
> I'm a great fan of independant shops myself Arfa, I have a page on my site 
> dedicated to them http://www.medwayhandyman.co.uk/suppliers.htm
>
> I find them geographically handy for a start, if I'm working on the Grain 
> penisular a trip to B&Q or Wickes can take an hour with the traffic around 
> here, so the shop in Hoo is realy useful.  Its also handy that they will 
> supply short lengths of timber, waste pipe etc - not so much worried about 
> cost because my customer pays, but I don't want my workshop clogged up 
> with 'useful' offcuts.
>
> Home & Garden in Rochester is great for timber, good quality, properly 
> stored, they will sell you a foot of something.  Johnsons is an Aladdin's 
> Cave for hardware, everything you could want & they will sell you 1 bolt 
> if you want it.
>
> Thats how they stay in business as you say, don't think the shop you 
> described has got a hope in hell.
>
> All of these shops have a pile of my cards & recommend me if anyone asks. 
> Interestingly, they all asked for them, they see it as another service 
> they can offer.
>
> I just hope they all survive the Cwunch.
>
>
> -- 
> Dave - The Medway Handyman
> www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
>
>
Yes indeed, Dave. This one is called a " xxx  Home and Garden" as well, and 
has been like you say for as long as I can remember. It had a counter right 
in the middle of the store, a screw and fixings 'cave' up one corner, where 
you helped yourself, and then showed and told them what you'd got in the 
brown paper bag provided, and a pet food bit up the other corner. Now, the 
centre counter has gone, and only the one in the petfood bit is still there. 
The petfood has diminished considerably. The screw cave has been moved to 
the side of the back bit up the three steps, and although they are still 
loose, the range has gone down, and I get the feeling that it's just until 
they run out. Then it'll be little bags ...

The new guy has filled the place up with barbecue stoves and garden 
furniture and the like, but with the best will in the world, he ain't gonna 
compete with the 'barns' on this sort of merchandise, or even the Co-op 
store up the road, who do a very nice range at very good prices.

He might think that he's turning it into a 21st century enterprise, but I 
think he's going to struggle, come winter, if that is his business model. 
Most of the local builders had an account with the previous owners, and you 
used to see their trucks all the time either out front or up the side in the 
yard. I can't imagine them paying that sort of money for timber. I'll have 
to give my mate a ring, and see what the building fraternity make of it all. 
He's 'village' born and bred. At 35 years, I'm still a 'newcomer' ...

Arfa

On 11 Aug, 01:04, "Arfa Daily"  wrote:
> Following on from the thread on the Cwedit Cwunch where MH asked how it was
> affecting us all, here is a good example of how people don't help
> themselves.
>
> On Saturday, I was doing a job in my kitchen that I am refitting, and needed
> a bit of bog standard planed 2x2. About a metre was enough. We have a
> hardware store / mini builder's yard in the village, that has always been
> owned from 'within' the village - until a few weeks ago. It has now been
> taken over by an 'outsider' ...
>

Any idea why the ownership changed ?
Maybe the old business model was not working as well as you think.
Simon.

sm_jamieson  wrote:

>On 11 Aug, 01:04, "Arfa Daily"  wrote:
>> Following on from the thread on the Cwedit Cwunch where MH asked how it was
>> affecting us all, here is a good example of how people don't help
>> themselves.
>>
>> On Saturday, I was doing a job in my kitchen that I am refitting, and needed
>> a bit of bog standard planed 2x2. About a metre was enough. We have a
>> hardware store / mini builder's yard in the village, that has always been
>> owned from 'within' the village - until a few weeks ago. It has now been
>> taken over by an 'outsider' ...
>>
>
>Any idea why the ownership changed ?

Probably due to retirement of the previous owner?

>Maybe the old business model was not working as well as you think.

The new business model doesn't seem to be working at all!

"sm_jamieson"  wrote in message 
news:e655b8d4-99d8-4b5c-bbde-61ff3271fd96@j22g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
> On 11 Aug, 01:04, "Arfa Daily"  wrote:
>> Following on from the thread on the Cwedit Cwunch where MH asked how it 
>> was
>> affecting us all, here is a good example of how people don't help
>> themselves.
>>
>> On Saturday, I was doing a job in my kitchen that I am refitting, and 
>> needed
>> a bit of bog standard planed 2x2. About a metre was enough. We have a
>> hardware store / mini builder's yard in the village, that has always been
>> owned from 'within' the village - until a few weeks ago. It has now been
>> taken over by an 'outsider' ...
>>
>
> Any idea why the ownership changed ?
> Maybe the old business model was not working as well as you think.
> Simon.

Yes, I have. And he did ok out of the sale. He's just decided to take it 
easy. As far as I can gather, he used to make a good enough living out of 
it, as did the previous owner, who is also a villager. He just got a bit old 
for being open 7 days a week. Like any business, I guess it just gets more 
of a struggle to keep motivated as you get older. Sometimes these days, I 
have to almost make myself turn the benches on in the morning ...

He had owned it for probably 20 years. Still, you could be right. Always 
hard to know the exact situation in these cases, but if the books were 
'bad', then in the current financial and trading climate, the new owner 
would have had to be brave to sink his cash into it, in the fond hope that 
he could turn it around. Seems to be just him and his wife.

Arfa

In article <UlUnk.23079$tc1.10509@newsfe24.ams2>, Arfa Daily
 scribeth thus
>
>"sm_jamieson"  wrote in message 
>news:e655b8d4-99d8-4b5c-bbde-61ff3271fd96@j22g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
>> On 11 Aug, 01:04, "Arfa Daily"  wrote:
>>> Following on from the thread on the Cwedit Cwunch where MH asked how it 
>>> was
>>> affecting us all, here is a good example of how people don't help
>>> themselves.
>>>
>>> On Saturday, I was doing a job in my kitchen that I am refitting, and 
>>> needed
>>> a bit of bog standard planed 2x2. About a metre was enough. We have a
>>> hardware store / mini builder's yard in the village, that has always been
>>> owned from 'within' the village - until a few weeks ago. It has now been
>>> taken over by an 'outsider' ...
>>>
>>
>> Any idea why the ownership changed ?
>> Maybe the old business model was not working as well as you think.
>> Simon.
>
>Yes, I have. And he did ok out of the sale. He's just decided to take it 
>easy. As far as I can gather, he used to make a good enough living out of 
>it, as did the previous owner, who is also a villager. He just got a bit old 
>for being open 7 days a week. Like any business, I guess it just gets more 
>of a struggle to keep motivated as you get older. Sometimes these days, I 
>have to almost make myself turn the benches on in the morning ...
>
>He had owned it for probably 20 years. Still, you could be right. Always 
>hard to know the exact situation in these cases, but if the books were 
>'bad', then in the current financial and trading climate, the new owner 
>would have had to be brave to sink his cash into it, in the fond hope that 
>he could turn it around. Seems to be just him and his wife.
>
>Arfa 
>
>

And has he any idea of running a business and especially dealing with
Joe Public?..

Thats one thing that 20 years in the TV trade taught me there're best
avoided;!.....
-- 
Tony Sayer

"tony sayer"  wrote in message 
news:mNYqN9I7WBoIFwOZ@bancom.co.uk...
> In article <UlUnk.23079$tc1.10509@newsfe24.ams2>, Arfa Daily
>  scribeth thus
>>
>>"sm_jamieson"  wrote in message
>>news:e655b8d4-99d8-4b5c-bbde-61ff3271fd96@j22g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
>>> On 11 Aug, 01:04, "Arfa Daily"  wrote:
>>>> Following on from the thread on the Cwedit Cwunch where MH asked how it
>>>> was
>>>> affecting us all, here is a good example of how people don't help
>>>> themselves.
>>>>
>>>> On Saturday, I was doing a job in my kitchen that I am refitting, and
>>>> needed
>>>> a bit of bog standard planed 2x2. About a metre was enough. We have a
>>>> hardware store / mini builder's yard in the village, that has always 
>>>> been
>>>> owned from 'within' the village - until a few weeks ago. It has now 
>>>> been
>>>> taken over by an 'outsider' ...
>>>>
>>>
>>> Any idea why the ownership changed ?
>>> Maybe the old business model was not working as well as you think.
>>> Simon.
>>
>>Yes, I have. And he did ok out of the sale. He's just decided to take it
>>easy. As far as I can gather, he used to make a good enough living out of
>>it, as did the previous owner, who is also a villager. He just got a bit 
>>old
>>for being open 7 days a week. Like any business, I guess it just gets more
>>of a struggle to keep motivated as you get older. Sometimes these days, I
>>have to almost make myself turn the benches on in the morning ...
>>
>>He had owned it for probably 20 years. Still, you could be right. Always
>>hard to know the exact situation in these cases, but if the books were
>>'bad', then in the current financial and trading climate, the new owner
>>would have had to be brave to sink his cash into it, in the fond hope that
>>he could turn it around. Seems to be just him and his wife.
>>
>>Arfa
>>
>>
>
> And has he any idea of running a business and especially dealing with
> Joe Public?..
>
> Thats one thing that 20 years in the TV trade taught me there're best
> avoided;!.....
> -- 
> Tony Sayer
>
>
Agreed. I too am in electronic service, having spent many years in TV, now 
more general stuff. For the last 20 years or more that I have 'done it for 
myself', I have carried out trade work only. You don't make quite as much 
money out of it, but then you don't have to suffer interfacing with the 
public ! As to whether the new guy has any idea of running a business, I 
really don't know. Many people think that it is easy, and is just a side 
issue of doing what you are actually qualified at, but I think that is a 
recipe for disaster. Someone in the business - be it yourself or your wife 
or whatever - has got to be reponsible for the commercial side of things. If 
you're not careful, your grand plan makes you a 'man in business', and not a 
'businessman', and there's a world of difference in being a success ...

Arfa

Arfa Daily wrote:
> 
> 
> I made the 8 mile round trip to B&Q and got a 2.4m length of planed studding 
> that they had on offer for £1.98 (the actual size was not important as it 
> was only to be used as corner bracing for a plinth I was building). At the 
> end of the day, I don't care that it probably cost me the £5.50 in lost time 
> and petrol, and that I put out enough CO2 to kill off a species of Bolivian 
> tree frog, it's the principle of the thing.
> 
> Arfa 
> 
> 

Suds like you and he both need a lesson in cost benefit analysis.

The great thing about a cwedit cwunch is that crap businesses disappear.

Those that manage to reduce costs and do good work will stay.

"Arfa Daily"  wrote:
>
>As to whether the new guy has any idea of running a business, I 
>really don't know. Many people think that it is easy, and is just a side 
>issue of doing what you are actually qualified at, but I think that is a 
>recipe for disaster. Someone in the business - be it yourself or your wife 
>or whatever - has got to be reponsible for the commercial side of things. If 
>you're not careful, your grand plan makes you a 'man in business', and not a 
>'businessman', and there's a world of difference in being a success ...


A surprising number of people whose ambition is to "go into business"
think that they have achieved their objective when they open the doors
at 9:00 AM on Day 1.

> 
> The great thing about a cwedit cwunch is that crap businesses disappear.

Banks mainly

On Mon, 11 Aug 2008 01:04:27 +0100, "Arfa Daily"
 wrote:

>Now being in business myself, I know all about dead stock, and losing money 
>on it, but sometimes, it has to be considered as 'good will' stock.

Where I live we have one decent hardware shop in the town center. The
same man owned it for decades and managed to resist a B&Q opening a
short distance away by knowing his business.

One of the main attractions of his shop was one of those large
rotating multi-drawer cabinets that contained everything from brass
screws to O rings, to strange bolts. The sort of stuff B&Q sell in
blister packs for £2.50, and he sold for 40p. All loose and sold
individually. Obviously a dead loss for sales but the secondary sales
it generated were considerable from my own exposure to it.

The new guy takes over, the staff moan about having to handle  5 brass
screws at the till, so he makes the decision to dump the cabinet.

Now he's wondering where his customers have gone.

In article , Bruce
 scribeth thus
>"Arfa Daily"  wrote:
>>
>>As to whether the new guy has any idea of running a business, I 
>>really don't know. Many people think that it is easy, and is just a side 
>>issue of doing what you are actually qualified at, but I think that is a 
>>recipe for disaster. Someone in the business - be it yourself or your wife 
>>or whatever - has got to be reponsible for the commercial side of things. If 
>>you're not careful, your grand plan makes you a 'man in business', and not a 
>>'businessman', and there's a world of difference in being a success ...
>
>
>A surprising number of people whose ambition is to "go into business"
>think that they have achieved their objective when they open the doors
>at 9:00 AM on Day 1.
>

Ah!, yes thats going into business ... staying in business another
matter entirely;!...
-- 
Tony Sayer

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "Arfa Daily"
 saying something like:

>Following on from the thread on the Cwedit Cwunch where MH asked how it was 
>affecting us all, here is a good example of how people don't help 
>themselves.

Here's another one - I just enquired about getting an O2 cell for my
flue gas analyser. City Tech, who make them, are understandably
reluctant to deal directly with end users, fair enough. I then called
around and found a couple of suppliers, one recommended by CT. 
The CT recommended one was quite happy to send a single unit, not
particularly cheaply, but nonetheless I am reasonably happy to pay it.
Another supplier wouldn't even consider supplying me with less than 40
units.
Going by what I recall of the last two recessions, I've a fair idea what
one will still be in business in a couple of years. It was really
noticeable then that some of the larger companies had suddenly woken up
to the cumulative effect of all the small orders and started to go after
them, indeed positively welcome them. I still deal with some of those
companies now, because they took my orders then. If they hadn't I would
never have gone back to them.
-- 
Dave
GS850x2 XS650 SE6a

"It's a moron working with power tools.
 How much more suspenseful can you get?"
 - House

In message <DIVnk.40144$Gh7.14404@newsfe15.ams2>, Arfa Daily 
 writes
>
>"tony sayer"  wrote in message
>news:mNYqN9I7WBoIFwOZ@bancom.co.uk...
>> In article <UlUnk.23079$tc1.10509@newsfe24.ams2>, Arfa Daily
>>  scribeth thus
>>>
>>>"sm_jamieson"  wrote in message
>>>news:e655b8d4-99d8-4b5c-bbde-61ff3271fd96@j22g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
>>>> On 11 Aug, 01:04, "Arfa Daily"  wrote:
>>>>> Following on from the thread on the Cwedit Cwunch where MH asked how it
>>>>> was
>>>>> affecting us all, here is a good example of how people don't help
>>>>> themselves.
>>>>>
>>>>> On Saturday, I was doing a job in my kitchen that I am refitting, and
>>>>> needed
>>>>> a bit of bog standard planed 2x2. About a metre was enough. We have a
>>>>> hardware store / mini builder's yard in the village, that has always
>>>>> been
>>>>> owned from 'within' the village - until a few weeks ago. It has now
>>>>> been
>>>>> taken over by an 'outsider' ...
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Any idea why the ownership changed ?
>>>> Maybe the old business model was not working as well as you think.
>>>> Simon.
>>>
>>>Yes, I have. And he did ok out of the sale. He's just decided to take it
>>>easy. As far as I can gather, he used to make a good enough living out of
>>>it, as did the previous owner, who is also a villager. He just got a bit
>>>old
>>>for being open 7 days a week. Like any business, I guess it just gets more
>>>of a struggle to keep motivated as you get older. Sometimes these days, I
>>>have to almost make myself turn the benches on in the morning ...
>>>
>>>He had owned it for probably 20 years. Still, you could be right. Always
>>>hard to know the exact situation in these cases, but if the books were
>>>'bad', then in the current financial and trading climate, the new owner
>>>would have had to be brave to sink his cash into it, in the fond hope that
>>>he could turn it around. Seems to be just him and his wife.
>>>
>>>Arfa
>>>
>>>
>>
>> And has he any idea of running a business and especially dealing with
>> Joe Public?..
>>
>> Thats one thing that 20 years in the TV trade taught me there're best
>> avoided;!.....
>> --
>> Tony Sayer
>>
>>
>Agreed. I too am in electronic service,

so buy Electronic Services Ltd and make your life complete

-- 
geoff

"geoff"  wrote in message 
news:pmhCZCPQaKoIFw8E@ntlworld.com...
> In message <DIVnk.40144$Gh7.14404@newsfe15.ams2>, Arfa Daily 
>  writes
>>
>>"tony sayer"  wrote in message
>>news:mNYqN9I7WBoIFwOZ@bancom.co.uk...
>>> In article <UlUnk.23079$tc1.10509@newsfe24.ams2>, Arfa Daily
>>>  scribeth thus
>>>>
>>>>"sm_jamieson"  wrote in message
>>>>news:e655b8d4-99d8-4b5c-bbde-61ff3271fd96@j22g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
>>>>> On 11 Aug, 01:04, "Arfa Daily"  wrote:
>>>>>> Following on from the thread on the Cwedit Cwunch where MH asked how 
>>>>>> it
>>>>>> was
>>>>>> affecting us all, here is a good example of how people don't help
>>>>>> themselves.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On Saturday, I was doing a job in my kitchen that I am refitting, and
>>>>>> needed
>>>>>> a bit of bog standard planed 2x2. About a metre was enough. We have a
>>>>>> hardware store / mini builder's yard in the village, that has always
>>>>>> been
>>>>>> owned from 'within' the village - until a few weeks ago. It has now
>>>>>> been
>>>>>> taken over by an 'outsider' ...
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Any idea why the ownership changed ?
>>>>> Maybe the old business model was not working as well as you think.
>>>>> Simon.
>>>>
>>>>Yes, I have. And he did ok out of the sale. He's just decided to take it
>>>>easy. As far as I can gather, he used to make a good enough living out 
>>>>of
>>>>it, as did the previous owner, who is also a villager. He just got a bit
>>>>old
>>>>for being open 7 days a week. Like any business, I guess it just gets 
>>>>more
>>>>of a struggle to keep motivated as you get older. Sometimes these days, 
>>>>I
>>>>have to almost make myself turn the benches on in the morning ...
>>>>
>>>>He had owned it for probably 20 years. Still, you could be right. Always
>>>>hard to know the exact situation in these cases, but if the books were
>>>>'bad', then in the current financial and trading climate, the new owner
>>>>would have had to be brave to sink his cash into it, in the fond hope 
>>>>that
>>>>he could turn it around. Seems to be just him and his wife.
>>>>
>>>>Arfa
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>> And has he any idea of running a business and especially dealing with
>>> Joe Public?..
>>>
>>> Thats one thing that 20 years in the TV trade taught me there're best
>>> avoided;!.....
>>> --
>>> Tony Sayer
>>>
>>>
>>Agreed. I too am in electronic service,
>
> so buy Electronic Services Ltd and make your life complete
>
> -- 
> geoff

Meaning ... ???

Arfa

In article ,
   EricP  wrote:
> Where I live we have one decent hardware shop in the town center. The
> same man owned it for decades and managed to resist a B&Q opening a
> short distance away by knowing his business.

> One of the main attractions of his shop was one of those large
> rotating multi-drawer cabinets that contained everything from brass
> screws to O rings, to strange bolts. The sort of stuff B&Q sell in
> blister packs for £2.50, and he sold for 40p. All loose and sold
> individually. Obviously a dead loss for sales but the secondary sales
> it generated were considerable from my own exposure to it.

> The new guy takes over, the staff moan about having to handle  5 brass
> screws at the till, so he makes the decision to dump the cabinet.

> Now he's wondering where his customers have gone.

Yup - many years ago we had a super hardware shop on the high street.
Everything sold singly if you wanted - from that big nest of drawers. But
he'd give you a good price on a full box too. Excellent advice also. Would
recommend decent tradesman too.
 The chap running it wasn't old but sold up. Don't know why. A youngster
and his wife took over  - ripped out all the drawers - and replaced them
with self service bubble packs at prices well above the sheds. And only
lasted 6 months.

-- 
*Who are these kids and why are they calling me Mom?

    Dave Plowman        dave@davenoise.co.uk           London SW
                  To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In message <0i5ok.120132$dz3.31063@newsfe20.ams2>, Arfa Daily 
 writes
>
>"geoff"  wrote in message
>news:pmhCZCPQaKoIFw8E@ntlworld.com...
>> In message <DIVnk.40144$Gh7.14404@newsfe15.ams2>, Arfa Daily
>>  writes
>>>
>>>"tony sayer"  wrote in message
>>>news:mNYqN9I7WBoIFwOZ@bancom.co.uk...
>>>> In article <UlUnk.23079$tc1.10509@newsfe24.ams2>, Arfa Daily
>>>>  scribeth thus
>>>>>
>>>>>"sm_jamieson"  wrote in message
>>>>>news:e655b8d4-99d8-4b5c-bbde-61ff3271fd96@j22g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
>>>>>> On 11 Aug, 01:04, "Arfa Daily"  wrote:
>>>>>>> Following on from the thread on the Cwedit Cwunch where MH asked how
>>>>>>> it
>>>>>>> was
>>>>>>> affecting us all, here is a good example of how people don't help
>>>>>>> themselves.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On Saturday, I was doing a job in my kitchen that I am refitting, and
>>>>>>> needed
>>>>>>> a bit of bog standard planed 2x2. About a metre was enough. We have a
>>>>>>> hardware store / mini builder's yard in the village, that has always
>>>>>>> been
>>>>>>> owned from 'within' the village - until a few weeks ago. It has now
>>>>>>> been
>>>>>>> taken over by an 'outsider' ...
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Any idea why the ownership changed ?
>>>>>> Maybe the old business model was not working as well as you think.
>>>>>> Simon.
>>>>>
>>>>>Yes, I have. And he did ok out of the sale. He's just decided to take it
>>>>>easy. As far as I can gather, he used to make a good enough living out
>>>>>of
>>>>>it, as did the previous owner, who is also a villager. He just got a bit
>>>>>old
>>>>>for being open 7 days a week. Like any business, I guess it just gets
>>>>>more
>>>>>of a struggle to keep motivated as you get older. Sometimes these days,
>>>>>I
>>>>>have to almost make myself turn the benches on in the morning ...
>>>>>
>>>>>He had owned it for probably 20 years. Still, you could be right. Always
>>>>>hard to know the exact situation in these cases, but if the books were
>>>>>'bad', then in the current financial and trading climate, the new owner
>>>>>would have had to be brave to sink his cash into it, in the fond hope
>>>>>that
>>>>>he could turn it around. Seems to be just him and his wife.
>>>>>
>>>>>Arfa
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> And has he any idea of running a business and especially dealing with
>>>> Joe Public?..
>>>>
>>>> Thats one thing that 20 years in the TV trade taught me there're best
>>>> avoided;!.....
>>>> --
>>>> Tony Sayer
>>>>
>>>>
>>>Agreed. I too am in electronic service,
>>
>> so buy Electronic Services Ltd and make your life complete
>>
>> --
>> geoff
>
>Meaning ... ???
>
I'll sell you the Ltd company if you want it

-- 
geoff

"geoff"  wrote in message 
news:JTva0BDq6coIFwbX@ntlworld.com...
> In message <0i5ok.120132$dz3.31063@newsfe20.ams2>, Arfa Daily 
>  writes
>>
>>"geoff"  wrote in message
>>news:pmhCZCPQaKoIFw8E@ntlworld.com...
>>> In message <DIVnk.40144$Gh7.14404@newsfe15.ams2>, Arfa Daily
>>>  writes
>>>>
>>>>"tony sayer"  wrote in message
>>>>news:mNYqN9I7WBoIFwOZ@bancom.co.uk...
>>>>> In article <UlUnk.23079$tc1.10509@newsfe24.ams2>, Arfa Daily
>>>>>  scribeth thus
>>>>>>
>>>>>>"sm_jamieson"  wrote in message
>>>>>>news:e655b8d4-99d8-4b5c-bbde-61ff3271fd96@j22g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
>>>>>>> On 11 Aug, 01:04, "Arfa Daily"  wrote:
>>>>>>>> Following on from the thread on the Cwedit Cwunch where MH asked 
>>>>>>>> how
>>>>>>>> it
>>>>>>>> was
>>>>>>>> affecting us all, here is a good example of how people don't help
>>>>>>>> themselves.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> On Saturday, I was doing a job in my kitchen that I am refitting, 
>>>>>>>> and
>>>>>>>> needed
>>>>>>>> a bit of bog standard planed 2x2. About a metre was enough. We have 
>>>>>>>> a
>>>>>>>> hardware store / mini builder's yard in the village, that has 
>>>>>>>> always
>>>>>>>> been
>>>>>>>> owned from 'within' the village - until a few weeks ago. It has now
>>>>>>>> been
>>>>>>>> taken over by an 'outsider' ...
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Any idea why the ownership changed ?
>>>>>>> Maybe the old business model was not working as well as you think.
>>>>>>> Simon.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Yes, I have. And he did ok out of the sale. He's just decided to take 
>>>>>>it
>>>>>>easy. As far as I can gather, he used to make a good enough living out
>>>>>>of
>>>>>>it, as did the previous owner, who is also a villager. He just got a 
>>>>>>bit
>>>>>>old
>>>>>>for being open 7 days a week. Like any business, I guess it just gets
>>>>>>more
>>>>>>of a struggle to keep motivated as you get older. Sometimes these 
>>>>>>days,
>>>>>>I
>>>>>>have to almost make myself turn the benches on in the morning ...
>>>>>>
>>>>>>He had owned it for probably 20 years. Still, you could be right. 
>>>>>>Always
>>>>>>hard to know the exact situation in these cases, but if the books were
>>>>>>'bad', then in the current financial and trading climate, the new 
>>>>>>owner
>>>>>>would have had to be brave to sink his cash into it, in the fond hope
>>>>>>that
>>>>>>he could turn it around. Seems to be just him and his wife.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Arfa
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> And has he any idea of running a business and especially dealing with
>>>>> Joe Public?..
>>>>>
>>>>> Thats one thing that 20 years in the TV trade taught me there're best
>>>>> avoided;!.....
>>>>> --
>>>>> Tony Sayer
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>Agreed. I too am in electronic service,
>>>
>>> so buy Electronic Services Ltd and make your life complete
>>>
>>> --
>>> geoff
>>
>>Meaning ... ???
>>
> I'll sell you the Ltd company if you want it
>
> -- 
> geoff

Ah, I see. Thanks, but no thanks. Don't need the hassle of being limited ...

Arfa