How’s your Christmas shopping going?
I know people (I work with them) who have bought, wrapped and labelled everything already but quite frankly that’s just not fun. What can more invoke the spirit of Christmas than panic buying, overspending, lugging heavy parcels home on a rush hour train without losing or breaking anything; feeling exhausted, flaking out at home with a cup of tea, sore feet and a crashing headache? These efficient types have no idea what they’re missing.
So I started mine this week. Having Mondays off is very useful at this time of year when weekend high streets and shopping malls resemble the frantic activity of a termite mound. We decided to make for the quieter – dare I say more select – side of town and headed off to the Kings Road in Chelsea.
However, on alighting at Sloane Square underground station I was transported back three decades to when I worked in the West End, during the conflict in Northern Ireland and a time of sustained danger from bombing or security threats which perpetually hung over our capital. As we queued to take the escalator, a piercing blast from a public address system assaulted our ears followed by an innocuous sounding message – ‘This is a staff announcement. Would Inspector Sands please go to the ticket office immediately.’ This was followed by another ear-shattering siren and the message again, repeated several times. I was up that escalator like a rat up a drainpipe.
Call me paranoid – it’s not as if Sloane Square is a big or complicated station – only two platforms with one train line passing through – where the hell could Inspector Sands have got to, to warrant such an insistent command for his presence? This may well have been a genuine call for him to attend his ticket office – but as I shot past it on my way through the exit, said ticket office was well and truly shut. Perhaps Inspector Sands has the only key, who knows, but for me, this sounded like a coded warning to station staff that all was not well in Sloane Square and they should start checking their given areas for anything suspicious.
Back in the day, with hoax bomb calls designed to cause maximum disruption up and down Oxford and Regent Street and elsewhere, coded warnings to retail personnel were commonplace. Not wanting to cause mass panic or an exodus of shoppers unless absolutely necessary, it was the sensible way of communicating to responsible staff to check their areas, report back to a central number within a store and then for a follow up message to be broadcast alerting the workforce of the all clear. Without wanting to divulge any particular message, it doesn’t take long to work out that while one store seemed to be forever looking for a lost child answering to the same description another would be having frequent meetings with a General Manager on a nonexistent eighth floor. My lunch hours trailing round various competitors were often swiftly truncated if a tannoyed announcement interrupted my browsing.
So I hope that Sloane Square really does have an Inspector Sands. I hope my suspicions were unfounded but old habits clearly die hard. With heightened security quite rightly sweeping our cities after the appalling events in Paris it’s best to be vigilant and stay safe: but carry on.
Here’s wishing you all a peaceful run up to your festive seasons.
Oh no, Jenny! I now will be listening to hear if there were any episodes of disruption around this area in Chelsea, my dear friend! I feel for you, as a young person, early twenties having to deal with encrypted or would it be cryptic? Messages about possible bombings in your working in sales. This sounds harrowing, Northern Ireland problems (along with Vietnam skirmishes) seemed do long ago snd both were dangers so far away. Sorry, your shopping came to a shrieking halt! 😦
The waiting till the “last minute Christmas shopping” worked for my Dad, coming home (Mom would tell me later in life) with bags and boxes of sale items. He worked best in that frantic way! 🙂 Take care and so glad you left the area and idea of shopping behind. If you hear more, we will be waiting “with bated breath” to hear about Inspector Sand! Hugs, Robin
Well, everyone just got on with it, whatever they were doing. There were just situations that were probably best avoided, and the longer it all went on, the more used to the disruptions everyone became. Kept calm and carried on, to paraphrase an old war time poster!
My Dad used to last minute shop too and would often gift wrap his parcels in newspaper. Either that, or he’d wait till we’d opened presents in the morning and recycle the discarded wrapping paper hastily while we were occupied with our new things😃
I think newspaper wrapping would signify Dad got me something special! I came back to check on you and found this comment.
Just in case you get busy, happy wishes sent your family’s way, Jenny! xo
Good grief. Hasn’t he retired yet?
Ha! So funny! Probably shuffling around now with a walking frame and ear trumpet – hence the louder-than-necessary announcements!
I think I shall stick to online shopping or maybe a last minute wander around my town. Not today though!
Online shopping is such a great invention…but I still like to comparison shop and if it’s garments – I like to feel them first! Books though, most definitely, although more often than not I check out the ones I’m interested in at the high street store first then buy through Amazon. 😉
I hate shopping (and crowds) so online is perfect for me. Have to admit I do like a bookshop though 🙂
Perhaps it means “Will someone please open the ticket office”.
Maybe…but I’m a natural cynic.
I remember the bad old days. But Mrs Ha will be shopping in London a week tomorrow, heading to Sloane St. It’s not really Christmas shopping as we don’t have much to do. But we have ordered a tree. I admit I don’t like the underground and I used the drain for years. I would rather shop locally but the parking sucks in Winchester. I was in my office in Old Broad Street when the stock exchange was bombed and my windows were blown out by the Baltic Exchange. You just carry on. I’m more afraid of shopping.
Oh I will. I’m off to Oxford Circus next week but that’s more to meet an old friend than shop, although I’m sure a little retail therapy will be involved.
I understand your Sloane Street anxiety – with Peter Jones at one end, Harvey Nicks at the other and all the exclusives in between, you don’t stand a chance.
This post brought back some memories Jenny – that made me smile. I was teaching in Kent in the late eighties, early nineties and with my girls flatting in Croyden, often travelling to or from London. Do you remember the time when all the trash receptacles were removed from the stations because a bomb could be planted in one, so we all waded ankle deep through rubbish for a while….. I was sitting with a friend in his car outside Canterbury station waiting for the train bearing my girls to me for the weekend -late as usual – when we realised we had parked right beside one of those shiny new red pillar box mail boxes and we spent the next half hour amusing ourselves with hair raising stories of the myriad possibilities of how the post box might be utilised by the IRA now there were no handy rubbish bins around the station. Nowadays I’d probably better utilise that time clearing a path through the rubbish 🙂 This has also made me recall how I spent a lot of my time when travelling or waiting for late trains writing out synopsis for stories – none of which ever got written as I don’t have the discipline to follow through.
Yes, I do remember. Now we have the bins back but are still sometimes wading through trash as people seem to have forgotten what they’re for. 😆 Pillar boxes were blocked up in the West End at one point actually but I’m not sure for how long. I wonder how we posted anything? By the way,
I think I’ve missed the deadline for submitting to your Competition – I was procrastinating as usual. 😕
You have 24 hours more to procrastinate in Jenny 🙂
Oh crikey, not now I haven’t! Better get thinking …
This is just the situation that we don’t want to be in again. I too, now feel very anxious about going up to London after Paris. I have a ticket to see Simply Red at the O2, and while I have been assured that the security has doubled at the venue, I still don’t want to spend the whole day in London before I go there. I wouldn’t go as far as not going but I do feel nervous about it 😕
As long as you go aware. I always make a mental note of where the exits are to anywhere I go and I try to avoid the tube when I can although I do end up using it because it’s usually so efficient and quick. I did used to walk to Waterloo after work most evenings, weather permitting. Took about 30 minutes and got me there in time for the fast train home.
Enjoy the O2 and your day out – whatever you decide to do.
You lucky thing having Mondays off!
Where I am a governor, we have finally (after about 3 years) got round to updating our crisis management policy (it’s huge!) although the one last thing we have to decide on is the code word list for the types of situation that you were probably in. The only slightly odd thing being that we have no tannoy and the school is tiny – if there was something going on, everyone would probably know about it just by looking through the door before any code word could be relayed out.
Still, it’s a good thing to have, you never know what situation you might be in and I think it’s just as well to be cautious in the current climate.
Yes, Monday’s are very useful! Even if it’s just doing the humdrum stuff that needs doing. I love that – crisis management policy- I’m not sure we’ve got one of those at our school. Actually, our management is a crisis but that’s another story…
On a serious note though, we do all need to practice caution – but carry on and be aware.
It is so interesting how something years ago still lives with your reactions. I’ve had similar reactions myself. On the other hand, it’s good to have knowledge as long as you don’t worry and only act on it when it seems necessary. I hope you have fruitful, happy, and incident free shopping this Christmas!
Thanks Lisa. You’re right – knowledge is power – hehe! Just being aware, not hanging around if there is suddenly lots of police activity is another thing I avoid when out in the crowds.
Hope your Thanksgiving weekend has been a happy one.
You described it perfectly, Jenny, with “shopping malls resemble the frantic activity of a termite mound.” Molly and I were able to complete all of our family’s Christmas shopping on the day before Thanksgiving, while the men took the kids on a mountain hike.
We haven’t done that in years, and it was so much fun–and a relief–to have it finished before we even had turkey. Plus, we rewarded ourselves with decadent Mile-High chocolate sundaes and celebrated by having a full hour to sit and talk. It was a true holiday for us.
Then on Friday, reality hit when a gunman opened fire on the Planned Parenthood, killing three and wounding 11 more in the low-key grocery and restaurant and small shop-complex near our home. No place is safe.
Your mile-high sundaes sound like a perfect reward for all that shopping – what a great way to end up on a girls day out😊
How tragic though, the news (which didn’t reach our main media stations) of that gunman. Proves the point that these events are all too commonplace, they are even failing to get widespread coverage. As you say, back to today’s reality: sickening.
Made an absolute point of going to London for the day – Oxford Street – last Saturday and will be returning on several other days.
Re Christmas shopping: you would hate my approach! I buy stuff throughout the year. Very specific stuff, something I know someone will really like. This system works well for me, except when I forget where I have put said stuff. But I am a chaotic packer of gifts. Last minute.com has nothing on me. Usually doing it in the car on the way.
Cards all done – early for me. Whether I remember to send them is another thing altogether.
Good for you! That’s the stoic British spirit!
I don’t hate your approach – I just can’t imagine being so organised. I think if I found something perfect for someone in July, say, I’d have forgotten about it by December and would go out and buy something else. Then I’d find the first item in January and wonder why the hell I’d bought it😆
And actually, I quite like the wrapping bit – partly because it means I’m on the home stretch. I do it in one big hit, make a lot of mess then everything is done. Except the cards. I haven’t even bought those yet…
Christmas shopping? Yikes! I can’t get it together this year. Was off for the month of October–writing of course–and then my second novel launched 11-11-15, and there’s a reading from it on 12-03-15. Ask Santa to bring me a time stretcher please. I could really use one.
I saw you were up to your eyes – but a reading, that’s great! Good luck with the book, exciting times!
I’m here to tell you the codes are alive and well! But that’s not the reason I skip the malls and hit the small stores – I go small because I like the service, the pride often displayed in their product and the uniqueness of things that aren’t mass-marketed by the big chains! Hope you’re enjoying your holiday prep!
Ah yes, shop local – a good plan and one I may well resort to. And if I can’t get what I want, then we’ll have to go without – we probably won’t notice anyway!
Hi Jenny, I’m so sorry it’s taken me this long to get to your post. It’s been a mixed bag,things going on with Aspie D last week, got that sorted and then a lovely weekend away with the boys for middle son’s birthday and then of course trying to catch up aftewards (not to mention the Christmas squeeze so eloquently described by you here) and then on Wednesday you won’t believe it but a crash in my brand new less than three months old car. Not my fault, a woman not looking drove right across my path on a roundabout (I had right of way) so that I could not stop in time before smashing into the side of her car. Nightmare. No injuries but oh the hassle now…I’m spitting, sick about it. But there it is. All the posts I wanted to do out the window, and you and I are on the same wavelength again as I’ve been thinking about those days with the IRA and having to be careful about lone packages on stations. I’m so glad you were safe and nothing happened…and I wonder if that ‘inspector’ was real…I hadn’t realised about the coded messages, makes a lot of sense. And now of course we have those awful shootings in California…just awful. Well, I do hope that your run up goes smoothly, I’m in the throes coupled with dealing with insurance and repair ‘stuff’ on top, but hopefully all will fall into place. Meanwhile, here’s to that well earned cuppa…take care my friend, and happy shopping…not!!!! 🙂 xx
Please don’t apologise! It has been taking me much longer recently to get around all my favourite bloggers- where does spare time go?!
Sorry to hear about your car disaster- women like that give the rest of us a bad name. Hope you get it all sorted soon, but I can imagine these things take time and effort which, especially at this time of year, you could do without.
I’ve done as much shopping in town as I intend to do – anything else will be bought locally…or online😐
Hope C is OK now – I can also imagine that Christmas run up is a stressful time for her. Glad to hear you got away for the birthday and just hope that now, car notwithstanding, your preparations are well underway 😀
Thanks Jenny…and yes, I could have done without it but there it is. I’m getting there and glad to know you are too…locally and online for me too now, so it sounds as if we’re both making progress…and thanks for asking after C. She is doing a bit better and needless to say she does all her shopping online. I think our poor postman is fed up with all the parcels arriving here! I hope you’re enjoying a lovely weekend, we’ve got our tree up now. I’ll catch up with you before I sign off for Chistmas 🙂 xx
For your post on Bruges, I meant to add I really like Colin Farrell and the dark humor and swearing doesn’t bother my brothers, Mom or me. I was on a train of thought and forgot his name. He was in the more new and upbeat movie which had some people complaints about the woman behind Mary Poppins. He played the father and did a great job. Smiles, Robin
So now, weeks later, shopping all done, decorations up. What’s left but to enjoy!
Well, cooking and clearing up – but that goes with the territory!! Enjoy the season🎉🎉