It’s Sunday once again and thus the day for shopping. As I have mentioned often enough, we go to the local Sainsbury’s store for this. We long ago acquired a joint-account Nectar card which gains us “points” on our purchases. These points are translated into a monetary value that can be set against your future purchases. Of course, the amount gained on each purchase is minuscule but we save them up throughout the year and use the credit to offset the extra spending at Christmas and the New Year.

Each week, Sainsbury’s/Nectar sends us a list of products. If we buy these, we earn extra points. Now, of course, this is a primitive form of “social engineering” whereby, seeming to make us gifts, they are trying influence our buying choices and make us buy more than we would otherwise. This may be one reason why an estimated 25% of the food bought by families is thrown away, i.e. wasted.

So, the points game consists of a deep strategy whereby we try to purchase the offered items but only as long as they are products we would buy in any case. We consider it valid to buy more than we would otherwise do, but only as long as the products will keep and we will use them up eventually.

Last year, our Christmas shopping bill was paid for in its entirety by our saved points, so it’s not a matter to pass over lightly.

Sunny but cold

Perhaps I should set a quiz, showing you photos of familiar places from my posts and inviting you to name them. But if I did that, I would have to offer prizes and I’m too miserly to do that! 🙂 Yes, above is Baron Street. As the caption says, the sun was shining but it was rather cold.

The Farmers’ Market

The Farmers’s Market was in full swing and I can’t imagine that tomorrow’s relaxation of the lockdown rules can make much difference to it. This is all to the good, of course, because the food supply is crucial to our health and even survival and every food supplier whose business fails is a matter for concern.

The main market

The main market was not as busy as I would have expected. The usual fruit and fish stalls were present and the key-cutting stall but that was about all. Perhaps there will be a renaissance next week.

I queue therefore I am

Is it true that the population divides into two groups, those who shop at Sainsbury’s and those who shop at Waitrose? Of course not, but it sometimes seems like it. Waitrose opens later than Sainsbury’s on Sunday so we have a chance to see “Waitrosers” still queueing while we are on the way home. No sniggering in the ranks, please!

Fairly busy

After our shopping run, I sped ahead to buy the coffee. I stopped to take a photo and Tigger, hauling the shopping, caught up with me so I hurried on again.

At Mercer’s, I found a couple queueing outside and had to wait with them. Tigger caught up with me and proposed taking the shopping home and coming back to meet me.

There was a long wait because the couple ahead of my wanted food as well as drinks but I was served at last.

When I emerged, Tigger had not arrived yet. I stopped to take this photo but, having the cup holder in one hand, I had only one remaining hand to take the photo. Unlike Tigger, I have not yet mastered the art of one-handed photography: sorry it’s a bit jerky.

I met Tigger again on the way home.

Will we sally forth again later? Wait and see!