Closed shop
I HAVE a new candidate for my Golden Mile Award for businesses conducted with- out the customer in mind. The Award takes its name from Blackpool, where hungry attenders at a party conference once found themselves rebuked by a notice: `Café closed for staff lunch'. Turn now from the Golden Mile to the Square Mile and the London terminus of the Docklands Light Railway. There, would- be passengers must arm themselves with tickets. They must buy them by putting coins in the ticket-machines. If they lack the coins, they may cast around for a booking-office. They will find none. What they will find is the DLR's shop. They will not find it doing a thriving trade. This may be explained by the notice in its window: 'As we don't keep cash at this shop, we are unable to give change for the ticket- machines.'
Previous page
