Friday 7 February 2020

Fuss In Boots!

Liz mentioned a good probiotic supplement she had been taking. I thought I'd try them out, since the campylobacter wreaked havoc with my system over Christmas. I checked the link she sent to the Boots website - they are currently  on offer "3 for 2". This seemed a good deal [and if they don't suit, I can pass them on]
I went into Ferndown Boots on Friday afternoon. Took 3 boxes from the shelf to the counter. "These are 3 for 2, aren't they? I couldn't understand the shelf labels" 
The assistant explained that no, these were not in the offer. I showed her the website page on my phone. Yes, 3 for 2 online,and in some shops. But Ferndown is part of a new pilot scheme they are trialling. Our store is not included in some offers. She was sorry, she didn't know which nearby stores could sell me them 3 for 2. But she could order them for me, and I would get them on Monday.
"But the website says if I order by 8pm, you will have them tomorrow" No, she was sorry, Ferndown doesn't have Saturday deliveries. "But you have three boxes already in store, can I not collect them tomorrow?" She was most apologetic. She said the whole thing was really embarrassing, and told me of a man with his joint pain pills. "Please can you send feedback to Boots that I am unhappy about this?" I said "I know it is not your fault, and I can see this whole thing makes your life difficult too"
On Monday at 12.15 I got a text saying my tablets were instore. I went and collected my box. On the side of the box it explains that Boots are cutting down on plastic packaging. "Please tell us what you think about the BootsRecycleReady initiative" 
So I took a photo of the large box, with the three small boxes at one end [the remaining space had been full of screwed up paper] And I told Boots that I thought the box was way too large for the contents. And that if I'd been able to buy the three boxes in store at the discount price, they would have not needed to ship this package to me.
Furthermore, this is putting people off using the High Street Shops, and that is not good for the community. Until this year, we had two Boots branches locally. Now just the one.
Looking at the other photos on the website, it seems I am not the only one to respond like this.
One step forward, two back...
Bob - who has finished his antibiotics and is much better, thankyou - is lamenting the whole pill-taking system. How can we recycle this wretched mixed material plastic and foil packs? It is almost impossible to separate the two parts - and you are not supposed to put foil into our recycling bin unless it is scrunched up to at least the size of a tennis ball. 
Oh for the days of little brown glass bottles with metal screw tops, filled with our medications. And the strange cotton wool bung in the top which you had to fish out to gain access to the pills.
And more often than not, the cotton wool got pushed down into the bottle. What was the purpose of that cotton wool? [and did your mother save them all into a spare glass bottle in the medicine cabinet?] 
Keep taking the tablets!


3 comments:

  1. It IS ridiculous!!! How on earth they expect us to use the High Street more but do this is stupid. I hate having to order to stores because of stupid plastic packaging. I also get cross when they send massive boxes for something small!x

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  2. We visited a project in Colombia last year where the building they were in was constructed of panels made from recycled, compressed medication packaging.

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  3. How frustrating and ridiculous. Our local authority do allow us to recycle medication blister packs, another annoying thing that different areas off we different recycling, it should be standardised across the UK.

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