Considering the number of
group discussions I’ve moderated over the past couple of decades it’s
interesting that one comment made in one group comes to mind more often than
most.
I was conducting some work
on behalf of Waitrose and during the group one man, having realised that he was
in amongst fellow Waitrose shoppers came out with the following line, ‘of
course you know why we all go to Waitrose it’s because it’s full of PLUs’.
‘PLUs?’ I asked.
‘Yes, people like us’ he
replied and looked around the room for approval. And approval was indeed forthcoming.
I was reminded again of
this incident at the weekend when I asked my wife whether we should go and buy
something for Sunday lunch. ‘Oh it’s
ok,’ she said, ‘I went shopping this morning when you were out. Well it wasn’t
really shopping, I went to Waitrose’.
This has set me thinking
about shopping in a more general sense because I knew exactly what she
meant. Shopping at Waitrose is a
somewhat different experience to shopping at some other supermarkets.
Somehow it feels more
relaxed, you feel better looked after, you feel like the products have been
looked after too, and nothing will be too much trouble if you have a question
for any member of staff.
So I’m wondering whether
to put forward a new verb for the next Oxford English Dictionary; it’s the verb
‘to waitrose’. The definition would be
something along the lines of having a pleasant shopping experience during which
one feels at home and during which one has confidence that all will be well.
Because all tends to be
well at Waitrose, and of course you shop in the knowledge that you tend to be
surrounded by PLUs…
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