Smokers change their buying habits.

If the likes of ASH think that by putting the display of tobacco products behind shutters in supermarkets would deter smokers. I can tell you that it has actually had the perverse effect of making it quicker to buy those products.

Before shutterday^TM  as an example I would visit my local supermarket to buy a newspaper. Having picked it up I would head for the tobacco counter to pick up a packet of twenty ciggies. In front of me would be a couple of people buying tobacco and with small baskets of shopping which were processed at that counter. Delay five minutes.

In fact there is now less of a delay.

At the well known supermarket near my son’s house the behaviour of the supermarket and the tobacco buyer has changed. At that counter only tobacco products are processed. No baskets allowed. And that the trend of tobacco shoppers has changed to buying multiple packs.

Both times I’ve been there not one person has bought less than 100 at a time. Both times I was served by the same member of staff who knew intimately where each brand was situated behind the shutters.

So ASH if you thought you could inconvenience smokers, then I’m afraid you’ve actually made the buying experience BETTER.

Help

Is there anyone else out there that is having a problem with Google Reader?

Since I got back from my son’s place I’ve been driven to distraction by that heap of shit.

It’s programmed to RSS feed me up to 100 bogs that I read daily. These are displayed  in chronological order, newest first. Normally I would get up in the morning and start reading down the list until I get to one I’ve already read.

Blogger has decided that I’m being far too pedantic and has deemed that I’m too slow.

I find that after, say ten minutes, without any action by me, it refreshes the page. Thus putting be back to the top of the scroll. I then have to scroll down for what seems for ever to get back to where I left off.

Anyone had the same? And if so is there a fix?

Is there another RSS reader I can use?