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Sorry I didn't see it. Unfortunately our expectations now are instant delivery, all your products are in stock, and they will be dispatched the minute I finish the transaction. Unfair for smaller or independent retailers, but customers are fickle people who have Amazon expectations for all websites. 

Just a silly idea, but is there a way you can spin this, make longer delivery times a good thing. "Unlike Amazon, our products are lovingly individually created by local craftsman, which is why they will take 4 days to get to you". Maybe it could even add some perceived provenance to your products.

I despise updates, everything updates too often, then normally Microsoft breaks something doing an update I never even wanted 

Yuck. 

Stumbled on a story in the in the Guardian today about sexism. The female owner of a recruitment agency tackles sexism head on with great effect using a very simple response. Why?

https://www.theguardian.com/small-business-network/2016/oct/17/secretaries-acceptable-sexism-women-workplace

So what do we do if a client asks for “a blonde”? By far the strongest tool at our disposal is the power of “why?” We ask “why?” and it works every time, without fail. The problem with responding to casual misogyny with anger is that it’s become the expected reaction. Anger is easily batted away with a host of practised responses, such as “it’s political correctness gone mad” or “relax – you’re really uptight”.

Asking “why?” in a genuinely puzzled way has the most extraordinary effect – try it. It stops the conversation in its tracks, turns the statement on its head and immediately forces that person to logically justify their statement (which, of course, they cannot do.)

With that one word we force clients to question whether their prejudices are out of date. Finally, they begin to grasp just how embarrassing and unprofessional those prejudices are.

Most "volunteers" you are referring to on trade stands are hired help from agencies. 

I find hotels awkward, or at least the rare occasion when it's not a Premier Inn  If someone offers to take your bags, then there is invariably a moment of awkwardness in the hotel room. My standard response now is "sorry I haven't got any change" which is a cowards way out, but works well.

I was naturally curious, so just phoned it and it was a female BBC World Service style English speaker. No sign of Welsh. Maybe it's regional? 

lovely cheeky face

perfect 

I think out of the four presenters, he is actually the most dispensable. I could imagine the bake off with a replacement Hollywood, but not without any of the others. Their chemistry and charisma is what makes it. From soggy bottoms to Mel and Sues comments when calamities happen, like people dropping things or cakes not rising.

I'm surprised the chiefs at Ch4 didn't make having the presenters a requirement of the deal, unless they are not allowed to.