Benches

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 One of my favourite things about my weekly trips to Tesco in the last few weeks has been the air conditioning.  I have a few physical problems at the moment and being in there with the air con and being able to sit on a bench inside the store and pack my bags in the cool air has helped me a lot in recent weeks.  I'm not the only one who uses these benches, elderly and infirm, people waiting on someone else, people just taking a moment after shopping before they have to go home and unpack it all and put it away.

Friday morning I trot to my Tesco supermarket for my shop.  I wasn't in the mood for it today, too hot, too much else going on.  However, the air con chilled me out (ha) so I dragged myself around with my trolley and shopping list and went to the checkout and piled my shopping onto the travelator.  I waited because the man in front of me was taking his time fluffing out his bags for life. I'd have had patience if he had been elderly or in need of some help and I would have offered to help.  This wasn't the case, this was just an...eejit.

Anyway, while he was fluffing about I looked around and noticed that all the benches at the other side of the checkouts were gone.  

When it was my turn at the check out I asked the young lad where the benches were.  This is where I seriously get fucked off.

They've been stolen.

Stolen from inside the shop.

You don't need to ask who by.  Those who wear some sort of makeup bag across their chests and dress in black.  Black known for being the worst colour to wear in a long hot summer.

I jest at times but this has really pissed me off.  Tesco put in measures to stop these little neds walking out their shop with anything they wanted so the little "darlings" started coming in and lifted the benches and just walking out with them.  

Here's a thought...Stop. Them.

I understand that the security staff get paid a very little amount and that no one would get paid minimum wage would, or should, be putting their life on the line for a bench.  Or anything else in the store either.  So why have them? Who are they deterring?

I caught my finger in a fridge in Tesco this Friday and went 'Oh ya fucking bastard.'  It hurt a lot and I have a little bruise.  Anyway, the security guard, dressed up like some robocop and with his hands tucked in his vest eyed me up.  So I eyed him up.  I might have taken it further but I was in no mood to be hustled out of Tesco for trying to get a chocolate trifle off the fridge shelf.  

What's happening at the moment?

What's happening is that the Scottish Government have given the police no powers to punish any criminal under the age of 18 (also 16 as there are differences but you can basically get off with anything if you are under 18).  They were to be let off with all offences unless its murder but even if it is then it's just a slap on the wrists.  Not only that, you can commit offences all over Scotland with the free bus pass for youths from 5-21.  

I don't doubt there are many young people in Scotland who have benefited from this scheme.  Those who have left school and gone straight into work and to which the free bus pass must be a god send because they don't have to pay £66 a month for a Lothian Bus Pass. Struggling parents in Edinburgh must also be sighing with relief not having to provide each child £1.10 per journey just to go to school.  There are benefits. 

What the SNP government should be aware of is that it is being used to travel around for criminal behaviour.  They might deny that it is what it is used for but they should ask the police and they should take a look at the journey's made on 5th November 2024 because it'll probably be worse on that date and then again this year.  The SNP wanted votes so told these that they wanted to vote that they could have free travel. 

What it has meant is that when a youngster goes missing that child might be anywhere in Scotland.  Thar's not great.  Not for the police and not for the parents.  There is a call for the Young Scot cards to be tracked but this will be at a great cost to a system which is already costing Scottish taxpayers a lot of money.  

As I left Tesco on Friday I found myself wondering why these little scamps needed to remove those benches from the store and wondered if it might be that they took them for their gangies.  

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