I haven't gone into details about the events of this time last year. Remember November 2008? Woolworths, MFI, Zavvi went bankrupt. I was... er... implicated in all that, but didn't blog about it at the time because I was trying to get another job at that point.
I'm yet to describe on here how cack the last days of EUK were. And I'm not going to do that today, either. Instead, 12 months on, I'm going to draw a parallel to another impending closed business and the impact.
Yes, readers, despite the implausibility of the concept, my local offie is closing down.
The parent company of Threshers and Wine Shop somehow couldn't make things add up. This amazes me. Housemate and I almost lived there. Not a watertight business model, but I felt that might be enough.
On my way home tonight I called in, and immediately I was transported to another place: any Our Price, January 2004. Same situation - company clearly dead, customers have lost the will to even try to be polite whilst scalping the dead business for anything they can get. Same tonight.
Ladies arguing that the £25 down to £12 champagne should be £9. Blokes asking where the cheap spirits are. Tramps looking for cheap cigs.
The poor bloke behind the counter - the only one left on shift after everyone else had been fired - was stressed beyond belief. Poor bloke. His shop is closing down, he is about to lose his job, and all anyone wants is a cheap bottle.
I got to the counter and vouchsafed that I had been there when Our Price went down. Being 20, he didn't know what the hell I was on about.
I explained that it was a national chain of shops, specialist like, that had been ground into dirt by the supermarkets.
And then he asked me what I do now.
I told him I now work for Sainsburys.
I think he hates me.