Thursday 5 March 2020

LITTLE ACTS OF KINDNESS

I was in Pak n Save today after I had been shopping at Countdown.

At Countdown I purchased most of what I needed but they had no broccoli and I couldn't find the council pre-pay rubbish bags. I also wanted some hand sanitiser but the shelves that usually hold these and the various hand-wipe products were completely bare with apologetic signs stapled to them saying that they were completely out of stock. I wasn't totally surprised but a bit miffed because I'm travelling by bus to Auckland on Sunday and would like to be able to wipe down the armrest on the seat and to clean my hands afterwards. Also, The Old Girl may still be flying to the UK on Monday so I wanted to be able to give her a bottle of sanitiser for her trip.

I called in to Pak n Save on the way home, found the broccoli and the rubbish bags but the shelves that normally hold the sanitiser products were also completely bare. Stripped clean. There was a woman next to me also looking for sanitiser and I told her that Countdown had also been stripped.

A man approached her having seen her looking at the empty shelf and handed her a bottle of Essence hand sanitiser.


He said that he and his wife had just taken the last two off the shelf but they only needed one so she could have the other.

Nice.

Meanwhile in answer to a question from her I told her that I was travelling to Auckland by bus which is why I wanted to buy some sanitiser and that my partner may be flying out of New Zealand on Monday and may not be able to buy any in Auckland and Wellington. The woman handed me the bottle of Essence which I at first refused. She told me that she was an owner of a motel just north of Whangarei and was just topping up her supplies and that she still had some bottles at home. I accepted her offer and thanked her.

Nice.

Strangers helping out others.



**********************

Now here's a funny thing. I looked on-line for a pic of the 250ml bottle of Essence that I bought to include in this post. I paid $4.59 for the 250ml bottle of Essence Clear Ice anti-bacterial hand sanitiser.

The web-site I got the image from is named Horo.co.nz and is selling various hand-sanitisers on-line.
The same bottle that I bought for $4.59 is selling for $28.85. I kid you not. On the hand sanitiser sales page are other normal supermarket items selling at outrageous prices.

Take a look here:

HAND SANITISER PRICES

This isn't an act of kindness. It is evil profiteering.

Not nice.

I'm going to do more checking on this tomorrow and see if there is something that can be done.



10 comments:

Richard (of RBB) said...

All good but just bear in mind what my dear old mum* would have said to you.





* Robert called her 'mother' and evidently I did too.

THE CURMUDGEON said...

What would your mother have said?
Would she have called me a crank?

Charming.

Richard (of RBB) said...

No, a sanitiser crank.

THE CURMUDGEON said...

I sent a complaint to The Commerce Commission this morning.

Richard (of RBB) said...

I checked New World in Thorndon this morning. Lots of sanitiser and toilet paper gone.

THE CURMUDGEON said...

Toilet paper?
WTF?
Why are people stocking up on toilet paper?
Didn't some dirty bastards use it before the virus scare?

The mind boggles.
Maybe Robert's priest has an answer.

Robert Sees Things in Sky said...

Father says it is better not to have bad habits.
Was that a help?

THE CURMUDGEON said...

Some of the Marist brothers had and wore those.

Robert Sees Things in Sky said...

But now they are in heaven.

THE CURMUDGEON said...

Yeah, that would figure if it existed. Bloody catholics protecting their own regardless.