Open 24/7

I am like a shop that is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I can take no holidays; I must be at the tills ready to serve my customers. Strangely enough, I only have one customer; a surly, rather overbearing, ill-tempered gentleman I think by the name of Parkinson. Parki, as I call him behind his back, turns up throughout the day and when he does he lets the whole shop know he’s arrived. He grabs at a basket, knocking the rest of the neatly arranged baskets to the floor. Storming into the shop with flailing arms and resounding footsteps, he shouts and screams, “Where’s this?!” and “Where’s that?!” and “I want this, now!”. It’s infuriating! He even wanders along the aisles, arm outstretched, knocking everything on the floor. I try to catch up with Parki, putting all the produce back in its correct place but it’s impossible; a real mess!

Parkinson piles his basket high with energy, confidence, contentment and future among other things from my shelves; and I promise you this is true, he walks out without paying! Very rude! I try to tidy up and restock the things he takes but it is difficult to find suppliers. Parki is a bad customer! O no, here he comes again! Mr Parkinson, please leave that alone…