JohnD Posted June 15, 2021 Share Posted June 15, 2021 There's a very popular Hand Car Wash near me. I used it for the first time last week, on the modern, because the drive-through I use was closed for maintenance. I wasn't watching closely, but there are two queues, each with three young men washing, and a manager. I spent longer in the queue than that but the actual wash took ten minutes and cost £5. So the take is £60/hour. On that, can they pay even a minimum wage to the six or seven men on the washing, and still have enough for the rent, the materials, the water rates, to pay anyone in the back office, and to pay a dividend to whoever owns the place? Those men were young, didn't speak English. Despite the wet job, not all of them wore wellies and none wore waterproof overalls. Could this be 'modern slavery'? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted June 15, 2021 Share Posted June 15, 2021 41 minutes ago, JohnD said: Could this be 'modern slavery'? Pretty close…… One wonders how many are here legally too. Not that HMG appear to care, they are busy harassing softer targets, who probably are here legally (and have been for decades in many cases) but struggling to prove it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteStupps Posted June 15, 2021 Share Posted June 15, 2021 I generally assume those hand car-washes are using unregistered cash labour; not sure that entirely equates to modern slavery but it can't be above board at the prices charged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted June 15, 2021 Author Share Posted June 15, 2021 My conscience pricked, I've told Crimes Toppers. I'll see if the hand wash changes at all. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamish Posted June 15, 2021 Share Posted June 15, 2021 It is said by some They tend to be very good locations for drug dealing - lots of visitors- cash exchange etc and a car wash on the side for those non the wiser you have done the right thing John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RogerH Posted June 15, 2021 Share Posted June 15, 2021 Not just car wash. here in West London near Heathrow. We have a shop lay out system where you will have 3,4 or 5 green grocers next to each other with not many custiers in any of them. Then you have the barber shops - 3,4 or 5 in a row There can;t be any profit as there are few customers. What else are they doing to make ends meet. About 5 years ago we had a monster great super market - had a shop front of about 50 meters. Wet fish, green grocery, normal groceries, butcher (halal) - everything in one shop. except no customers. After the first year the butcher went. The second year the fish scarpered. The shop front is now down to about 10 meters. But still no customers of any number. How do they stay on the high street. How much am I (me) paying them to be there. Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterC Posted June 16, 2021 Share Posted June 16, 2021 10 hours ago, RogerH said: Not just car wash. here in West London near Heathrow. We have a shop lay out system where you will have 3,4 or 5 green grocers next to each other with not many custiers in any of them. Then you have the barber shops - 3,4 or 5 in a row There can;t be any profit as there are few customers. What else are they doing to make ends meet. About 5 years ago we had a monster great super market - had a shop front of about 50 meters. Wet fish, green grocery, normal groceries, butcher (halal) - everything in one shop. except no customers. After the first year the butcher went. The second year the fish scarpered. The shop front is now down to about 10 meters. But still no customers of any number. How do they stay on the high street. How much am I (me) paying them to be there. Roger Roger, Its not only your HIgh Street, they are becoming ghosts everywhere, cant compete with park-and-shop of the supermarkets. I havent shopped for food on a high street for many years, except for one excellent butcher and that shop was right next to a big car park. And with shielding from C-19 we have embraced on-line grocery shopping. And Amazon for most other items. Tough on high street retailers, they are left with the car-less young and a few digitally incommunicative elderly folk. As controls on air pollution restrict car access to towns the supermarkets out of town will take even more business. And the High Streets become dwellings. Urban planning......turned inside out. Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted June 16, 2021 Author Share Posted June 16, 2021 Peter, I think Roger is less concerned with the plight of the small shop keeper in the face of supermarkets, than that those shops with no customers are set up as a front for criminal activity. But let him explain... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterC Posted June 16, 2021 Share Posted June 16, 2021 John, Ah, yes. I thought it was a concern about loss of council tax receipts from empty premises. Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteStupps Posted June 16, 2021 Share Posted June 16, 2021 Veering off slightly onto 'the death of the high street', I walked over to my local DIY shop yesterday lunchtime to pick up some dust masks and WD40. The middle-aged woman behind the till refused to sell me WD40 without seeing proof of age... I didn't have any with me, just the cash in my pocket... "I'm 39! Look at me, you must know I'm not under 18!" I pleaded, to no avail. Her colleague backed her up and claimed it was against the law. I didn't give them grief, it's not their fault they're instructed to abandon common sense. I did walk out in frustration though, without spending any money. I'll just buy some online now, and will probably not go back to that shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteStupps Posted June 16, 2021 Share Posted June 16, 2021 P.S. JohnD, I think you did the right thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted June 16, 2021 Share Posted June 16, 2021 2 hours ago, PeteStupps said: The middle-aged woman behind the till refused to sell me WD40 without seeing proof of age.. Beggars belief….. but, having started buying beer in pubs aged about 16 and never being challenged….. my run came to an end just a few years ago in Asda. I was buying wine. Another middle aged lady wanting proof of age. At age 48 (approximately) and 6’3”, I was a bit taken aback and asked if she was having a laugh, oh no, it’s procedure (the eternal defence of the intellectually challenged). I had my licence so no big drama, and joked that I hadn’t been asked for 30 years. In fact I don’t recall ever being asked before. But no, no humour either. Got a big smile from the lady minding the next till who was very amused by it all - suspect she saw alot of it….. In your position though, I am now very definitely old enough and grumpy enough to pick a fight (get me the manager RIGHT NOW!) as I don’t think such stupidity should go unchallenged. Younger friends GF had this issue recently trying to buy burden (cycling gear, no ID), but then she’s only about 4’10” and looks about 12…… so that’s a fair cop really! BTW, in Yeovil the main loss of rates apart from shops standing empty, is charity shops, which make up a fair proportion of those that have anything in them and I understand pay little if any rates. The rest (not many) are mostly betting shops or mobile phone shops, who should probably pay double at least….. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamish Posted June 16, 2021 Share Posted June 16, 2021 The likes of Tesco have a challenge 25 for booze and they can select “appears over 25” on the alert at the self service tills. simples. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRooster Posted June 16, 2021 Share Posted June 16, 2021 When I had my 18th down the local, I had to pretend it was my 21st. RR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GT6MK3 Posted June 16, 2021 Share Posted June 16, 2021 First time I ever got carded was on my 18th birthday, local pubs used to be pretty good about it. Travelling in the US when I was 21 (as was the drinking age), the locals were normally confused when I pulled out a 1/4 A4 piece of paper as my Victoria, Australia licence. Crocodile Dundee had just hit though, and Aussies were all the rage, so I never got stopped. Was surprised last trip to the stated getting carded at Wallmart buying booze - their policy was that you had to look under 40, so I was flattered at the time. You can buy WD40 at any shop here without ID - kids huffing it hasn't been a big problem, but I get it'll happen one day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radioactive Man Posted June 16, 2021 Share Posted June 16, 2021 On 6/15/2021 at 5:36 PM, JohnD said: My conscience pricked, I've told Crimes Toppers. I'll see if the hand wash changes at all. Right thing to do. My sister used to work for a charity helping people like this and it’s a truly awful world for some. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted June 16, 2021 Author Share Posted June 16, 2021 Yes, you have to be 18 to buy WD40! Apparently this is because along with other aerosol cans it has been used for "huffing" breathing in the spray. That may work with older and that had freons or even propane as the propellant (see "Die Hard" the film) but WD40 has CO2!. Which could kill you, but I'd call it "Evolution in action" 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamish Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 12 hours ago, JohnD said: Which could kill you, but I'd call it "Evolution in action" The Darwin awards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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