So a new Co-op has opened up in Denvilles and earlier this week I needed some eggs and a newspaper. The new Co-op is perhaps marginally closer than the Emsworth Co-op so I thought I should give it a try. Here is my review.

There is a slight aside that I will need to explain first for this story to make sense. For the last month or so I have been the proud wearer of a PICC. If you don’t know what a PICC is see the photo above and check it out here: http://www.macmillan.org.uk/Cancerinformation/Cancertreatment/Treatmenttypes/Chemotherapy/Linesports/PICCline.aspx It is really great. I love my PICC. It means I don’t have to be poked at all when I go into hospital to get my treatment as my blood comes out of the PICC and the chemo goes into the PICC and I will have the PICC until this journey is over. I initially called it Peter but Mark was uncomfortable about me having a male thing clinging to my arm so now she is called Penny and she is fantastic.

Anyway back to the Co-op and the review. In short, the Co-op did not fare well and I’m not sure that I will be going back in a hurry and here is why.

1) They had sold out of copies of the times. #middleclassproblems

2) They only sold eggs in boxes of 6 instead of 12 and really I wanted 12 eggs. #middleclassproblems

3) As I approached the counter to pay for my copy of the Independent and my 6 eggs, the man in front of me in the queue brushed past my arm. ‘Oh I’m so sorry’ he said, ‘oh no it’s quite alright’ I said and I thought that would be the end of our interaction. I was wrong.

‘Oh look you’ve done something to your arm as well’ he said pointing at my PICC, ‘what’s wrong with you?’ I should have of course lied, but I didn’t. ‘I’ve got cancer’ I said.

It was horribly awkward for me, him and the shop assistant. He then said ‘I’m going to rub your back to make it better’ and he proceeded to do so. Really he shouldn’t have done that, he should have just left!

Anyway if you wish for a guide on how to talk to strangers, just avoid doing as the man did in the Denvilles Co-op.