There is nothing so stimulating as a good argument. Good sex? Maybe, but at a certain age the intense pleasure is measured in minutes rather than hours - or so I am reliably informed - and it is usually shared with one other person at a time. Seldom with more than a thousand. Of both sexes. You may beg to differ.
I had a memorable session (sadly we're talking argument here) at the annual dinner of the Chemical Industries Association. It wanted something different for the after-dinner entertainment, had read my book in which I'd kicked the bejesus out of the chemical industry and wanted to return the compliment in a question-and-answer session. It was glorious fun.
I expected something similar when the CIES invited me to address its annual conference in Barcelona last year. I suggested that my views on supermarkets might upset the delegates, most of whom were senior executives of the multiples. Precisely, they said, that's what we're after. Just like the chemical boys, I thought. This should be fun. But it wasn't  and not for want of trying. I did my best to upset them. Let me give you a quick summary of my 45 minutes.
Last August Radio 4 broadcast a debate on consumers' attitudes towards supermarkets. It was transmitted twice and then listeners were invited to vote on the motion: "We would all be better off without supermarkets."
The motion was supported by an overwhelming majority of listeners: 71% to 29%. That may not prove anything. Radio and television polls are, by definition, self selecting. But Radio 4 listeners are the cornerstone of middle class opinion in Britain and if they are disillusioned with what the supermarkets offer then the vote should be taken seriously. But what explains the outcome of this poll?
It seems to me that supermarkets base their proposition to the customer on five commitments:
l To give him/her what s/he wants
l To offer it at a reasonable price
l To treat suppliers fairly
l To ensure that suppliers treat the environment with respect
l To contribute to the community in which stores are located
None of these commitments has been fully met. Certainly there is greater choice than ever but, increasingly, middle-class customers want a wider variety of locally grown produce  more English apples, say  and they cannot have it. Prices? Well, comparisons with other countries do not flatter our British multiples. And so it goes.
It adds up to a pretty savage indictment. I may even have exaggerated a tad here and there during the Barcelona conference to make my point and to get my retaliation in first. When I finished I expected a serious duffing up. But it did not happen.
That may be down to the natural reserve of my audience, though it must be said I've never thought of supermarket bosses as overly timid creatures. But several approached me individually over a coffee later and told me that my message needed to be heard.
Now let's put this in perspective. Supermarkets are the retailing success story of the last century. That is so obvious it hardly needs to be said. Close them down tomorrow and tell your average housewife she'll have to do all her shopping the way granny did it 50 years ago and there'll be rioting in the streets.
But the multiples have become too arrogant, too powerful and too aggressive. If my reception in Barcelona suggests they are beginning to recognise they have some shortcomings, then that is to be welcomed. Even if I have to seek my pleasure elsewhere in future.
{{COMMENT - GUEST }}
I had a memorable session (sadly we're talking argument here) at the annual dinner of the Chemical Industries Association. It wanted something different for the after-dinner entertainment, had read my book in which I'd kicked the bejesus out of the chemical industry and wanted to return the compliment in a question-and-answer session. It was glorious fun.
I expected something similar when the CIES invited me to address its annual conference in Barcelona last year. I suggested that my views on supermarkets might upset the delegates, most of whom were senior executives of the multiples. Precisely, they said, that's what we're after. Just like the chemical boys, I thought. This should be fun. But it wasn't  and not for want of trying. I did my best to upset them. Let me give you a quick summary of my 45 minutes.
Last August Radio 4 broadcast a debate on consumers' attitudes towards supermarkets. It was transmitted twice and then listeners were invited to vote on the motion: "We would all be better off without supermarkets."
The motion was supported by an overwhelming majority of listeners: 71% to 29%. That may not prove anything. Radio and television polls are, by definition, self selecting. But Radio 4 listeners are the cornerstone of middle class opinion in Britain and if they are disillusioned with what the supermarkets offer then the vote should be taken seriously. But what explains the outcome of this poll?
It seems to me that supermarkets base their proposition to the customer on five commitments:
l To give him/her what s/he wants
l To offer it at a reasonable price
l To treat suppliers fairly
l To ensure that suppliers treat the environment with respect
l To contribute to the community in which stores are located
None of these commitments has been fully met. Certainly there is greater choice than ever but, increasingly, middle-class customers want a wider variety of locally grown produce  more English apples, say  and they cannot have it. Prices? Well, comparisons with other countries do not flatter our British multiples. And so it goes.
It adds up to a pretty savage indictment. I may even have exaggerated a tad here and there during the Barcelona conference to make my point and to get my retaliation in first. When I finished I expected a serious duffing up. But it did not happen.
That may be down to the natural reserve of my audience, though it must be said I've never thought of supermarket bosses as overly timid creatures. But several approached me individually over a coffee later and told me that my message needed to be heard.
Now let's put this in perspective. Supermarkets are the retailing success story of the last century. That is so obvious it hardly needs to be said. Close them down tomorrow and tell your average housewife she'll have to do all her shopping the way granny did it 50 years ago and there'll be rioting in the streets.
But the multiples have become too arrogant, too powerful and too aggressive. If my reception in Barcelona suggests they are beginning to recognise they have some shortcomings, then that is to be welcomed. Even if I have to seek my pleasure elsewhere in future.
{{COMMENT - GUEST }}
No comments yet