Berlin

The way John Lewis staff are trained is considered to produce the best levels of customer service.
Perhaps some of them don't listen during training - although the majority are helpful and pleasant - as they are in many other stores too, not all JL staff are helpful or pleasant.

daphnedill Fri 06-Jan-17 13:06:15
If bankers consider commodities traders to be beneath them that must mean they consider that they are down in the drains because many people consider that bankers are in the gutter after the way they have behaved.

Gosh, I never knew that there were Nazi drinking songs - the things you learn on GN!

What I am trying to say is that's how bankers and stockbrokers regarded commodities traders and, if you'd ever been on the metals exchange floor, you'd know why. This isn't my opinion.

But you quoted it in criticism of Farage which certainly implied it was a snobbish view you shared.

Retailers look to 'best practice'. The way John Lewis staff are trained is considered to produce the best levels of customer service. It also prides itself as being an ethical store.

If being good and ethical is considered snobbish, so be it.

As far as John Lewis is concerned, it's a marketing tactic.

What I am trying to say is that's how bankers and stockbrokers regarded commodities traders and, if you'd ever been on the metals exchange floor, you'd know why. This isn't my opinion.

I've only ever been to Waitrose a couple of times - like you, Ana, we live miles away. But I had a John Lewis parcel delivered to one recently and was surprised at the sourfaced lack of service I got from an obviously senior member of staff when I collected it. She must have been off ill on training day The staff at my local Poundland are lovely.

Same sort of snobbery.

So, John Lewis employees wonderful, barrow boys....???

Someone I know designs kitchens for John Lewis. Thinks it's a brilliant company to work for, and is very well trained, like you said, anno.

I have nothing but praise for John Lewis staff but don't use their services very often. However, I do use their Waitrose counterparts almost daily and find their staff unfailingly cheerful and friendly, willing to help me to reach high shelves or find items not immediately visible. I know that they are very well trained.

They can be very helpful - is that special?

I don't know either - the staff in our local Woolworth's were wonderful too, then it was shut down.
And the man who served us in Curry's last week was very helpful too.

My friend's DH worked for John Lewis after he was made redundant from his job - they were awful to work for.

What's so special about John Lewis staff anyway? I don't understand that - shop floor staff or management?

Not that I've ever lived within a 50 mile radius of one of their emporiums (ia?)

They were like barrow boys compared with John Lewis staff.
the MD of one firm that DH worked for started off as a 'barrow boy'.

I remember Prince Harry once going to a party as an SS officer.That doesn't make him a Nazi.

Certainly not and I can imagine drunken City boys in the 80s may have been known to sing Nazi songs simply as a display of machismo. PeeCee was a new Red Ken invention then, and people were much freer to have fun in now contentious ways.

And of course we know the devil has the best tunes!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDIuApfVxBg
www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1uIOZSPUsI

Farage didn't have a Cockney background. His father was a stockbroker and young Nigel went to Dulwich College, one of the more snobby public schools, so he wasn't lacking in opportunity. He left school at 16 and going to work on the metals exchange would not have been considered a success.

Farage was clearly never a conformist. Like Churchill he is a 'bad boy' a maverick.

I remember Prince Harry once going to a party as an SS officer.That doesn't make him a Nazi.

Would you say that Donald Trump never achieved anything? it's daft to say that about politicians you don't happen to like.

UKIP is not a banned outfit, but part of the political scene and thousands of people do vote for them.I don't, but that does not make me think they are all closet Nazis.
You can hate Farage and UKIP if you like ( free country) but trying to say that he never achieved anything is plainly rubbish.

What was certainly true is that in the 80s there wasnt the hysteria about Nazis that has been whipped up now.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2211486/The-Nazi-uniform-It-just-laugh-Balls-brushes-university-prank-saying-embarrassed-photo.html

Reporting how it was indeed!

dd you forgot to add IMHO again!
Your comments are snobbish and don't do you any favours!
Were the Nazi drinking songs that you remember so well ( ahem) in German?

You remember what well, daphnedill? The Nazi drinking songs, the pubs or both?

I'm just reporting how it was.

Farage didn't have a Cockney background. His father was a stockbroker and young Nigel went to Dulwich College, one of the more snobby public schools, so he wasn't lacking in opportunity. He left school at 16 and going to work on the metals exchange would not have been considered a success.

As the article states, the commodities traders were renowned for their hard drinking and right wing views. It was not uncommon for them to break into Nazi drinking songs in the pubs near the exchanges. I remember them well.

In any case, Farage hasn't achieved anything noteworthy, either as a trader or politician. Apart from being an irritant, he has not changed any laws, he has never campaigned for anything good. He has never done anything tangible, apart from fiddle a load of expenses. Presumably some of the money went to finance his children's private school education, even though he lives in an area with grammar schools. He's just whinged and portrayed himself as a victim and convinced people that he's somehow on their side. As the article says - he's a salesman, but he's never actually produced anything.

"I can assure you that the commodities traders were considered a breed apart from the stockbrokers and bankers. There was a hierarchy and somebody from a well-known public school would have been expected to do 'better' than end up in the metal exchange. They were like barrow boys compared with John Lewis staff."

Wow the snobbishness shown here is very revealing, especially when you bear in mind that many traders actually were smart lads from working class Cockney backgrounds, just as barristers clerks were!
Perhaps this is how Farage acquired his ability to relate so well to people from all kinds of backgrounds.

Here you go, roses. This is quite a kind assessment of Farage's City career.

www.ft.com/content/02cad03a-844f-11e4-bae9-00144feabdc0

PS. The Yorkshire Ripper is known to many people.

roses,

It would appear that you do not realise that there are many different varieties of City trader. Farage was a commodities trader. Having worked in that environment for a while and having had a number of boyfriends who worked in the various markets, when there were still physical exchanges before digitalisation, I can assure you that the commodities traders were considered a breed apart from the stockbrokers and bankers. There was a hierarchy and somebody from a well-known public school would have been expected to do 'better' than end up in the metal exchange. They were like barrow boys compared with John Lewis staff.