Knowing Their Onions

Our little organic grower has gone full hyper-market. Their buisiness model is (and has been for decades) to sell pre-ordered boxes of veg, either delivered to collection points or buyer collects. The boxes contain whatever is in season, supplemented with some bought in organic fruit and veg to ensure variety

We started collecting on behalf of a group centred on our neighbouring village, using a self-arranged drop-off point, during Covid, when the previous volunteers went into isolation. Somehow we are still doing it. A separate, but co-located, business sells organic milk, cream, yoghurt, ice cream and meat. We collect that too

There has always been a tumbledown shack containing surplus veg, with a yoghurt pot to put cash in and prices chalked on a blackboard. We almost always buy extra. More recently, they have encouraged cash transfers. We have an account with one of the challenger on-line banks (the one that just got a hefty fine for leaving themselves wide open to money-launderers, drug-traffickers and other high-value clients). It's very handy for making quick payments like this (see brackets)

Today, there is a sign and an arrow directing us to the new "Honesty Shop". It has doors; it has vertical uprights and square corners; I think it's rain-proof. More spectacularly, it has a touch-screen to do self checkout, and a sensor to do card payments. There is even a wicker basket saying 'put the items you have bought in here'. Rather endearingly, when we flashed our card, it took our money but then crashed the system, requiring an admin pass code to restart. I'm glad something remains rickety

The dairy are now in on the act, hence the fridge and freezer at the back. A few other grocery items have also been added (out of shot). The chocolate and sourdough were already sold out! So, the balance of the business maybe changes a little, and the cash-less society takes another step forward. Change is the only constant