There’s a school of thought that suggests we Brits secretly love to be intimidated by arrogant sommeliers and doormen at posh venues. Could that extend to clothes shops?
This is a well established (and I presume successful) men’s clothes emporium in Cobham, Surrey. The clothes are a bit on the pricey side, but this isn’t Mayfair and it’s far from haute couture. So it’s quite surprising to find that the door remains locked unless you knock to be allowed in. Maybe I’m a bit downmarket but I’ve always had a rule of thumb in retail that you encourage customers to come in and browse. When you do enter, the disdain of the staff is evident almost to the point of caricature. Funny thing is this doesn’t stop me wanting to buy stuff from them – almost the opposite. D’you think if I asked nicely they’d beat me up a bit too?
The Aspidistra 