Fifteen years ago or so, a mate of mine used to work for the Co-Op. And into his shop, one day, sauntered a reasonably well known former rock star -a man with the alcohol and subsequent money issues known to many former musicians after their fall from fame. Could he, he asked, start a tab for a bottle of wine?
Unsurprisingly, my mate said no, in the nicest way that he could. A supermarket is not a pub, nor is it an overdraft, and credit isn’t usually extended. Our musician friend walked away, disappointed but understanding, and that was the end of it.
I raise this because what to many of us is a luxury was an expensive necessity to him, such was his dependency. And as fuel prices grow…
