Just when I thought the Olympics couldn't depress me further....

[Hollis]

Zero hours contracts are a disgrace, should be outlawed.

Was offered one for a retail assistant position years back, wasn't impressed with that plus they said I had to sign up a minimum of two people per week to the storecard (full-timers had to do 4). How I was supposed to do that when I may not have working that week seemed to pass them by...

Surely they can be used and abused. Isn't the benefit that as opposed to 'casual labour' the person gets employment rights, such as they are?

 

[equationgirl]

Now you are making me guilty about sneering " A Storecard at 29% interest -- do I look like I've got MUG printed across my forehead ?" to some unfortunate assistant in Argos the other day. I thought he might be upset when he pointed out the "Special Offer of the day" was "a rectally inserted PP9 battery pack". Tempting though at £3.99.....

Don't sneer at the shop staff, they don't want to offer storecards either. They do want to hold onto their jobs though. A polite no thank-you with a smile is sufficient.

 

[equationgirl]

Surely they can be used and abused. Isn't the benefit that as opposed to 'casual labour' the person gets employment rights, such as they are?

It means greater flexibility to the employer, so yes, used and abused.

 

[Greebo]

Don't sneer at the shop staff, they don't want to offer storecards either. They do want to hold onto their jobs though. A polite no thank-you with a smile is sufficient.

Agreed. I usually thank them, say no, and then comment that I realise they have to ask me anyway.

 

[ayatollah]

Don't sneer at the shop staff, they don't want to offer storecards either. They do want to hold onto their jobs though. A polite no thank-you with a smile is sufficient.

So I suppose you also think dragging the unfortunate assistant half way over the paypoint till to make the point with spittle sprayed venom was a bit out of order too ?

 

[equationgirl]

So I suppose you also think dragging the unfortunate assistant half way over the paypoint till to make the point with spittle sprayed venom was a bit out of order too ?

A tad

 

[teqniq]

Olympic security? We've got it covered.​

 

[rorymac]

We gotta realise what British management/politicians are like

 

[ViolentPanda]

Your life must be so fucking miserable if you look at every passing individual in the street and suspect them of some awful alterior motive. Do you change seats on the tube if you're opposite somebody with a rucksack?

He doesn't even live in the UK. He sits there, over the North Sea, wafting his pontifications like stale farts at us from Holland.

 

[claphamboy]

From the e-fag thread....

I just got an email telling me my order from heavens gift has been cancelled and I've been given a refund.

We are awfully sorry we had to cancel your order 20120714170138 because HG stopped shipping orders to UK during 2012 Olympic, you can refer to http://www.heaven-gifts.com/article-396.html. Sorry.

WTF is going on?

 

[two sheds]

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/...brand-police-to-protect-sponsors-7945436.html

Olympics organisers have warned businesses that during London 2012 their advertising should not include a list of banned words, including "gold", "silver" and "bronze", "summer", "sponsors" and "London".

Publicans have been advised that blackboards advertising live TV coverage must not refer to beer brands or brewers without an Olympics deal, while caterers and restaurateurs have been told not to advertise dishes that could be construed as having an association with the event.

At the 40 Olympics venues, 800 retailers have been banned from serving chips to avoid infringing fast-food rights secured by McDonald's.

So 'Hasn't summer been shit in London' is right out in case people confuse it with an official Olympic message.

 

[SpookyFrank]

What if you've got a business which is based in London and sells gold? What if you're sponsoring something other than the olympics? What right have these cunts got to tell people which words they are allowed to use?

I'd love to boycott all these olympic sponsors but to the best of my knowledge I never use any of their products anyway. Does it not occur to these companies that endless newspaper articles about sponsors banning chips and proscribing large chunks of the English language might actually be bad for their public image? At the moment it seems like they're paying a shitload of money just to make everyone think they're arseholes.

Then again it's probably the tax breaks they're after rather than the publicity.

 

[TitanSound]

Then again it's probably the tax breaks they're after rather than the publicity.

The three main sponsors have a parade of vehicles before the Olympic flame. So I think they're looking for both.

 

[dylanredefined]

They are allowing other outlets to serve chips.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

They are allowing other outlets to serve chips.

What about lasagne?

 

[ViolentPanda]

From the e-fag thread....





WTF is going on?

From China or elsewhere in the sultry East?

If so (had an issue with some electronics components I ordered from a retailer in HK), it's not a problem their end. China Post have apparently been at pains to point out that it's Customs this end are the problem, and that anything non-prioritised for clearance (i.e. athlete's jockstraps etc) is getting cleared weeks after it arrives here, so rather than Chinese retailers getting it in the neck for something that isn't in their gift to change, a lot of them have just stopped shipping until the five-ring-circus is over. This appears to be the case with other states besides China too, and (obviously) those that trans-ship through China.

HTH

 

[ViolentPanda]

What if you've got a business which is based in London and sells gold? What if you're sponsoring something other than the olympics? What right have these cunts got to tell people which words they are allowed to use?

They haven't. In effect, this is about using the weight of the state to enforce supposed infringements of "intellectual property" laws that aren't on the statute books.
Aren't you pleased that your government are so eager to facilitate the smooth running of big business?

 

[treelover]

Apparently the cleaners have been shipped in from abroad, why, there are plenty of people in London who could do the work

Oh, and according to media reports, they are living in crap conditions,

maybe answered my own question..

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

We're a travel agency, might stick this in the window...

 

[treelover]

The three main sponsors have a parade of vehicles before the Olympic flame. So I think they're looking for both.

yes, the coca cola one is crass, the others not so bad...

 

[TitanSound]

Apparently the cleaners have been shipped in from abroad, why, there are plenty of people in London who could do the work

Oh, and according to media reports, they are living in crap conditions,

maybe answered my own question..

Source?

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

We're a travel agency, might stick this in the window...

That's perfectly legit though (as long as you're not creating an association with the Games)

You are obviously just taking advantage of the Greek economic crisis and telling people to go to Greece

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

FOUR HOURS from Heathrow to the Olympic Park for the Australian and American teams

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/ol...s-get-lost-from-Heathrow-to-Olympic-Park.html

(sorry if it's been posted already)

 

[TitanSound]

FOUR HOURS from Heathrow to the Olympic Park for the Australian and American teams

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/ol...s-get-lost-from-Heathrow-to-Olympic-Park.html

(sorry if it's been posted already)

I really, really, really hope this carries on throughout the games.

 

[treelover]

Source?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...people-Inside-slum-camp-Olympic-cleaners.html

 

[Jimathon]

Britain flooded with 'brand police' to protect sponsors

 

[weltweit]

Hmm....

Something they forgot in the Olympic stadium?

A Roof!!

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

I really, really, really hope this carries on throughout the games.

The UK may suffer such an embarrassment they'll withdraw from any future proposals to host the Olympics

Doubt it though

 

[claphamboy]

From China or elsewhere in the sultry East?

If so (had an issue with some electronics components I ordered from a retailer in HK), it's not a problem their end. China Post have apparently been at pains to point out that it's Customs this end are the problem, and that anything non-prioritised for clearance (i.e. athlete's jockstraps etc) is getting cleared weeks after it arrives here, so rather than Chinese retailers getting it in the neck for something that isn't in their gift to change, a lot of them have just stopped shipping until the five-ring-circus is over. This appears to be the case with other states besides China too, and (obviously) those that trans-ship through China.

HTH

Yeah, I got the impression it was a problem this end, not the fault of Heavens Gifts/China Post, I was just bemused that the Olympics was even going to impact on international postal services, it's not like they haven't had years to ensure Customs could continue to work at their usual speed whilst, as you say, this five-ring-circus is happening.

Makes you wonder just how many other 'at arms length'/'totally unconnected' services are getting buggered-up because of all this nonsense.

 

[Garek]

I really, really, really hope this carries on throughout the games.

*puts money on the Blackwall tunnel*

EDIT: Oh, there's already road chaos.