This job is far more physical than most realise but really, I should be able to manage a bit of stock rotation. I load my trolley with yet more books but stop for a moment to straighten up and massage my lower aching lumbar region. My thoughts turn to Mum, tough as old boots, and brave. Clearly I’m not cut from the same cloth. Mum has cancer, I have backache. Man up you wus! I look across at my colleague Joan and am mildly amused as a customer attempts to converse with her. ‘Excuse me lady, I need card please.’ ‘Certainly sir, you will need two forms of ID to join.’ The customer continues to smile but just waits quietly. Eventually he speaks again. ‘So, you give me card please?’ ‘As I’ve said sir, you need two forms of ID.’ A puzzled look replaces the customer’s smile. ‘What you mean?’ he says. ‘I mean sir we need to see some ID, something with your name and address on, like a passport and a utility bill or a driving license?’ The penny has dropped. Or has it?
