Cleaning A Little Helps

Regular readers of this blog might have noticed a slight tendency of mine to indulge in a bit of light TESCO-bashing every once in a while. My main motive for this is that despite the evident benefit the store brings to Addlestone and the surrounding areas as a place where you can find just about anything you need around the clock, be it clothes, your weekly food shop, a last-minute gift or a midnight snack, it makes it nigh-on impossible for nearby independent shops to compete and survive. You might picture me then as a principled man, valiantly sticking to my guns at every opportunity and avoiding the store in favour of independently-owned offerings, but sadly the truth is I shop at TESCO regularly, making me a complete hypocrite. Or you could just see me as another victim of the vicious circle that living next to a superstore entails. Yes, let's stick with that one.

Some news this week, however, has given me fresh grounds to pick the place apart, and indeed fresh hope that I might not have to see the alien mothership-resembling monstrosity for much longer when I walk into town, albeit for unfortunate reasons.

You may have seen the Get Surrey article Tesco takes action over "filthy" Addlestone store from last Thursday, which I spotted circulating on Twitter. After a recent environmental health report by Runnymede Borough Council the store was described as "filthy" and having "extremely poor standards" by the hygiene inspector, according to the article. This surprised me at first as, I have to admit, I had never noticed its cleanliness to be any worse than that of my own home (maybe even better) but as you make your way through the article it becomes clearer why. It turns out the offending areas were in fact out of public view, namely the bakery and behind the deli counter, as well as the fish fridge. That is to say right in those areas we could all do with being pretty spick and span.

After this report came to light, TESCO claimed they "insist on the highest standards of hygiene ... and are very disappointed by this isolated incident". This prompted them to re-train their Addlestone staff, equipping them with the knowledge and skills necessary to pick up a cloth every once in a while. The article also points out that this wasn't the first "isolated incident" where TESCO Addlestone had been busted for neglect of hygiene, as an inspection in 2010 revealed the same problem. That's two years worth of dirty doughnuts.

Because of TESCO's readiness to put things right, they were let off on this occasion with no action taken against them. However, I'm sure they can expect to feel the full force of Runnymede Borough Council if they're found not to be complying again, assuming RBC are taking a "three-strikes-and-your-out" approach.

Of course, the risk of a mucky kitchen probably won't be enough to deter the loyal TESCO shoppers of Addlestone from purchasing pants, chicken tikka masalas, bouquets of flowers or even the occasional bag of doughnuts from the superstore, as the convenience of it is so utterly irresistible. Heck, I'm covering my keyboard in jam and sugar as I type. I will wipe it up though.

Click here to read the full Get Surrey article, and tweet your views to @TheAddlestonian.