North London Hospice, North Finchley. I found a
Harry the Dirty Dog hardback anthology for £1.50 and was very pleased, having loved the original story as a child. In fact, I didn’t even know there
were another two books, but all three were compiled in this volume. When I took it to the till, the young man said they were selling two children’s books for a pound. I said I just wanted this one, but that it cost £1.50. He explained that if I bought a second book the price of the pair would fall to £1. I thus began seeking another book and eventually elected a “how to draw comic characters” guide that I didn’t particularly want. He said “That’ll be one pound.” I passed him a £5 note. He said: “Do you want to pay by card or cash?” I thought he didn’t want to give change, so I said I
could pay by card, but asked if there was a minimum. He said yes, and that it was £5. So we reverted to cash payment and I handed him the fiver I had been trying to give him all along. A fairly complex and time-consuming transaction, then, but I am happy with the book.
