Sunday, April 15, 2012

Out of sight, out of mind?


I´m back with a question: How fucking patronising has this society become?
I don´t need anybody to think for me, I regard myself as an adult, mature enough to make my own decisions. And if those decisons are good or bad for me should also be my concern only, especially when what I choose to do is legal.

So what drives me up the wall here?
Well, who knows me a bit might be surprised: it´s about smoking. Many got to know me as a nonsmoker and in a way, that´s what I am. Never bought a pack of cigarettes in my life. Probably never will. But from time to time I do enjoy puffing away a cigar or cigarillo. And those I do buy occasionally. Yesterday I was in the mood for some Moods or Sweets or something like it again, so I went to a K-Market in order to get my fix. Like a good boy I lined up at the cash desk and when it was my turn I asked if they sell cigarillos.

Now there´s one thing you should know in case you´re not living here:
From the first of January this year it is prohibited by law in Finland to display tobacco products. This led to the following scenario:

JottEff: "Hi, do you sell cigarillos?"
Clerk:   "Yes. What brand?"
              Opens the storage box containing the packs of smokes.
JottEff: "Er, I don´t know yet. What do you have?"
              I try to sneak a peek. Clerk closes the box again.
Clerk:   "I´m not sure, I don´t know much about cigarillos."
JottEff: "So could you show me your selection then?"
              Clerk appears now stressed out.
Clerk:   "No, sorry. I´m not allowed to do that."
              Now I start feeling stressed.
JottEff: "But how can I choose something from your selection when I don´t know your
             selection?"
Clerk:   "Well, I would have a list here. Maybe you find what you want on that list."

By now at least five customers where waiting behind me and the situation started to get uncomfortable. Did I want to make everybody wait even more while reading that long list? With the possibility of NOT finding anything I want?

JottEff:   "No, thanks."

My appetite was gone, which I guess is the exact desired effect of that stupid law. I didn´t blame the clerk, she was just playing by the rules. It´s only that these new rules for that old game suck pretty hard. Out of sight, out of mind?
Fuck you!

2 comments:

Telefinn said...

The same law came into effect in England just a few days ago (see here. I am totally unaffacted so cannot possibly comment.

Ardo said...

Good try, i guess you have to be more desperate to buy smokes in this country. But this subject doesn`t really concern me so much. Maybe you should quit too (for real) :P