15th March 25. Saturday job!

Some of you will understand this. When your best customer asks you to collect a vehicle. It's a Thursday when this request comes in. You're busy Thursday and Friday. Already booked in jobs for Monday and Tuesday. What do you do.? The clue is in the title.

When you work for yourself, run your own business and it's your reputation, which, in todays world can be as good as your last review. You might have a good relationship with this customer. But these are working people under stress in their own world. It's why I left the business after all. If you say no, they find someone else to do it. That someone, could be cheaper, quicker, someone they know well. All these things you need to think can happen. You lose a good customer quickly if you don't fulfil their requirements quickly.

In the back of your mind you know few are as professional and offer what you can. However!!

I said. For you, I'll do it Saturday!

So having said I would go to Bolton to collect a car for them. I set about looking for a job to get there.

Sometimes things click into place. As soon as I had said yes to Saturday. I looked on one of the portals I belong to and found it. A perfect job, Which I knew would be instantly accepted as it's a fixed price job going from Peugeot Oxford to Bury Lancashire. Close enough to Bolton for me.

An early start to get the X20 bus from Aylesbury to Oxford. My wife coming with me. To spend the day together. A beautiful sunny day. What's a Saturday for?

Gone are the days Saturday was for getting over the Friday night excess. So the bus trip from Aylesbury bus station to Oxford is an hour, so we left around 7.30am to get there in time for the walk along Ifley road, Oxford, to the Peugeot dealer about 20 minutes walk from the bus stop at St Clements Street just round the corner to Iffley road which stretches all the way to to outer ring road. There are some very smart houses and a scattering of typical Oxbridge small businesses along Iffley Road. I'm sure without telling you what they are.

OK, how about, Hamblin Bread, an 'artisan' bread shop with a queue already at 8.20am on a Saturday, of people, who 'simply have to be there' or be seen there buying a loaf of bread for a tenner and posting it on social media.

I used to live in Sherborne Dorset. There was a baker like this that opened whilst we lived there. They put on their window "Legendary Sourdough bread" Excuse my language. But how the fuck is it legendary if they only just opened. This was a one off shop. I went in and asked . they had no explanation why the bread was legendary.

The next shop is obvious. 'The Oxford Bicycle Company Ltd' need I say more?

One more as I'm getting angry. This one's a killer.

The Missing Bean Coffee Company. People fall for this shit. So I shouldn't be surprised. But I do wonder that the people who do, are one bean short of a cup of coffee themselves. A five pound, cup of coffee!

This was a retail delivery to a customer buying a new Peugeot Partner small van .

The drive from Oxford to Bury went well. The van drove brilliantly it was an automatic which for a small van was rare. It had satellite navigation and was very comfortable and also incredibly economical. We arrived at the address and the customer came out immediately to see his new van. He was a self employed joiner. A word I hadn't heard for a long time. They obviously don't call themselves that in the south. Must be a northern thing. My dad was a joiner and proud of it.

His, the customer, not my dad's. Old van was parked on the kerb outside. Leaving the comfort of the driveway to the new kid. Quite sad, given the service the previous favourite had provided.

The new van was checked over and signed for. A quick friendly chat. Tea offered and politely refused. And an Uber called to take us to Bolton to collect the car that had caused this Saturday working in the first place.

Nice people. Obviously hard working and now. Happy customer's. Onwards to Bolton.

It was a short journey and an inexpensive one as taxi's, usually Ubers in the northern towns are. They are nearly always silver or white Toyota Prius models between 5 and 10 years old. Did Toyota sell that many new back then?

So Mohammed, yes, another Mohammed. Thank god for these people doing this job. Where would we be without them?

Dropped us at the dealership in Bolton to collect the Peugeot 2008 to go back to Aylesbury.

As usual, The sales team were as helpful as always. "Its Saturday, You will have to wait" Even though by doing this on a Saturday I am using my day off. and I did tell the customer to tell this site I'm coming today and please have the car ready. Even if that phone call happened. Any fake interest in helping would have evaporated before the phone was put down.

I eventually got the car. Did My appraisal got it signed and we headed for the M6 southbound as quickly as possible to get back to civilization. I was born in the north I can say that. So any complaints of Northernism, Racism or stereotyping can email those to

complaints@yourarewastingyourtime.co.uk

The drive home was a reminder that Saturday working can be a tough gig. The roads, trains, stations and the underground system Is full of civilians. who generally and I mean mostly. Haven't a clue So the second to outside lane of any motorway is a steady stream of cars with one or two empty lanes inside of them. They stay there, Cruise control on at 65MPH and simply follow the car in front. This at the weekend is worse that any other day . where it still happens, but fewer cars.

We arrived back in Aylesbury having had the briefest of respites from the above civilians by using the M6 toll. Which at a tenner is ridiculous. but worth paying to avoid them for twenty minutes.

Unfortunately, we didn't get back in time to drop the car off as the customer as all other dealerships finish at 16.55 on a Saturday. with most staff losing interest at lunchtime.

Week finished