Presenter: Welcome back
APPLAUSE
Presenter: Ladies and gentlemen, the topics that I will suggest for our next CHIT CHAT session are: Kara Tointon breaks down on Comic Relief Trek, Emmerdale's Charity beds boss Jai, Alyssa Milano is pregnant, Kylie Minogue thinking about marriage, Ipad outselling other tablet rivals, Ashton Kutcher for Ghostbusters III, Raoul Moat 'planned to turn dead badger into a hat', Rihanna sold 10 million albums in the UK.......
CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
Presenter: X5, pay attention, we have a caller on the line. Caller, you are ON, which of our suggested topics would you like us to chit chat on tonight?
Caller1: Holy crap! The VAT rise has been a nightmare. A good deal of our products needed re-pricing. I have never felt this bored and fatigued at work...
X5: (interrupting) WHATS UP?
Caller: VAT…..
X5: ...not conducive to economic growth. I think the Chancellor has made a huge mistake...Charity begins at home. Too much of our hard earned money is been sent abroad as aid.....
Caller: No Comment....tuition fees, congestion charge, train and bus fares. In March, council tax will be hiked as well. To make matters worse, the rich seem to be getting richer, whereas, the poor getting even poorer. I hope none of the other viewers or anyone in the studio audience is mad at the people who wished you happy New Year just days before. No doubt, life will become increasingly harder for a lot of people. But the survival instinct in us will help us cope. This phase we are going through cannot last. So hold on to your New Year resolutions, dreams and high hopes.
APPLAUSE AND CHEERING
Presenter: Well said , caller, well said.
X5: In our shop, we encountered literally hundreds of price tags that needed to be changed before midnight. Normally, we closed at 5pm sharp. Not yesterday. I almost screamed, tempers flared across the shop floor. We were so tired when we finally finished, we almost forgot to program the 2.5 VAT increase in the computer. I knew I should have called in sick. This is the best way to avoid tiresome and tedious tasks such as this. Reached home about 2 am. I suspect the other members of the A team who lived much further reached home much later.
Caller: Well, I hope Facebook will not close, I wouldn’t want to crawl back to BEBO. Hate it!
BOO, SHOUTS OF DISAPPROVAL
Presenter: You must stick to the original topic that you selected
Caller: I know the rules, I just forget. Sorry.
X5: Totally unaware that VAT went up by 2.5%, today the beggar on the train was still asking for 37p to buy something to eat. I gave him 43pm..
Caller: Today, most customers complained to staff. I didn’t think they would be in the mood to show any sympathy towards my fingers, still aching from the previous night’s ordeal, so I kept quiet. They seemed so pissed off sometime when I told them that the prices for their items was inclusive of VAT. No one wants to be reminded. No one can blame them for feeling this way, especially if they were already struggling when VAT was rolled back to 15%.
Presenter: I heard quite a number of shops did not update their price tags and computer system in time. So their customers were pretty unhappy, especially as they were simply being charged higher prices at the tills. Any thoughts on that?
Caller: Unfortunately, our shop was not prepared to absorb the VAT increase. It passed it on straight to customers. John Lewis and Topman said they would be the last shops to increase prices. Well done Sir Phillip Green. They accused him of tax avoidance to the tune of 285 million, but I don’t believe a word of it. He seems too devoted to his wife to use her in that fashion. Anyway, shops that freeze prices now can only do so for a limited period. So stack up on your guilty pleasures as quickly as you can.
X5: The 2.5 increase VAT makes me hungry. Every time I eat something I feel guilty.
Presenter: VAT will not be applicable to second hand or vintage products, kids’ clothes and food but don’t be surprised if Macdonald’s charge you a little more for your Big Mac. While some retailers vow to keep their prices unchanged, others will undoubtedly pass on the tax increase to customers. Please bear in mind that the former cannot freeze their prices indefinitely. Sooner or later, they will have to increase their price list. So if you were quite pleased with yourself for being able to buy your Jaffa cakes just before the VAT increase took effect, you better wipe that smug grin off your face now.
Caller: The VAT increase is bad for the economy as things will become more expensive, people will cut back on their expenditures. The result of this is increased job losses. People are more likely to spend if VAT is at 17.5% instead of 20%. If you were ever in doubt whether you could purchase a particular item, it must be clearer now. It’s impossible for anyone to purchase more goods and services if their purchasing power has been diminished. So how is the economy going to get stimulated?
Presenter: (jokingly) It might have to do it itself.
LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE
X5: I was forced to curb my use of Data Services and Roaming. Too afraid, I will be sent a massive bill plus 20% VAT. This is so inconvenient...
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