Shopping

Today I went into a shop called REI (and I've forgotten what that stands for - I've looked it up Recreational Equipment Inc.), which sells outdoors stuff - I was there 'cos I wanted a new backpack. Anyway, this shop was interesting for a number of reasons. One of them is that it's a members co-op, and one can become a member by paying $15, which gives you a discount, and a dividend at the end of the year (which is based on what you spent).

But the most immediately striking thing was that the chap who helped me out by pointing at the different sorts of rucksacks (and then 'cos I got overexcited, looking at head lights, and bar extenders and bike servicing and cycling shorts (because they were in the sale)) used a wheelchair. "Ooh, that's surprising", I thought "he's in a wheelchair" as I ran after him in the shop, in the direction of bicycle lights that attach to your helmet. Then I thought "Ooh, that's surprising that that's surprising". There's no reason that people in wheelchairs shouldn't work in shops.