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GIVE ME A BREAK:THERE’S A woman, let’s call her Ethel, who has several school-going children, and spends her free mornings shopping. Ethel’s “shopping” is of a higher order than ours.

“Reconnaissance” would be more apt. Every weekday morning, she sets off on the Dart to town to check on all the things she wants to buy. She looks out of step as she trawls through department stores taking inventory of the stock. She “visits” particular items several times to reassure herself they are still there, then when they come down in price she waits for them to be knocked down further before buying. She gets a “little thrill” when she eventually purchases at deep discount.