Fitness made easy @ Westwood Cross

As part of my Sunday workout regime, which as ever, revolves around the quest for something, generally a top urgent mission, to secure suppliers of gravy granules or stuffing etc. But this Sunday was different my combined retail and exercise programme concerned the acquisition of new trainers.

Encouraged by finding a new quicker route* to Westwood Cross, which bypasses a lot of the traffic, and avoiding many a confused housewife, whose driving abilities aren't as honed as their shopping skills. I parked up, heading briskly towards that oasis of affluence, in an otherwise down market Thanet. The first couple of shoe shops, failed miserably in the trainer department but I was relieved to see the new JJB SPORTS and fitness club, and loved the irony, easy access to their first floor premises either a lift or escalators but no stairs thank god (my kind of exercise).

However finding a shop that may supply, what you want, is just the start of the quest, as in many a retail store, they appear to take sales prevention, very seriously, in order to prevent customers buying, shops will often employ staff, who have an ability either to give the impression, they are too busy to serve or they have, that look, that suggests they've had a lobotomy, which all too often, is sadly confirmed when they try to speak.

On this occasion staff appeared to be employing the camouflaged technique, whereby they wear casual clothes and you have to hunt the logo, before you can challenge them, which when combined with the simple ruse, of hiding in the stock room, presents a very formidable barrier to buying what you want.

Anyway having identified, the particular trainer, I could afford(not an easy choice for someone in full time employment), I eventually managed to challenge the sales staff, in an off-guard moment as they discussed, whose break it was, fortunately they were still able to prevent the sale, with that old shoe shop favourite ''we don't have that size''.

Some workout, it must have taken me, the best part of an hour, before TK Maxx sorted out the trainer requirements, for this blogger, retail at its best, stuff thrown out into shop, you find, you queue, you pay, you leave now.

Just out of curiosity what is this obsession with fitness centres, and why do they have such large car-parks.

*(coming from St Peter's cut through, Tesco's car-park, back onto the Margate Ramsgate Road, heading towards the roundabout, and park in that car-park where Wickes used to be, and from there is a path which takes you into Westwood Cross)