Too Much Choice?

It’s great to have choice isn’t it?  To be able to scan down a list of things and choose something you really want or need.  It’s wonderful to have the chance to pick colours or flavours, or even sizes.  That kind of choice is great.  Especially because it’s your choice and no one has foisted it on you.

But I do wonder if perhaps we have taken it all a little too far.  For example, a trip to a coffee shop can often be rather stressful. You place your order and are immediately asked if you want “an extra shot”, or “caramel flavouring” or “a cake”.  The thing is, you’ve stood in the line long enough to know that all your really want is your original choice – a coffee, a cappuccino, an espresso or a latte. If you’d wanted a latte with an extra shot and caramel syrup served with a large chocolate brownie you’d have asked for it in the first place.  You know your own decisions.  Don’t you?

It’s the same with certain shops now.  You go to buy a newspaper, or maybe a birthday card or a pen refill and they try to sell you half price chocolates or stamps.  Really?  If you wanted those things you’d have picked them up by now.  And isn’t constantly offering half price chocolates merely adding to the obesity problem we all so concerned about. Ditto above paragraph in the coffee shop.  This kind of pressure overrides all our good intentions and our own personal choices.

And then there’s the bank.  I don’t go in very often these days – it’s all online now or cash is withdrawn from the hole in the wall.  However, there are the odd occasions when I need to bank a cheque.  This transaction should be very straightforward.  Hand over the passbook with the cheque – thank you very much – but no.  Questions must be asked – services must be offered.  Once again – no thank you.  If I wanted home insurance I’d be asking for it right now.

And don’t get me started on the Post Office.  Stamps – pah!  Parcel postage?  Maybe you might want guaranteed the next day?  Signed for?  Insurance?  Your own personal jet to fly it there for you?  OK, I made that last one up.  No thank you kindly Postal worker, I just want to send this parcel first class that’s why I am here in the first place.  If I wanted to send it guaranteed next day, signed for and with insurance I’d tell you.  Honest.  So stop bugging me and just accept my choice.

Don’t get me wrong.  I am glad I live in a society where I have choices.  There are some who don’t have such luxuries.  But what I would really love is the chance to be able to make them all on my own and not have them questioned all the time.  That’s all I’m saying.

January 2015