Ten, Elleven Twelve

Ok so some of you may know I do Mystery Shopping. Some of you may also know that one of the people I do this task for is the “Colonel” – you know who I mean?!

 If you have ever been in to one of his establishments – you may have picked up on the fact that there are 11 spices that go to make the exclusive spicy chicken. In some establishments there are big signs advertising these facts. Not really part of my job to even notice them to be fair – unless of course they are visibly dirty or broken. I would imagine like most advertising boards you’ve never noticed them and it is of course not important in the slightest.

Eleven is always made to stand out in the “Colonel’s” colours and sometimes it is 11, othertimes Eleven and although I have seen XI and two, maybe, spice jars. I have never, ever before seen ELLEVEN!

I noticed it, rubbed my eyes, looked again and ELLEVEN appears three times on the one brand new advertising board right by where the queue to get served snakes past, so potentially every single customer could see it.

I Googled it because I didn’t believe it, a firm that make ruck sacks and lots of other entries, there always is in Google isn’t there? Nothing however that related to the number betwixt 10 and 12. I even checked what eleven/11 was in Welsh, well you never know do you? 

Unarddeg not ELLEVEN by the way!

So I put it in my report!

I would tell you where it was but then I’d have to kill you, then the “Colonel” would kill me!!

All I would say is that the place name also has LL together in its name, maybe that was why I checked the Welsh!!

I applied to do this particular restaurant again and my Mystery Shopping firm told me, “For technical reasons you have been disallowed from shopping this assignment.”

So I chose a very close one and got accepted to do that one and popped in to the original one…. Guess what? The sign has been changed!! I wouldn’t mind betting it was very soon after my report landed on the area manager’s desk!! I would also imagine that a local sign writer may have lost a contract too!! 

Of course I have a regret that I didn't take a picture but that would have probably led to the 'technical reason' spreading to all my "Colonel's" assignments!!