Pain Aux Salmon

Tonight, I was to deal with an exceptional client, Ms F. As a busy woman, she had a Zoom call to attend at 6 pm, so I had to fit into her schedule and pick up the order before that time.

I arrived at an old building with an ancient-looking lift, which I decided not to use, and ran to the top floor instead. Ms F invited me to her finely decorated home and offered refreshments. I thought I'd save them till the closure of tonight's project, and we got to the business, making sure I was all set before her call.

Ms F rolled out the requirements of what she needed tonight.

The overarching vision was tonight's dinner: a salmon fillet from the counter and six new potatoes.

The products, apart from fruit and veggies, had specific brands and prices. Milk and a six-pack of water were to be purchased with vouchers.

I finished the customer interview just before Ms F's call, took cash and was on my way. The supermarket was very close to Ms F's. She said she usually shopped there herself, but tonight's order was too heavy for her to carry.

- 'Take the lift on the way up. I say it to all the girls.' said Ms F. before I left.
- 'Do you say that to the boys too?' I joked.
- 'Yes.'

Right after entering Waitrose, I was greeted by a shelf with wine bottles on offer, exactly the ones that Ms F asked for. She said it was a treat and she was getting a bottle only because it was on promotion.

I had to manage the project's budget and make tough decisions. Soon, I found out that the optional chicken korma ready meal and tartare sauce both had to go out of scope. Daily Telegraph and Cornish Yarg cheese were already sold out, so I didn't have to worry anymore that they would strain the budget.

Just before going to checkout, I checked the vouchers' value and knew that by using them I'd be able to squeeze in the item outside the list: pain aux raisins. Ms F was very keen on having that extra treat after the hour-long call. Customer satisfaction is my priority, so I took a detour to the bakery section.

As per Ms F's recommendation, I tried the lift on the way up. I found the number of doors to open and close not to my liking, and the space too cramped for my backpack, myself, a bag of groceries and a six-pack of 1.5l water - and neither I nor my bag are huge. I decided to savour the lift experience tonight but skip it next time.

Ms F let me in, and then I waited for her call to finish, making a start on my report and noting that I delivered everything essential for 66 p under the budget. Ms F was delighted with the service and said I cheered her up as she had felt depressed before, thinking about the worrying news about the war in the Middle East.