So now that we have stopped being consumers in such a big way we really need every retail moment to count. Gone are the days when you might stroll around the Duty Free in Heathrow buying on a whim here and there. Of necessity purchases have become much more meaningful and far less frequent.

Having made the conscious decision therefore to take myself to the Jo Malone shop, I had hoped for a far nicer experience than the one I eventually endured.

I live within a short walk from the Jo Malone shop in Edinburgh’s George Street, where unfailingly nice assistants await my occasional visits and greet me with real warmth. This includes the day when I was on my way to a girls’ lunch and had forgotten to perfume before leaving home. When I explained this to the assistant, she reacted swiftly and I became a walking advert for their signature Lime Basil perfume. How lovely to be treated in such a spectacular fashion!

How awful then to arrive at Heathrow, perhaps even hoping for a quick hand massage as a little thank you for my custom. At least it would have been something nice to take with me on my long-haul flight to San Francisco. No such luck. It became very clear that I was simply an interruption to the two assistants whose sole task in life was bringing each other up to date with their latest experiences in the land of singledom and the dating game.

It was probably just as well then that I already knew that I wanted the lovely Pomegranate Noir fragrance and shower gel, a not inconsiderable purchase, and that I knew I did not want these wrapped beautifully as that would only increase my hand baggage to a point where my rucksack would fail to cope.

Just as well that I took a very little of their time….and allowed their conversation to continue practically without my interrupting them at all. Of course it may be that someone in the management of Jo Malone might have a different view of this? Maybe they would prefer that their customers have a very nice experience no matter which of their stores we visit?