Ringwood market on Wednesdays has a variety of vegetable stalls, all of which show the price of their produce in Imperial units with the equivalent price per kg in very small figures hardly visible in the corner of their sales boards. Several stall holders get round the problem by selling their produce in fixed numbers of items instead of by weight. As far as I can see, the only seller to give equal prominenmce to metric and Imperial is the butcher, but then we can always go to the butcher's shop in town.

<<
... As far as I can see, the only seller to give equal prominenmce to metric and Imperial is the butcher, but then we can always go to the butcher's shop in town.
>>

If you are prepared to incur the extra cost and inconvenience of traveling to town to buy your meat just because the humble law abiding local butcher displays his unit prices in metric more loudly than suites your taste then you really are sad.

You lot call us fanatics?

Ever heard of "voting with your feet"?

Stan misunderstood me. The fact that the Imperial butcher has his shop just a hundred yards or so along from the High Street market does not pose a problem.

I would buy from the one with the better beef rather than basing my decision on the system of measurement

Want the best steak in the UK?

Go to "Lan Brasserie" in Cardiff (St Mary's Street).

Their fillet is to die for.

They're quite cheeky too, this French restaraunt.

Everything is priced "by the 454 g" and a sign tells customers that a pound is 454g so that customers, if they wish, can order easily by quoting by the ounce/fraction of pound/pound.

Quite a cheeky way to get around the regs, I reckon!

Only been to Cardiff once (on way to 1990 Grand Slam) but my club played & stayed in Swansea (was the worst pitch I've ever played on I'm sorry to say.)

Are you sure "the regulations" apply to this type of sale? It's a similar situation to the "12oz (uncooked weight) sirloin" on sale in the hotel down the road from me or the famed "quarterpounder"

Those prices were if you were buying fish.

The steak was per type (sirloin/fillet/etc).

I don't really like fish, but presumably you would have a variable bill price if you ordered fish for your food.

BTW - Cardiff has REALLY taken off in the last few years and is now officially (accorfing to the BBC) the party capital of the UK. If you go there you must spend at least one evening in "the Bay" (mermaid quay)

Having reread my post, I might have confused you - didn't mean I had passed through Cardiff, meant that Scotland were on their way to a rare clean sweep in the 5 nations.

Played (my club lost) in Swansea on Friday, through to the old National Stadium on Sat, couple of pints in the Angel Hotel then back to Swansea.

I was not a fan of Brains Best Bitter though - and believe me, I did try to learn to like it.

Re the fish - I'm still of the opinion that this type of sale isn't technically caught by the regs, so immaterial whether by 454g or 1lb.

Stans says:
If you are prepared to incur the extra cost and inconvenience of traveling to town to buy your meat just because the humble law abiding local butcher displays his unit prices in metric more loudly than suites your taste then you really are sad. You lot call us fanatics?

Beranger says:
I would buy from the one with the better beef rather than basing my decision on the system of measurement

Note how both of them seek to trivialise the issue; to deride those that wish to use lb/oz, suggesting the matter is not important, or worthy of worry. Yet, they are the ones who wish to prevent lb/oz to the extent of giving traders criminal records if they do not comply.

I fail to see how my post trivialises anything. I stated I would buy from the one that sold the better beef. If that happened to be over an imperial scale, it would have no effect on the quality of the beef.

I am unaware of any butchers in my area with a criminal record for using unprescribed equipment, for the simple reason that they all use metric scales.

And the reason why they use metric is BECAUSE of the threat of a criminal record.

BWMA said
"Yet, they are the ones who wish to prevent lb/oz to the extent of giving traders criminal records if they do not comply."
and
"And the reason why they use metric is BECAUSE of the threat of a criminal record."




And the reason why they don't sell unsafe toys is BECAUSE of the threat of a criminal record.

And the reason why they don't sell cigarettes to under 16's is BECAUSE of the threat of a criminal record.

And the reason why they don't "clock" cars is BECAUSE of the threat of a criminal record.

And the reason why they don't sell fake goods is BECAUSE of the threat of a criminal record.

And the reason why they display prices on goods is BECAUSE of the threat of a criminal record.

Interpretation of the law regarding sale by weight of loose goods has been tested at every level of the Judicial system. The vast majority of traders wish to comply with the law whether they agree with it or not.

Some pieces of legislation are nonsensical - like the requirement for pubs to display A3 sized posters saying (basically) "no fags for under 16's" if they want to sell a cigar to any of the over 18's on the premises - but this legislation is still part of the law of the land.

BWMA seems to think that I want to eradicate imperial. If you check my postings, you will see that I support the retention of Pounds & Ounces as supplementary indications after 2010. When I return to my original hometown, I still buy from the fishmonger that I consider to sell the best fish in the world. I have no intention of changing to one that sells over metric scales.

With respect, B, its not very dangerous selling a pound of apples.

Unless you are attempting to sell them from a ledge on a cliff 2000ft up.

But then that would be a rather stupid apple-salesman in need of training.

<<
Stans says:
If you are prepared to incur the extra cost and inconvenience of traveling to town to buy your meat just because the humble law abiding local butcher displays his unit prices in metric more loudly than suites your taste then you really are sad. You lot call us fanatics?

Beranger says:
I would buy from the one with the better beef rather than basing my decision on the system of measurement

Note how both of them seek to trivialise the issue; to deride those that wish to use lb/oz, suggesting the matter is not important, or worthy of worry. Yet, they are the ones who wish to prevent lb/oz to the extent of giving traders criminal records if they do not comply.
>>

With respect BWMA you are missing my point.

I and my pro-metric sympathisers are accused of fanaticism for advocating the metric system. Maybe I go further than Beranger in that I also advocate that imperial should should be consigned to history like so many other former traditional units.

I respect Allen's right to choose where he shops based on his feelings about units of measurement.

I only wish to point out that accusations of fanaticism toward us is potentially hypocritical, because considerations for units of measurement can affect choice and override the normal criteria whichever side of the fence you are on.

"I also advocate that imperial should should be consigned to history like so many other former traditional units"

Thus denying those with a different opinion (and in this case, more dangerously, the majority) the right to retain their opinion.

Not fanatical?

re (Beranger):

And the reason why they use metric is BECAUSE of the threat of a criminal record.

And the reason why they don't sell unsafe toys is BECAUSE of the threat of a criminal record.

And the reason why they don't sell cigarettes to under 16's is BECAUSE of the threat of a criminal record.

And the reason why they don't "clock" cars is BECAUSE of the threat of a criminal record.

And the reason why they don't sell fake goods is BECAUSE of the threat of a criminal record.

And the reason why they display prices on goods is BECAUSE of the threat of a criminal record.

And finally, using Imperial weights and measures is just as bad, deviant and criminal as:

* selling unsafe toys
* selling cigarettes to under 16s
* deceiving buyers by 'clocking'
* selling fake goods...

BECAUSE they're useless, outdated, illogical, irrational, irrelevant, used in America, they confuse people, prevent the world going 100% metric, are not understood by metric-educated children, are banned by law for the sale of packaged and loose goods...and because Lord Howe and the U.K. Metric Association say so.

MEMO: Must write to the Sri Lankan government and get them to do something about all those thousands of people advbertising properties for sale in perches and acres. Fines of a few grand of rupess should do it - they need the THREAT OF A CRIMINAL RECORD

^ Over-the-top, but I agree nonetheless. Yes, B, I take your point, but you must accept the absurdity of your examples when grouped with Imperial.

P.S. Does it make me sad that I thought the name above, for a second or two, was a real name?

Tony

Read my post properly.

I give examples of legislation enforced by Trading Standards Depts. Note how you didn't choose to include the CPA'87 charges (relating to price marking) in your rant. Guess why I put that in!!!

Where I happen to stay, traders don't look for spurious loopholes to avoid complying with the law. I think my post which you quote from makes it quite clear that I think some of the legislation enforced by TS Depts is nonsense. The example I quote relates to posters to be displayed by UK cigarette sellers - nothing to do with the EU.

You are a member of ARM, who I think exist to "eradicate" metric measurements.

Look at all my posts on the site. Where do I call for the eradication of imperial? Where do I say that imperial is "useless, outdated, illogical, irrational, irrelevant"

I've even tried to point you (on another thread) toward something that I believe might be a loophole that you could exploit regarding petrol station displays. ("I'm not doing your work for you")

ARM claim to exist to ensure compliance with the law. Yeah, but only toward law they agree with. If it doesn't agree with ARM's interpretation, should it be ignored?

BTW, is anyone else tired of Tony's pseudonyms, I post under my own name at all times....

Bryan

You posted while I was typing my respose. My comment about Tony's names wasn't meant to be a response to you!

re (Beranger): "You are a member of ARM, who I think exist to 'eradicate' metric measurements".

REPLY: When they're illegal, yes. Otherwise, we simply aim to preserve customary measurements from a determined attempt to eradicate them. It can of course absolutely be said of folk like Lord Howe and the U.K. Metric Association that they *do* want the complete and swift eradication of customary measurements. As you must in all fairness concede, this has been - and can *only* be - done by the use of force

"useless, outdated, illogical, irrational, irrelevant"

<<Shudder>> You just reminded me of someone else!!

Berenger, I actually think that Tony's psuedonyms are sometimes quite funny, and we always know its Mr B !

Tony, I don't think Berenger is the arch-enemy you appear to profess him to be.

I could understand such a view point against the likes of martin, being from a UKMA perspective (and he'd accept the semi-hostile to and fro-ing as you would, being on opposing sides of the bench).

And of course there's dear old eric "that posts as metre so that all the imperialists have to read the word metre aren't I clever" who is obviously a metric "poser" (ie somwone who hasn't got a clue) but I suspect you know this, seeing that you more or less ignore the twit!

I wonder if we'll all be here arguing in, say, 30 yrs !