As I was walking to the bus stop these evening, groceries in hand, my eye was drawn to a sign tied to a lamp sort. If the pedestrian light had not been against me, I probably would not have read this notice, and then I would not have walked on considering how curious it was.
The sign had been placed there by Morrisons, and constituted a public announcement that they had applied to the local council to amend the license under which they sell alcohol. Thus stated, very mundane. What I found a curious is a sign was not prepared to explain the exact nature of the amendment requested. For this the casual passerby had to ring the phone number supplied or visit the website. The final paragraph was a reminder that any dishonesty or deceitfulness involved in giving a viewpoint against the store would be severely frowned upon, with legal action hinted at.
There must be a legal requirement for a business to publicise any applied for changes in the area of booze merchandising. At the time I found the positioning of the notice strange, but on consideration I guess just outside the company's grounds could be aimed at local residents who do not use the shop. However the size (just an A4 sheet of paper) and the tone - giving so little information but with a veiled threat to any opposition - made me feel that this was an attempt to comply with the law in a way that was so grudging as to be outside the spirit.
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