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A Cooker Story!
It should have been a reasonably easy task; replacing my free standing cooker with a built under model. How wrong can one be?! After scouring the usual range of shops I was informed that not many people choose gas these days as electric ovens are so much more versatile. Why not change to electric, there would be a lot more choice? This was the helpful suggestion of one shop assistant and it was enough to plant the seed. Why not? I’ve only been cooking with gas for 30 years, I can cope with change. Trouble was I knew nothing about electric cookers so that added another dimension to the search. I trawled the internet looking at everything available, comparing specifications, reading all the additional information. Mmm, I wouldn’t say I was none the wiser but what should I choose? My husband wasn’t much help. “I don’t use the cooker, dear, you have what you want!”
A week ago as a last ditch attempt to make my mind up I wandered into Wright’s Warehouse on Waterloo Street. I pass it every Sunday on the way to St. Philip’s but hadn’t really given it a second glance. After a little while a lovely lady approached me and asked if I needed any help. Boy, did I need help! She very patiently answered all my questions and discussed the pros and cons of changing from gas to electric. I went home armed with brochures and settled down for some light reading. A couple of hours later I returned to the warehouse for a second look and to ask some more questions. By the time I left I’d more or less made up my mind to switch to electric (pardon the pun), all I had to do now was show Robin and that was another job done.
A week later we abandoned the new kitchen units and arrived at the warehouse to order a gas oven and hob. “What?” I hear you cry. Well, after asking several friends most seemed to think I would be mad to change. I would have to sacrifice my longing for an induction hob and settle for gas. We’d more or less decided on a Stoves model (I wasn’t that keen on the knobs, but hoped they would grow on me once everything was installed in my lovely new kitchen. But no, the stainless steel wasn’t brushed, it was shiny and Robin didn’t like it! Oh great, time to go home for a breather I think. On the way out of the door Robin spied a Range. A cream one just like his aunty had in her house when he was a boy. “Why not have one of these?” he asked. “It would go perfectly in the fireplace.” I smiled sweetly and suggested we take a brochure home, reminding him gently that the kitchen was designed round us having a built under oven and hob on the opposite side of the kitchen! Fortunately, we hadn’t built many units so plan to return some and change the design of the kitchen – I’ll try and avoid the man who spent a couple of hours designing it in the first place!
Today we returned to Wright’s to buy the Range. Nothing difficult in that until the man asked if we wanted brass handles or chrome. “Definitely brass,” said Robin. “Ah, wait a minute,” I cried. “What about the handles on the cupboards? They’re chrome.” We’d have had the chrome handles if Robin hadn’t said minutes before that he didn’t like the ones with chrome handles! The man in the shop, bless him, switched some of the knobs to chrome ones and changed one of the handles. I wasn’t sure. Time to go home for a tea break and think about it! There was no option but to change to chrome handles so back we went. They were very good and didn’t bolt the door when they saw us approaching. Finally we made our purchase and wait delivery with eager anticipation.
If you are thinking of buying anything electrical I thoroughly recommend Wright’s Warehouse. I wish someone had told me about their excellent, personal service when I first set out to buy a new cooker.
Evelyn Waghorn
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