Various: TV, Amazon

TV

I first saw TV when I was about 6 in 1948 or 9. TV had come to the Midlands with the opening of the Sutton Coldfield transmitting station in 1948. TV sets were very few and households with them had to put up with expense and frequent breaks.. We were visiting my Aunt Amy and Uncle Jim in Coventry  when Amy said that a friend would welcome a visit to see their new set. Because TV was so new people who had sets were proud of the fact and were pleased to show off their acquisition

So we trooped around to Amy’s friends. The programme was the Remembrance Day Service which I thought stunningly boring as a programme but fascinating to watch the television. We didn’t have electricity so there was no chance we could have TV. Not only was the set very expensive but there were frequent technical breaks in transmission. Some of the gaps were filled with clips which became famous such as the potter’s wheel.

As time wore on gradually more people had bought sets. The Queen’s Coronation in 1953 has been attributed as the reason for a rapid increase just before. Certainly we watched the Coronation at my Aunt ( actually great Aunt )  Ethels house. It was wonderful and really made you feel part of the event. The BBC ( the monopoly broadcaster ) pulled out all the stops and had a huge commentary team anchored by Richard Dimblebly who was the “goto” man for the type of event.

Dimbleby was far more versatile than giving commentary at public occasions. He was a panellist on a very popular show “What’s my Line”. I went with mother to watch a recording in London. The panel of 4 had to guess the contestants occupation by a series of yes/no questions. The panel of two men, two women also had Gilbert Harding who was famously rather grumpy and Lady Isobel Barnett. The panellists did change a bit throughout the run over 1950-57, I think that Barbara Kelly was the second lady when I watched. Lady Isobel Barnett was a genuine peer who was famous for taking the show very seriously and gave some extraordinary leaps of intuition. The show  had Eamon Andrews as compere who introduced the contestants, and sometimes helped with answers to awkward questions.

For me as a boy I was fascinated by TV. The TV series “Quatermass” was much talked about at school and I felt I was missing out. For me the main attraction on visiting relatives was to watch TV. I certainly recall a young Bruce Forsyth in a slapstick comedy routine papering a room. My mother particularly enjoyed the comic “Mr Pastry” ( Richard Hearne ) dancing with himself doing the lancers.

When Aunt Alice and Uncle Arch had TV I saw more because Alice was mothers closest sister and we visited often. I seem to recall a Shaw play “When we are married” about a middle aged couple who discover their marriage was not legal.. Mother was fond of quoting the wife saying her ( supposed ) husband was a bit stingy when deciding whether to legitimise the relationship.

Amazon

The retail and IT giant founded a few short years ago now dominates the retail business. We recently toured the Rugeley fulfilment centre. This is the Amazon name for its warehouse and dispatch centre. The first curiosity is that its Amazon name is BHX1. Apparently this refers to its nearest large airport and the fact it is the first in the Midlands. There is plenty more Amazon speak inside such as the workers are all called associates with managers called leadership associates.

The centre is huge. We stood at a viewing platform for photos ( otherwise forbidden ) and the building just disappears into the distance with far end barely in view. The building is so large and maze like that area are labelled with names of US states to enable associates to find their way around.

BHX1 is devoted to smaller items, the criterion is whether they fit into tote boxes used to carry goods around. These are quite large maybe 0.4m x 0.9m. Larger items are warehoused elsewhere and then either dispatched from there or brought into BHX1 to marry up with the rest of the order.

The major surprise is how goods are stored. They are stored randomly. Each item is coded and the location is coded  and a computer marries up the information to guide a stock picker who has a hand held computer guide. Apparently this not only gives the location but also a picture of the item to ease stock picking.  I was impressed by the tote box conveyors which maintain precise gaps. Each tote is coded so that a picker may pick only part of an order in his particular area. The items are then “wrangled” together at the next stage.( another piece of Amazons’ own language )

As befits the highly IT led operation even packing, while a manual operation, is computer guided; picking the right box, the right wrapping tape length etc. The customer details by label are added at the final stage in a fenced off area for confidentiality Then off to a giant automated sorting area ( I imagine like a post office parcels sorter ) to allocate the final transport.

All very impressive and the working conditions seemed reasonably pleasant quite unlike those subject of well publicised complaints. They say after a year Amazon pays 95% of tuition fees and arranges working times to allow higher level study. I just wish they paid a more just share of taxes.