Tesco may be experiencing trouble with its US Fresh & Easy division, but back in the UK its punctilious service is getting headlines:
BRUSSELS SPROUT AUCTIONED FOR CHARITY
A BRUSSELS sprout fetched 750 times its retail value when it was auctioned online for charity. The sprout acquired cult status in Stockport when Tesco sent it to an online shopper — Howard Cooper — who inadvertently typed in a request for 0.01kg of Brussels instead of 0.1kg
Cooper duly received one tiny sprout, neatly bagged and priced at 1p, reports Charity News Alert (March 11). News of Tesco’s ultra-efficiency sprouted far and wide, prompting Cooper to sell the vegetable on eBay, where it fetched £7.50 for Wellspring, a Stockport homelessness charity.
This followed the news late last year that authorities in the UK found consumption of Brussels sprouts had become a Christmas-only phenomenon, leading Brussels sprouts to be removed from the official market basket used to gauge inflation and replaced by broccoli:
BRUSSELS SPROUTS MAKE WAY FOR BROCCOLI IN NEW INFLATION BASKET
Broccoli, deemed to be the ultimate “superfood” for its healthy properties, has replaced Brussels sprouts, which are shunned by shoppers in all months bar December, government statisticians say.
The future doesn’t seem bright for the Brussels sprout, but at least it is getting some publicity.
