Transcript

EXTRACT ONE [MEGAN]: Did you get your hair cut yesterday? I thought you were going straight from work. [IRIS]: No, the stylist was ill. The salon had sent a message through its booking app, but notifications were turned off on my phone, so I arrived at six and found my appointment had moved to Saturday. They were really apologetic and offered me a quick trim with someone else, but I'd booked colour as well. [MEGAN]: That's annoying. Does Saturday work, and will you keep using the app after this? [IRIS]: Yeah, actually Saturday is better because I won't be watching the clock. They've taken ten percent off too. For simple appointments, I'll probably keep using the app, but if I'm booking colour again, I'll call and check a day or two before. Oh, and I've turned the notifications on now, though it's already sent me three adverts for shampoo. I'd even put the old time in my calendar, so I didn't think to check again. The receptionist also wrote the new time on a card for me, which was probably safer than sending another notification through the same app. EXTRACT TWO [NOAH]: How was that meal box you ordered? The picture looked much better than my dinner. [ZOE]: The food was good, but the first recipe card was missing. I spent ten minutes searching the box before I realised the instructions were in the app as well. After that it was easy, though I used every pan in the kitchen for something described as a 'quick supper'. [NOAH]: Did the portions seem small? [ZOE]: I thought they would be, but there was plenty. The only odd thing was getting one whole cabbage when the recipe needed a quarter. I made soup with the rest, so it wasn't wasted. The box also had a tiny bottle of sauce that I nearly threw away with the packaging. [NOAH]: Are you keeping the subscription? [ZOE]: For another month. It's useful on busy days, and I'm trying ingredients I wouldn't normally buy. I'm going away for a week, though, so I've paused the deliveries. Apparently you have to do that five days in advance. I've put a reminder in my phone because otherwise a box will be sitting outside while I'm at my sister's. EXTRACT THREE [ALEX]: Was that new café any good for working? You said the flat was too noisy. [BETH]: It was comfortable, and nobody minded me staying with one coffee for a while. The Wi-Fi password on the menu was wrong, though. I kept typing it until a man at the next table said they'd changed one number. The staff had forgotten to print new menus. [ALEX]: At least you got online. Was it quiet enough? [BETH]: For the first hour. Then a baby group arrived and pushed three tables together. They weren't doing anything wrong, but I couldn't hear the recording I was checking. I moved to the little counter by the window and used headphones, which was fine. [ALEX]: Would you work there again? [BETH]: Yes, but earlier in the morning. The owner said it's almost empty before ten, and the counter has sockets underneath. I liked having people around after two days at home. I just wouldn't plan a video call there. Oh, and the cake was excellent, so I'll need to make sure working in cafés doesn't become a very expensive habit.