Hi, guys.

I'll probably stay open a bit later.

It's been slow.

It's quite warm and it's a Friday.

It's been slow but we've had good sales, so that's good.

We've had a good day.

I don't know how much.

We didn't last count a bit.

But we've had some good sales.

Some really nice retro items going.

Some customers I haven't seen before, so that's always good.

We've had a lot of new customers recently.

So yeah, I'm going to be here until about six.

I don't need any volunteers or anything in tonight because it's me, Jest.

I'm trying not to open too many donations up because we haven't got a room.

So I'm just trying to pick up on some of the bits that have been hanging around for a while on the desk and things.

And can we find this part to it or whatever?

And see if I can get that sorted or where I got gaps.

Put things in the gaps.

We'll be open tomorrow.

I don't know.

What day is it tomorrow?

Saturday?

Oh, I think I got it.

Am I tired?

So I might have to go down to Caerphilly.

So I might be.

Yes, probably.

We don't tend to open riskily on a Saturday.

If somebody wants to open at risk on a Saturday, they can.

Just let me know.

Oh my God, these are from breakfast.

I thought I'd show you because I sure don't want to stress out about what I eat.

I mean, the other week it was all I won eating because I'd had a gastric band and plastic surgery, remember?

To alter my identity because I got the wrong person.

This week now I'm eating too much.

I need to get a life, don't I, guys?

They're like, obsessed.

They're obsessed!

These people are obsessed with me.

It's like, walking out there, it's like being Britney Spears or Princess Diana.

I'll move for the paparazzi.

Have any donations today?

Oh, a little bag.

I had a little bag of donations today but I got a car full.

It's like a permanent thing now.

Permanent thing.

Oh, I had some test results back from upper GI.

No problems.

They did take biopsies so I must have been out of it when they sedated me because I thought it went really well but obviously I was out of it.

But they did take biopsies apparently and it's all within the normal limits.

So that's good, isn't it?

So that's from the, you know, that's from the mouth down.

So that's good.

Out of the stomach.

We don't know about the other end yet.

So yeah, that was good news to have.

I'm trying to think where else now.

Saturday.

Yeah, Saturday tomorrow.

I think it's probably going to be Caerphilly and Pontypool open.

I think Sunday Pontypool will be open because he's got pick-ups to do.

People have booked in collections so we'll probably be doing them Sunday.

And Caerphilly's coming along nicely now.

The work that we've got in Caerphilly can be done when we're in Caerphilly like Risca.

Or the backlog of donations that's in those shops is manageable whereas this one is the one that's got tons in.

So this is the one we need to still concentrate on.

That's nice of you on a Sunday anyway.

So that's the plan.

I forgot to ask for a sausage today.

You can either have a sausage or an egg and I just asked for the...

...mold of sausage.

My little rabbit teddy is so cute.

I've had some nice stuffing again today.

Nice stuff I've opened up because I didn't have that much in there.

I had a little bag off a lady.

And I come in late so sorry about that but I'll probably be working a bit later.

It's quite cool isn't it?

It's quite surprising actually.

I haven't had the fan on all day.

I might need to put it on now because it's getting a bit hot.

Peacocks just said they're not going.

Because that's all I've heard all day is peacocks is going but they're not going.

So try not to spread rumours guys.

I'm not going.

And I don't work at McDonald's.

The girls are disappointed.

The volunteers are disappointed they thought they'd get McDonald's discounts.

Every time I see them they're like, have you brought any burgers?

So yes, that's me.

I'm working tonight.

I'm going through the donations that are just around the corner.

Those ones I've left and I have to put on there don't open them.

Because there's a lot of itty bitty ornaments and we've gone nowhere to put them.

So out of like 15 to 20 boxes.

There's only three that we haven't actually worked because the top one has been worked.

So that's good.

From the other week.

The other weekend.

So I don't know what it would be like the weekend.

Is there anything on the weekend?

Any of these croissant markets?

These overpriced croissant markets or festivals or fairs?

Anything on?

Fairground rides they're all on about now.

It's ridiculous prices and you don't even get...

Now we were told, see right?

That we're not allowed to sell toys without the EU mark on them.

So I couldn't buy like a lot of toys off Timo and sell them.

You know, in the shop because we're not allowed to.

By trading standards.

But at the fair you're paying £4 or £5 a ride.

Maybe even more.

And they're giving you toys that haven't got the EU safety requirements on.

If you like to hook a duck or something.

You know, so I think it's time the council put their foot down.

And said yeah, you can operate.

But you need to get the decent toys as well.

Because I can remember a mother coming in.

She was at Blackwood.

And it just cost me £35 to hook a duck for that sort of size.

Pepper Pig.

£35 in Blackwood to hook a duck.

To get a Pepper Pig that size.

And it wasn't even a real Pepper Pig.

And we had one in the window.

Which was like £15 because it was a big one.

It would have been £7.50 because we've been on half price since...

I don't know.

It's the beginning of time.

Longer than DFS.

So she would have had it for £7.50.

Somebody else said today about Blackwood.

I don't know.

Somebody said to me last week.

They've given back their shop.

They hadn't been in there a month I don't think.

And they give it back.

£500 a month on the high street.

No toilet.

Absolutely zero square footage.

No toilet.

Got a cheek to ask £500.

Of Brinstons that was again.

Got a cheek to ask £500 a month.

If you haven't got a toilet.

I think you should be capped.

At £200 if you haven't got a toilet.

Because it's just like being in a garage.

You should be capped.

It's a lot of shops.

It's a lady that hasn't got toilets and sinks.

I was on about that today with another lady.

And they're like £400-£500.

They shouldn't be because you shouldn't be allowed to operate a business.

Unless you've got a toilet.

This is what I've always been told.

Regardless of if there's food involved or not.

You have to have a toilet.

And you have to have hot water for yourself and employees.

To wash their hands with.

So, you know.

You really need to think about that.

Some of these landlords.

Especially when I asked them £500 a month.

For like the card cabin in Blackwood.

You know the ones like a long corridor.

£500 a month.

And they've given it back.

They said there's nobody up there.

Everybody's too scared to go to Blackwood.

Because it's too violent.

And somebody said to me today.

Yeah, Blackwood is like the Bronx.

Well, I don't know if I've missed the memo here.

Right.

I know the vape shop was held up over a year ago.

At Knifepoint for like £500.

Right.

Two vapes.

Something stupid like that.

But I'll be honest with you.

The vape shop that got held up.

Superior Vapes.

I think that's them.

In Blackwood.

Dickheads.

Right.

Because we had trouble with them.

We were renting a car park and they decided that they were going to start parking in our car park.

And when we told them not to.

Because we paid for it.

They tried damaging.

Well, they didn't try.

They did damage cars.

And they've got to pay the damage back on the cars.

The police have told them.

So they are dicks in there.

Right.

Not that they need to be held up at Knifepoint.

But, you know, perhaps they attracted the wrong people in the first place.

And then obviously there was the fight down the bottom with the...

Was it the Marmorous Barbas?

I might have got it wrong.

Let me know if I have.

Obviously no fighting over it.

We had to leave for Christ's sake.

Or customers.

But that's the only two things I know of.

There was an issue the other night.

Somebody had videoed something outside the flour mill.

Where somebody was like throwing...

But I mean it's...

It's not fair.

But it's a Friday night.

And somebody is drunk.

You know.

And...

They'd spit at some girl.

And spat at the bouncers.

Proper like...

You know.

Have a word with yourself.

Sort of behaviour.

But other than that.

I hadn't heard of anything else.

Had you?

We used to get a lot of theft in black.

Because we had to tag everything.

We were probably the only second hand shop.

Slash charity shop.

That had an actual electronic tag system.

We got you now instead.

But yeah.

I don't know.

Perhaps we missed it.

Because we were at the market place.

So perhaps we missed the vibe.

Because you go there now.

And it is dead as a door post.

And...

I'll tell you what else we had trouble with.

With the Interflora.

Woolies.

Or Woodies.

Not Woodies.

Woodies are nice.

They're the cafe.

Sorry.

Woolies.

Flores.

They weren't a pair of dicks.

They were...

You know.

Oh I'm late for a funeral.

Move.

Move your car.

We're like...

We've got Lording and Lording rights.

You don't need to be rude about it.

You know.

We can see you there.

We can see a park behind us.

You don't need to kick off like.

So I'm wondering whether it needs to have like a breath of fresh air blown into Blackwood.

And the previous shops gone.

Perhaps this is shopkeepers and other problem.

You know.

Perhaps this shops has been there a long time.

And they got an attitude problem.

I don't know.

But there's not many shops there now is there?

You've got Bon March.

I swear they're money launderers.

How they still going £18 a top with old ladies.

I don't know.

New Look.

I haven't had a look at New Look figures.

So I don't know.

You've got Peacocks.

And they were nasty to us.

Remember they were horrible to us.

I've been in Peacocks.

And they had to be issued with.

Well.

Twice.

They had to be issued with cease and desist.

And the area manager had to go in and speak to them.

I'm trying to think what actual shops is the appliance shop.

Isn't there?

I think there's an embroidery shop.

I don't know.

A couple of phone shops.

But I don't think there's any actual shop shops anymore is there?

You've got Nora Viola now.

But like any like...

What was your stuff?

Like quirky nice little shops in Blackwood.

Didn't we?

But as for people saying it's like the Bronx.

I mean.

They want to come down here and do a shift in Pontypool.

On a Tuesday or a Wednesday.

But I mean.

I don't know about that.

Unless there's something I've missed with Blackwood shops.

Somebody tell me.

But I know another small business that they've handed the shop back in Blackwood only the other month and they've given it back.

To be honest.

When I went to see it they offered it to us for £50 a week.

And I was like.

What's a bit steep considering you haven't got a toilet.

So when you started paying £500 a week.

I was like.

£500 a month.

I was like.

You fool.

You should have beat that down.

But Brinston's.

Their prices for the shops.

You're never going to get anybody in those shops.

Unless you have somebody who is money laundering.

That's the only type of people you're ever going to attract.

It's criminals.

So I don't know.

Is anybody in our shop yet up at the top?

We've split into three.

But I don't know if there's anybody up there yet.

I don't know.

But it won't just be.

He's got on there.

What's he got?

£6.95 per shop.

Or something like that.

And asks the...

I can't remember what charge it was.

It isn't just that.

There's other charges up there that they don't tell you about.

You know.

You want to pay for that security guard who's slagging you off behind your back every five seconds.

And who's acting like a dick and you can't do anything and don't do any of the cleaning up.

Then that's up to you, isn't it?

If you want to pay for him.

We didn't because we were dissatisfied.

With the service.

The guy who does the bins.

Lovely.

Lovely guy.

Got a lot of time for him.

But...

The other one.

But we didn't know that until we moved in, see.

Vince.

Remember Vince?

No Vince, Viv.

When we have a shop come up and told me.

From down the bottom there.

What's happening with Viv's shop?

Is that still going now?

I know he's passed away but is anybody running his shop?

Or have they sold it?

Or what?

But...

I don't know.

I don't know guys.

I don't know what's going on.

I'm not sure if I've got a customer.

I can't turn it off.

Let me turn it off.

Here we are.

It's letting me do it now.

