Well I am alone and within my own four walls.

If you were around here in October you will have seen them.

Earlier this week notices were put up in Tescos supermarket at St Mellons in Wales saying:

“To avoid causing offence or embarrassment to others we ask that our customers are appropriately dressed when visiting our store (footwear must be worn at all times and no nightwear is permitted).”

Elaine Carmody, 24, a full-time mother of two young boys, described the ban as “ridiculous” and “pathetic”. She said she had regularly gone shopping at the store in her pyjamas until about a week ago when she was turned away when she went to buy cigarettes.

“I think it’s stupid really not being allowed in the supermarket with pyjamas on.  It’s not as if they’re going to fall down or anything like that. They should be happy because you’re going to spend all that money.”  Elaine said.

Back in August 2003, Elizabeth Webster, 43, from Ruskington, Lincolnshire, went into the Tesco store in Sleaford, Lincolnshire, wearing a pair of shorts and a bikini top because of the hot weather. A member of staff asked her to dress more suitably next time. Mrs Webster said she could not believe it.

At the time a Tesco spokeswoman said “The supermarket did not have dress code and the issue was at the store manager’s discretion, they have to balance what other customers think in the area, what customers come up and say… it’s all a question of balance.”

I can think of a lot more offensive things than pyjamas, like some women proudly leaning over the fruit displays or the cheese counter with multiple layers of naked mid-drift and their thongs showing over the top of their low slung jeans.

Taking it to another level, I remember when I had first moved from living in a city, standing in a queue with a basket full of my selected groceries waiting my turn to pay for them, when my stomach heaved and I had great trouble trying not to throw up all over the place. The store was small, stuffy, the aisles narrow and the service slow. I set the basket down exactly where I was and left the store. The reason….. The customer behind me, fully clothed right down to his wellie boots, had come into the shop from the local cattle market. He looked and smelt like he had wrestled with three dozen unruly cattle with diarrhoea!  Even his hands were filthy.  I wonder how many uncovered food items he handled before making a selection?  

So what exactly is the correct dress code for shopping?