According to this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milk_float there were certainly more than one company who made milk floats. Although the industry did seem to be as busy buying each other as actually making vehicles.
The Wiki page also says that Britain had more BEVs than all other countries in the world combined - almost all of them milk floats (I'm assuming that they didn't count other battery vehicles such as fork-lift trucks!) Milk floats seem to be an almost uniquely British thing.
I used to run a small fleet of repurposed milk floats. They are very solid vehicles and so simple that they're easy to maintain. Spares are a hassle, especially the batteries and chargers, and the steering and brakes on the ones are extremely heavy. Nothing wrong with the principle though, if you're doing local delivery routes.
Re: Shortages in shops
Posted: Wed Sep 01, 2021 11:23 am
by dyqik
There's been a bit of reorganization of towns as well, with distribution centers (incl. supermarkets) now on the outskirts of enlarging towns, and fairly large developments of houses with minimal space to put the distribution center in the midst of the places it's delivering to.
Which means a delivery vehicle needs decent speed for the few miles of distance before it starts its door-to-door work.
Bigger and better fridges at home and better processing (and diet changes) means that daily milk deliveries aren't needed so much, either, so it's unlikely that you'd ever go back to every house needing a delivery on every daily run. Although I could imagine a supermarket delivery service that charged less if you got your delivery on the designated day for your area.
Re: Shortages in shops
Posted: Wed Sep 01, 2021 11:36 am
by veravista
We've had our milk delivered for as long as we've been in this house (25ish years) and the milk float was only replaced about 10 years ago when milk'n'more took over the distribution. They were the only reliable milk supply around here* during the first lockdown so lots of people tried to sign up and we still have a healthy delivery round. Also do some groceries and during the lockdown did flour and tonic water!
*for proper milk we now use the local farm, straight from the cow (almost). It's lovely on cereal and for porridge...
*for proper milk we now use the local farm, straight from the cow (almost). It's lovely on cereal and for porridge...
Aaahhh
When I worked at the old MAFF Central Vet Laboratory in Weybridge, we used to get 'straight from the cow 'milk for our morning 'milky coffee'. Unpasteurised, fully leaded from our own herd, on site. It was lush. I used to date a girl who worked in the Virology dept., once a week she got calves liver straight from the 'sacrifice'. It was absolutely delicious.
I don't eat meat anymore.
edit: I used to be based in the delightfully named department, Diseases of Breeding.
edit to previous edit: No wonder I left, out of curiosity I just looked at pay for SSOs there now. It's still sh.t.
Re: Shortages in shops
Posted: Thu Sep 02, 2021 7:30 am
by Little waster
As a nipper we used to get the tooth-decaytastic “coke floats” which was a glass of full-fat coke with a scoop of vanilla ice cream in the top.
I suppose if you did the same to make a “milk float” you’d end up with a milkshake ... and bring all the boys to the yard.
This post was brought to you by the Elderly Rambling Unrelated Reminiscences Society.
As a nipper we used to get the tooth-decaytastic “coke floats” which was a glass of full-fat coke with a scoop of vanilla ice cream in the top.
In Aus/NZ these are called "spiders", for reasons nobody has ever explained to me.
Given the fact Aus is essentially a flaming ball of nightmarish, venomous arachnids, I can’t see any way that could possibly go wrong with small children.
As a nipper we used to get the tooth-decaytastic “coke floats” which was a glass of full-fat coke with a scoop of vanilla ice cream in the top.
Your coke had fat in it?
There's a choice between diet coke and fat coke (with sugar in it).
Re: Shortages in shops
Posted: Thu Sep 02, 2021 9:46 am
by veravista
Or leaded and unleaded as they call it round here.
All moot anyway because they had very little of either in Sainsburys yesterday (not that I'd buy it) and were doing the 'line the cans at he front so you don't notice the lack' trick.
...Although I could imagine a supermarket delivery service that charged less if you got your delivery on the designated day for your area.
I suspect we're not far from that happening. Ocado currently highlights slots where someone local to you already has a delivery booked, with a little green van, so you can pick from those. No cheaper*, just the smug value. Of course, there's always the issue that the other person could then change their delivery slot and you'll never know that your slot is no longer "green". But if they designated a particular day for my area then I'd happily switch to that whenever I could.
*At least, I don't think so, I have a Smart Pass which I pay for annually and it then gets me deliveries whenever I want at no additional cost for a year, so I don't ever see the prices of slots.
...Although I could imagine a supermarket delivery service that charged less if you got your delivery on the designated day for your area.
I suspect we're not far from that happening. Ocado currently highlights slots where someone local to you already has a delivery booked, with a little green van, so you can pick from those. No cheaper*, just the smug value. Of course, there's always the issue that the other person could then change their delivery slot and you'll never know that your slot is no longer "green". But if they designated a particular day for my area then I'd happily switch to that whenever I could.
*At least, I don't think so, I have a Smart Pass which I pay for annually and it then gets me deliveries whenever I want at no additional cost for a year, so I don't ever see the prices of slots.
Amazon does do this already, I realized. They give you credit for digital purchases if you set up your orders to all be delivered on the same (designated by them) day of the week.
...Although I could imagine a supermarket delivery service that charged less if you got your delivery on the designated day for your area.
I suspect we're not far from that happening. Ocado currently highlights slots where someone local to you already has a delivery booked, with a little green van, so you can pick from those. No cheaper*, just the smug value. Of course, there's always the issue that the other person could then change their delivery slot and you'll never know that your slot is no longer "green". But if they designated a particular day for my area then I'd happily switch to that whenever I could.
*At least, I don't think so, I have a Smart Pass which I pay for annually and it then gets me deliveries whenever I want at no additional cost for a year, so I don't ever see the prices of slots.
Amazon does do this already, I realized. They give you credit for digital purchases if you set up your orders to all be delivered on the same (designated by them) day of the week.
Oh yes, so they do. Although (here, anyway) you can also pick your own "Amazon day". Not sure if the benefits vary depending on whether you pick one or use the suggested one but I definitely get credit on some of my deliveries and I chose my own Amazon day.
No ice lollies on Ocado due to national shortage of dry ice, apparently.
Good job you don't actually need it to top up boxes of Pfizer vaccines.
Re: Shortages in shops
Posted: Thu Sep 02, 2021 7:54 pm
by bolo
Not a shop, exactly, but: There's a shortage of liquid oxygen for space launch because the supply is all going to hospitals for Covid patients. And there's a shortage of liquid nitrogen for space launch because some of the tanker trucks usually used to deliver liquid nitrogen have been converted to deliver liquid oxygen -- to hospitals for Covid patients.
No ice lollies on Ocado due to national shortage of dry ice, apparently.
Good job you don't actually need it to top up boxes of Pfizer vaccines.
I am assuming that all those inconsiderate people wanting to transport vaccines are the ones stopping me from buying ice lollies for the bagkitten. Just rude.
Re: Shortages in shops
Posted: Thu Sep 02, 2021 9:49 pm
by veravista
Pub this evening. No Carling or Heineken (hooray), no Bass (boo) but couple of nice local brewery beers. Peanuts but no crisps. And no delivery tomorrow either.
Re: Shortages in shops
Posted: Thu Sep 02, 2021 10:45 pm
by Bird on a Fire
I've heard Wetherspoons are suffering from beer shortages.
I'd indulge in some Schadenfreude but they've run out.
