While working in a well-known pharmacy chain, Jeremy Dixon found surprising inspiration. His poems were written on the ends of till rolls and smuggled out in his socks. Anyone who has ever worked in retail will recognise the characters and situations, and the magnificent management absurdities; but Jeremy also bring his perspective as a gay man to bear with witty and wicked results.

While working in a well-known pharmacy chain, Jeremy Dixon found surprising inspiration. His poems were written on the ends of till rolls and smuggled out in his socks. (The book is designed to evoke this quirky route to publication, with additional poems and comments in the 'till roll message' of each page.) Anyone who has ever worked in retail will recognise the characters and situations, and the magnificent management absurdities; but Jeremy also brings his perspective as a gay man to bear, with witty and wicked results.

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The situations are recognisable, written without judgemental comment and the poems report the shortcomings of petty bureaucracy without ranting or taking sides. In Retail offers insights and knows how to end a story precisely on the punchline. Each page has the title In Retail in grey reversed print at the top. Each even page has the message ‘Thank you for your custom’ in grey reversed print. Each odd page has a different message, e.g. ‘All made in China’, ‘Obey the till’, ‘Hurry they won’t last long’ in grey reversed print. This layout suggests a receipt roll and the poems appear to be printed on the back, a subversively humorous reflection of how they were composed.

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an incredibly observant collection

Consumer culture is embedded into the very form of the writing itself.

That line in the final stanza is incredible. ‘Mother says contactless is Satan’s kiss’. Payment is a glide of the hand, quick, dismissive, a kiss that never touches the glass. Thoughtlessness cushions temptation.