GOOD TO THE LAST DRIP

Dear Readers,
Shopping in a British department store is quite a bit different from shopping in one here in the US, and I can recall three memorable experiences (among many) to illustrate my point. Two of them involved purchasing very ordinary items. One, buying a portable radio from Harrod's in London, and two, purchasing a fold-up travel clock from a Debenham's in Oxford. On both occasions, the sales assistants were courteous, professional and helpful, and treated me as if I were spending thousands of pounds on some diamond-encrusted Rolex, instead of moderately-priced, everyday items. And I'm certain it wasn't because they stood to gain a commission on the sales. To me, I felt like some extra on Are You Being Served?, minus the smarmy double-entendres.
The third memorable experience was at Liberty's Of London, where I stopped by their in-store caff for some refreshment. One of the best things about big-city, established department stores in the UK is that they all seem to have a proper, separate place to have lunch, or just a pot of tea and some cake. The weary shopper can briefly get away from the retail bustle and enjoy a repast in comfort and a certain amount of dignity. Some, like Fortnum & Mason and Selfridge's have several choices, depending on how casual or formal you want to be, or how much you're looking to spend. At Liberty's that afternoon, I went in to their dowdy-but-pleasant caff and ordered a pot of tea and some cake. Presently, the server brought it over to my snowy-white, linen-clothed table and laid it out for me. Pouring out a cup, I promptly stained the cloth, as the teapot dribbled some of it's contents down the outside of the spout. I felt awful about it, but I later discovered that it happens all the time. It's the design, you see. No matter how careful you are, a teapot dribbles, especially small ones. It's traditional. But now, I read that Debenham's have introduced a new, improved dripless teapot in their in-store caffs (see graphic above) and I just wanted to share this leap forward for humanity with you all, as you know how important a nice cup of tea is to me. Word is, that if a hit with the tea-shop crowd, a version of it may eventually go on sale to the public. (I suppose the proof of success is how many pots will get nicked)
So well done, Debenham's. Thanks for a tardy but welcome innovation!