Arclite, agreed on SY stores...
Witness my attempt to procure a new nav bag (my eye was on the smaller, easier-to-open-and-reclose-whilst-airborne variety which had been issued, admittedly after some protracted negotiations, to many of my colleagues)
Please note this exchange is edited in the interests of brevity (stores and brevity, that's a laugh...)
Me: Can I please have a new Nav bag?
Storeman: Well..........why?
Me: My old one has broken and won't stay closed
S: Ok, bring it in and I will swap it.
Me: It's not on camp, and besides it's one of the older, bigger ones. Can I not get a small one as additional issue please?
S: Ooooh no, the small ones are only for observers and navs. (How many navs and obs at SY???)
Me: Ok, can I get a bigger one to replace mine then?
S: No.
Me: ??!!!???
S: The older ones have been removed from stock because they have failed a safety review and aren't allowed to be issued for carriage in ac anymore.
Me: Errr??!!! So, you won't give me a small bag cos it's for observers, and you won't give me a big one cos it's unsafe?
S: Yes.
Me: So, what do i do?
S: Bring in the broken (older, bigger, unsafe) one, and I will exchange it.
Me: FOR WHAT??!!
S: One of these (and flashes the Observer bag under my nose)
Me: well, can I not just get that now because I NEED a bag to go flying with, and then it will be on my Kit record, as will the old bag?
S: Ur, well....Um....Um....Ok then.
Best 10 minutes of my time at SY.....To55er