It's all very well being sold something more than you need - it's not necessarily that much more expensive, and it might be convenient, both for you for now and for the seller, who wants to make a little more profit. However, it's not necessarily a good thing for the environment to be overbuying all the time.

Today I had an odd combination of experiences. Firstly I refused to be upsold, and then I found the seller missing the point of selling. I had returned to a mobile phone accessories kiosk at a shopping centre in Aldershot, where I'd previously asked for a little adapter to enable my new mobile phone to connect to my older chargers - of which I have several from various previous incarnations of the same phone. He didn't have the part in stock. It costs £5. He tried to upsell me to a £10 new charger. I pointed out that it was more expensive and that it was also a full charger, which seemed to waste the fact that I had several existing chargers.

I asked him when he would get new stock in. I'd return. I'm often in Aldershot anyway - they have a Subway sandwich shop. Mmm. Subway. He said it would be next week before stock came in. Then he suggested that I could go to the market and find an adapter. I said that it was ok. I'd come back to his shop when they had stock. But he was insistent. You can go to the market and get your adapter. I was insistent too. I can come back to your shop and buy it from you when you have it in stock. Don't you see? You'll get the business? That's what you exist for isn't it?

Weird!