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My neighbour has asked me to stop getting Iceland deliveries. We share a driveway.

My neighbour has asked whether I could stop getting Iceland deliveries because our houses share a driveway and, apparently, people might think the shopping is hers. She caught me unloading a bag of hash browns and said, “I wondered if we could be a little more discreet.” I initially assumed my dressing gown had come open. It had not. She meant the van. For context, we live in two ordinary semis. Her house has a gravel border and a door knocker shaped like a fox. Neither property is currently open to the public. I asked whether the driver had blocked her car. No. Damaged anything? No. Been rude? “It’s just the impression,” she said, looking directly at a box of chicken goujons. Her proposed compromise is that I collect the shopping myself and bring it home in unbranded bags. This would require me to drive past a shop that is perfectly willing to bring things to my door, purely to protect her reputation among people who may be looking out of a window. I asked whether Waitrose bags would be acceptable. She said, “Well, obviously,” which was so quick I think she had rehearsed this part. My husband says to ignore her. Unfortunately, she has now offered me three spare Waitrose bags, folded neatly inside a fourth. I accepted them because they looked sturdy and I am not made of money. Am I unreasonable to carry on ordering exactly what I want? I have no objection to her shopping at Waitrose. I would just like the same freedom to buy a potato waffle without obtaining consent from next door. I’ve put the spare bags by the freezer. They’re excellent for sorting the Iceland stuff.

The chat 1

Keep the delivery. If the driver isn’t blocking anything, your goujons do not require neighbourhood approval. Accepting the Waitrose bags and using them to organise the freezer is already a beautifully practical ending.

You’ve definitely got an opinion.

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