In his latest column, the Tameside Radio presenter talks about how being polite and courteous to folk can go a long way whilst drawing on his own experiences.

Have folk got ruder since the pandemic? I had an awful experience a few weeks ago, and if you'll indulge me, I'd like to use this week's column as a little bit of therapy. Having just moved house, we acquired a few items from Facebook Marketplace, and I was on a Sunday morning mission to pick up some furniture at two different addresses.

To cut a long story short, the second house was located up a very narrow street, which I almost decided not to drive into. How I wish I'd listened to my gut instinct! As I was attempting the clumsiest three point turn since my driving test in 1995, I clipped a front doorstep. A man with a putrid looking face came storming outside, and started hurling accusations at me that I had essentially destroyed the structural rigidity of his step.

I'm no step expert (I'm quite good at obscure Steps B sides though), but I'm pretty confident I didn't inflict the bulk of the damage to his tired looking entrance. Still, I took his details, and drove home with my tail between my legs, slightly shaking after the unpleasant experience. Later that day, with a bit of help from the United Nations (my wife), she resolved things with him, and I've now blocked his number from my phone. Hopefully he won't get this newspaper and come after me again!

How you speak to people in everyday situations is so important. I've always been brought up to be polite, well-mannered, and courteous to folk. I manage that for 99% of the time. If anything, I'm maybe a bit too nice sometimes. I baulk when I see hospitality staff being spoken to like something the cat dragged in. It really is something I would consigned to the dank depths of Room 101.

I'm sure I've mentioned in this column before that, years ago, my ex's dad used to click his fingers to attract a waiter's attention. I honestly wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole. It was mortifying.

Adam Kay wrote a fantastic piece about this for the Sunday Times Magazine recently, and suggested that perhaps we've forgotten how to conduct ourselves as a result of a series of lockdowns. Everyone consigned to their sofas, on endless Zoom and Teams calls, doing quizzes and taking the odd Government-approved walk around the block. I wonder if this could explain the short fuse so many now seem to be operating on?

I find it's the same when driving now. Unless my tolerance threshold has lowered as I get further into my forties, I definitely find the standard of driving has plummeted faster than the credibility a Boris Johnson account of a work event. Talking of Johnson, his comeback seems to be as likely now as Shergar winning the next Grand National, so there's a crumb of comfort in these austere times.

Fruit and vegetable shortages have also been making the headlines this week, and there seem to be some who are determined to snaffle up all the stock. If we all bought normally, it wouldn't solve the issues caused by weather, a fragile food supply chain, or something beginning with B that I can't quite recall, but it would certainly help. The woman who was caught with 100 cucumbers in her trolley at a branch of Lidl springs to mind (although fair play to the Metro for their headline 'Seize Her Salad'!).

With prices constantly rising, budgets squeezed, and job security a constant worry for many, would it be too much to ask for everyone to try and be kind and courteous? I honestly think it would make the world a better place. Random acts of kindness are something my wife does most days, and I find it inspiring. One that I witnessed in M&S last Sunday was giving a family some spare carrier bags that she was carrying. Admittedly, we have an awful lot of spare bags due to my habit of constantly forgetting to take them to the supermarket, but that's a side note.

My overarching point is to try and be nice. You probably are...but if we all try and do our bit, perhaps the world might be a bit less of a selfish and frazzled place. Have a good week. 

You can listen to Alex every weekday from 7am to 11am and on Saturdays from 3pm to 6pm, on Tameside Radio 103.6FM.