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Strange market research rituals

On the 507 bus to Waterloo this afternoon, a guy asked me to complete a short questionnaire about my journey. I was handed a printed piece of paper - maybe 150 gsm - and one of those little pens they give out in betting shops. It was standing room only on the single-decker, so completing the survey while swinging around and guarding three bags wasn't that easy.

I finished as we drew up at the penultimate stop and I handed my form to the guy.

'Are you getting off here?' he asked.

I told him that I intended to travel one further stop to Waterloo.

'Well, hold on to the form, then.'

Meekly, I agreed, but couldn't help thinking that my answers would be the same at this stop - or any stop - on the route.

50 yards further up the road, the bloke came back and asked me for my form. The same form that I had been forbidden to hand in about 30 seconds earlier.

This is market research OCD style. I expect the forms have now been sorted alphabetically by surname. And the information will be entered 20 times before it looks right on the database.

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