Surely the person at the Savoy, don't know if he's called the head buyer, would have a say in the products they purchased.
A place like the Savoy would only want the best quality for its guests and I find it hard to believe he accepted everything both teams purchased.

I would like to have heard what he had to say about each item.

Like that huge hotel thingy ma jig would need their help! I bet they don't use any of the stuff.

good point, also...

why didn't they use their blackberrys to google the items they didn't know?

Yeah, I said the same. Some people here seem to think it's a rule even though it has never been mentioned- and even if it was a rule, you'd just do it on the sly

Or if they hadn't time for him to give his opinion, what he told Lord S. Whether he was happy with all or just some of the items. Then the items he did not accept should be added on to that teams score.

rubbish rule then! it's not like you wouldn't have the net available in the real world!

and put the tongue away!

I caught an epsiode of that documentary about the Savoy (and all it's refurbishments) and he's not even just a head buyer, he's like the main man that is in charge (apart from obviously their rich owner who lives abroad and has the overriding say on everything).

This was pretty much a fake task which the Savoy got a bit of nice free publicity from. The items were probably just for personal use by Lord Sugar, lol.

Also said that. What kind of business are they going to be running if they can't even use the net? It's stupid.

I think if you dig too much, you just realise it's all bullsh*t done for tv. The hotel doesn't need them. probably won't use their items, or even need the items- they aren't the brightest business minds, Sugar never needed an apprentice or a business partner...

stop popping my apprentice bubble!

It'd be a pretty easy task if they could use t'internet though.
Google would confirm what the item was, show you where suppliers are based related to where you are, how much to pay etc
Job done in time for a steak lunch with a nice cup of tea.

But mean ol' Lordalun wants them to use their initiative

but using google is using initiative!

sugar's too ye olde worldie!

Lordalun wants tv ratings and couldn't give a toss about them using initiative

This is why we get silly random app tasks, selling to fickle markets (might as well have pulled the winners out of a hat) and tasks that send them to negotiate on high end items which are only available from high street shops which obviously will not negotiate!

What happened to the older apprentice series where the items they were asked to fetch could be purchased from markets, where negotiation was an option?

I mean, negotiating 1p off a £300 top hat? Beyond pathetic!!

Very good point. The Savoy would want quality items, not just the cheapest available. I mean, their guests would want a certain standard of loo roll, wouldn't they, not just a cheap job lot.

They have never used technology in all the previous seasons, just a book.

The internet wouldn't necessarily help them find items from stores in London. A lot of what they found there would have to be delivered since they wouldn't have a street location, and they'd end up using Yell.com anyway.

But they could have worked out what a cloche etc was more easily....

Maybe that part was skipped because it was clear that all the items were up to standard; I'm sure it would have been included if they had indeed bought a high hat in a fancy dress store as someone on the team suggested...

For goodness sake isn't it bleedin obvious that they are banned from using Google/internet?

That was cringeworthy, the guy in the shop should have stuck to his guns, but I think he was getting a little peed off with them.

The head buyer for the savoy should be fired. I mean 3 days to go before their most important relaunch and he's forgotten to buy toilet rolls!

And then who does he phone ? Only Alan Sugar!

"Alan, I'm in a right pickle. Do you know wherE I can get 1000 loo rolls?"

"No I don't. But hold on, I've just got a bunch of people in who might be able to find some for ya."

"Great. And while you're on Alan, do you know what a cloche is?"

They would have used the internet if they could - anyone would.

It is much more amusing to watch a group of people figure out what a cloche is.