Pet Peeves: Aka Things That Make You Go "Gah!"

[ratgirlagogo]

5 hours ago, Qoass said:

I feel blackmailed into participating

Well, hell. Of course it is.  You know it is literally called Trick OR Treating.

 

39 minutes ago, backformore said:

My husband bought a bunch of the cloth re-useable grocery bags that we bring in to the store - navy and orange with Chicago Bears logos.   I get annoyed when I'm at the store and the cashier or bagger takes that as a cue to converse with me about football.   I HATE football.  I don't know how the Bears are doing and couldn't care less.  When the bags start to rip, I'm tossing them out and getting generic cloth bags. 

  If it bothers you that much you should rip them up and replace them NOW.    If you use something with a team or film or band or anything else logo - it's not really surprising that people are going to assume that you must like the whatever in question if you're willing to walk around in public as a walking advertisement for such.

In other news, I love Halloween! and I'm off to the parade!

[backformore]

3 minutes ago, ratgirlagogo said:

If it bothers you that much you should rip them up and replace them NOW.    If you use something with a team or film or band or anything else logo - it's not really surprising that people are going to assume that you must like the whatever in question if you're willing to walk around in public as a walking advertisement for such.

A simple "go Bears"  is fine -   but if I'm buying groceries I don't want to be asked my opinion of the coaching, or the quarterback, or anything else.   I don't walk around with the bags, except to and from my car in the parking lot.    As to throwing out cloth bags and buying new ones - it kind of defeats the purpose of re-useable grocery bags.

[ari333]

This will be hard to believe.

One cashier actually said to me, "well... someone isn't worried about her cholesterol." 

I kid you not

[Wiendish Fitch]

9 minutes ago, ari333 said:

This will be hard to believe.

One cashier actually said to me, "well... someone isn't worried about her cholesterol." 

I kid you not

Well... someone wasn't worried about his job. Or getting his tires slashed. 

[zxy556575]

2 hours ago, ari333 said:

One cashier actually said to me, "well... someone isn't worried about her cholesterol." 

That's it, exactly. The "chatty" comments are never about broccoli or tofu, but an extension of the judgmental food police and people poking their damned noses into my choices.

"My, that's a LOT of ice cream!"

Well, it's my favorite and only available seasonally and I have a stand-alone freezer so shut the shit up.

The unwritten clerk/customer contract for acceptable topics is: Hi. Thanks for shopping with us today. How are you? How's your day going? This is some weather we're having. Did you find everything you need? I like your blouse/holiday sweater/necklace, etc. Have a nice evening.

The additional caveat is that when asking "how are you doing?" nobody wants a truthful answer. If either side takes that as an invitation to bring up recent surgery, a headache, pending divorce, etc., they flunk and need to take a remedial course in social interactions.

Edited November 1, 2016 by lordonia

[Jaded]

I remember being about 10 yrs old eating at a Shoney's with my Mom. I ordered a baked potato and mac & cheese as sides and the waitress decides to say "That's a lot of starches don't you think?" after I was done ordering. I wanted to slink under the table and not eat anything.

My Mom gave her a talking to and then gave her manager one too. The manager made her come back to the table to apologize and assigned us another waitress.  Looking back he should have comped our meal or thrown in desert. 

[DeLurker]

That's a crappy thing to say to a kid

[BookWoman56]

Maybe it's because I do all my grocery shopping at a regional chain that prides itself on good customer service, but I have never encountered cashiers who comment snarkily or snidely on my purchases. They've been trained to stick to fairly neutral comments, mostly asking if you have found everything you needed. Most often the comments I get about food items are asking what a particular item is, which happens only when the cashier isn't familiar with certain items (kale versus green leaf lettuce versus romaine versus red leaf lettuce, etc.) and isn't finding the picture fast enough on the laminated produce guides that have the photo, name, and code to use for the cash register. (As an aside, one of the stores I go to has combination scales and label printers, so you weigh your item, enter the code, and then it prints out a label with the item and cost on it to speed things up during checkout.) One of the few times I've gotten a comment at all about food items was when I was going to make a turtle cheesecake, and so had the three packages of cream cheese, a container of sour cream, a package of shortcake cookies for the crust, a jar of chocolate topping, a jar of butterscotch/caramel topping, a bag of chopped pecans, and a bag of toffee bits. (Don't judge me; it was for work.) The cashier looked at all of that, and then said, "Omg, I don't know what you are making, but I want some."

Peeve? This week it's people who don't clean up after themselves in public toilets. I had to travel for business last week, and jeebus, I had forgotten what it's like to travel and work in the real world instead of working only from home. FFS, if you accidentally pull out one or two extra toilet seat covers from the dispenser, either flush them or put them in the trash instead of leaving them on the floor.

[AgentRXS]

Ugh. So one of the presidential candidates was in my city holding a rally yesterday afternoon. Since the venue was in walking distance from me,  I decided to go and check it out. Somehow I ended up very close to the podium and at the end, got a close up shot of the candidate and  was able to shake their hand. It was an amazing experience for me.  I posted the photo here in the candidates thread in the Politics forum and on my FB page because  I was excited  that little ol' me got to be part of a such  moment in time. As soon as I posted it on FB, 2 or 3 of my so-called "friends" immediately went in on how much they distrust and can't stand that candidate.  I "ignored" their comments, but I wanted to  say who cares what you think? I am sharing a moment in time for me and if you don't like it, keep scrolling. I didn't ask for your opinion.  If they posted a photo of themselves with the other candidate, I wouldn't  "like" or comment because I wouldn't care.  Why do people have to make things about them all the time?

I guess I just get so tired of people trying to preach to others how they think everyone should feel about politics. Some of us are tried-and true blue, some of us will only see red, and some of us lie somewhere in between. To try to tell someone else how to think because you think your way is the right way is ridiculous. Not one person on this earth is capable of changing anyone's mind.

[Wiendish Fitch]

8 hours ago, lordonia said:

 

The additional caveat is that when asking "how are you doing?" nobody wants a truthful answer. If either side takes that as an invitation to bring up recent surgery, a headache, pending divorce, etc., they flunk and need to take a remedial course in social interactions.

Oh, I've had people give me extremely truthful answers when I've innocently asked how they were doing: their cat ran away, they're getting a divorce, aches and pains, etc. In fact, I once even had a patron give me a bitter, passive aggressive lecture on what a phony I was for asking.

All right, Tiffany from Silver Linings Playbook, you're absolutely right. We proper, civilized people are indeed a smiling bunch of phonies, and you know why? Good manners and civility are the grease that keeps this big, ugly, noisy machine called humanity running more or less smoothly. Also, if you are a stranger who tells me about your missing cat, divorce, etc, you have my sympathy, but that's the most I can offer. You might do better to vent to a loved one or a professional who can offer you real assistance. 

But, hey, I don't have all the answers, so you know what? Be brutally honest all the time, toss your filter down the garbage disposal! Tell someone the hoary/tragic/just plain unpleasant details of your personal life when they ask how you're doing, or that someone's new hair color looks like shit, or tell them to quit moping over a loved one's death, and see how well it goes for you.

[Quof]

Unless the person asking is your health care provider, or in an intimate relationship with you, the only appropriate answer is "I'm well, thanks."

[ari333]

A few years back, I had some tragedies and trauma. My close family knew of  these things. One relative ran into someone who I went to HIGH SCHOOL with years and years ago and this was not someone I was EVER close to. The person said, "How is (fill in my name here)?" My relative proceeded to tell her EVERY HORRIBLE THING THAT HAPPENED TO ME. I was furious.  I said "Cant you just say, 'she is fine. thanks.' " Jesus.

[JTMacc99]

A while back I posted a personality test here, and as I'm reading through (and nodding in agreement with) this last bunch of stuff about not enjoying the overly personal chit chat, I'm chuckling to myself about the big pile of introverts we all are.  

[ari333]

52 minutes ago, JTMacc99 said:

IA while back I posted a personality test here, and as I'm reading through (and nodding in agreement with) this last bunch of stuff about not enjoying the overly personal chit chat, I'm chuckling to myself about the big pile of introverts we all are.  

I don't think that not wanting overly personal things disclosed to semi strangers makes a person an introvert.

Some things are better left unsaid.

I cringe when I buy lubricant bc I don't want to discuss it with the cashier.

Edited November 1, 2016 by ari333

[DeLurker]

17 hours ago, backformore said:

 

Oops.  Carry on Citizens.

11 hours ago, Jaded said:

I remember being about 10 yrs old eating at a Shoney's with my Mom. I ordered a baked potato and mac & cheese as sides and the waitress decides to say "That's a lot of starches don't you think?" after I was done ordering. I wanted to slink under the table and not eat anything.

So this is still bothering me!  I've never eaten at a Shoney's, but from what I know about it (and confirmed by looking at the menu) they are not exactly a prime example good health dining.  And if your Mom was okay with your order, but the waitress wasn't - take it up with Mom!  Lot easier to dish a side of criticism to a 10 year old.

7 hours ago, AgentRXS said:

Ugh. So one of the presidential candidates was in my city holding a rally yesterday afternoon. Since the venue was in walking distance from me,  I decided to go and check it out.

I've never been one for crowds, but going to a presidential candidates rally - whether you are for or against the candidate - is pretty awesome.  To get a chance to listen to them and see/hear for yourself what is reverberating with the crowd is very different from watching on tv/laptop, especially with all the talking heads telling you what you should think about what was said.

2 hours ago, ari333 said:

A few years back, I had some tragedies and trauma. My close family knew of  these things. One relative ran into someone who I went to HIGH SCHOOL with years and years ago and this was not someone I was EVER close to. The person said, "How is (fill in my name here)?" My relative proceeded to tell her EVERY HORRIBLE THING THAT HAPPENED TO ME. I was furious.  I said "Cant you just say, 'she is fine. thanks.' " Jesus.

I had my high drama moment recorded via FB updates my brother (the idiot adjective is implied) gave.  I wasn't on FB or any other social media sites, these were people I mostly knew from high school (A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away) casually at best or by name only (friend of a friend/sibling/whatever).   Pissed was I as Yoda might say.

Edited November 1, 2016 by DeLurker

[Moose135]

1 hour ago, DeLurker said:

I've never eaten at a Shoney's, but from what I know about it (and confirmed by looking at the menu) they are not exactly a prime example good health dining.

I've been to Shoney's many times over the years, and you are correct, it's not exactly the "healthy choice" type place.

[JTMacc99]

1 hour ago, ari333 said:

I don't think that not wanting overly personal things disclosed to semi strangers makes a person an introvert.

I understand completely. If I'm purchasing things I'm not particularly enthusiastic about a cashier knowing about, and I can't get it through Amazon, I will 100% of the time make the purchase from a store with self check-out lines.  Then I only need to worry about the person behind me on the line judging me. And to fair, I'm sliding very quickly into the age where I'm going to leave the "embarrassed about things I'm doing" to my children. I think I'm almost done worrying about what strangers think about me.

As for my introvert observation, I was more just enjoying the general vibe of "why the hell do we need chit chat at the grocery store, dentist office, or other places of business at all" that I was sensing from us. For me, I don't mind if somebody particularly friendly engages me while I'm on line, because if people didn't talk to me first, I'd probably never speak. But there is a fine line where I engage in a conversation and where I give the old "Yep" and then turn back to what I was doing.

Edited November 1, 2016 by JTMacc99

[Qoass]

I have observed that if a cashier asks if you found everything you were looking for and you answer, "No.", they get quite flustered.

[DeLurker]

College aged DeLurker would have loved the self checkout line for buying those personal hygiene products.  Prior to going away to college, I never had to buy them myself as Mom would pick them up on her shopping trips.  I was mortified when I had to do it myself, especially if it was a guy clerking.

[Sun-Bun]

So according to my neighborhood NextDoor boards today, lots of parents had the nerve to actually bring *their very own* candy bags with them while bringing their children around to trick-or-treat, like literally trick-or-treating with their own kids, basically acting like another kid simply along for the fun.

Is this a thing now? Should we start blaming the millenials for yet another annoying new trend??

Just seems kinda tacky to me---at least be stealth about it like our parents were and just wait to steal some of your children's candy when they finally go to bed/school.

[zxy556575]

I still remember the abject teenage mortification when my high school civics teacher came through my Walgreens checkout line with tube of lube. Oh, Mr. Pelton.

Edited November 2, 2016 by lordonia

[JTMacc99]

HA!  That. Is. Awesome. @lordonia  That's one of those memories that can make you uncomfortable thinking about thirty years later. Heh.

[DeLurker]

I was uncomfortable reading it and it wasn't even me!

Shopping Pet Peeve:  I needed to buy some low dose aspirin (I still call them baby aspirin in my head) and noticed that the double pack of St Joseph's(36 count each) is boldly marked Value Pack but the price is higher than if you bought two identical individual 36 count bottles.  This was true in several of the drug stores and grocery stores I checked.

Low Dose Aspirin peeve: Just opened my 300 count bottle of Bayer's low dose.  Because the pills are so tiny, they only fill up nor more than 1/3 of the bottle.  They could all fit comfortably in a 36 count bottle.

Edited November 1, 2016 by DeLurker
More peeves.

[ari333]

4 hours ago, JTMacc99 said:

I understand completely. If I'm purchasing things I'm not particularly enthusiastic about a cashier knowing about, and I can't get it through Amazon, I will 100% of the time make the purchase from a store with self check-out lines.  Then I only need to worry about the person behind me on the line judging me. And to fair, I'm sliding very quickly into the age where I'm going to leave the "embarrassed about things I'm doing" to my children. I think I'm almost done worrying about what strangers think about me.

As for my introvert observation, I was more just enjoying the general vibe of "why the hell do we need chit chat at the grocery store, dentist office, or other places of business at all" that I was sensing from us. For me, I don't mind if somebody particularly friendly engages me while I'm on line, because if people didn't talk to me first, I'd probably never speak. But there is a fine line where I engage in a conversation and where I give the old "Yep" and then turn back to what I was doing.

I don't care what anyone thinks about me or my purchases. I just don't want to chat about them. 

I don't use self checkout....for reasons.

Edited November 1, 2016 by ari333

[DeLurker]

4 minutes ago, ari333 said:

I don't use self checkout....for reasons

I don't either, but it is on principle.  I'm paying the same price whether I go self-serve or not which allows the company to make more money and hire fewer people.  It isn't a great job, but it is providing employment opportunities to people.  The self serves aren't set up to take coupons so you need to wait for someone to assist if you have them.  Their set up is dismal and not conducive to multiple people to use at the same time.  Plus, the computer voice always tells me to take something out of the bagging area even though the item has been scanned.

[Quof]

I use self checkout because I know I'm smarter and more efficient than any cashier I've ever encountered.

[Bastet]

Quote

I use self checkout because I know I'm smarter and more efficient than any cashier I've ever encountered.

But because the average shopper is not more efficient than a trained cashier, studies performed a few years ago showed that, in general, if there are the same number of people with the same number of items in line at a regular checkout line and a self checkout line, the former will move faster (I don't recall by how much).  I often see people able to just walk right up to an open scanner, though, so there is no issue with the speed of other shoppers.

I won't use them because of the potential impact on employees; many have trouble getting adequate hours - and thus livable income - as it is, and it was understaffing that created the "demand" for self-checkout lanes in the first place.  I don't have the energy, or data, to evaluate the net impact to employees at individual stores, so I avoid them full stop just in case.  (And I do the bulk of my shopping at an independent store that doesn't have them, anyway.)

I don't care what anyone thinks about my purchases, including potentially embarrassing items, and I don't mind idle reference to something I'm buying - maintaining the mandated level of conversation with customer after customer has got to be mind numbing - but it's probably quite easy to cross into inappropriate commentary even inadvertently, so everyone is better served by sticking to more generic topics.

As for people who answer a stranger's polite inquiry into how they're doing with an honest answer, I know the proper response is instead an "I'm fine, thank you; and you?" but I have to admit those "Life sucks" answers crack me up.

Edited November 1, 2016 by Bastet

[ratgirlagogo]

10 hours ago, ari333 said:

A few years back, I had some tragedies and trauma. My close family knew of  these things. One relative ran into someone who I went to HIGH SCHOOL with years and years ago and this was not someone I was EVER close to. The person said, "How is (fill in my name here)?" My relative proceeded to tell her EVERY HORRIBLE THING THAT HAPPENED TO ME.

In my family the close relative who could be COUNTED on to do this over and over was my DAD.

 

8 hours ago, DeLurker said:

I remember being about 10 yrs old eating at a Shoney's with my Mom. I ordered a baked potato and mac & cheese as sides and the waitress decides to say "That's a lot of starches don't you think?" after I was done ordering.

My mother came to visit New York shortly after I moved here in the early 80's to visit her family (and me).  We had lunch at a Chock Full O'Nuts  and I ordered a fruit salad with an orange juice.  The waitress narrowed her eyes at me, looking at my blemished skin and said, "you're wearing all that acid ON YOUR FACE."  Jeez!  My mom just rolled her eyes and said, "And THAT'S why I left New York.  Are you sure this is really the place you want to live, honey?"

I think I'd still rather deal with blunt rudeness  than fake sugary courtesy that leaves me wondering what they really think.   Well, most of the time anyway.:)

Edited November 1, 2016 by ratgirlagogo

[ratgirlagogo]

15 hours ago, AgentRXS said:

Not one person on this earth is capable of changing anyone's mind.

If that is really true we are DOOMED.  But I suspect that few minds have been changed from internet/Facebook/Twitter squabbling.  Ugggh.

Edited November 1, 2016 by ratgirlagogo

[Quof]

In my observation, people who are confused by self checkout are the same ones who are confounded by ATMs. And automatic doors. And advance left turn traffic lights. 

Remember when we all railed against ATMs and how self serve banking would be the downfall of civilization ? Now think about how much easier it makes your life.

[Bastet]

Quote

Remember when we all railed against ATMs and how self serve banking would be the downfall of civilization ?

"I noticed that you don't have an ATM."
"Oh, them things. Russ don't want to put one in, on account of you lose personal contact with the customers."
"Yes, that would be tragic."

(Sweet Home Alabama - a movie I hate, but must admit has a few funny scenes.)

[ratgirlagogo]

48 minutes ago, Quof said:

Remember when we all railed against ATMs

Coke machines, they used to call them in the seventies.  Because, why would anybody need or want to get money outside of bankers' hours unless THEY WERE BUYING DRUGS.

Although truth be told I did often see people doing exactly that back in the day (meaning with the dealer standing right there) - and they (the machines I mean) were kind of unnerving back then since they were invariably on the outside of the building.

Edited November 1, 2016 by ratgirlagogo

[BookWoman56]

7 hours ago, Qoass said:

I have observed that if a cashier asks if you found everything you were looking for and you answer, "No.", they get quite flustered.

That's bad training on the part of the store, then. Again, my experience probably isn't typical because it's a regional chain (and I often shop the location that is close to where many of the executives and their spouses live and shop, so better selection and service), but the cashiers have been trained to apologize for the inconvenience, let you know if that particular item is usually restocked at a certain day/time, or if it's something they don't recognize, they will ask if you want to talk to a manager. The manager can provide a run-down of if there's a problem with the item (out of stock because of problems such as drought for produce or manufacturing issues or recall for other stuff), or if they simply no longer carry the item because it wasn't selling enough. It's not always the answer I want to hear, but it has saved me a couple of times from going to 2 or 3 other locations of the same chain looking for an item they no longer stock.

[Maharincess]

On 10/31/2016 at 9:19 AM, DeLurker said:

I just went to the store to buy candy - there was plenty to choose from.  I buy a mixed bag of chocolate things (think this year's has M&Ms, Twix, and Snickers plus a non sweet treat in snack bags (Cheetos).  That way kids who don't care for chocolate (they exist) still have something to choose.

I just chose stuff that my kids and I like so if there is extra, we will have it as snacks. 

Back when I lived in a normal neighborhood I always gave out bags of chips too. I had candy and chips and 9 times out of 10 the kids chose the chips. They would get so excited when they saw them.   I miss having trick or treaters. 

[DeLurker]

14 hours ago, ratgirlagogo said:

 But I suspect that few minds have been changed from internet/Facebook/Twitter squabbling.  Ugggh.

Not true - several people I know have changed their minds about being friends with someone because of a fb post.

[ari333]

19 hours ago, DeLurker said:

I don't either, but it is on principle.  I'm paying the same price whether I go self-serve or not which allows the company to make more money and hire fewer people.  It isn't a great job, but it is providing employment opportunities to people.  The self serves aren't set up to take coupons so you need to wait for someone to assist if you have them.  Their set up is dismal and not conducive to multiple people to use at the same time.  Plus, the computer voice always tells me to take something out of the bagging area even though the item has been scanned.

All of these reasons....

Plus when something is on sale and I'm buying bc it's on sale, it  can ring up /scan as regular/different price. Then here we go trying to get someone to void it and scan it at the sale price. .

[JTMacc99]

I generally use the self checkout like at the grocery store when I stop after work and only have a few items. It helps me avoid the "about 12 items or fewer" line. Because that's where I run into too many rude jerks with no respect for the basic rules of society.  32 =/= "about 12" people.

True, I get a little annoyed with the people who bring an entire cart up to a self check line, because they have NO SHOT of checking out faster than they would if they just waited on a traditional line, and I also get a little annoyed with the folks who make absolutely no effort to make it snappy on the self check line. It's like they're solving a math problem with every single item they take out of the basket, look it over, scan it, think about which bag to put it in, then look back at the basket, think about what to scan next and repeat.  Sigh.  

[DeLurker]

23 minutes ago, JTMacc99 said:

every single item they take out of the basket, look it over, scan it, think about which bag to put it in, then look back at the basket, think about what to scan next and repeat.

It is like there is deep, profound contemplation of each item.  I do those deep thinking exercises before it goes in my basket.

[editorgrrl]

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/08/business/how-to-pick-the-fastest-line-at-the-supermarket.html

Quote

Get behind a shopper who has a full cart

That may seem counterintuitive, but data tell a different story, said Dan Meyer, a former high school math teacher who is the chief academic officer at Desmos, where he explores the future of math, technology and learning.

“Every person requires a fixed amount of time to say hello, pay, say goodbye and clear out of the lane,” he said in an email. His research found all of that takes an average of 41 seconds per person and items to be rung up take about three seconds each.

That means getting in line with numerous people who have fewer things can be a poor choice.

Think of it this way: One person with 100 items to be rung up will take an average of almost six minutes to process. If you get in a line with four people who each have 20 items, it will take an average of nearly seven minutes.

Those minutes add up. Richard Larson, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor who is considered the foremost expert on queues, estimated that Americans spend 37 billion hours a year waiting in lines.

[Petunia13]

On 10/30/2016 at 1:18 PM, backformore said:

I don't mind giving out candy.  I sure won't be doing it for 7 hours.  It will start when I'm home and ready.    My kids went trick-or-treating, and I appreciated the neighbors who played along, so I feel I owe the universe. 

Yes, a lot of towns announce the hours.  This is the Chicago suburbs,  and the "rule"  is that if you want trick-or-treaters, you turn on your porch light.  If you want them to skip your house, turning off outside lights is the signal.  We turn off the lights for a bit if we want to eat in peace, but they ring the doorbell anyway.  I give out candy, because my husband will have the attitude that "we have to get rid of all this candy"  and give out handfuls to the first few kids.  I'm more of a mind to give them 2 pieces, make sure we don't run out before the older kids come around. 

We put out a string of pumpkin lights around the front door, and  one of those bigger lighted pumpkins.  fewer decorations than we used to have, when the kids lived here.

Now, I got an invite to an internet group called "next door"  or something like that.   I hesitated, but signed up anyway. boring stuff, requests to recommend a plumber, does anyone want a used swingset? stuff like that.   So yesterday, someone asks people to sign up to be on the "list"  of houses giving out candy - to let kids know which houses to go to.  Excuse me?   Its a neighborhood of single family homes, let the kids go door-to-door, not have a list of houses!  Some parents just take this stuff too far. 

I'm in a Chicago suburb too the North Shore and there's a neighborhood Twitter feed but I don't know the name and wasn't invited. They also did a list of houses with the best treats and decorations. My parents house is on every year. 

[StatisticalOutlier]

22 hours ago, BookWoman56 said:

One of the few times I've gotten a comment at all about food items was when I was going to make a turtle cheesecake, and so had the three packages of cream cheese, a container of sour cream, a package of shortcake cookies for the crust, a jar of chocolate topping, a jar of butterscotch/caramel topping, a bag of chopped pecans, and a bag of toffee bits. (Don't judge me; it was for work.) The cashier looked at all of that, and then said, "Omg, I don't know what you are making, but I want some."

I think that's funny. 

The other day, I was at a hamburger place and the guy brought my order to me and I asked if I could get a side of mayonnaise (I use it to make fry sauce for my fries).  He said, "No."  I said, real quick, "Well, I understand your concerns, and I know it's bad for me, but that's not really your call."  He said something like, "As a concerned citizen of the world, I want the best for you plusI would hate for you not to exist if one day I had a flat tire and needed help and you weren't around because you ate too much mayonnaise." 

So Mr. Outlier said something like, "If that's what you're worried about, then she shouldn't be eating any of this."  And I got my mayonnaise.

I liked the interaction, but realize that it could have gone south at any moment, but it didn't.  I suppose that if I hadn't answered so quickly, he probably would have said, "I'm kidding. Of course you can.  Be right back," so maybe there was minimal risk.  Whatever, it enhanced my lunch.

Many years ago, I was on my way to a baseball game and stopped at a convenience store for a candy bar, and they had these Goodart's pink peanut patties that I love (round pink sugar things with peanuts on top, popular in Texas and probably the South), and the friend I was meeting at the game likes them, too.  So I bought like 5 of them, to give him some to take home, and the clerk was this guy who was a little off--not retarded but definitely off.  He made some comment about how many of these I was buying, and I said, "Oh, they're for a friend."  Without missing a beat, he said, "Yeah, that's what they allllll say."  I thought it was hilarious.

Yet one of my pet peeves is service people who ask how I'm doing, especially on the phone.  Hello Ms. Outlier, how are doing today?  Argh.  Just ask what I want so I can answer that and we can get right into it and quit wasting time. 

[JTMacc99]

On 11/1/2016 at 1:35 AM, BookWoman56 said:

The cashier looked at all of that, and then said, "Omg, I don't know what you are making, but I want some."

I've been meaning to circle back on this.  It reminded me of the great old Simpsons episode The Summer of 4 Foot 2. At one point Homer went to the store with the intention of purchasing some illegal fireworks, so his plan was to sneak in the fireworks between a bunch of items.  His order was as follows: "Let me have one of those porno magazines, large box of condoms, a bottle of Old Harper, a couple of those panty shields and some illegal fireworks, and one of those disposable enemas-- no, make it two."

When he gets back home, Marge looks through the bag and says, ""Gee, I don't know what you have planned for tonight Homer, but count me out." 

[ratgirlagogo]

That's always been one of my favorite Simpsons things ever.

[Petunia13]

That's an ooold episode. Ha I love her dry and calm tone when she delivers that line. 

[DeLurker]

4 hours ago, DeLurker said:

It is like there is deep, profound contemplation of each item.  I do those deep thinking exercises before it goes in my basket.

As I am in the aisle having an existential crisis over what type of chips I should buy, I am undoubtedly clogging up the artery aisles for the good folks who already know what they want and wonder why this dumbass is consulting tarot cards over Crunchy Cheetos or Cheeto Puffs.

I just filled out one of those annoying surveys that the cashiers ask you to fill out because it reflects on their performance.  This was my comment:

Only filling out survey because cashier said it would reflect on her.

This makes me question whether she is actually a pleasant and helpful person, or only motivated because her ratings depend on how many people respond.  Sucks for her because with that one statement she makes me instantly question her motive.

If I had concerns about the help or any other matter pertaining to that store, I would ask to speak with the manager of the store.

[JTMacc99]

2 minutes ago, DeLurker said:

Crunchy Cheetos or Cheeto Puffs.

Crunchy all the way. 

[Bastet]

Puffs.

Today's peeve:  I took Riley to the vet's office for a tech appointment to have her anal glands expressed, and while we were waiting (for 20 minutes past our appointment time), an unleashed dog belonging to the idiot down the bench from me wandered over and stood up with his front paws on the bench trying to press his nose right into Riley's carrier.  I put one hand in front of the carrier where she was, and used the other to further block the dog.  The dog was simply curious, but Riley is scared to begin with.  It's one of the reasons the vet's office - like every other one I've ever used - has a policy (and a sign to that effect) that all pets must be leashed or in a carrier.  The tech who was talking to this moronic owner is the one who came over to help lead the dog away; Moron just sat there.  I told him, "Leash your dog."  I asked her, "Please enforce your policy."  She went and got him a leash -- which he took with him when he left.

Edited November 2, 2016 by Bastet

[Petunia13]

That's one of my biggest pet peeves -unleashed dogs in public or hell even yards -and it's so so so dangerous. 

Have a million stories about that all involving a dog being injured, lost, killed, biting. 

[Wiendish Fitch]

3 minutes ago, Petunia13 said:

That's one of my biggest pet peeves -unleashed dogs in public or hell even yards -and it's so so so dangerous. 

Have a million stories about that all involving a dog being injured, lost, killed, biting. 

Yeah, and you can't reason with the dumbass owners, because they'll either bitch you out or ignore you.

I hate that it's the poor dogs who end up suffering.

[auntlada]

11 minutes ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

Yeah, and you can't reason with the dumbass owners, because they'll either bitch you out or ignore you.

Or they'll say, "Oh, she wouldn't hurt anyone." I always want to say, "Sure, she won't hurt you. She knows you. She doesn't know me."

I'm not a dog person. I don't hate them, and I quite like some dogs, but it takes me a while. I'm mostly scared of dogs of any size, except border collies and labs. My grandfather had an extremely friendly border collie when I was a kid, and my experience with them since has been that either they were very friendly or they ignored me because doing anything to me wasn't part of their job. And I can't be scared of labs because they just look too friendly and happy.

I prefer cats, and I hate it when people let their cats roam the neighborhood because I know that cat's life is going to be shorter than it should be. A very friendly cat lives in our neighborhood. One day, it came to our yard to visit, and I noticed it had a collar and tag. So I caught it (not hard as it was begging for pats) and got the phone number on the tag. Thinking the cat had escaped from a house, I called the number to tell the owner her cat was hanging out around our house. Turned out she lives on the block and knew her cat was out wandering around. I barely restrained myself from lecturing her. We are in a residential area, but just off one of the main east-west roads through town that has a lot of traffic.