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

[theredhead77]

I find milk from Trader Joe's goes bad within a few days of opening it, regardless of the expiration date. I started forking over for Horizon Organic or Simple Truth (the Kroger brand) organic milk. That milk lasts for!ever! once opened.

[bilgistic]

If you put milk in a glass container with a tight-fitting lid, it will last longer. Plastic is porous, and air seeping in causes milk to degenerate faster. Cartoned milk lasts longer than jugs for the same reason.

[TattleTeeny]

Ugh. I understand as well as anyone how boring and/or hectic it can be to be a cashier at a store, and I am very glad it is no longer my job. But does the cashier understand how boring yet hectic it is for me to have to drive all the way back there because she left a security tag on something?!

Edited March 5, 2017 by TattleTeeny

[riley702]

It might be my imagination, but I think skim milk goes bad faster than 2%. I went through a period of time when I drank skim, but finally decided I really liked 2% better and it seemed like the milk was lasting longer after I switched back.

[StatisticalOutlier]

14 hours ago, bilgistic said:

We also had the same bottle of Mercurochrome from before my birth until my sisters and I all left home in the 1990s.

I still have the bottle of merthiolate from when I grew up.  I've been out of the house for over 40 years, and it was old back then. 

And I still use it.  A few years ago I was just about to throw it out because I'd seen some at CVS and was elated because I assumed they'd quit making it because of the mercury.  (Ssame with how you can't buy vials of mercury at the drug store and play with it on the kitchen counter any more).  

But then I looked at the ingredients on the CVS "merthiolate" and it was benzalkonium chloride.  I think that's just a basic antiseptic, and they're deceptively using the name "merthiolate." 

I'm so glad I didn't throw out my current bottle.  There's nothing like it for cuts around my cuticles. 

And speaking of benzalkonium chloride, CVS is a guilty party again--they have a CVS brand cold sore treatment that looks just like Abreva, and is a little cheaper.  But if you read the ingredients, it's benzalkonium chloride, not the active ingredient in Abreva.  Again, just a basic antiseptic marketed in a way to fool people into waaaaay overpaying for it.  A pox on them.

[3pwood]

37 minutes ago, theredhead77 said:

I find milk from Trader Joe's goes bad within a few days of opening it, regardless of the expiration date. ....

That doesn't happen at the 3 Trader Joe's stores that I use in the San Francisco Bay area.  It must have to do with how our respective TJ stores handle the milk before putting it out for the customers -- mine all have open shelves rather than enclosed cold cases, but the milk is always fine at home at least until its expiration date over 2 weeks later (I open it the day I buy it).  I only get the 2% TJ brand, so I don't know how the other types/brands behave.

[JTMacc99]

8 minutes ago, riley702 said:

It might be my imagination, but I think skim milk goes bad faster than 2%. I went through a period of time when I drank skim, but finally decided I really liked 2% better and it seemed like the milk was lasting longer after I switched back.

Fat is a preservative so it is possible that the fatty acids in the 2% keep it longer. 

[auntlada]

1 hour ago, harrie said:

I think keeping eggs in the fridge is an American thing (and here's why - I knew I'd read it somewhere).  A former egg purveyor I used didn't refrigerate his eggs until he put them in the carton at the end of the day (for storage until sale). If I caught him at the right time of day, he'd give me a dozen eggs from the ones on the counter waiting to be washed, and he'd tell me I didn't have to refrigerate them. But when I got home, they went into the fridge, because I'm American (and also don't have a safe spot in the kitchen for eggs to sit without getting broken).

A guy in my office who has chickens and sells eggs on the side recently told us that if they are fresh and have not been refrigerated, you don't need to refrigerate the eggs, and they will stay good a long time. The eggs in the store, he said, are already at least a month old by the time you buy them and have been refrigerated for much of that time.

[Quof]

Quote

Fat is a preservative

Them many of us will live to a ripe old age.

[Bastet]

On 3/5/2017 at 11:01 AM, auntlada said:

A guy in my office who has chickens and sells eggs on the side recently told us that if they are fresh and have not been refrigerated, you don't need to refrigerate the eggs, and they will stay good a long time.

It's about whether the bloom has been disturbed (e.g. by washing the eggs with water) as to whether they need to be refrigerated; if not, no need to refrigerate, because the bloom is a natural defense against bacteria.  I buy my eggs with the bloom intact (a couple down the block raises chickens; so convenient!), so I keep them in a pretty glass bowl on the counter -- they get to be decorative (and they are pretty, since there's such variation in the color of the shells) while they wait to be consumed.

Edited March 6, 2017 by Bastet

[bilgistic]

20 minutes ago, Quof said:

Them many of us will live to a ripe old age.

I guess my well-padded self is living forever. Great. I'm having such a swell time on this go 'round.

[JTMacc99]

5 hours ago, Quof said:

Them many of us will live to a ripe old age.

I attribute my youthful appearance to having confiting myself for so many years. 

[ari333]

never mind.

Edited March 6, 2017 by ari333

[topanga]

On 3/4/2017 at 0:17 AM, bilgistic said:

She's doing fine financially. She likes staying active doing housekeeping, and has several years-long clients that she sees way more frequently than me. I just can't afford to have her clean more often.

She also just celebrated her 10-year wedding anniversary with a beach vacation. I can only hope to be as fortunate in 30 years.

Then fire her ass (nicely, of course). If you're friends, go out for a cup of tea every now and then. 

If you're paying for a housekeeper, the work should be done right. Have you ever mentioned the small things she misses (soap build-up under the shampoo, for example)? 

Or maybe you don't mind those little things?

[Mountainair]

I do most of my shopping online. I hate going to the store. I even grocery shop online. I ordered 3 large party trays from the local grocer two weeks ago for my daughters first birthday party which we held yesterday. 23 people coming expecting food. 

I arrive at the store at the given time and no party trays. Nothing! The young employees acted like I was dumb for even putting in an online order but I will say they hustled to get the job done. I was 25 minutes late to my own party with guests awaiting my arrival! 

I emailed corporate (I did not have time to speak to a manager at the time due to frantic calls to family members) and today the store manager called and offered to reimburse me half of what I paid for the platters (and they weren't cheap).

My Peeve:why offer an online ordering option if you don't check the damn order but send out a confirmation?!?!

[bilgistic]

Similarly, I get these vaguely threatening letters from the prescription medication coverage part of my insurance. They'll basically say, "We notice you take X maintenance medication, and we would very much like for you to fill it via mail order [subtext: because we may stop paying our share of it if you get it in the drugstore].

For shits and giggles, I finally relented once. Leaving plenty of time to fill one such prescription, I sent it in via the app. A human being called me the next day to confirm my shipping address. Fast forward to a week later when I still haven't received a shipping notice, meds...anything.

I called the company to find out where my meds were. The order was cancelled because there was a question about it and "they couldn't reach me". Say what? They called me to confirm my address! I got no call, email, text, smoke signal, nothing. A pox on you and your mail order! I'll keep getting my meds filled at the drugstore.

1 hour ago, Mountainair said:

I emailed corporate (I did not have time to speak to a manager at the time due to frantic calls to family members) and today the store manager called and offered to reimburse me half of what I paid for the platters (and they weren't cheap).

My Peeve:why offer an online ordering option if you don't check the damn order but send out a confirmation?!?!

IMO, they should've comped the whole thing. You ordered it and had the confirmation. They failed completely.

[PradaKitty]

I long for the bygone days of full service gas stations. I hate having to fill up the tank myself, standing outside in crappy weather, fiddling with the gas cap, cleaning my own windshield, and hoping that my tire pressure is good.  Back in the day, working at a gas station was a great part time job for high school and college students.  ( and you never had to leave the comfort of your car!) So now those jobs no longer exist, I have to do everything myself, and I'm paying 3.25 a gallon.  It all sucks... 

[ari333]

9 minutes ago, PradaKitty said:

I long for the bygone days of full service gas stations. I hate having to fill up the tank myself, standing outside in crappy weather, fiddling with the gas cap, cleaning my own windshield, and hoping that my tire pressure is good.  Back in the day, working at a gas station was a great part time job for high school and college students.  ( and you never had to leave the comfort of your car!) So now those jobs no longer exist, I have to do everything myself, and I'm paying 3.25 a gallon.  It all sucks... 

I especially miss those when I'm sick and need gas. There used to be a choice of full service or self serve. Now....NOPE.

[Sandman87]

On Sunday, March 05, 2017 at 11:01 AM, auntlada said:

A guy in my office who has chickens and sells eggs on the side recently told us that if they are fresh and have not been refrigerated, you don't need to refrigerate the eggs, and they will stay good a long time. The eggs in the store, he said, are already at least a month old by the time you buy them and have been refrigerated for much of that time.

Old timer trick: You can make store bought eggs last longer by wiping them down with mineral oil.

6 hours ago, PradaKitty said:

I long for the bygone days of full service gas stations. I hate having to fill up the tank myself, standing outside in crappy weather, fiddling with the gas cap, cleaning my own windshield, and hoping that my tire pressure is good.  Back in the day, working at a gas station was a great part time job for high school and college students.  ( and you never had to leave the comfort of your car!) So now those jobs no longer exist, I have to do everything myself, and I'm paying 3.25 a gallon.  It all sucks... 

We have at least one place here in town (a 76 station) that is still full serve. They also will put up messages ("congratulations" or "happy anniversary" type stuff) on their sign for a day or two if you ask them to, for free!

[backformore]

10 hours ago, PradaKitty said:

I long for the bygone days of full service gas stations. I hate having to fill up the tank myself, standing outside in crappy weather, fiddling with the gas cap, cleaning my own windshield, and hoping that my tire pressure is good.  Back in the day, working at a gas station was a great part time job for high school and college students.  ( and you never had to leave the comfort of your car!) So now those jobs no longer exist, I have to do everything myself, and I'm paying 3.25 a gallon.  It all sucks... 

Me TOO!   I end up getting the smell of gasoline on my gloves in the winter - or smell it on my hands.  No, I don't spill, I'm just really sensitive to smells and I can smell it a little bit, for the rest of the day.   Though honestly, my husband has been filling my car up with gas for several years now, to the point that I would have to learn how to do it all over again.

[Qoass]

Quote

Old timer trick: You can make store bought eggs last longer by wiping them down with mineral oil.

Huh.,  Two things:

mineral oil causes estrogen issues?  but put it on your food?  Scary.

if you have time to get mineral oil and gloves so you can treat your eggs and then remember to turn them on a weekly basis, maybe you have time to make a pound cake then buy more eggs?

[riley702]

I guess technically the mineral oil is on the shell, so little if any would transfer to the egg upon cracking. But making cake, or brownies (my weakness), omelettes, etc. to use up eggs gets an enthusiastic thumbs up from me. Eggs and cheese are low in carbs when you're starving, but your sugar is borderline high.

[Petunia13]

On 2/15/2017 at 1:10 AM, AgentRXS said:

I will add that it peeves me whenever someone saves a spot for a whole group of people in any long line. One person? Ok....but several? Its not fair.  Too many times have I been on my lunch break at Chipotle or Starbucks and only had 2 people in front of me.....and then walks in 4-5 people who join the person in front of me and that is now 4-5 meals/drinks that have to be made in front of mine. And no one is courteous enough to let me go ahead since its just me, and I was waiting just as long as the person in front.

Once late at night, I walked into an almost empty Starbucks. The guy in front of me clearly worked at a hospital and was apparently picking up Starbucks coffee for his whole dept. He had a list of about 20 drinks. I'm just ordering my one measly drink. The barista made made me wait almost 20 minutes until she finally finished making all his orders before she started on my coffee. No one else came in behind me during that time. I asked her why it was necessary to make me wait instead of quickly making my drink in between one of his and getting me out of there or calling another associate to make my drink as to not inconvenience me. She said if I want it badly enough, I can wait and she works on one order at a time. I think its highly inconsiderate to assume I had 20 minutes to wait around in an otherwise non-busy store when my drink would have taken her (or another barista) 2 minutes tops to finish making.

That Starbucks experience you described has literally happened to me as well and I was blown away by the selfishness and stupidity. 

[Qoass]

I was walking to the checkout counter last night with a single item and was about to walk around an unattended cart in the middle of the floor when a woman swept up with an armload of stuff that she dumped in the cart and then moved towards the checkout in front of me.  She then collected some candy bars from the front to add to her pile and happily took the next available (as in only) register with her fistful of coupons.  I waited until a backup checker was called to open another register and I still got out before her.  It was the bitch trifecta.

Edited March 8, 2017 by Qoass

[AuntieL]

There's a solution to the self serve gas peeve-move to New Jersey! We're one of only 2 states in the country that has no self serve. Although most of them won't check your tires though. 

[backformore]

22 minutes ago, Qoass said:

I was walking to the checkout counter last night with a single item and was about to walk around an unattended cart in the middle of the floor when a woman swept up with an armload of stuff that she dumped in the cart and then moved towards the checkout in front of me.  She then collected some candy bars from the front to add to her pile and happily took the next available (as in only) register with her fistful of coupons.  I waited until a backup checker was called to open another register and I still got out before her.  It was the bitch trifecta.

Yeah, in my grocery store I saw a woman with a child they each had a cart. The kid got in line while mom continued to shop, intending, of course, to jump the line by joining her kid.  

I get saving the spot while you run back to get something you forgot.  But a whole cart? No.

[DeLurker]

The grocery store check out stores - I have to believe they'll go to a version of hell where you wait in a long line and once you make it to the front, the same shite happens to them.  For an eternity.

[Qoass]

I would just like to add on International Women's Day that even if it had been a guy, I still would have considered him a bitch.

[ari333]

I'm oldish. I had one item. (I needed bread.) Some woman almost knocked me down to get in front of me to the register with her loaded cart, full to the top.

[Qoass]

Well, ari333,  now she's trolling my local CVS.

[riley702]

Karma, she's a bitch. Just sayin'.

[ari333]

Is there something wrong with me? Here's one.

I need to pull out onto a road from our apt complex. There is traffic so you have to choose your time to pull out. There was a car some distance away, so I pulled out. The car sped up noticeably,, almost hit me, and laid on the horn. I didn't pull out IN FRONT of him. He was quite a bit away. But he saw me trying to pull out and  he sped up just to be an asshole and really almost hit me.  So I should wait until there are no cars IN SIGHT at all on a long stretch of road before I can proceed? Sheesh.

[ari333]

I hate to sound bitchy, but the fucker stepped on the gas when he saw me trying to pullout when he was far away.

HOW DARE I!

[bmasters9]

23 minutes ago, ari333 said:

I hate to sound bitchy, but the fucker stepped on the gas when he saw me trying to pullout when he was far away.

HOW DARE I!

Actually, it's not how dare you (as I think you were definitely in the right), but HOW DARE HE?! (if you're referring to him speeding up to catch up to you to try to cut you off, which is how I read this).

[theredhead77]

On 2/14/2017 at 11:10 PM, AgentRXS said:

I will add that it peeves me whenever someone saves a spot for a whole group of people in any long line. One person? Ok....but several? Its not fair.  Too many times have I been on my lunch break at Chipotle or Starbucks and only had 2 people in front of me.....and then walks in 4-5 people who join the person in front of me and that is now 4-5 meals/drinks that have to be made in front of mine. And no one is courteous enough to let me go ahead since its just me, and I was waiting just as long as the person in front.

I used to frequent a Chipotle that was also next to a University. One day (before online ordering) I was in line and about 8 people cut to join the 2 people in front of me. Now, it was lunch time and the line was super long. I called them out. They were all well we have to get to class and I said well I have to get back to work. The people in line behind them backed me up. They tried to get their friends to order for them and their friends were all no, you guys need to just get in line.

[ari333]

1 hour ago, bmasters9 said:

Actually, it's not how dare you (as I think you were definitely in the right), but HOW DARE HE?! (if you're referring to him speeding up to catch up to you to try to cut you off, which is how I read this).

with the HOW DARE I - I was being sarcasmo. Indeed, it was HIM. I didn't do anything wrong and he was far away, but sped up on purpose , it seemed. And laid on the horn. And flipped me the bird, which doesn't bother me so much anymore :-) But still, it's the principle.

And you read the rest of it right. he wanted to cut me off. People.... sheesh.  

Edited March 8, 2017 by ari333

[StatisticalOutlier]

8 hours ago, riley702 said:

But making cake, or brownies (my weakness), omelettes, etc. to use up eggs gets an enthusiastic thumbs up from me.

French toast burns through the eggs AND leftover bread.

 

7 hours ago, AuntieL said:

There's a solution to the self serve gas peeve-move to New Jersey! We're one of only 2 states in the country that has no self serve. Although most of them won't check your tires though. 

Yeah, I was gonna say, "Move to New Jersey or Oregon."  But honestly, when I'm in Portland, I buy my gas across the border in Vancouver, Washington, if at all possible because I don't like for people to pump my gas.  They're slow in general, and they're usually doing more than one pump at once.  I hate sitting in the car after the thing has clicked off waiting for the guy to stroll back over so I can pay. 

I got gas in New Jersey right at the entrance to the Holland Tunnel, at about 5:00 in the afternoon, when traffic around there was a nightmare.  As I was sitting there waiting while the guy filled a police car over on the other side of the station even though I was there first, I watched ebbs of traffic that I couldn't take advantage of because I was sitting there waiting.  If I'd pumped it myself, I would have been already done by the time he even got over to me.

But that's my outlook on many things in general:  just let me do it my damn self. 

[Bastet]

Yeah, I have never once opted for full-serve instead of self-serve, because a) I am not paying extra for it, and b), even if it was the same price, I'd rather just do it myself and be done lickety-split. 

[BooksRule]

Why do most of the cans of cat food at the store look all battered and dented?  You don't see that in most of the other canned goods.  I know that the cans are probably okay as long as they aren't leaking or swollen, but I want to find good ones and have to dig through a bunch before I find them.  The cans always look like the employees dropped the whole case in the parking lot and then went bowling with the cans before they put them on the shelves. 

[AuntieL]

I moved from PA to NJ  right around the time they made the self-service gas law. So the first time I traveled outside of New Jersey after that and had to pump my own it was a learning curve. Even now I feel ridiculously proud of myself when I do it. (It's the little things).  What irritates my PA relatives is that even with full service gas in NJ costs less. Well it used to anyway, we just got a new tax. 

[Moose135]

Living on Long Island, I used to make semi-regular trips through NJ to Pennsylvania.  I would always try to time my pre-trip fill-ups so I could stop in NJ coming or going for gas, since it was significantly cheaper than NY or PA.  I even had the last gas station on Rt 46 before the George Washington Bridge saved as a favorite on my GPS.

Edited March 9, 2017 by Moose135

[StatisticalOutlier]

I first encountered that full-service gas station near the Holland Tunnel 20 years ago.  I didn't know there was a law about self-service, and I actually thought they did full service at that particular location because it would get people in and out quicker.  It now seems so naive.

[ari333]

I'm a doofus. Why is there a law against self service in those places? TIA.

[Moose135]

The law in New Jersey dates back to 1949, and was originally enacted out of safety concerns.  It's been challenged in court a few times, and politicians have talked about changing it, but it still stands.  A 2013 poll by Fairleigh Dickinson University showed 63% of NJ residents don't want to pump their own gas, and only 23% favor an overturning of the ban.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2014/02/a_brief_history_of_why_you_cant_pump_your_own_gas_in_new_jersey.html

[AuntieL]

Yeah I'm old enough to remember when all service stations were full service. Every now and then some politician will mention overturning the ban. They only mention it once before they learn their lesson. Nothing unites NJ citizens more (although dislike of our current guv comes close). Jersey girls don't pump gas. 

[ari333]

I'm not where I can open the link. What is the reason for the ban? TIA

[AuntieL]

They've just never changed the original 1949 law. And most New Jerseyans don't want it changed. 

[Moose135]

1 hour ago, ari333 said:

I'm not where I can open the link. What is the reason for the ban? TIA

From the text of the law itself, among other reasons:

Because of the fire hazards directly associated with dispensing fuel, it is in the public interest that gasoline station operators have the control needed over that activity to ensure compliance with appropriate safety procedures, including turning off vehicle engines and refraining from smoking while fuel is dispensed.

[bilgistic]

I've mastered turning off my car engine before fueling up, so I feel pretty proud of myself.

[Qoass]

I know they probably make a ton of money out of it but boy do I haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaate the video music screens at my gym.  First of all, everybody in there is wearing headphones to listen to their own stuff or to use the TVs anyway and we all have to crank our personal volumes all the louder to hear over their stuff.  Second, there is just no soundtrack that is going to appeal to everybody.  Finally, it's got me wondering whether anybody just puts out a song by themselves anymore.  It seems everything the play is by so-and-so featuring so-and- so and so-and-somebody-else.  Crap by committee.