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

[AgentRXS]

@BookWoman56  I'm so sorry about your daughter's incident. That really is horrible. I hate irresponsible pet owners. I would feel bad if the dog accidentally got out but yeah, chip your pets people.

I don't think posting flyers is a great idea.  I would make a post on Craigslist, in the lost/found section. Maybe even report the deceased dog to Animal Control in case the family decides to look for the pet at the shelter.

@TattleTeeny I'm so sorry. That just plain fucking sucks.

@bilgistic That's why I do 80% of my shopping on Amazon....luckily the cashiers at both grocery stores I frequent make the effort to at least say "Hello", every time I go.

6 hours ago, Random Noise said:

I popped into a convenience store a while ago, made a quick purchase, and was ready to leave. The clerk said "You know, when someone does something for you, it's good manners to thank them for it." I was so stunned at the moment that all I could do was reply "thank you." Then the clerk says "didn't hurt, did it?"

6 hours ago, Random Noise said:

A couple years ago I had a problem with a cat trying to get into my garbage. When I saw it come around another night I started to suspect it was homeless so I left a bowl of cat food outside. During the winter I came to realize I had at least 7 or 8 cats coming to eat. Some are definitely ferile, but others are very tame and affectionate and always come running for some attention when they see me outside which makes me wonder why the hell don't their owners bring them indoors

I wish a clerk would talk to me like that.  I would read them for filth.  As for the cats, there are ferals that have become acclimated with humans but aren't accustomed to indoor living. A friendly cat doesn't always mean its owned. The Animal Control Officer in me would recommend trying to get the spay/neutered/ear notched so that they aren't multiplying on your property come spring.

[StatisticalOutlier]

7 hours ago, Random Noise said:

3) Store clerks, bank tellers, etc.

I think this one particularly annoys me because it first happened after hospitalizing my 89 year old mother with pneumonia and the doctor said she had maybe weeks to live at most.

I stopped at the bank to take care of some business and this young woman comes up who I didn't know at all and says "Hi. How are you today?" I wasn't sure how to respond to that since I was having a really crappy week. Do I lie and say "Oh, I'm really good thanks!" or do I say, "Well, actually ...."

Obviously it's supposed to be some kind of greeting or conversation starter, but I find it incredibly fake. The teller could care less what kind of day I was having. I also find it happening more and more at various places I go to. I'll typically respond with a "hanging in there" or to quote Data from Star Trek "still operating within specified parameters"

If it's a situation where I have to respond, like a clerk is looking right at me, I just give a little head tilt or flatly say, "Fine" and continuing going about my business.

Where it really bugs me is when I call customer service, and they say, "Hello, how are you doing today?" or something similar.  Since this stops all forward progress of the conversation, I don't even say "Fine."  I totally ignore it and say, "I'm calling to find out..." 

Also FWIW, I do a little bit of secret shopping and the places where the employees call out "Welcome to ...."?  Whether they do it is part of the store evaluation.

 

5 hours ago, bilgistic said:

Just a half-hearted attempt to reach for the basket that was at most a foot from her on the belt, and then she began to ring up my items.

This sounds like something I've noticed.  At most stores, if you have a rolling cart, you have to unload it onto the conveyor belt yourself.  But with the hand-carried ones, people don't unload it and instead set the basket with the contents in it on the belt.  The problem I have is two-fold:  (1) the cashier has to spend time reaching into the basket to retrieve each item before he can scan it instead of whipping the stuff across the scanner, slowing down the line, and (2) the cashier has to awkwardly reach over the edge of the basket and into it to get each item, and is having to reach sideways around the scanner so is generally using only one hand, making it more awkward, and is having to do it over and over every time someone puts the basket on the conveyor belt.

I think it would be preferable for customers to unload their hand baskets, like they do for rolling carts.  For one, it's ergonomically easier for the customer to do it (stand right in front of it, use both hands, tip it on its side), and for another, if it's awkward for the customer to get the items out, it's at least as awkward for the cashier and he has to do it over and over and over all day long.  I see it as a choice between a small burden on every customer vs. a big burden on the cashier, who's already standing there for hours at a time (unless he's at Aldi's, although I'm thinking I've never seen a male cashier there). 

[backformore]

7 hours ago, Random Noise said:

2) Store clerks:

I popped into a convenience store a while ago, made a quick purchase, and was ready to leave. The clerk said "You know, when someone does something for you, it's good manners to thank them for it." I was so stunned at the moment that all I could do was reply "thank you." Then the clerk says "didn't hurt, did it?"

I headed out the door thinking WTF? What happened to the days when the clerk was thanking me for buying something at their store so they could have a job?

NO, the clerk should be thanking YOU.  The clerk didn't do anything for you, they work for the store.  The store would want them to thank the customer for shopping there, not demanding that the customer be grateful. 

My grocery store has, on the receipt, a web address to go to for a survey.  I have used it, though I admit I generally will only do so when I have a complaint.  I don't feel the need to give feedback for an adequate experience.    But boy, would they hear from me about a n employee saying I have poor manners for not thanking them!  

I once wrote in to  dunkin donuts about one of their stores.  the store was practically empty, one girl working there.  She was having an animated conversation on her phone, and when I started to ask for a hot chocolate, she held her finger up in that "just a minute"   gesture, indicating that I needed to wait for her to finish what was obviously a personal call.   NO, you tell the person on the phone "just a minute", and make my hot chocolate! 

[Random Noise]

I did a little fix-it job for my niece. I dropped into the local hardware store, grabbed what I needed, and headed up to the front check-out where 2 cashiers are working.

The total purchase was $9.05, so I hand the cashier a ten dollar bill and a nickel. "What's this for?" the girl asks looking at the nickel and handing it back to me, "you already gave me ten!"

"No. No." the other cashier tells her, "he gave you $10.05 so you don't have to count change. Just give him a dollar back" "Huh?" "Yeah. The cost was $9.05, and he gave you $10.05, so you give him a dollar back!" "Oh ..."

My brain hurts.

[JTMacc99]

Kids who become cashiers before they actually go out in the world and shop for themselves are going to do things like that. (Assuming it was a kid.) It probably never occurred to her that such a thing was possible. 

This whole thing has been made much less likely to cause confusion in the years since they added computers to the registers. Just count how much the person gave you and type it in. The register then returns the change owed as $1.00. Takes any math out of the equation. 

I would hope that even the local hardware store has a register that will help out that girl.

[Sun-Bun]

4 hours ago, Random Noise said:

I did a little fix-it job for my niece. I dropped into the local hardware store, grabbed what I needed, and headed up to the front check-out where 2 cashiers are working.

The total purchase was $9.05, so I hand the cashier a ten dollar bill and a nickel. "What's this for?" the girl asks looking at the nickel and handing it back to me, "you already gave me ten!"

"No. No." the other cashier tells her, "he gave you $10.05 so you don't have to count change. Just give him a dollar back" "Huh?" "Yeah. The cost was $9.05, and he gave you $10.05, so you give him a dollar back!" "Oh ..."

My brain hurts.

Honestly, back when I was a 15-year-old brand new grocery store clerk, this exact same embarrassing scenario occurred---people would hand me extra change just so I could give them back an even dollar amount, and I was so sadly lost...it took me about a month or so before it finally clicked, but I never was the brightest bulb, especially back when I was still struggling with high school algebra. Granted, the cash registers back in the early 90's weren't nearly as sophisticated as today's registers, but nevertheless, it was a valuable lesson in change counting that I never forgot.

Actually, now that I teach teenagers myself, I'm kinda astounded by the severe lack of change-counting skills they display...cell phones with calculators have been a blessing and a curse for kids.

[DeLurker]

8 hours ago, BookWoman56 said:

As noted, I have mixed feelings on the subject, for a variety of reasons, and the possibility of the owner's hypothetical kids seeing the news on a flier is one reason I'm hesitant to post a flier at all. I will look to see if there are any "lost dog" fliers or posters in the neighborhood that match the dog's description.  There's no place close that would have a community bulletin board; there is a gas station/convenience store on one side of the entrance to the neighborhood and a fast food place on the other side.

I'm so sorry to hear about this happening to your daughter.  I would be horrified if it had happened to me.  Is there a local community website?  We have one called XYZ Online and it covers some local news, new businesses and a classified section.  The pet lost & found and pets for adoption section get lots of use.

1 hour ago, JTMacc99 said:

Kids who become cashiers before they actually go out in the world and shop for themselves are going to do things like that. (Assuming it was a kid.) It probably never occurred to her that such a thing was possible.

&

42 minutes ago, Sun-Bun said:

Honestly, back when I was a 15-year-old brand new grocery store clerk, this exact same embarrassing scenario occurred---people would hand me extra change just so I could give them back an even dollar amount, and I was so sadly lost..

I was that clueless cashier too.  Part of it was being inexperienced in handling money myself (so I had no idea that getting a handful of change may not be desirable), part general common sense, and part just being whatever age I was. 

[Qoass]

Quote

public shaming worked

Upthread a bit, I have no problem calling out jerks on public transportation. If I need a seat and someone has their belongings on one, I ask them if they bought two tickets. If they're in the aisle seat and don't move so I can take the window one, I say, loudly, "Don't make me crawl over you. I may accidentally step on you."

[Katy M]

1 hour ago, Sun-Bun said:

Honestly, back when I was a 15-year-old brand new grocery store clerk, this exact same embarrassing scenario occurred---people would hand me extra change just so I could give them back an even dollar amount, and I was so sadly lost...it took me about a month or so before it finally clicked, but I never was the brightest bulb, especially back when I was still struggling with high school algebra. Granted, the cash registers back in the early 90's weren't nearly as sophisticated as today's registers, but nevertheless, it was a valuable lesson in change counting that I never forgot.

Actually, now that I teach teenagers myself, I'm kinda astounded by the severe lack of change-counting skills they display...cell phones with calculators have been a blessing and a curse for kids.

Last summer, I went to a convenience store and got a soda and maybe a candy bar.  I don't remember how much the change was, but the cashier had to call someone else over to tell her which coins to give me.  Why would you hire someone to be a cashier who doesn't understand American currency?

[PRgal]

Okay, my in-law have a nasty habit of NOT using serving utensils when eating family style.  I realize this isn't done in many cultures (including my ancestral culture), but most people in this part of the world DO, regardless.  There's a reason why hotpot places now provide guests/clients with TWO pairs of chopsticks and why many Asian restaurants now have serving/communal chopsticks AND eating chopsticks.  I'd rather people pick food up with their fingers than with their own forks/chopsticks.

[rcc]

16 hours ago, TattleTeeny said:

So here's a giant peeve: being laid off from your job of 15 years, on Friday morning before even taking your jacket off because your position as the only trained copy editor is suddenly "unnecessary" in a business with not only at least 24 print catalogs per year, but multiple copy-heavy websites and tons of advertising/event-related e-mails, all written by amateur "authors."

That's why we see so many typos in online articles and newspapers. Even headlines have typos. Copy editors and proofreaders are not deemed important these days. They think reporters and writers should use spellcheck and that is good enough. 

Sorry for what happened to you. I was a copy editor/proofreader/typesetter back in the day and have been retired for a few years. I probably would be out of a job today too. Or transferred to sales, which I would have hated and declined. Talk about a cutthroat department. I remember the salespeople stealing customers from each other almost daily.

[Random Noise]

3 hours ago, Sun-Bun said:

Honestly, back when I was a 15-year-old brand new grocery store clerk, this exact same embarrassing scenario occurred---people would hand me extra change just so I could give them back an even dollar amount, and I was so sadly lost...it took me about a month or so before it finally clicked, but I never was the brightest bulb, especially back when I was still struggling with high school algebra. Granted, the cash registers back in the early 90's weren't nearly as sophisticated as today's registers, but nevertheless, it was a valuable lesson in change counting that I never forgot.

Actually, now that I teach teenagers myself, I'm kinda astounded by the severe lack of change-counting skills they display...cell phones with calculators have been a blessing and a curse for kids.

I suppose it's an age thing. I was a teenager in the 1970's so money counting was more of a survival skill. Calculators didn't start showing up until the mid 70s although we did use the old clunky adding machines when necessary.

I remember being somewhat astounded by customers who had mentally added up all their items and calculated the tax before I even rang in the items. Then they would have the exact change laying on the counter by the time I hit the total button on the register.

2 hours ago, Katy M said:

Last summer, I went to a convenience store and got a soda and maybe a candy bar.  I don't remember how much the change was, but the cashier had to call someone else over to tell her which coins to give me.  Why would you hire someone to be a cashier who doesn't understand American currency?

I'd be thankful they at least spoke English.

[GHScorpiosRule]

21 minutes ago, Random Noise said:

I suppose it's an age thing. I was a teenager in the 1970's so money counting was more of a survival skill. Calculators didn't start showing up until the mid 70s although we did use the old clunky adding machines when necessary.

This was me, though I wasn't a teen during the 1970's but a kid. I was taught how to count money when I was in grade school, so that when I started my first job as a cashier at Roy Rogers (didn't every teen start at Fast Food back in the 80's?) so I wasn't confuzzled as to how much change to give back. And math was my second weakest subject.

And though I wasn't pushy or got into customers' faces, I was never anything near the losers that pass for sales associates in drug stores, convenience stores, retail today. I remember one time, when I asked a customer if he found everything he was looking for, and when he said no, I offered to help him, he asked what I was doing working there? (Sears. Hey! It was THE PLACE to work back then!) That shocked me speechless. And when I asked why, he said I was too polite and actually sounded like I cared and willing to help.  This was in 1987. I've always had a knack for customer service, I guess. I didn't condescend and I would roll my eyes at those cheesy videos they would make us watch in how to treat/handle customers. And the irony is, I always got shitty customer service when I was the customer.

Edited October 30, 2017 by GHScorpiosRule

[Katy M]

37 minutes ago, Random Noise said:

I'd be thankful they at least spoke English.

I didn't mean to make it sound like this person was foreign.  I just said American currency because, well, it's OK if she doesn't get pounds and rubles.   But, yeah, she was a teenager and probably lived her whole life right here in town which makes me fear for the local school ystem.

[Random Noise]

43 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

This was me, though I wasn't a teen during the 1970's but a kid. I was taught how to count money when I was in grade school, so that when I started my first job as a cashier at Roy Rogers (didn't every teen start at Fast Food back in the 80's?) so I wasn't confuzzled as to how much change to give back. And math was my second weakest subject.

I was a bona fide nerd so my first job was at Radio Shack. I can't even recall how many paychecks I blew when I bought the original TRS-80 microcomputer in 1979, but I saw a future in microcomputers so I took up programming at college about 3 blocks away from the old Microsoft site in Bellevue, WA during the winter of 1980.

Funny anecdote though. I had sold one of the Radio Shack color computers to a guy I knew relatively well. I saw him again a week or two later and asked how he was enjoying his computer. He said he unboxed the thing, plugged it in, typed a few things on the keyboard, then it told him he made an error. He promptly unplugged it, put it back in the box, and stored it away in a closet. He would have nothing to do with a machine telling him he made a mistake. 

Edited October 30, 2017 by Random Noise

[TattleTeeny]

4 hours ago, rcc said:

That's why we see so many typos in online articles and newspapers. Even headlines have typos. Copy editors and proofreaders are not deemed important these days. They think reporters and writers should use spellcheck and that is good enough. 

Sorry for what happened to you. I was a copy editor/proofreader/typesetter back in the day and have been retired for a few years. I probably would be out of a job today too. Or transferred to sales, which I would have hated and declined. Talk about a cutthroat department. I remember the salespeople stealing customers from each other almost daily.

It can be such a disrespected job--especially when the people who pay you to do it aren't capable of finding the errors anyway. To them, it's "if we don't see them, they must not be there."

Edited October 30, 2017 by TattleTeeny

[ratgirlagogo]

14 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

This sounds like something I've noticed.  At most stores, if you have a rolling cart, you have to unload it onto the conveyor belt yourself.  But with the hand-carried ones, people don't unload it and instead set the basket with the contents in it on the belt.  The problem I have is two-fold:  (1) the cashier has to spend time reaching into the basket to retrieve each item before he can scan it instead of whipping the stuff across the scanner, slowing down the line, and (2) the cashier has to awkwardly reach over the edge of the basket and into it to get each item, and is having to reach sideways around the scanner so is generally using only one hand, making it more awkward, and is having to do it over and over every time someone puts the basket on the conveyor belt.

I'm not sure I've ever seen anyone just put their basket on the conveyor belt without unpacking it, unless they were in the self-checkout line.  

[bilgistic]

Hmm, well, I guess I'm an asshole. I do it in my infrequent trips to Target. I figure the cashier can dump out the contents. I managed to do it when I worked as a cashier. They have to take the basket anyway and put it in a stack somewhere behind the cash register. If I have a cart, I put the contents on the conveyor belt, obviously. Anymore, the cashiers don't bother loading the bags into the cart. I always return my cart to the cart corral.

At Trader Joe's, the checkouts have a pullout shelf where the cashiers sit the baskets and remove the contents one by one and scan them. They do the same for carts. They don't have conveyor belts. They are always very friendly and load bags into carts.

[Bastet]

At all the grocery stores in my area, there is a spot for emptied hand-held baskets to be stacked.  It's on the customer side of the check-out counter, so people unload their basket just as they would their cart, and then put the empty basket in that stack.  Employees come along periodically and take the baskets back to the entrances for people to grab as they come in.  At my local Smart & Final, they are really bad about that latter step, so I often have to go grab one from a check-out line.

I don't think I've ever seen someone just plop the filled basket down, but if they did, the clerk would have to hand the empty basket back to them to put away.

[GHScorpiosRule]

9 minutes ago, Bastet said:

At all the grocery stores in my area, there is a spot for emptied hand-held baskets to be stacked.  It's on the customer side of the check-out counter, so people unload their basket just as they would their cart, and then put the empty basket in that stack.  Employees come along periodically and take the baskets back to the entrances for people to grab as they come in.  At my local Smart & Final, they are really bad about that latter step, so I often have to go grab one from a check-out line.

I don't think I've ever seen someone just plop the filled basket down, but if they did, the clerk would have to hand the empty basket back to them to put away.

Same here. Well, the big chains in my area, Giant, Safeway, Shopper's, there is space right underneath the conveyor belt on the customer's side, where you can place the baskets, which are stacked (you can stack up to six or seven I think) after you finish putting your items on the belt. I've learned my lesson after three trips when I've told myself I need to just pop in, grab two or three items, and end up with ten! So I just automatically just use the cart.

[bilgistic]

I guess that's the difference between what y'all are experiencing and the Targets in my area. There's no place for the customer to put the basket. Now that I've been thoroughly admonished, though, I guess I'll have to change my horrid and inhumane behavior.

[NutMeg]

It's very area specific though. I've just moved from a country where you're expected to put your basket on the conveyor belt to one where you just unload every item. I just watch what people are doing and imitate :) 

[ratgirlagogo]

1 minute ago, NutMeg said:

It's very area specific though

Yes.  I'm thinking now that while I've never seen this in a supermarket or anywhere with a conveyor belt that at smaller ethnic groceries like Kalyustan's or Katagiri, even the big Asian ones like Kam Man the cashier usually pulls the basket away from you and unpacks it.  

[StatisticalOutlier]

1 hour ago, bilgistic said:

Hmm, well, I guess I'm an asshole. I do it in my infrequent trips to Target. I figure the cashier can dump out the contents.

Oh my, can you imagine the complaints that might come if a cashier actually dumped the basket out onto the conveyor belt?  I handle the stuff I buy very carelessly, chucking everything into the bags I bring to the store (I bag my own purchases), but it's my stuff.  If I saw a cashier tossing it around like I do, even I might be annoyed.

 

52 minutes ago, bilgistic said:

I guess that's the difference between what y'all are experiencing and the Targets in my area. There's no place for the customer to put the basket. Now that I've been thoroughly admonished, though, I guess I'll have to change my horrid and inhumane behavior.

I'm pretty sure Target doesn't have the same overhang thing that you can put baskets under at the beginning of the conveyor belt.  Usually, the checkstand next to me is empty, and I'll put it on the floor where that cashier would stand, or I'll set it on the floor at the end of the checkstand I'm using.  Not as good as under the overhang, but the best available.

It's not that your behavior is horrid and inhumane, but it does make for more work for the cashier, and it does slow things down for everybody in that line.  But I'm the type who, in a store where they use handheld scanners, will put all my items so the bar code is facing up, just to make it quicker and easier on them.

At TJs, the basket is down low, so the cashier is just reaching down into it.  It's the having to reach up and over the sides of a basket on a conveyor belt for each item that offends my desire for efficiency and ergonomic happiness.

But I can see this is totally just me.  When I volunteer at this soup kitchen, my favorite thing is to roam around looking for ways to make whatever people are doing easier for them.  If they're repeatedly reaching over something to get to something else, I'll rearrange them.  Or if two people are clumsily working out of one bowl, I'll go get another and redistribute the stuff so they each have their own.  Or I move the compost bag so they're more likely not to miss when they toss stuff in.  I've never seen anybody else do that, but I think it's fun.

ETA: This all probably plays into last night's discussion with Mr. Outlier, where I was saying that I have more situational awareness than anyone I know, and he said I was probably in the top 1% of the population when it comes to situational awareness, and then amended that to the top 1/10 of 1%.

Normally, it's a burden because it means I can't just be somewhere.  I notice everything.  I can't be the person who's eating in a fast food place and doesn't notice that someone is struggling with the door, or that some lady's toes are extending way over the ends of her sandals.  It does, on the other hand, make me a world class jaywalker.

Edited October 30, 2017 by StatisticalOutlier

[TattleTeeny]

I've put the whole basket up there, particularly at damn Petco, with their ridiculously not spacious countertops (no conveyor). I haven't seen anyone appear annoyed by this, but that might be because I have the cans of food in neat stacks of 3, making it less work for the cashier.

So, another person at my job was let go--different position (another one they're likely to cheap out on filling regardless of crappy results), same-ish pay. Now I know it's all about the dough.

Edited October 30, 2017 by TattleTeeny

[NutMeg]

@TattleTeeny, your dismissal is horrible and for me much more serious that a pet peeve. I'm so sorry about it, and about the shock it must have been to you. 

Edited October 31, 2017 by NutMeg
typo

[Random Noise]

13 minutes ago, TattleTeeny said:

So, another person at my job was let go--different position (another one they're likely to cheap out on filling regardless of crappy results), same-ish pay. Now I know it's all about the dough.

Just curious, is the business in some kind of financial trouble that they're cutting staff?

Old peeve, keeps happening ... I went into a nearby store and one clerk was working. There was a long line trailing back from the counter and at the head of the line was a customer hunched over a wide array of lottery tickets. This person just stood there like David Copperfield performing some mental illusion trying to float a winning ticket to the top of the stack.

Then the person whips out a handful of the scratch-and-win's to cash in in order to buy some new tickets. I felt sorry for the clerk because he was apologizing profusely to the other customers while trying to get them through. 

[bilgistic]

3 hours ago, TattleTeeny said:

I've put the whole basket up there, particularly at damn Petco, with their ridiculously not spacious countertops (no conveyor). I haven't seen anyone appear annoyed by this, but that might be because I have the cans of food in neat stacks of 3, making it less work for the cashier.

So, another person at my job was let go--different position (another one they're likely to cheap out on filling regardless of crappy results), same-ish pay. Now I know it's all about the dough.

And inevitably, the cashier will ask about the cans, "Are these all the same kind?" You have eyes! Look at them! I get they are trying to enter on the register whatever number and then scan one can, but by the time they've asked the question, they could've scanned them all. Just do your job is all I'm saying.

@TattleTeeny, do we need to send poop to your employer? It IS always all about money.

[TattleTeeny]

Haha, previous employer. And no poop. Send bedbugs.

I think they had been trying to get me to quit for a while now--it's all coming together (and my past posts here detail the shit they pulled!). But I kept just...not quitting. At least this way, I get a severance. AND...

I have a very promising lead that could work out very soon. If it does, hey--free severance!

Edited October 31, 2017 by TattleTeeny

[Random Noise]

2 hours ago, TattleTeeny said:

Haha, previous employer. And no poop. Send bedbugs.

I think they had been trying to get me to quit for a while now--it's all coming together (and my past posts here detail the shit they pulled!). But I kept just...not quitting. At least this way, I get a severance. AND...

I have a very promising lead that could work out very soon. If it does, hey--free severance!

They're refurbishing an old hotel in town here. How many bedbugs would you like? And does it matter if a few cockroaches get in the mix?

Best of luck on your lead. Hope it all goes well.

[TattleTeeny]

ALL of them. And thank you--that fucking knot in my belly is gone for the first time in two days (despite the four cups of coffee followed by three booze drinks. Who does that?!).

[bmasters9]

On 10/26/2017 at 9:33 AM, Mindthinkr said:

@DeLurker I have neighbors that do the same thing. I like to back my car up my driveway into the garage. Otherwise it takes me two turns to get my car backed out. When the neighbors have company or workers I have to pull in forward and then it's a pain to get out. I find it annoying but my neighbors are so nice that I can't complain. BMW's and Mercedes? It's not only the initial cost to buy one but it's costly to keep them serviced as well. I guess I chose the wrong profession! 

Not about cars, but that's the same thing that I do with the John Deere Gator that my family has-- back it up into the building, so that whenever it's needed, I can get it and drive right out, instead of having to back out and having an extra step. 

[JTMacc99]

4 hours ago, TattleTeeny said:

ALL of them. And thank you--that fucking knot in my belly is gone for the first time in two days (despite the four cups of coffee followed by three booze drinks. Who does that?!).

Going through what you are going through may require any number of beverages as needed. 

I’ve had to be the person who delivers the news to people that their positions are being eliminated. It’s horrible. And it’s always about making numbers or in some cases it was about having enough money left to pay the remaining employees. 

Good luck finding a new opportunity!

[TattleTeeny]

Thank you! I don't want to get overexcited but this might be a great fit. Imagine if it is, and I don't even have to bother with unemployment or finding insurance--the latter of which my oh-so-generous company let me keep until the end of the month...after unceremoniously booting me outta there on the 27th. Seriously, I feel so hopeful! And maybe this is the best thing that could have happened!

And Happy Halloween--it's the most wonderful time of the year! Please join me in crossing your fingers that my former manager injures his while participating in the office-wide jack-o-lantern-carving contest.

Edited October 31, 2017 by TattleTeeny

[peacheslatour]

Please allow me to take this opportunity to issue my annual plea: Please for the love of everything you hold dear, keep your feline friends INSIDE tonight!

[PradaKitty]

The Prada feline and his bro will be hanging out in the back bedroom, watching tv.

A new (bit somewhat related) peeve:  when the grocery store cashier YELLS over the loudspeaker.  It's a Microphone, you idiot. Stop screeching! I actually value my eardrums!

[PradaKitty]

And here's to bureaucracy.  I am retiring at the end of this week.  My state government benefits and pay method are all set up and everything is running perfectly.

I also decided to file for Social Security retirement since I am of age - I got the following response to my filing in the mail yesterday:  " You do not qualify for retirement benefits now because we have not received enough evidence to prove that you have reached age 62."  ( I brought in a certified copy of my birth certificate, a certificate from the hospital where I was born, my driver's license, etc. )

Then, one paragraph down, they state:  Based on the evidence we have, we have decided that your correct date of birth is November 1, 1954.  (It is).

Okay minions, do the fucking math -  I will be 63 tomorrow.

Maybe I should also bring in my long expired passport...

 

Grrr......

[Katy M]

@PradaKitty  Happy birthday and Happy retirement.

[TattleTeeny]

2 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

Please allow me to take this opportunity to issue my annual plea: Please for the love of everything you hold dear, keep your feline friends INSIDE tonight!

And every other night if you can! Prolong their lives, man!

[peacheslatour]

Just now, TattleTeeny said:

And every other night if you can! Prolong their lives, man!

Abso fucking lutely! But if people can't or won't contain their cats, do it tonight at least.

[bilgistic]

51 minutes ago, PradaKitty said:

And here's to bureaucracy.  I am retiring at the end of this week.  My state government benefits and pay method are all set up and everything is running perfectly.

I also decided to file for Social Security retirement since I am of age - I got the following response to my filing in the mail yesterday:  " You do not qualify for retirement benefits now because we have not received enough evidence to prove that you have reached age 62."  ( I brought in a certified copy of my birth certificate, a certificate from the hospital where I was born, my driver's license, etc. )

Then, one paragraph down, they state:  Based on the evidence we have, we have decided that your correct date of birth is November 1, 1954.  (It is).

Okay minions, do the fucking math -  I will be 63 tomorrow.

Maybe I should also bring in my long expired passport...

 

Grrr......

Giant palm across the face over that.

Happy birthday, fellow Scorpio! I already wished you a happy retirement, but happy retirement, again.

[Random Noise]

2 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

Please allow me to take this opportunity to issue my annual plea: Please for the love of everything you hold dear, keep your feline friends INSIDE tonight!

My companion Sasha was ferile as a young cat. It took a year of putting food and some warm milk and talking to her several times a day that I could finally reach out and pet her. It took another couple months before she was comfortable indoors.

She's soundly asleep on my bed at the moment and prefers being indoors although we go for excursions in the forest behind my home while she searches for ferocious little beasties to hunt.

[peacheslatour]

Just now, Random Noise said:

My companion Sasha was ferile as a young cat. It took a year of putting food and some warm milk and talking to her several times a day that I could finally reach out and pet her. It took another couple months before she was comfortable indoors.

She's soundly asleep on my bed at the moment and prefers being indoors although we go for excursions in the forest behind my home while she searches for ferocious little beasties to hunt.

I've had many feral cats and it's next to impossible to keep them inside. I know what that's like but just for tonight please don't let them out unless you are with them. We had an old feral male that we used to walk on a harness. The only problem was we had to keep him away from any vertical surface or up he'd go.

Unfortunately there are evil, cruel people in this world who think it's the height of cleverness to try to hurt or kill cats on Halloween.

[Mindthinkr]

8 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

 

Unfortunately there are evil, cruel people in this world who think it's the height of cleverness to try to hurt or kill cats on Halloween.

Especially black cats which a lot of us seem to have. 

Mine were outdoor cats but since the move they have converted. On a special note: Today is their birthday! I always thought it was my karma to own 2 black cats born on this date (I've had many other black cats). We are having lots of pets. Unfortunately with big boys weight issues there can be no extra treats. 

[Random Noise]

1 hour ago, PradaKitty said:

And here's to bureaucracy.  I am retiring at the end of this week.  My state government benefits and pay method are all set up and everything is running perfectly.

I also decided to file for Social Security retirement since I am of age - I got the following response to my filing in the mail yesterday:  " You do not qualify for retirement benefits now because we have not received enough evidence to prove that you have reached age 62."  ( I brought in a certified copy of my birth certificate, a certificate from the hospital where I was born, my driver's license, etc. )

Then, one paragraph down, they state:  Based on the evidence we have, we have decided that your correct date of birth is November 1, 1954.  (It is).

Okay minions, do the fucking math -  I will be 63 tomorrow.

Maybe I should also bring in my long expired passport...

 

Grrr......

I looked after my mother the final years of her life so she could have some independence living in her own home.

When it came time for me to manage her social security and banking for her, I had to present the standard 3 pieces of identification.

They refused my birth certificate because it didn't have a photo!

[bilgistic]

2 minutes ago, Random Noise said:

I looked after my mother the final years of her life so she could have some independence living in her own home.

When it came time for me to manage her social security and banking for her, I had to present the standard 3 pieces of identification.

They refused my birth certificate because it didn't have a photo!

Imagine if birth certificates did have photos. We'd have to go around swearing that the infant in the picture was us.

Eventually, our DNA will be used to verify everything. I'm not a crackpot.

[Random Noise]

2 minutes ago, bilgistic said:

Imagine if birth certificates did have photos. We'd have to go around swearing that the infant in the picture was us.

 

In my case, I'd probably drop my pants, bend over, and say "See? That's me!"

[Katy M]

25 minutes ago, bilgistic said:

Imagine if birth certificates did have photos. We'd have to go around swearing that the infant in the picture was us.

Eventually, our DNA will be used to verify everything. I'm not a crackpot.

No, they would have that aging software, stick your birth certificate in, and gosh darn it, you better look like that.

And, on the DNA thing, well at least identity theft would be harder.

[TattleTeeny]

Oh my goodness, I just heard from someone at my former office that, now that I am gone, the catalog designers are now charged with writing their own product copy for their pages! Hahahahhahahhahhaaaaaa! Wow, will that be a shit-show--I think I will have to get on that mailing list. These are the same people who complained that they "didn't have time" to use the compiled and clean copy I supplied them (they'd pull random not-at-all-clean copy from old layouts--and I'm still not sure how that was faster), many of whom cannot manage grammar or spelling so well. I bet they're pretty pissed off right now--or at least they will be. On the other hand, it is entirely possible that all the important work that was demanded of me will now be deemed extraneous (like me!).

Edited October 31, 2017 by TattleTeeny

[Random Noise]

18 minutes ago, TattleTeeny said:

Oh my goodness, I just heard from someone at my former office that, now that I am gone, the catalog designers are now charged with writing their own product copy for their pages! Hahahahhahahhahhaaaaaa! Wow, will that be a shit-show--I think I will have to get on that mailing list. These are the same people who complained that they "didn't have time" to use the compiled and clean copy I supplied them (they'd pull random not-at-all-clean copy from old layouts--and I'm still not sure how that was faster), many of whom cannot manage grammar or spelling so well. 

Not that I would suggest this ...