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

[GHScorpiosRule]

Still at home, since it's still snowing and looking like White Out levels of snow blowing or whatever. I feel like a bear, who is hibernating! No point in going out to clean off the snow when I can't see and snow is coming down and blowing each and every way.

 

It's funny. When I read (from the parents themselves) how having the kids home for a day or two drives them crazy, makes me wonder, what about the weekends? Or does that not count? Is it because of snow, they are indoors instead of out? The television is still there, no? board games? It's head scratching to be sure. I mean, don't the kids play out in the snow?

[ABay]

If their kids weren't so appallingly behaved, it would be easier to suffer helicopter parents. But they are, so it isn't.

Edited January 24, 2016 by ABay

[auntlada]

I'm always afraid of being a helicopter parent. I'm obsessive about different things than other parents, though, I think.

 

My sister-in-law did not want us to reheat spaghetti sauce in the plastic food storage container because of possible BPA or something, but she seemed surprised that my 4-year-old told her he wasn't allowed to have suckers. We have not revisited that since he turned 4, but before that, it's not recommended because it's hard candy and a choking hazard. (I've been surprised at the number of people who have tried to give him hard candy since before he was even 1.)

 

Explanation: I have a serious choking phobia. Two months before my son was born, my father died. He had a degenerative brain disorder that made swallowing very difficult. He'd lived with it for almost 15 years and was doing much better than any doctor expected. They didn't even expect him to live that long. Anyway, one day, he choked on a sandwich and had a heart attack and died. So I have really tried to watch for choking hazards with my son (hard candy, hot dogs, popcorn -- all the things people want to give small children).

 

His cousin, the son of my brother-in-law and his wife (my husband's brother and his wife), kept hitting him or running into him or kicking or throwing things at him. My son said it was on purpose, and he's usually pretty truthful about it. When no other adults were present, I told the child do not do that, but I never feel like I can correct him when other adults, like his mom and dad, are there, and they don't really correct him much. At the park, when everyone was there, the cousin deliberately drove his bike over the scooter my child was trying to ride, knocking it and my son over. His parents were telling him to stop, but didn't make him stop. Afterwards, they told him to go over and ask if my son was OK. Not once did they tell him to say he was sorry. His mother was the one who told me once (when the boys were 1-2) that you shouldn't make your child say he's sorry because they won't really learn anything that way. You should say you're sorry when the child does something and model the behavior for him. This may or may not be a valid theory, but I don't follow it. When my child does something, I make him say he's sorry, and he's learned to say he's sorry. He says it to us all the time, even when he just bumped me accidentally.

 

I told him about his cousin that sometimes we just have to accept that people aren't behaving nicely and leave them alone. Once I told him that he needed to come play in the living room instead of with his cousin in Grammy and Granddad's room (which was OK with those two), and he said, "No. Cousin should play in the living room. I didn't do anything. It's not fair." I wanted to tell him that no, it's not fair, but I can't make Cousin do anything because he's not my child. If he were, he'd probably get a swat on the behind once in a while.

 

Of course, I also just read something that said parents should not use corporal punishment because it doesn't work, and it makes the child scared of you and learn that hitting is good. It hasn't seemed to work that way in our house, but we're not experts, just parents.

Edited January 23, 2016 by auntlada

[Sun-Bun]

It's funny. When I read (from the parents themselves) how having the kids home for a day or two drives them crazy, makes me wonder, what about the weekends? Or does that not count? Is it because of snow, they are indoors instead of out? The television is still there, no? board games? It's head scratching to be sure. I mean, don't the kids play out in the snow?

I'm baffled by most parents period, which is why I'm a happily ChildFree adult---unlike many folks, I knew from a very young age that raising children didn't remotely interest me, because parenthood is insanely difficult and often thankless, expensive, exhausting work.

So when I hear parents complaining about having their kid/s around all day for snowdays and summers/holidays, I just want to ask them, "WHY did you even have kids anyway? Do you know how loud and annoying and tiring and all-consuming most children are, or were you among those fools who convince themselves that *their* children would be different?? Have you ever even spent *any* time around children before opting into this parenthood thing?!!"

I guess I'm also pretty realistic about parenting because I know it's such a huge gamble---most parents can't handle raising a "special" child, for instance---every special needs child I've ever worked with over the years came from a broken home, usually with the father bailing out.

OR there are the generally difficult children who, quite frankly, I genuinely consider to have been born assholes, despite being raised by good parents. I'm a firm believer in "bad seeds" since I've seen this phenomenon repeatedly in various households among siblings---you get the well-adjusted sibling/s, then there's that other one who acts like he/she was raised by wolves, despite having otherwise excellent parents who successfully raised their other child/ren.

On the flipside, I'm blown away by the kids who expect other people to constantly entertain them. I have a few of those students myself; they simply refuse to read or play by themselves. Unless you give them a computer or an iPad, they just seem incapable of chilling on their own.

I was raised in a household where we kids were expected to entertain ourselves, not vise versa, so I just don't get the parents who are constantly trying to amuse/appease their kids.

Sorry for the rant...I guess my pet-peeve here is just the fact that most parents are really so shockingly ignorant of what actual parenting entails, potential snowdays included!

Edited January 24, 2016 by Sun-Bun

[Blergh]

YIKES!!! I hope you got home okay? My favorite boots looked like riding boots but were made of shiny black waterproof fake leather on the outside and had a cozy fleece lining on the inside. They looked good enough to wear to work but kept me dry and pretty warm. Not as warm as my big honkin' Marge Gunderson boots, though.

 

 

Not to worry, glowlights. I did get home without too much difficulty! Since I had today off, I ALSO walked to the mall [with my regular shoes wrapped in plastic] and got some winter boots! Since it looks like I'm going to be walking EVERYWHERE for the next day or so, it's a good thing I got them and they do a good job . No pet peeve here.

 

 However; on the way to the mall, someone decided they had to roll down their window and say something 'smart' to me. First off, this person mumbled too much so I have NO idea what he was  trying to say. Secondly, we don't know each other from Adam so what was his point in trying to call me out just because I was walking down a busy street? Lastly, one day HIS ride could get stuck or break down so he may have to be the one walking so what's the point of trying to dis a walker?

Edited January 24, 2016 by Blergh

[zxy556575]

As long as you're not saying, "I survived without a carseat. Who needs carseats?" I hear people saying that, and I always want to tell them, "Sure, we survived, but a lot of kids didn't."

 

No worries, I'm a big car seat fan. :)

 

I used to work in a college placement office and several times had parents call or email me: "My son/daughter is trying to sign up for an interview and can't access his/her account." Yeah, well. Have your adult child contact me directly, then.

[Quof]

I worked with a woman who had 5 children.  She freely admitted that both #3 and #5 were accidents.  (Well, duh, how dumb are you, since you acknowledged using NO birth control except an occasional glance at the calendar?)

She complained constantly about how much work it was.  Well, did you think it wouldn't be any work? And, if so, by the time you had 2, or 3, or 4.... did you not realize it was, in fact, a lot of work?

Edited January 24, 2016 by Quof

[bilgistic]

As a childfree woman, I completely agree with your entire post, Sun-Bun.

Here's a peeve: I live in an apartment building with only one-bedroom apartments. Presumably, there are grown adults living around me who made it to this point in their lives (renting an apartment) knowing the mores of polite society. Did it not occur to them before I called management to complain about their 1) loud music, 2) pot smoking that makes it smell like a pack of rabid skunks ran through MY place, 3) porn-worthy soundtrack performances that sound as if they are taking place in my own bedroom, that they live around OTHER PEOPLE and might need to be a little considerate?

I don't give a crap what anyone does in their own place, but I don't want to know of it. Keep it down and be considerate or move out to the country where you can rock out and slam doors with the goats.

Edited January 24, 2016 by bilgistic

[bilgistic]

I worked with a woman who had 5 children. She freely admitted that both #3 and #5 were accidents. (Well, duh, how dumb are you, since you acknowledged using NO birth control except an occasional glance at the calendar?)

She complained constantly about how much work it was. Well, did you think it wouldn't be any work? And, if so, by the time you had 2, or 3, or 4.... did you not realize it was, in fact, a lot of work?

I can't deal with that level of utter stupidity and disregard for the rest of the human race.

[auntlada]

On the flipside, I'm blown away by the kids who expect other people to constantly entertain them. I have a few of those students myself; they simply refuse to read or play by themselves. Unless you give them a computer or an iPad, they just seem incapable of chilling on their own.

I was raised in a household where we kids were expected to entertain ourselves, not vise versa, so I just don't get the parents who are constantly trying to amuse/appease their kids.

 

I chalk some of the attitude up to all the stuff out there now about "being present" for your children, which means -- as far as I can tell -- you are not allowed to look at a computer, tablet, book, TV, anything, if your child is in the room or the house or awake somewhere in the world. You must be reading to your child or playing with your child or having a meaningful conversation with your child. Basically, you are not allowed to have a life or interests of your own that do not center around your child. As a parent who wants to read things on my own or surf the Internet (or discuss/complain about things here) and does not want to be required to entertain my child all the time, I resent all the crap out there telling me that if I'm not always interacting with my child, I'm doing it wrong.

 

I seriously saw an article the other day with the headline, "Parents: Dr. So and So says you're doing it wrong." Like I'm going to read that?

[harrie]

The man I once worked for had a child attending, say, Texas A & M.  Kid was on campus, didn't know his way around, and needed a map.  So my boss had me go online, print a campus map from the handy link named "Campus Map," and Fed Ex it to the kid.  Who was on the campus already and had computer access.  Some things you just do because the boss is the boss, and any head-shaking must be kept internal. 

[ratgirlagogo]

I'd like to butt in here as a (non-parent) librarian that I believe that children who grow up in homes where the parents/adults who play a parenting role read for pleasure, in a way that indicates clearly to the child that reading is an enjoyable activity that adults love doing and don't like being interrupted from doing, are more motivated to learn to read and more  likely to be pleasure readers themselves.  I know it was true for my brother and myself. Of course I also think reading to children is important, and hopefully fun (no matter HOW many times you have to read Little Bear or The Very Hungry Caterpillar over and over), but kids can tell what adults do and don't enjoy doing, I think. 

[Sun-Bun]

As a childfree woman, I completely agree with your entire post, Sun-Bun.

Here's a peeve: I live in an apartment building with only one-bedroom apartments. Presumably, there are grown adults living around me who made it to this point in their lives (renting an apartment) knowing the mores of polite society. Did it not occur to them before I called management to complain about their 1) loud music, 2) pot smoking that makes it smell like a pack of rabid skunks ran through MY place, 3) porn-worthy soundtrack performances that sound as if they are taking place in my own bedroom, that they live around OTHER PEOPLE and might need to be a little considerate?

I don't give a crap what anyone does in their own place, but I don't want to know of it. Keep it down and be considerate or move out to the country where you can rock out and slam doors with the goats.

Thanks, Bilgistic, and now I'm applauding your post!

I live in an echoey old loft building that's extra challenging with its lack of noise-proof installation. Living here would be heavenly if it weren't for a few of those types of inconsiderate neighbors like those that you mention---it's like they're either too stupid or too rude to realize that they're bothering the crap out of their surrounding neighbors.

I deal with the idiot next door, LOUD MOUTH. I think either he's high on drugs or hard of hearing, because he literally TALKS IN ALL CAPS, OR LIKE HES PERFORMING ON STAGE SOMEWHERE, EVEN AT 4AM! I've literally shouted through the rafters for him to shut the Hell up, and reported him to the board numerous times.

Then there are the moron women who somehow think it's acceptable to wear high heels at all hours, clomping around the wooden floors. That's just rude as hell, and how's it even comfortable?

Then there's the little brat next door. I feel worse for whoever lives underneath his bouncy ass. He makes my ovaries shrivel in fear everytime I hear him shrieking like a banchee for no reason. This is what I get for living in a "hip" building: "hip" young parents who think raising a kid here makes them as hip as Park Slope parents. Ugh.

[hoosier80]

Bilgistic, I remember the apartment days oh too well.  The worst offenders I had was when I lived in a townhouse.  The one idiot played his stereo so loudly I swear that items in my place moved around from the vibrations, like the old electronic football games.  One day when I was so sick, got chicken pox as an adult, sick as a dog, idiot turns on the stereo like at 2 p.m. full blast.  I had no energy, fever, horrible headache, then that noise.  I found a microphone I had for my stereo, plugged it in, and then let loose a tirade at Mr Idiot.  The stereo went way down in volume, and I never had that problem again.  

 

That same couple had a drunken friend come over at like 2 a.m.  it was during the summer, so I heard the whole argument.  The drunk chick was way beyond any reasoning, and Mr. Idiot had thrown her out - she damaged his stereo system somehow (karma?).  It was a good hour of her drunken ramblings while she was on the front lawn.  She either went away or passed out.

 

Then another couple moved in a few years later.  That unit was an end unit, so I was the "lucky" person to hear most of the noise.  Yeah, it sounded like a porn movie some nights, enough that it would wake me up.  The worst was when they fought.  As it turned out a female/female couple (didn't know as I never saw most of my neighbors).  The same things were said again and again, "you broke my heart, you tore out my heart, you cheated..........".  Several weeks off/on with the fighting (one of the two said you need to be considerate and keep it down - while the other one who was freaking said oh you don't care that you broke my heart - I almost grabbed the mic again and said I don't care whose heart is broken - shut up already - but I did not).  They mysteriously went away.

 

I moved maybe a year or so later.  I have no common walls - a condo but they are separate houses.  While I may hate the condo association (they are comparable to the third reich), so glad about no common walls.

[bilgistic]

My building was built in 1969, and I think a pack of drunk monkeys constructed it. I can hear my upstairs neighbor PEEING when I'm in my bathroom. I'm thinking that because of that, they've got to be hearing me despite how considerate I try to be, so wouldn't that translate to, "Wow, maybe I should watch my own noise level." Granted, beginning with one year in my college dorm in 1993, I've always lived in multifamily housing. I grew up in a single-family home with my mother telling us girls to quiet down and go to sleep.

Related: There is a bird or birds in my ceiling/neighbor's floor. I hear it/them; the cat hears it and looks up at the ceiling, but maintenance can't see how they get in. They come back every winter. I'm pretty sure they aren't paying rent.

[janestclair]

My peeve today is snow related. I live on the end of a cul de sac. Every single time it snows, the snow plow pushes all the snow from our street right in front of my very long, very hilly driveway.  This despite the fact that the opposite side of the court is wide open and could easily take all that snow without blocking us (and the fire hydrant) in with a giant mountain of snow.  And it's giant - we had just about 2 feet of damn snow yesterday.  So after clearing all the snow off the driveway, which is a job and a half unto itself, we somehow have to move this mountain if we want to get out. Awesome.

[ABay]

Call the company and complain, or maybe the Fire Dept would be better if the plow driver is blocking a hydrant? When we had a lot of snow a couple of years ago, the town sent teams of vehicles and people to remove the snow--plow, scooper, truck. A scooper dropped a huge boulder at the end of my immaculately shoveled driveway and went on his way. I mean, it was like Gibraltar. And he could see there was a driveway! He's up high and is making decisions about where to drop the damn snow! It made me very angry so I posted to the town website complaining about it and they sent someone to move it. The next time the teams  went through, I went out and stood in the driveway and gave them the hairy eyeball--and so did several of my neighbors so I guess it happened to others, too.

[glowlights]

Today's peeve is that my dad never seems to mention household tasks that need doing (and yes, I'm the one who does them) until it's time for everyone to go to bed. Thanks for contributing to my insomnia.

 

You need to hang a big sign that states there will be no work orders accepted after 6:00 pm. :)

 

Not to worry, glowlights. I did get home without too much difficulty! Since I had today off, I ALSO walked to the mall [with my regular shoes wrapped in plastic] and got some winter boots! Since it looks like I'm going to be walking EVERYWHERE for the next day or so, it's a good thing I got them and they do a good job . No pet peeve here.

 

Ooooh, I'm glad you found some good boots! Maybe the smartmouth driver was admiring them.

 

I have a pet peeve: L-O-U-D bathroom fans. We were at a hotel recently and the fan sounded like a damn rocket launcher. Just need to clear the steam, thanks, no need to lose my hearing and wake the dead in the process.

[bilgistic]

The birds, y'all. The birds in my ceiling are up there fighting or something; I hear angry squawks and frenzied scurrying evey now and then. I have a vision of them falling through my ceiling onto my bed, a torrent of feathers and twigs dumping upon my head.

[backformore]

The birds, y'all. The birds in my ceiling are up there fighting or something; I hear angry squawks and frenzied scurrying evey now and then. I have a vision of them falling through my ceiling onto my bed, a torrent of feathers and twigs dumping upon my head.

my guess is they're not fighting, they're trying to get out.  They're stuck in the vent system, having come in through an air vent (from a dryer, or fan)  and fell down a vertical part of the vent.   Keep telling Maintenance. Eventually the birds will die.   Then the noise will stop.   But after a while, they will start to stink.  

Been there, done that - twice. 

Once, it was a bird stuck in the oven fan vent. I could hear it in the wall.  My husband was convinced I was hearing things, until I insisted he take the microwave out.  Another time, it was an awful smell in the laundry room .  Once again, he said it was my imagination, until I insisted he unhook the dryer and check. Yep,  dead baby birds in the dryer vent.  

The birds build nests in the horizontal piece of tube that connects outside.   But  the vent takes a turn downwards, and if they go that way, they  fall down and get stuck. 

We had all our vent covers replaced with louvered ones.  Don't let them tell you it's nothing.  

[hoosier80]

I had birds in that damned townhouse.  They got into a metal piece on an overhang of the second floor to the first.  I'm sure there's a name for it, but beats me what it's called.  Anyhow, I could see it was open maybe an inch or so.  Those damned birds found their way in and drove me nuts.  I could hear them in between the metal thing and the inside wall - which was just at the bottom of the outside wall in my bedroom.  I complained, nothing was done by the rat fink landlord.  I took a big shovel outside and pounded on the side with the opening; it might have been enough so they did not get back in or died.

 

In my house, second year living here, major hailstorm.  Tore up the roof, holes in the siding, gutters destroyed, and the covers over vents were gone.  Mainly against the west side of the house.  Insurance took care of it all, thankfully.  I noticed that my neighbor, who still has holes in her siding (this happened in roughly 2004) had birds flying into a vent.  So loudly that I heard them while out pulling weeds.  I saw her and said do you know you have a whole family of birds in there?  What?  I think she got that fixed.  This from the person who said she didn't know what was a weed vs a flower.  Well being that you have planted nothing, those would all be weeds in your flower beds (just has the builder planted bushes, which are never trimmed).  She does nothing, but I got fined for having a broom on my front porch.  (I really hate the condo association).

 

About a month later, I heard scratching noises on the west facing side of my house.  I looked out and yep, small birds were making their way in via the cheap assed vent screens that were put up.  It was up almost at the top of my two story house, so I called some critter removal company.  I had the nest that was under construction removed, and critter proof vent covers placed.  No way was I going through the birds part 2.

[bilgistic]

I swear I can hear one of them leaving and coming back, though! Like it goes off to its bird job.

[backformore]

Birds keep going back to nest in the same spot, year after year, too.
We had a porchlight that had an opening at the top. Birds would build a nest in the light, every spring. I would clean all the nesting stuff out daily, it would be back in no time. The birds also pecked the lightbulb out, then broke the glass on the lantern cover. Anyway, we got new outside lights. Those birds kept coming back, flitting around the new light. But the new light faced down instead of up, there was no place for a nest.
Eventually they stopped coming to our house. A week later our next door neighbor had a fire in his garage. It was started by.................a bird nest in his outdoor light! It HAD to be the same birds.

Yeah, when I think about it, birds just love my house!

Edited January 25, 2016 by backformore

[Qoass]

My neighborly noise issue is dogs.  My neighbors on both sides have yappy little dogs who start barking around 4am.  Yesterday left hand neighbor passed me on the courtyard with a big friendly "Hi!" and then her dog immediately started in so after returning her hello I bent down and said to the dog, "And I've heard quite enough out of you already today."  My neighbor wasn't so friendly after that.

 

I don't do conflict well.

[annzeepark914]

I'm sitting here, ready to post a peeve about our being snow-bound in our section of the 'hood--still--and then read all these posts about apartment/condo neighbors. It brought back unpleasant memories of the many years I lived in apartments.  Thumping bass notes, bedroom noises (that I could hear in my dining room!), cars starting up and motors revved at 4:00 AM every day, snoring that I heard through the floors, barking dogs that never stopped, someone cooking chitlins (don't ask), big feet clomping overhead & dropping hangars on hardwood floors at 3AM, etc, etc., etc.  Guess I'll cool my jets re: the no-show of the snow removal equipment.  Why are people so inconsiderate of their neighbors?  Why are apt and condo buildings built like crap?  Would it kill them to put some soundproof materials in the walls/floors?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[bmasters9]

My neighborly noise issue is dogs.  My neighbors on both sides have yappy little dogs who start barking around 4am.  Yesterday left hand neighbor passed me on the courtyard with a big friendly "Hi!" and then her dog immediately started in so after returning her hello I bent down and said to the dog, "And I've heard quite enough out of you already today."  My neighbor wasn't so friendly after that.

 

I don't do conflict well.

Maybe that neighbor might have thought that what you said was directed at her instead of her dog.

[DeLurker]

My neighborly noise issue is dogs.  My neighbors on both sides have yappy little dogs who start barking around 4am. 

I've often wondered about these folks - can they not hear their own dog's barking?  Does it just become white noise if you own the yapper?

 

I had issue with the neighbor who would put their non-yappy dog out in the yard and then the dog would bark nonstop because it wanted to be in the house with the people.  It didn't help that the house had horrible windows so you heard everything.

 

The new house has double paned windows so little noise intrudes.  Except we're nearer the main thoroughfare so every emergency vehicle using the siren in the middle of the night makes it through.  Small price to pay.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Oh Jeebus Cripes! I am totally blocked in, or rather my car is by two feet of snow on the driver's side and three feet behind. Chemo has totally sapped me of my strength so I don't even have the energy to make any headway. I'm going to hope the sun today and tomorrow will melt it all, if not most of it away. Heck, the sun melted all of the snow on top of my car and windshield. So I'm hopeful.

[Quof]

 

I've often wondered about these folks - can they not hear their own dog's barking?  Does it just become white noise if you own the yapper?

Apparently so.  The same way parents can ignore obnoxious behaviour from their own children.

 

All of my neighbours have yappy dogs, most of them have a pair.   Yippy, little frizzy white rat dogs.  Oscar and Lucy are the most obnoxious.   They bark "bark, bark, bark", and the owners say "Stop that barking!" and they respond "bark, bark, bark". Because they think they are having a conversation. 

[Sweets McGee]

In my apartment days, I had a downstairs neighbor that was really into polka music and he blasted it to the point that my floor vibrated with polka!

 

In that same apartment complex, my next door neighbor would have friends over and they'd sit on the porch and talk and laugh all hours of the night. That wouldn't have been that big of a deal except that my bedroom window was right next to her front door, where they'd be sitting and chatting. So I ended up sleeping on the couch in the living room most nights.

 

Then at one of our old houses, we lived next door to people who would put their dog outside when they'd leave. And of course, the dog would bark bark bark bark the whole time they were gone. This happened in the middle of the night too when they were out late or gone for the weekend. I ended up writing a letter and putting it on their door. Never interacted with the face to face but the barking stopped after that.

[Qoass]

Can someone please explain to me why vitamins, pain relievers, and the like all come in bottles that could accommodate two or three times as many pills?  I get that they leave some room for cotton padding but good grief.  If they packed fragile eggs that way I'd need to buy an extra refrigerator!

[annzeepark914]

Oh Jeebus Cripes! I am totally blocked in, or rather my car is by two feet of snow on the driver's side and three feet behind. Chemo has totally sapped me of my strength so I don't even have the energy to make any headway. I'm going to hope the sun today and tomorrow will melt it all, if not most of it away. Heck, the sun melted all of the snow on top of my car and windshield. So I'm hopeful.

It's melting fast...you can hear it dripping all over the place today (at least on the VA side of DC).  Right now we're better off staying off the roads anyway with all the blind spots caused by the mountains of plowed snow.

[janestclair]

The school where I work put a giant mountain of snow on top of 1/3 of the available handicap spaces AND the ramp I need to get down the curb, especially when there's ice.  Today I hung on to a parked SUV to get down.  I do not know what I will do if that SUV is not there.  There is no other ramp for the building.  The other building nearly half a mile away, yes. But I am sure as hell not parking all the way over there and then walking, just so I can access the curb.  That's some bullshit.  Tomorrow, I need to figure out who to complain to and raise holy hell, because that is unacceptable, and possibly against ADA requirements.  And it's a school.  I can't be the only person who relies on that ramp.  If they don't move it, it's going to be there for months. It's at least a 6 foot tall mound, in a relatively shady area.

[hoosier80]

Pet peeve - stores that won't wait on you, like you don't have enough money, aren't 20 something and dressed to the nines, or are just bored and couldn't give a shit about their customers.  Just got back from Ulta.  I've been shopping there since it opened, like at least 7 or 8 years.  It's right down the street from work, so I stop in every few weeks.  I've never gotten out of there for less than $30, most times much, much more - spent probably over $200 around Christmas (and it wasn't all gifts).  Just got an email, hey do you want to keep receiving emails and oh check out our app!  

 

So, I stopped in tonight for just a couple of items.  A trimmer to get my nose hairs - thanks to my ancestors for having a large nose and nostrils!  I also am plagued by itchy skin and psoriasis, so there's a first aid lotion creme line that they just started carrying.  Plus, I was going to look through the cosmetics.  I walk in and I think I got the stink eye right away.  Ok, I'm not 20 and had on light makeup today, long assed day and I'm fighting a cold, so bite me oh giver of the stink eye.  One painfully thin chick, heavy makeup, asks me as I'm looking at some samples for the colors, hi, can I help you with something?  Well, right then, I just wanted to look, which is what I told her, right now, I'm fine, just checking out colors.  What I wanted, not in the colors they had.  So I move along.  I find the trimmer right away.  I spent the next 35 minutes circling around for the damned first aid creme.  I had checked online, and it was available in that store.  I then got out my phone and checked their website again.  I didn't get another hi or kiss my ass the entire time.  I'm like it has to be here somewhere.  Then there were 2 employees shopping for themselves.  The store had probably 6 to 8 shoppers, none who were being helped.  The cashier was looking out the window flipping her hair around.  Then I'm like let me just get the trimmer, so I went up to the checkout line.  The one skinny girl who had asked me 'can I help you' when I came in initially was there with the stuff she was buying.  They took her ahead of me.  That was it.  I put the trimmer back and I am so calling their 800 number tomorrow.  I don't want to call the store as nothing further would be done.  Then I went to get a burger, and yeah the line was huge.  Not my day or night I guess.  Frozen microwave burrito it is!

[Quof]

Oh, hoosier, your mistake was putting the item back and walking out.  I tell the staff I am putting the item back and leaving because I can't any service, then I make a big production of doing so. Then I contact head office by social media or the 1-800 number. 

 

I make a very good living, and buy very nice things, particularly expensive handbags.  The skinny, overly made-up stick figures working in stores like Michael Kors give me the once over, and assume I am not their "type," so they turn up their noses. Then they notice whatever expensive bag I happen to be carrying, and they are all over me.  Too little, too late.

[bilgistic]

Nose-hair trimmers are magical.

Signed,

Your fellow large-nosed poster

[Bastet]

I hate Pretty Woman, but if I'm going around the dial when the "You work on commission, right?  Big mistake.  Huge" scene is coming up, I'll stop and watch.

 

I'm like Quof; If I'm leaving rather than purchasing because of bad behavior, I will make it known then (and in a follow-up letter).

[backformore]

hoosier -  I had a VERY similar experience once.  A few years ago, I had been home recovering from major surgery and got the go-ahead from my doctor to venture out.  I am not someone who enjoys the mall, but I want anyway, and went to the Bare Minerals store - I have some reactions to makeup, their eye shadows don't cause problems for me.

There was a group of 3 young women getting makeup application. Ok, but there were 4 employees, and ALL 4 were helping them. Having fun, doing their makeup, laughing it up.    I had to interrupt to ask a question, and got a vague "over there"  and a gesture toward the back of the store.   I looked around, could not find what I wanted, was not offered any help.   I kept looking, and accidentally (yes, I swear)   knocked one of the eye shadow  samples over.  (remember, I was still a bit unsteady on my feet).  It made a bit of a mess, but nobody noticed, nobody talked to me, or looked at me.  I never felt so absolutely invisible! 

I ended up walking out of the store, and writing to the company.  

The thing is, the brand sells a lot of face creams and products for mature women.   Young women buy it, sure, but women my age who may have tried every brand on the market, will stick to a high quality brand when we find one that works.  If I was treated with respect, I might spend some money. probably more than the 3 girls getting the free makeup demo.    these sales people looked at me when I came in, and figured me for someone who was NOT buying, and then I reinforced their expectation by not buying anything.  

But the worst part of it was how they made me feel.  insignificant, old, irrelevant.  Like some homeless person who wandered into the store and they were being polite by not kicking me out. 

[MargeGunderson]

Pet peeve - stores that won't wait on you, like you don't have enough money, aren't 20 something and dressed to the nines, or are just bored and couldn't give a shit about their customers.  Just got back from Ulta.  I've been shopping there since it opened, like at least 7 or 8 years.  It's right down the street from work, so I stop in every few weeks.  I've never gotten out of there for less than $30, most times much, much more - spent probably over $200 around Christmas (and it wasn't all gifts).  Just got an email, hey do you want to keep receiving emails and oh check out our app! 

 

Hoosier, that sucks. I've had similar experiences in other stores and it is both infuriating and depressing. You mentioned the First Aid Beauty line - it's fabulous! I love their moisturizers. I was at Ulta this past weekend and had trouble finding the display. Turns out it was over on the end an aisle in the hair section, because apparently that makes sense to....someone. Sephora carries FAB at the same price. My Ulta is generally a disappointment so I only go there for hair products.

[Qoass]

When I was treated poorly at a store I simply told the manager I would never shop there again and would spread the word on their bad behavior and I've stuck to that.  Maybe one shopper doesn't make a difference but I can't be the only one they mistreated.

[JTMacc99]

I hate Pretty Woman, but if I'm going around the dial when the "You work on commission, right?  Big mistake.  Huge" scene is coming up, I'll stop and watch.

I stick around for "You're… not only handsome, but a powerful man."

[annzeepark914]

I ended up walking out of the store, and writing to the company.  

The thing is, the brand sells a lot of face creams and products for mature women.   Young women buy it, sure, but women my age who may have tried every brand on the market, will stick to a high quality brand when we find one that works.  If I was treated with respect, I might spend some money. probably more than the 3 girls getting the free makeup demo.    these sales people looked at me when I came in, and figured me for someone who was NOT buying, and then I reinforced their expectation by not buying anything.  

But the worst part of it was how they made me feel.  insignificant, old, irrelevant.  Like some homeless person who wandered into the store and they were being polite by not kicking me out. 

That's terrible!  So, did you hear from the company?  Did you ever go back to the store?

[BooksRule]

All of my neighbours have yappy dogs, most of them have a pair.   Yippy, little frizzy white rat dogs

 

We always called those types 'drop kick dogs' (like, through a goal post.  Not that we would ever do it.  I love dogs--really).  Yappy dogs can be a pet peeve for me, but I haven't heard the one that lives next door (a Jack Russell-type) lately and now I'm getting worried that something has happened to him.  I don't really know the guy next door, so I haven't asked him.  

 

All this talk about birds in ceilings and such reminds me of a couple of years ago when I had squirrels in my attic.  I found out that the 'momma' was climbing up the central air cable cover into the soffit and then into the attic.  After she (and the babies) left for wherever squirrels go every day, I closed up the hole.  I used to like squirrels, now I mutter 'stupid squirrels!  Rats with fluffy tails!' and bang on the back door glass when I see them anywhere around my patio.  They haven't gotten in since, but I nervously check the place where she got in to make sure that my barrier hasn't been breached.  Stupid squirrels!

Edited January 28, 2016 by BooksRule

[bilgistic]

After she (and the babies) left for wherever squirrels go every day...

They go work with the birds that leave my ceiling every day to go to their bird jobs.

I haven't heard them over the past day or two because the weather has climbed about 15 degrees, well into the 40s.

I am not a crackpot.

[topanga]

 

All this talk about birds in ceilings and such reminds me of a couple of years ago when I had squirrels in my attic.

That reminds me of the hilarious commercial (I don't even know what product it's advertising) when the secret agent's mother calls to talk to him about squirrels in their attic. 

[Qoass]

My latest issue of Entertainment Weekly is late AGAIN.  I know there may have been some shipping delays with the snow over the weekend but I am sick and tired of getting my television recommendations a week after the program airs.

[glowlights]

That reminds me of the hilarious commercial (I don't even know what product it's advertising) when the secret agent's mother calls to talk to him about squirrels in their attic. 

 

That is one of the very few commercials I don't ff through. (It's for Geico btw.)

 

So sorry to hear about everyone's poor shopping experiences. Been there. :( I also walk out without engaging the rude salespeople who were not serving me in the first place and just complain to corporate. Why waste my breath?

 

Had another bathroom fan incident this week, which almost gave me a heart attack. I have decided to join the ranks of single-issue voters and in 2016 I will cast my vote for whichever candidate pledges to take swift, comprehensive action against manufacturers and owners of loud bathroom fans. Trump, Satan... ANYONE.

[bilgistic]

Bathroom hand dryers blow fecal matter everywhere.

You're welcome.

Edited January 28, 2016 by bilgistic

[ABay]

Qoass, I gave up my EW subscription, which I'd had for years and years, because it was ALWAYS late, the format became irksome, and everything was duplicated on their website. I do miss the paper magazine, though. I thought they'd stopped paper and gone completely online because I have seen an issue in stores in well over a year.

 

ETA: I have had a day and am cranky, even by my standards. So here's a list of what's peeving me now:

1. People who won't shut up about ratings and mods who don't open a separate thread for ratings when they open a thread for every other fucking conversation that lasts more than 3 posts. (That's a twofer right there)

2. Assholes who park diagonally and block the adjacent space. This is an oldie but a goodie and I encountered such an asshole this very day. I hope someone pulled in and scraped the hell of that asshole's car.

3. The supermarket managers who won't buy more small carts because "they're very expensive and people steal them." a. Bullshit, you can buy them on Amazon for $40. b. People also steal the large carts and yet you keep buying more of them. c. There wouldn't be a shortage if you'd send staff out to round them up more than once a day. d. They are obviously popular.

4. The local news station that keeps telling me they have my back--that's actually their slogan--and especially the uber-grim voice on their ads that says "Thanks for having our backs. We're proud to have yours" like we've taken a blood oath. Fuck you. The hell with my back, how about you just deliver the news without misspelling, mispronouncing, expressing moral outrage, or editorializing, and give the weather forecast in full every 15 minutes instead of spending 2 seconds on the current temperature and then promising the 7 day forecast "coming up" in the next 3 weather reports? Huh? How about that? Could we do that and leave each other's backs alone?

Edited January 28, 2016 by ABay

[zxy556575]

I gave up my EW subscription, which I'd had for years and years, because it was ALWAYS late, the format became irksome, and everything was duplicated on their website.

 

I only read it on my tablet because I can resize the text. A bonus is that the digital version is always on time, but I've been wondering lately if even that's worth the effort. The magazine goes directly from the mailbox to the recycle bin these days.