Small Talk: We'll Be Right Back

[madmax]

21 hours ago, susannah said:

I get what you are saying, but again, marketers must have shown those that work with charity donations that offering bonus gifts increases donations.

 

21 hours ago, Bastet said:

 Organizations aren't pulling these ideas out of their asses; tiered rewards have traditionally led to donors giving more.

Oh, it totally works.  You don't even have to offer swag.  "Hey, increase your gift to $5,000, and you'll be in our elite group of donors who get exclusive invites! (until we want you to increase your gift next year; then we'll promote the next exclusive elite group)"  Works for our organization.

I like the donors that ignore all the swag/exclusive perks, but my favorites are the ones who are completely anonymous, no listing in the honor roll, no swag/perks, absolutely nothing.  And we have some major, major donors in that category.

[peacheslatour]

7 hours ago, PrincessPurrsALot said:

I understand that they can be effective.  I appreciate the groups that let you easily opt out. There are many jokes about the number of coffee mugs that exist in the world.  

There have been many infomercials for music compilations that tell us that it would cost thousands to get all of the music which was always an exaggeration. Of course, back when you had to buy full albums or CDs to get a specific song it was more expensive.  Now it's a lot easier and less expensive to put together a music library that includes only a song or two from each artist. 

 

Lol.

[Prevailing Wind]

23 hours ago, susannah said:

Are you referring to the shows of musical performances where their music is compiled, and that would cost you thousands to do it yourself?

Yeah. All those retro music shows have been produced by TJ Lubinsky on PBS.  PurrsALot is right, it wouldn't cost as much now that we can buy mp3s for a buck...but they still advertise it that it would cost thousands.

Edited December 30, 2021 by Prevailing Wind

[bankerchick]

On 12/28/2021 at 4:58 PM, PrincessPurrsALot said:

More and more folks at the company are trying to make the point that they could skip sending us this garbage and instead give us a small bonus or a gift card to spend as we like.

Yes.  I don't want another t-shirt that doesn't fit me, sporting the logo of my company.  Several years ago, it was a big anniversary year for my employer.  They talked about it for months, and in June, our employee appreciation month, we would all get a great gift to show their appreciation.  They hyped this for so long, even cynics like myself were excited.   It turned out to be a bag of, yes, branded merchandise.  A t-shirt, a pen and who knows what else, perhaps a lunch coupon or something.  I was so incensed that I sent an email to the person in charge of the event for the entire company, who actually called me back.  She was also very disappointed; it turns out each department was given $x/per person and was to make their own decision as to what would be appropriate.  I mentioned that since we had a new customer campaign that year giving out iPod shuffles, perhaps we could have each received one of those.  She laughed, but a few months later, everyone got a shuffle.  It was probably in the works anyway, but I still take credit for that decision.  And within hours, there were dozens of iPod shuffles for sale on eBay, each stamped with our company logo.

As for donation gifts, I could certainly live without them, but if they insist, at least switch it up.  I have more address labels than I will ever be able to use, and as for the socks they keep sending, the very people I am donating to help could use them more than I.

[Tom Holmberg]

7 hours ago, bankerchick said:

Yes.  I don't want another t-shirt that doesn't fit me, sporting the logo of my company.  Several years ago, it was a big anniversary year for my employer.  They talked about it for months, and in June, our employee appreciation month, we would all get a great gift to show their appreciation. 

I read that one year Amazon gave their employees a can of cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving. Thanks for giving!

[Browncoat]

I worked for an amusement park one summer (not in Florida), and we would occasionally get packets of peanuts with our paychecks.  So we could say we literally worked for peanuts.

[cynicat]

12 hours ago, Tom Holmberg said:

I read that one year Amazon gave their employees a can of cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving. Thanks for giving!

That was one of my posts .  To clarify, I don't believe that Amazon did that across the company, it was a single warehouse that had idiots in HR.  That warehouse also gave the employees a smiley-face stress ball as a means of helping with their mental health.

[Prevailing Wind]

When I worked for Ryder Truck Rental, we got a choice for Thanksgiving - Tom or hen turkey, or a ham. Best T'giving bonus in my entire working life.

[madmax]

6 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

When I worked for Ryder Truck Rental, we got a choice for Thanksgiving - Tom or hen turkey, or a ham. Best T'giving bonus in my entire working life.

One of my husband's jobs would give a turkey at Thanksgiving and a ham at Christmas.  Didn't make up for how shitty they were the rest of the year.

This job, he gets a bonus, with taxes taken out, of course.  My job never did anything other than a holiday lunch, but the last three years, we've received $100 Visa gift cards.  I still have mine from the last two years.  I keep forgetting about them. 😄

[Popples]

7 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

When I worked for Ryder Truck Rental, we got a choice for Thanksgiving - Tom or hen turkey, or a ham. Best T'giving bonus in my entire working life.

My step-dad just retired from Ryder and he used to get a $25 gift card to one of our local grocery stores for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, Popples said:

My step-dad just retired from Ryder and he used to get a $25 gift card to one of our local grocery stores for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

At the engineering firm I worked for, everyone got a Thanksgiving gift card of $50.00 and monetary Christmas bonus's. The most I ever got was $2,000.00. Some of the higher ups got tens of thousands of dollars.

[susannah]

11 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

At the engineering firm I worked for, everyone got a Thanksgiving gift card of $50.00 and monetary Christmas bonus's. The most I ever got was $2,000.00. Some of the higher ups got tens of thousands of dollars.

Sweet!

[susannah]

Everyone knows that Betty White just passed away, but I just saw online that Ed Asner, Gavin MacLeod and Cloris Leachman, all four of the Mary Tyler Moore show, also passed this year. Isn't that just odd!

[Prevailing Wind]

19 hours ago, Popples said:

My step-dad just retired from Ryder and he used to get a $25 gift card to one of our local grocery stores for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Well, my experience was back in the late 60s-mid 70s, when Jim Ryder was still alive & active in the company.

[Tom Holmberg]

On 12/31/2021 at 5:22 AM, cynicat said:

That was one of my posts .  To clarify, I don't believe that Amazon did that across the company, it was a single warehouse that had idiots in HR.  That warehouse also gave the employees a smiley-face stress ball as a means of helping with their mental health.

I wasn't sure if I read it here or elsewhere.  Sorry for stealing your info. 😏

[cynicat]

3 hours ago, Tom Holmberg said:

I wasn't sure if I read it here or elsewhere.  Sorry for stealing your info. 😏

Lol, no apology necessary!  I was just afraid that I was going to see a viral tweet somewhere about how Amazon gives cans of cranberry sauce to all of their employees as a bonus 😆

[Bruinsfan]

Careful, you might start a strike among warehouse workers who'd love to get canned goods so they have something to pee in on shift in lieu of taking bathroom breaks!

[EtheltoTillie]

One of the earliest examples of virtue signaling (NYC version) was the Channel 13 tote bag, circa 1980 or so. All the old yentas on the Upper West Side donated to PBS so they could carry one. 

On 1/1/2022 at 2:42 AM, susannah said:

Everyone knows that Betty White just passed away, but I just saw online that Ed Asner, Gavin MacLeod and Cloris Leachman, all four of the Mary Tyler Moore show, also passed this year. Isn't that just odd!

I also noted that last week. Just a strange coincidence. 

Edited January 6, 2022 by EtheltoTillie

[chessiegal]

Quote

Thus many hotels have cut back on some amenities.

The cut back on amenities was startling. As I said, this is the first time we've traveled in almost 3 years, but compared to what the hotel offered before and now was very noticeable. First, not cleaning the room every day. The teeniest bottles of shampoo and conditioner, no body wash (which is what I use, and I didn't bring any with me, expecting it to be at the hotel). No Visit New Orleans magazine. The Annapolis Visitor Center gives their city guides away to anyone who wants them, and hotels take advantage. No notepad and pen by the phone. No tv listing of channels. No HBO guide. The breakfast buffet was really bare bones. I realize service industries are hurting, but it was still a WTF.

 

[SoMuchTV]

1 hour ago, chessiegal said:

The cut back on amenities was startling. As I said, this is the first time we've traveled in almost 3 years, but compared to what the hotel offered before and now was very noticeable. First, not cleaning the room every day. The teeniest bottles of shampoo and conditioner, no body wash (which is what I use, and I didn't bring any with me, expecting it to be at the hotel). No Visit New Orleans magazine. The Annapolis Visitor Center gives their city guides away to anyone who wants them, and hotels take advantage. No notepad and pen by the phone. No tv listing of channels. No HBO guide. The breakfast buffet was really bare bones. I realize service industries are hurting, but it was still a WTF.

 

I had the impression the hotel changes were more Covid-related than flat-out cutbacks.  Less person-to-person or person-to-surface contact and all that.  I'm perfectly happy not to have daily housekeeping, but we had to travel and stay at a hotel for a medical appointment last year, and I had to scramble through my purse for a scrap of paper and a pen that wasn't dried out when I had to take down a phone number.  Of course the TV remote wasn't affected.  Probably more germs on that thing than in the rest of the room combined :(

[chessiegal]

I'm a Hilton Honors members, which means I can do contactless check-in and out. I appreciate that. One of the "perks" they offered me was a top floor room so I could see the beautiful skyline of the city, for an extra $39 a night! Our room was on the third floor - of a 6 floor building in the Garden District. Yeah, beautiful views of the hotel next door. Geez. When I got home, they asked me to fill out a survey to rate my visit. I gave them quite an earful of complaints and gave them terrible ratings. Did I hear from them, gee, we're sorry? Nope. Not a peep.

Edited January 6, 2022 by chessiegal

[peacheslatour]

27 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

I had the impression the hotel changes were more Covid-related than flat-out cutbacks.  Less person-to-person or person-to-surface contact and all that.  I'm perfectly happy not to have daily housekeeping, but we had to travel and stay at a hotel for a medical appointment last year, and I had to scramble through my purse for a scrap of paper and a pen that wasn't dried out when I had to take down a phone number.  Of course the TV remote wasn't affected.  Probably more germs on that thing than in the rest of the room combined :(

Quite a few public facing establishments had to close when the pandemic first started. People found other jobs and they don't want to come back to jobs that were very unsatisfying to begin with. I have a couple friends who are night auditors at hotels and that means all night long they are dealing with drunks, noise complaints and various weirdos trying to check in at three o'clock in the morning. They work long hours, often with no days off. Hotels are having a really hard time finding people who want to deal with that. Plus they pay notoriously shit wages. My friends say even when they do find people willing to take those jobs, most stay a week or two at the most. People are getting really burned out.

[Browncoat]

I've stayed in several hotels in the past however long it's been since March 2020, and the only amenity I've noticed missing is the daily housekeeping.  Frankly, I'm okay with that.  Unless I'm staying more than a week, I'm good with not having people come in my room every day.  Even in the before times, I would frequently put the "Do Not Disturb" sign on my door because I don't need new sheets and towels every day.

Breakfasts at hotels that provide them have changed, but haven't gone away entirely.  The hotel I stayed in over Christmas had a really nice hot breakfast buffet (including a waffle maker!), but the tables were all jammed together in the breakfast room.  Zero social distancing.  I grabbed what I wanted and took it all back to my room.

And, since March 2020, I will take a wipe and wipe down the TV remote, all light switches, door handles, faucet handles, etc., as soon as I check in.  I will even wipe down those plastic rods that you have to pull the curtains shut with.

[EtheltoTillie]

51 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

I've stayed in several hotels in the past however long it's been since March 2020, and the only amenity I've noticed missing is the daily housekeeping.  Frankly, I'm okay with that.  Unless I'm staying more than a week, I'm good with not having people come in my room every day.  Even in the before times, I would frequently put the "Do Not Disturb" sign on my door because I don't need new sheets and towels every day.

 

I haven't stayed in a hotel since before March 2020, but I have to say that in the last few years I'd noticed that most hotels, whether fancy or Hampton Inn variety, were not changing sheets daily.  They would just straighten the bed.  They explained this as a change in policy to save water, etc.   They won't change towels either, unless you put them on the floor.  Which I would usually do because I hate to reuse wet towels.  I have occasionally done a do not disturb myself, but then I would take a couple of fresh towels from the cart in the hallway.

[Bastet]

Yeah, I've found it very common for quite some time now for hotels to have a note in the room saying to conserve water, sheets will be changed on request, and towels if left on the floor.  I was really glad when that became typical, as I had for years been asking that my sheets not be changed.

[tanyak]

Our company CEO is loathed to give gift cards. I think he finds them "impersonal." Dude. There are 900 employees. Nothing is going to be personal! In our case, though, we do get bonuses in the summer. And, I will say, about three years ago, we got a Yeti tumblers. Now, it's branded. But I still love that thing. The rest has been a mix of the usual (other types of mugs, blankets, etc.) 

[Prevailing Wind]

I carry a zip-lock bag in my luggage. When I get to hotel, I put the remote in the bag and operate it without actually touching it.  But now Best Westerns have these flat-surface remotes that they claim get cleaned. I still use the zip-lock.  Usually, I'll do the Do Not Disturb except those tiny wastebaskets fill up. 

When I was in Maine, however, I didn't throw out the empty Coke cans/water bottles. There's a bounty on 'em in Maine, so I left them in a bunch on the bureau as an extra :"tip" for housekeeping.

[susannah]

5 hours ago, Bastet said:

Yeah, I've found it very common for quite some time now for hotels to have a note in the room saying to conserve water, sheets will be changed on request, and towels if left on the floor.  I was really glad when that became typical, as I had for years been asking that my sheets not be changed.

I agree. People don't change their sheets daily at home, and it is unreasonable and wasteful to expect it at a hotel, plus it makes more work for the maids. People might want fresh towels more often, not sure.

[Leeds]

5 minutes ago, susannah said:

I agree. People don't change their sheets daily at home, and it is unreasonable and wasteful to expect it at a hotel, plus it makes more work for the maids. People might want fresh towels more often, not sure.

A friend and I were once, for some reason, talking about luxuries.  She asked me what I would consider a perfect luxury.  I said for someone to put clean, ironed sheets on my bed every day.  She thought I was nuts.

[Bastet]

14 hours ago, susannah said:

I agree. People don't change their sheets daily at home, and it is unreasonable and wasteful to expect it at a hotel, plus it makes more work for the maids.

Yep, that was my mindset: Unless they got really messed up by bodily fluids, sheets at home are changed once a week, so why would I contribute to the water and energy waste - not to mention extra labor by people already held to a high standard for low pay - by having my hotel sheets replaced and laundered each day?

But it could be difficult to communicate that "please don't" in a way that got passed along to everyone in the chain and actually didn't happen - and I certainly wasn't going to make note of it when the person cleaning the room would be the one possibly taken to task - so I was glad when it became a common approach to make the bed, but not change the linens unless requested.

Edited January 7, 2022 by Bastet

[theatremouse]

6 hours ago, tanyak said:

Our company CEO is loathed to give gift cards. I think he finds them "impersonal." Dude. There are 900 employees. Nothing is going to be personal!

Gift cards are also taxable income. I suspect that played a role in avoiding them.

[susannah]

46 minutes ago, Bastet said:

Yep, that was my mindset: Unless they got really messed up by bodily fluids, sheets at home are changed once a week, so why would I contribute to the water and energy waste - not to mention extra labor by people already held to a high standard for low pay - by having my hotel sheets replaced and laundered each day?

But it could be difficult to communicate that "please don't" in a way that got passed along to everyone in the chain and actually didn't happen - and I certainly wasn't going to make note of it when the person cleaning the room would be the one possibly taken to task - so I was glad when it became a common approach in to make the bed, but not change the linens unless requested.

Right, and in the same vein, whenever my family and I have stayed in hotels, we always leave it as tidy as possible on checkout, making sure all of our trash is disposed of, not leaving sheets or towels on the floor, etc. As you said, those who have to clean the rooms are held to high expectations for low pay, and those that make more work for them are beyond jerks.

1 hour ago, Leeds said:

A friend and I were once, for some reason, talking about luxuries.  She asked me what I would consider a perfect luxury.  I said for someone to put clean, ironed sheets on my bed every day.  She thought I was nuts.

You are not nuts. I think that getting into clean sheets is one of the best feelings in the world. Not ironed though. My grandmother used to iron her sheets, do people still do that?

[Bastet]

11 minutes ago, susannah said:

You are not nuts. I think that getting into clean sheets is one of the best feelings in the world. Not ironed though. My grandmother used to iron her sheets, do people still do that?

I never have, but I can barely be bothered to iron clothing; I hate the task, so I tend towards clothing that can be washed, dried, and hung as necessary, with no ironing.  Sheets?  Forget it; no way I'd ever break out the iron for that, even though I cannot properly fold a fitted sheet to save my life (my mom can; she's shown me over and over, I've replicated her actions, and I still wind up with a blob).

But, yeah, I love a clean body in clean sheets.  I generally shower at night, so the best is that first night with fresh sheets into which I slide my freshly-washed self. 

[susannah]

1 hour ago, Bastet said:

I never have, but I can barely be bothered to iron clothing; I hate the task, so I tend towards clothing that can be washed, dried, and hung as necessary, with no ironing.  Sheets?  Forget it; no way I'd ever break out the iron for that, even though I cannot properly fold a fitted sheet to save my life (my mom can; she's shown me over and over, I've replicated her actions, and I still wind up with a blob).

But, yeah, I love a clean body in clean sheets.  I generally shower at night, so the best is that first night with fresh sheets into which I slide my freshly-washed self. 

Oh yeah...it's the best! I actually like ironing but I don't buy anything that needs it now. Folding fitted sheets? As Barbara said on Call the Midwife, "it's like dicing with insanity." My sister can, and she has shown me, and I just get the aforementioned blob.

[Haleth]

I think it's great that hotels are not changing linens daily.  In the past I'd get frustrated when I'd request to NOT change the sheets daily and they'd do so anyway.  I'd hang towels to reuse and those would be whisked away too.  Nice luxury, but so wasteful.  These days I do not mind making the bed myself and if we need fresh towels I'll call the front desk.  I'm just sorry housekeepers have probably been laid off and fewer guests means fewer tips.

6 hours ago, susannah said:

not leaving sheets or towels on the floor

They want you to leave used towels in a pile on the floor.  Easier to collect.

I learned to fold fitted sheets from Martha Stewart.  She used a dedicated sheet folding table in her laundry room, I used the kitchen table.

Craziest corporate gift?  Everyone in the company got a Belgian waffle maker.  Mine sat unused for years until I figured out I could use it for things other than waffles.  

[Leeds]

 

9 hours ago, susannah said:

 

You are not nuts. I think that getting into clean sheets is one of the best feelings in the world. Not ironed though. My grandmother used to iron her sheets, do people still do that?

I don't iron sheets, but I do remember ironing them eons ago when I was still living with my parents and ironing was one of my jobs/chores.  (When I was little, my mother also had the presumably wartime practice of making sheets last by cutting them in half and sewing them back together the opposite way when the middles wore down - if that makes any sense!)

I quite enjoy ironing, including things like T-shirts and pyjamas, which people undoubtedly find odd.  Nothing like getting between those aforementioned lovely clean sheets in a pair of freshly ironed PJs!

[chessiegal]

I've stayed at vacation rentals (not a hotel), and one of the things they asked renters to do before leaving was take all the sheets and towels and put them in a bathtub, it was easier for the cleaning crew. I have no quarrels with sheets not being changed. As long as there are enough places to hang towels to dry, I have no problem with towels being used for the stay. We were at the Hampton Inn for 4 nights, and by the time we left, the 2 small waste baskets were overflowing. I couldn't get over how teeny tiny the shampoo and conditioner bottles were - good for one use. I always carry my own, but if you were counting on the hotel to provide, you'd be searching for the cleaning cart to resupply or going out to buy your own.

[Leeds]

31 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

I've stayed at vacation rentals (not a hotel), and one of the things they asked renters to do before leaving was take all the sheets and towels and put them in a bathtub, it was easier for the cleaning crew. I have no quarrels with sheets not being changed. As long as there are enough places to hang towels to dry, I have no problem with towels being used for the stay. We were at the Hampton Inn for 4 nights, and by the time we left, the 2 small waste baskets were overflowing. I couldn't get over how teeny tiny the shampoo and conditioner bottles were - good for one use. I always carry my own, but if you were counting on the hotel to provide, you'd be searching for the cleaning cart to resupply or going out to buy your own.

I've stayed at rentals (not super expensive but not cheap either) where renters are expected to change the bed linens and put a load of laundry on before they leave.  If you don't you risk losing your security/damages deposit.  Pisses me off.

[dleighg]

5 minutes ago, Leeds said:

I've stayed at rentals (not super expensive but not cheap either) where renters are expected to change the bed linens and put a load of laundry on before they leave.

At the (pretty darn expensive) rentals at the Jersey Shore I've stayed at for the last 20+ years we have to bring our own linens and towels. Solves that problem!

And may years ago we stayed at various B&B type places in Iceland and discovered that we were supposed to bring sheets. We hadn't gotten the memo so slept without them!

Edited January 7, 2022 by dleighg

[Prevailing Wind]

I get not changing the sheets on a daily basis, but they *ought* to be changed between guests.  I was in a Best Western in South Carolina, very tired when I went to bed.  There was something in bed with me...oh, a sock.  Not my sock - it must've clung to the sheet in the laundry.  No, here's its mate.  The previous guest's bedsocks came off during the night and the maid just made the bed without changing sheets.  I was too tired to complain at that very minute, but I raised hell the next morning.  I let BW know about it, too, when I did my review on their site. The hotel is no longer a Best Western.

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, Prevailing Wind said:

I get not changing the sheets on a daily basis, but they *ought* to be changed between guests.  I was in a Best Western in South Carolina, very tired when I went to bed.  There was something in bed with me...oh, a sock.  Not my sock - it must've clung to the sheet in the laundry.  No, here's its mate.  The previous guest's bedsocks came off during the night and the maid just made the bed without changing sheets.  I was too tired to complain at that very minute, but I raised hell the next morning.  I let BW know about it, too, when I did my review on their site. The hotel is no longer a Best Western.

Ewww, I would not like that.

[janie jones]

18 hours ago, susannah said:

Right, and in the same vein, whenever my family and I have stayed in hotels, we always leave it as tidy as possible on checkout, making sure all of our trash is disposed of, not leaving sheets or towels on the floor, etc.

This reminds me of something my mom always does before leaving (which I never remember to do), which is strip the bed. She used to be a hotel housekeeper, so I assume it's something they appreciate. I imagine they wouldn't mind you leaving the sheets on the floor, since it's faster to scoop them up then strip the bed.

[susannah]

2 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

I get not changing the sheets on a daily basis, but they *ought* to be changed between guests.  I was in a Best Western in South Carolina, very tired when I went to bed.  There was something in bed with me...oh, a sock.  Not my sock - it must've clung to the sheet in the laundry.  No, here's its mate.  The previous guest's bedsocks came off during the night and the maid just made the bed without changing sheets.  I was too tired to complain at that very minute, but I raised hell the next morning.  I let BW know about it, too, when I did my review on their site. The hotel is no longer a Best Western.

Ewww is right, but hey, free socks! 😄

[susannah]

44 minutes ago, janie jones said:

This reminds me of something my mom always does before leaving (which I never remember to do), which is strip the bed. She used to be a hotel housekeeper, so I assume it's something they appreciate. I imagine they wouldn't mind you leaving the sheets on the floor, since it's faster to scoop them up then strip the bed.

You are probably right. Sometimes the housekeepers go the the extra mile too. My sister and I were staying in a hotel around Christmas one year and I came down with a horrible cold. I was in bed for several days, and the housekeeping person made sure to bring us clean glasses every day for my orange juice, and that I had plenty of kleenex. We made her a little Christmas basket when we left.

[cynicat]

2 minutes ago, susannah said:

Not only health literacy, but literacy, period!

As it turns out, the general literacy level is higher, somewhere around 8th grade.  Health literacy is much more of a problem in the US.

[Haleth]

21 hours ago, chessiegal said:

We were at the Hampton Inn for 4 nights, and by the time we left, the 2 small waste baskets were overflowing. I couldn't get over how teeny tiny the shampoo and conditioner bottles were - good for one use.

I'm sure the front desk would have taken care of both issues.

[Browncoat]

I mentioned to the front desk at one of my stays that I didn't need or want housekeeping, except maybe the trash cans.  They said I could leave those outside my door if necessary, and they'd be emptied without anyone coming in the room.  On that same trip, I actually ran into one of the housekeepers, and asked about that -- she said that was fine, but also handed me a couple of extra trash bags just in case.  

[susannah]

2 hours ago, cynicat said:

As it turns out, the general literacy level is higher, somewhere around 8th grade.  Health literacy is much more of a problem in the US.

What's your source for that? I disagree that illiteracy in general isn't one of the most pressing social problems we have. People have to have solid bases of knowledge to be able to have knowledge about other things. I wouldn't put a grade level on that, since general literacy would vary widely depending on location and other factors. I do know that in the lower level English and writing classes I took in college, the profs would have to explain where commas and periods go, and that words that sound the same aren't the same, etc.

[Prevailing Wind]

15 hours ago, susannah said:

Ewww is right, but hey, free socks! 😄

I checked the drawers the next morning. There was a pair of little girl's panties with ruffles on the bottom left in one of the drawers. I hoped they hadn't been her favorites.

[Leeds]

19 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

I get not changing the sheets on a daily basis, but they *ought* to be changed between guests.  I was in a Best Western in South Carolina, very tired when I went to bed.  There was something in bed with me...oh, a sock.  Not my sock - it must've clung to the sheet in the laundry.  No, here's its mate.  The previous guest's bedsocks came off during the night and the maid just made the bed without changing sheets.  I was too tired to complain at that very minute, but I raised hell the next morning.  I let BW know about it, too, when I did my review on their site. The hotel is no longer a Best Western.

I had something similar happen to me once.  The giveaway was long black hairs on the pillow case.  Yuk.

Speaking of leaving rooms tidy, beds stripped, etc, I once read that solo women travelers leave their rooms much messier than their male counterparts.  Hmm, I wonder why that would be???  😄