Moods

“Did you find everything ok?”

😐

I hate that question.  They ask it at most larger stores when you go to check out.  And really, what am I supposed to say?  I answered ‘no’ once and they tried to drag me out of line to help me find it.  Umm, no.  By the time I’ve reached the check-out I’ve given up trying to find it, or caring if I get it.  I am now focused on leaving and going home.  Ever since then I answer ‘yes’ so they’ll leave me alone.

Today I was in a mood.  I couldn’t find sugar-free lemon instant pudding mix.  I’ve bought it before at other stores, but apparently it wasn’t at this store.  The checker asked if I found everything ok.  I told him what I couldn’t find, and that apparently they don’t even stock it… and I was very polite, btw… and he got this real uncomfortable look on his face and just said, “Well, I’m sorry to hear that, sir.”

Ok, then why’d you bother to ask me?  Are you going to notify management so they’ll order it for next time?  Somehow I doubt it.

Don’t you just hate when you’re drinking something, and it goes down the wrong pipe, and you end up coughing uncontrollably for minutes?  But I digress.

Anyway, I often wonder how many people actually answer, “No, I couldn’t find <whatever>.”, and then what the employee does with that complaint.  I usually suspect the store is just play-acting at appearing concerned, but really doesn’t want to do anything about it.  What do you think?

The Grump, annoyed? Shirley, you jest!

Life is tough when pretty much everything annoys you. And let me tell you, my life is tough! Chewy well-done cheap steak like shoe leather tough. Here’s today’s list of dumb observations… or, rather phrased… observations of dumb things…

Dumb Answers

You’ve seen this. A person asks a question on Amazon about a product, something like, “Is this cup microwave safe?” To which some yahoo trots in and says, “I don’t know. I’ve never tried it in the microwave.”

😐

Why did you even bother to try and answer the question? Was it really that critical for you to display your ignorance? <eye roll>

Calling In

You call some business, you get “the maze” of options, with the first thing you hear being, “Please listen closely, our options have recently changed.”

Issue: Methinks they’re playing fast and loose with the word ‘recently’. This same message has been in place for over eight years! So, call me cynical, but here’s what The Grump thinks is really going on…

Translation: “Too many people are stupid, and will contact the wrong department if we don’t push them to listen to the options.”

Why can’t they just say that? “Hey dummy! Listen to the options before you punch in a number!”

…and a final parting shot!

Damn cat!

Things that Annoy Me about Amazon

No idea how this is relevant, but it made me laugh.

The Grump has a love/hate relationship with Amazon… or, Amazon.com.  The ‘long’ name, ya know.  Anyway, on the plus side everything’s so convenient.  And almost always the most economical option.  Get online, put some things in your cart, call up your conveniently stored payment information, and if you’ve been successfully induced to pay for Prime, it shows up on your doorstep within a couple days.  What could be better, right?

Then there’s the flip-side… everything’s so convenient.  And almost always the most economical option.  Get online, put some things in your cart, call up your conveniently stored payment information, and if you’ve been successfully induced to pay for Prime, it shows up on your doorstep within a couple days.  What could be worse?

Be that all as it may, there are some things about Amazon that defy rational explanation, to wit…

  • Asking for reviews the day after I receive it.  Sometimes even before I receive it.  Nothing like jumping the gun, eh?  Ya know, maybe… just maybe… I want to have a chance to, oh I don’t know, actually USE the product before I go on record with a recommendation.
  • Asking if I want to “buy it again” when it’s clearly something no average person would want two of, i.e. the sump pump I purchased a few years ago.  I kept getting asked for several months if I wanted to buy another one.  Pretty sure I need only one sump pump at a time.
  • Finding that one CD you’ve been wanting for years only to know it’s uber obscure or even out-of-print.  See, irrational things can also be positive things.  In this way, Amazon is even better than eBay, if for no other reason than shopping and buying is more straight forward.

So there you have it.  Amazon is a double-edged sword.  Take the good with the bad.  Shop local first, of course, but make local compete.