General SMH Moments

[captaintrolley]

I found out today that the lady I swim with three times a week did not know that the LRT is electric. I have no words. It would be different if the LRT here were third rail, mono rail or maglev with no outwardly appearance of overhead and collectors.. but it is very obvious here.

[MVTArider]

One of the major roads near me has gotten so bad with crumbling pavement and potholes on a 2 mile/3km section they've given up trying to patch it for now. Instead they've posted temporary 'rough road' signs with reduced speeds. Years of poor street/road maintenance plus a regular freeze/thaw cycle all winter season has certainly caught up with Minneapolis and Saint Paul and Hennepin and Ramsey Counties.

[Tom1122]

Today at my job at Home Depot, I was called to assist two older customers with a BBQ. 

The BBQ in question cost $288. They asked if they could get it assembled. We provide free assembly for bbqs that cost $296+ but after asking a manager, he said we could wave the fee since it's less than $10.

It normally costs $75 to ship it but they didn't want to pay. Another manager and I told them that delivery is contracted out. They thought it was too much and tried to get the fee waved. Another manager and I told them that we couldn't because the delivery is subcontracted. They asked if one of us associates could put the BBQ in the back of a pick up truck and drive it to them. I told them no. They eventually called a nearby store of the same company who told them they could get a BBQ delivered for $60. Management gave in and offered to reduce the delivery fee to $60. Throughout this these customers were interrupting me and not listening to what I was saying.

I then went to arrange an order. They didn't have a profile, so I went to create one which alone wouldn't have been bad. One of the required things was an email address. The wife said they didn't have an email. I told them it was required.

I called a manager who told me to put a fake email address. I told them that and they said, "I don't want a fake email address!" and asked for a manager. I called the manager over who told them that an email was required. I put in a fake email stating {firstname}.{lastname}@gmail.com and was working to get the order. All the while I was supposed to have gone on my lunch break. After awhile the wife said that she DID have an email but didn't want to tell others. I said, "Why didn't you tell me before?!?"

The manager eventually sent me on my lunch and finished the transaction. I was told by one of my coworkers who caught the tail end that the manager was with them for awhile.

 

[captaintrolley]

So, having a drink at Tony Roma's today, killing time waiting for my ride, I ordered a Caesar drink (no ice, no straw and extra spicy) and a glass of water - no straw.

Both drinks came to the table with a straw in them.

I thought that as a society we are collectively trying to reduce our consumption of single use plastics. Get with the program, Tony Roma's.

Single use plastics should only be supplied when requested.

[T3G]

I am getting really fed up with private sector thinking.

We opened the garden centre at our store a few weeks ago. With the exception of a few days about two weeks when we had unseasonal summer temperatures, it's been freezing cold. We had a frost advisory last night now and it's not been any warmer than 12 C for a while. In the name of efficiency, they of course don't schedule enough people with which to efficiently run a store, because we didn't meet our sales plan, and since efficiency is the name of the game they see fit to pull people to cover any departments with even less people so that you end up with one person having to do all the work. We're apparently not allowed to close the garden centre cash registers early even though our staffing is at a critical low because it says on our website that it's open, and we wouldn't want to make the lemmings who shop here think too much by making them walk 100 m to the nearest cash registers inside, of course. it's MUCH better to make one person do the work of 2, 3, or in the case of the self check out, 4.

Why is everyone so cheap these days? When will those who are in charge realize you need to spend money to make money, that forcing people to stand outside when it's near freezing is the epitome of corporate greed and stupidity, that the precious and holy customers can get over themselves and walk to an in store register to complete their purchase?

 

I really need a new job. The fact that I've lasted here 3 years without having an aneurysm is nothing short of astonishing. 

[GTAmissions1]

Was waiting at the bus stop and someone literally says "buses are closed today." Here is the detailed conversation:

Lady: Buses are closed today.

Me: No it isn't. Buses are indeed running today.

Lady: Buses are closed today. It is a statutory holiday.

Me: I did check before leaving. I know what I am talking about. 

Lady then goes to the next stop and tells the two passengers the same thing. Brushing her off.

I didn't bother reasoning with her because she most likely assumes that buses don't run on holidays in the small towns because most stores are closed. But some holidays such as Family Day being a provincial holiday, regular Sunday service does operate on holidays. 

Final comments:

I am pretty sure that in the digital age, the notifications are posted on website, social media and email notifications if the transit agency provides that option. In both print and digital such as notices in newspapers and on-board buses. 

Second of all, we don't use the term "closed" if transit service isn't operating on a holiday. The proper term is "buses will not be operating on x holiday" or "running on x holiday." I don't think I have ever heard of someone in the transit field using the term "buses are closed on x holiday." 

I do get that some people have waited several hours at a bus stop in a small town until they realize that service isn't running on the holiday. At the same time, the lady still didn't want to admit she was wrong when the bus showed up a few minutes later. No point in trying to convince someone who can't admit they are wrong or still live in the Stone Age. 

[81-717]

10 hours ago, GTAmissions1 said:

Second of all, we don't use the term "closed" if transit service isn't operating on a holiday. I don't think I have ever heard of someone in the transit field using the term "buses are closed on x holiday."

Yeah, for whatever reason the term "closed" is used only referring to rail lines (case in point, the Scarborough RT).

[captaintrolley]

1 hour ago, 81-717 said:

Yeah, for whatever reason the term "closed" is used only referring to rail lines (case in point, the Scarborough RT).

Some people whose first language may not be English may use the term 'closed', and although perhaps not the right word for the circumstance, in their mind it still fits the description of what they are tying to convey. A young lady (born in Greece and immigrated here with her family) that I went to high school with always said things like 'close the lights' or 'close the TV'.  I knew full well what she meant and did not make a stink about it. I didn't come right out and correct her, however I would kindly reply something like, 'no problem, I will turn off the lights / TV'.  No use getting ones beak in a knot over such things.

[81-717]

7 hours ago, captaintrolley said:

Some people whose first language may not be English may use the term 'closed', and although perhaps not the right word for the circumstance, in their mind it still fits the description of what they are tying to convey. A young lady (born in Greece and immigrated here with her family) that I went to high school with always said things like 'close the lights' or 'close the TV'.  I knew full well what she meant and did not make a stink about it. I didn't come right out and correct her, however I would kindly reply something like, 'no problem, I will turn off the lights / TV'.  No use getting ones beak in a knot over such things.

Ofc it's not worth making a fuss over, but it's interesting to analyze the meaning of it when applied in this context. When people say a rail line is closed, they're typically not referring to the trains themselves so much as the stationary infrastructure (stations, tracks, tunnels, etc), which is a valid usage of the word, and is basically equivalent to saying "the road is closed" (another valid commonly used expression) when applied to buses / bus routes (or cars for that matter).

[J. S. Bach]

A friend still says "Make a light." when turning one on. His parents got it from their parents who came over from the "old country".

[T3G]

I got told off by a manager at work, a real hardened taskmaster who seems to enter near every interaction with an employee looking for infractions to find, such as inefficiency or stealing company time, for not wasting company time.

I was bringing a special order up to customer service, but a couple of people were arranging a flower display, and the aisle was blocked by a flower cart, so, being an adult capable of engaging with the world, I took the flower cart and pushed it from one side of the aisle to the other, increasing the number of steps required to access it by about 4. The manager appears and waspishly tells me I could have waited a couple of minutes, that they were almost done.

Riiight, so if the expectation is that I'm supposed to stand around like an empty vase with nothing in my head instead of moving a shelf like someone with brainwaves would, it would be nice if that expectation was set at all times, and not just when it is inconvenient for the manager.

[Trimetwes Fan1003]

Ads on CPTDB now appear at the top and bottom of pages, not to mention the card that slides up every time you go to a new page. Who is even allowing all these ads on this website?

[captaintrolley]

9 minutes ago, Trimetwes Fan1003 said:

Ads on CPTDB now appear at the top and bottom of pages, not to mention the card that slides up every time you go to a new page. Who is even allowing all these ads on this website?

Get AdBlock Plus. There's a free version.

[Trimetwes Fan1003]

People setting youtube videos to premiere months after they were originally uploaded.