Minor things that bother you

[kphoger]

While I don't like the Daylight Saving Time as much as anyone, the fact is that it is going to take an act of Congress to kill off this long-time bad idea.

There are various ways nowadays for devices to set the time by themselves, whether it be through the NIST's atomic clock, GPS, Radio Data Broadcasting System (RDBS) radios, Network Time Protocol (NTP), or your mobile network. In fact, anything that comes into my home now that has a clock needs to set itself. Yes, it costs a little bit more, but it's well worth it for accurate time. Yes, this will annoy the people who insist on setting their watches 5-10 minutes fast.

Minor things that annoy you, clocks edition:  when a clock gets just a few minutes fast or slow between DST time changes.  It's not enough (always) to make me take it off the wall and set it right again, but it's enough to bug me.

[hotdogPi]

Prices such as "2/$4" when you don't need to buy two.

There was one time when a can of something (maybe pet food?) was normally 10/$9 and was on sale for 20/$16. I was working on self scan. The way things ring up on the register, it shows the original price and then the amount taken off for the discount in red. The customer asked where the discount was. I explained that 90¢ minus 10¢ is 80¢, and it's exactly as advertised. The customer understood. I blame corporate entirely for this one, not the customer.

3/$5 is fine, though; you can't put an infinite number of decimal places on a price tag.

[jlam]

When people pronounce Colorado as Color-RAW-do.

[Rothman]

When people pronounce Colorado as Color-RAW-do.

Heh.  Color-AY-do?

[kphoger]

When people say Missour-uh but don't likewise say Mississipp-uh.

[abefroman329]

When people say Missour-uh but don't likewise say Mississipp-uh.

*shrug* People say "Birming-HAM" but they also say "Dur-um" [for Durham, NC]

[kphoger]

dun HAM

[kurumi]

When people pronounce Colorado as Color-RAW-do.

Heh.  Color-AY-do?

You have to emphasize the second syllable, and roll your R, like native Coloradeños. Otherwise they'll assume you are from out of state (i.e. California) and resent you :-)

[kphoger]

Minor things that annoy you, clocks edition:  when a clock gets just a few minutes fast or slow between DST time changes.  It's not enough (always) to make me take it off the wall and set it right again, but it's enough to bug me.

Minor things that annoy you, clocks edition:  my office has an "atomic clock" on the wall, yet it still operates on the pre-2007 DST schedule.

[hbelkins]

While I don't like the Daylight Saving Time as much as anyone, the fact is that it is going to take an act of Congress to kill off this long-time bad idea.

Conversely, I'm bugged by the fact it will take a literal act of Congress to make DST year-round.

That extra hour of daylight when I get home from work can be put to productive uses outside.

Prices such as "2/$4" when you don't need to buy two.

Most places with this pricing scheme will sell you one for $2 unless it's expressly noted, "You must purchase two to qualify for discount; otherwise, individual cost is $2.49" or something similar.

[kphoger]

Most places with this pricing scheme will sell you one for $2 unless it's expressly noted, "You must purchase two to qualify for discount; otherwise, individual cost is $2.49" or something similar.

For some reason, I have a hard time remembering which number to divide by which number in order to figure out the per-item price.  That is to say, if something is on sale at 4/$5, then I have to stand there a minute to figure out if it costs 80¢ or $1.25 and is therefore cheaper or more expensive than the brand next to it on the shelf.

[plain]

While I don't like the Daylight Saving Time as much as anyone, the fact is that it is going to take an act of Congress to kill off this long-time bad idea.

Conversely, I'm bugged by the fact it will take a literal act of Congress to make DST year-round.

That extra hour of daylight when I get home from work can be put to productive uses outside.

Prices such as "2/$4" when you don't need to buy two.

Most places with this pricing scheme will sell you one for $2 unless it's expressly noted, "You must purchase two to qualify for discount; otherwise, individual cost is $2.49" or something similar.

In the part you have in Italics, 7-Eleven is infamous for this.

[kkt]

While I don't like the Daylight Saving Time as much as anyone, the fact is that it is going to take an act of Congress to kill off this long-time bad idea.

There are various ways nowadays for devices to set the time by themselves, whether it be through the NIST's atomic clock, GPS, Radio Data Broadcasting System (RDBS) radios, Network Time Protocol (NTP), or your mobile network. In fact, anything that comes into my home now that has a clock needs to set itself. Yes, it costs a little bit more, but it's well worth it for accurate time. Yes, this will annoy the people who insist on setting their watches 5-10 minutes fast.

Minor things that annoy you, clocks edition:  when a clock gets just a few minutes fast or slow between DST time changes.  It's not enough (always) to make me take it off the wall and set it right again, but it's enough to bug me.

My kitchen clock bugs me.  It's got just one AAA battery which is only enough to power it for about 3 months before it runs down and the second hand can't quite make it up the hill to the 8 hour marker.  There would have been loads of space in the back of the clock for a bigger battery or even several batteries so it could go for years...

[kkt]

While I don't like the Daylight Saving Time as much as anyone, the fact is that it is going to take an act of Congress to kill off this long-time bad idea.

Conversely, I'm bugged by the fact it will take a literal act of Congress to make DST year-round.

That extra hour of daylight when I get home from work can be put to productive uses outside.

DST in winter is a terrible idea.  We tried it one year, 1974, hoping it would save energy.  It didn't.  But it did increase the number of accidents as it was still dark as people had to get up and get to work and drivers were half asleep.

[kphoger]

Oh, dear Scott, please let this thread not get locked too...

[snowc]

Before its locked, lets say two things that bother me!
USPS before COVID hit, used to scan the items into the system upon pickup by USPS. Now they don't, just scans it when it arrives in Fayetteville Annex. 
Another thing.
Why do products from China constantly keep me from searching for my favorite thing? 

[wanderer2575]

Prices such as "2/$4" when you don't need to buy two.
.
.
.
3/$5 is fine, though; you can't put an infinite number of decimal places on a price tag.

The late comedian/actor Alan King told a story about how he once went grocery shopping and bought one can of green beans at 2/29 cents (this was in 1962).  It was 15 cents and he argued the point:  "Look, kid," he said to the cashier, "if it's 2/29 then one can costs 14 cents and one can costs 15 cents.  I'll take the cheap one.  Give the one for 15 to somebody else."

[snowc]

Prices such as "2/$4" when you don't need to buy two.
.
.
.
3/$5 is fine, though; you can't put an infinite number of decimal places on a price tag.

The late comedian/actor Alan King told a story about how he once went grocery shopping and bought one can of green beans at 2/29 cents (this was in 1962).  It was 15 cents and he argued the point:  "Look, kid," he said to the cashier, "if it's 2/29 then one can costs 14 cents and one can costs 15 cents.  I'll take the cheap one.  Give the one for 15 to somebody else."

Purchase of 2 required to get the sales price!

[plain]

Prices such as "2/$4" when you don't need to buy two.
.
.
.
3/$5 is fine, though; you can't put an infinite number of decimal places on a price tag.

The late comedian/actor Alan King told a story about how he once went grocery shopping and bought one can of green beans at 2/29 cents (this was in 1962).  It was 15 cents and he argued the point:  "Look, kid," he said to the cashier, "if it's 2/29 then one can costs 14 cents and one can costs 15 cents.  I'll take the cheap one.  Give the one for 15 to somebody else."

Purchase of 2 required to get the sales price!

Huh? When I go to Food Lion I can buy one and still get the sale price.

[Mr_Northside]

Most places with this pricing scheme will sell you one for $2 unless it's expressly noted, "You must purchase two to qualify for discount; otherwise, individual cost is $2.49" or something similar.

While I can't say I never saw this years ago (say, around the turn of the millennium), it was very rare.  As the quote above mentions, most of the time you'd get the sale price even if you didn't buy 2 (or however they displayed the sale price).   I'd say most places I shop, it's still the majority of situations, but over the last handful of years the "must buy (x) for sale price" condition has become much more frequent.

[Mapmikey]

Most places with this pricing scheme will sell you one for $2 unless it's expressly noted, "You must purchase two to qualify for discount; otherwise, individual cost is $2.49" or something similar.

While I can't say I neversaw this years ago (say, around the turn of the millennium), it was very rare.  As the quote above mentions, most of the time you'd get the sale price even if you didn't buy 2 (or however they displayed the sale price).   I'd say most places I shop, it's still the majority of situations, but over the last handful of years the "must buy

• for sale price" condition has become much more frequent.
  
  

Wegmans is doing this pricing scheme on some of their sales but they do make it quite clear whether you have to buy a certain quantity to get the sale price and what the single unit price will be if you do not.

[J N Winkler]

My mother used to hate the "$X for Y" verbiage because she viewed it as encouragement to overpurchase in order not to miss the discount.  However, I think cost-conscious regular shoppers do eventually develop the savvy to realize that the discount will apply to single items unless a minimum purchase quantity (with or without a "mix and match" option) is explicitly specified.

Things do get interesting when the discount fails to ring up, which does happen from time to time.

[Bruce]

More pronunciations that sound like nails on a chalkboard:

Warshington.

Ore-Ayy-Gone.

Pah-Get (somehow this one is not uncommon).

[J N Winkler]

Ore-Ayy-Gone.

Meanwhile, over here I get people attempting to correct my pronunciation when I say "Irrigun."  It's become a shibboleth, a bit like Arkansas in regard to the river.

[kphoger]

Ore-Ayy-Gone.

"Irrigun."

Never heard either one.