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Minor things that bother you

Started by planxtymcgillicuddy, November 27, 2019, 12:15:11 AM

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TravelingBethelite

I am seriously bothered by people leaving their cars running in park (or starting it before they need to), and more generally people running their cars when they don't need to. It's why I'm a fan of the start-stop technology included in cars in the last couple of model years, which cuts out the engine when idling at a traffic light, etc.
"Imprisoned by the freedom of the road!" - Ronnie Milsap
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Now I decide where I go...

2018 Ford Fusion SE - proud new owner!


OracleUsr

Where do you want me to start?

--Postal carriers (some in our area are female...sorry, not sorry) who park right before a stop sign on an already nearly-impassable street and leave them there for 20 minutes.
--People who just LOVE their subwoofers in their cars
--People who chew loudly.
--LYRICS TO #()%ING "SLEIGH RIDE"
--waiters who bring things i clearly asked for as an appetizer with the meal, then looking at me like I asked for a million dollars tax-free when I complain
--by the same token, being with a group of people and having my order be the only one screwed up, usually not even close, and having to sit there, twiddling my thumbs while others chow down.  Even worse if the food comes back cold or screwed up to the same degree.  Rare means RARE, people!
Anti-center-tabbing, anti-sequential-numbering, anti-Clearview BGS FAN

Rothman

Hm...if your meal is the only one messed up routinely and you complain about appetizers being brought with the meal (which I sort of see as valid, but not anything too angering)...

...perhaps you should make sure you're not a causal variable in these outcomes. :D

Ugh, I worked with someone who treated waitstaff horribly -- didn't matter if they brought out what he asked for, he always had to complain about something.  There's a culture amongst certain people that they must treat waitstaff as inferior (friend of mine's father was the same way and I am not sure what that exact cultural connection is between the people I know that act this way).  Of course, my coworker was an extreme case:  After making a ridiculously complicated coffee order in Montreal (in English) and them inevitably getting it wrong, he dumped it out on the floor.  He never understood that it reflected worse on him than them.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

formulanone

#153
Quote from: Rothman on December 03, 2019, 09:38:44 AM
Ugh, I worked with someone who treated waitstaff horribly -- didn't matter if they brought out what he asked for, he always had to complain about something.  than them.

I have an 'in-law like that.

About half the time, wants a meal prepared differently than the menu*, usually complains that it's not perfectly done (or told they don't have that item), fusses until they get it for free. Then proceeds to eat half the meal and then splurges on post-meal desert and a specialty beverage after everyone's finished. Naturally, doesn't pay for said meal and doesn't have a job. Seriously, how hard is it to change tack when the winds change and be adaptable? I go to a restaurant with a plan, a backup plan, and maybe a Plan C...just in case.

* I do this at a few places where I know they can competently and confidently exclude/substitute something (like a topping or side). But I don't ask for a chicken marsala to suddenly become a General Tso's chicken.

Beltway

Quote from: formulanone on December 03, 2019, 09:56:50 AM
Quote from: Rothman on December 03, 2019, 09:38:44 AM
Ugh, I worked with someone who treated waitstaff horribly -- didn't matter if they brought out what he asked for, he always had to complain about something.  than them.
I have an 'in-law like that.
About half the time, wants a meal prepared differently than the menu*, usually complains that it's not perfectly done (or told they don't have that item), fusses until they get it for free. Then proceeds to eat half the meal and then splurges on post-meal desert and a specialty beverage after everyone's finished. Naturally, doesn't pay for said meal and doesn't have a job. Seriously, how hard is it to change tack when the winds change and be adaptable? I go to a restaurant with a plan, a backup plan, and maybe a Plan C...just in case.
A dating dealbreaker, when she treats service staff badly.

She won't get another date from me.  That reveals how she treats people in general.

http://www.roadstothefuture.com
http://www.capital-beltway.com

Baloney is a reserved word on the Internet
    (Robert Coté, 2002)

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: Beltway on December 03, 2019, 11:25:31 AM
Quote from: formulanone on December 03, 2019, 09:56:50 AM
Quote from: Rothman on December 03, 2019, 09:38:44 AM
Ugh, I worked with someone who treated waitstaff horribly -- didn't matter if they brought out what he asked for, he always had to complain about something.  than them.
I have an 'in-law like that.
About half the time, wants a meal prepared differently than the menu*, usually complains that it's not perfectly done (or told they don't have that item), fusses until they get it for free. Then proceeds to eat half the meal and then splurges on post-meal desert and a specialty beverage after everyone's finished. Naturally, doesn't pay for said meal and doesn't have a job. Seriously, how hard is it to change tack when the winds change and be adaptable? I go to a restaurant with a plan, a backup plan, and maybe a Plan C...just in case.
A dating dealbreaker, when she treats service staff badly.

She won't get another date from me.  That reveals how she treats people in general.

My brother does stuff like this constantly and wonders why I won't I go out to restaurant with his family anymore. 

jeffandnicole

There's some jobs I think everyone should have, just so they see the other side of things.

Waiter/Waitress/Server would be one of them. I've never been one myself, so it'll be interesting to see just what people are like.  I want to think I'm easy going and don't get upset at stupid shit, but I'm sure there's other people out there that are just assholes.  In fact, a local restaurant by me just closed.  Their Facebook posting, in part: "We've decided to close...lots of mixed emotions...7 1/2 years, so fast...The really nice people and the A-holes. The joy and the bullshit.  It was a roller coaster...but I will count it as one of the most interesting parts of my life..."

Another job, especially related to this group: Toll Collector.  Seriously - you won't believe the absolute lack of knowledge or common sense most drivers have. And it has nothing to do with cell phones, GPSs or modern conveniences on the vehicles.  I collected tolls 15 - 18 years ago, and still remember some of the oddities vividly.  It's truly scary who you're travelling next to at 75 mph.


Beltway

Quote from: jeffandnicole on December 03, 2019, 12:14:44 PM
There's some jobs I think everyone should have, just so they see the other side of things.
I held a part-time supplementary job at a convenience store in my early 20s for a year.  Running the cash register as well as stocking inventory.

Definitely a good view of dealing with the public in that setting.

http://www.roadstothefuture.com
http://www.capital-beltway.com

Baloney is a reserved word on the Internet
    (Robert Coté, 2002)

DaBigE

Quote from: Beltway on December 03, 2019, 12:37:15 PM
Quote from: jeffandnicole on December 03, 2019, 12:14:44 PM
There's some jobs I think everyone should have, just so they see the other side of things.
I held a part-time supplementary job at a convenience store in my early 20s for a year.  Running the cash register as well as stocking inventory.

Definitely a good view of dealing with the public in that setting.

Expanding on that a little, I think everyone should have to work at least one Black Friday for a major retailer. Or, work the return counter after Christmas. The sense of entitlement and the shit (sadly, sometimes literal shit) people try to pull is mind boggling. They couldn't pay me enough to do those jobs again.
"We gotta find this road, it's like Bob's road!" - Rabbit, Twister

vdeane

Quote from: TravelingBethelite on December 03, 2019, 12:07:18 AM
I am seriously bothered by people leaving their cars running in park (or starting it before they need to), and more generally people running their cars when they don't need to. It's why I'm a fan of the start-stop technology included in cars in the last couple of model years, which cuts out the engine when idling at a traffic light, etc.
I think I'd find auto start-stop to be very annoying.  Not only do you need to wait for the engine to start when going (so you can't just accelerate from the green), it causes additional wear and tear on the car, and you don't have climate control while you're stopped, even though it's a perfect time to warm your hands in winter.  Not to mention that I always get the car running with the air and defrosters on full blast when brushing snow/ice off... it makes it SO much easier.

Quote from: OracleUsr on December 03, 2019, 12:23:56 AM
--by the same token, being with a group of people and having my order be the only one screwed up, usually not even close, and having to sit there, twiddling my thumbs while others chow down.  Even worse if the food comes back cold or screwed up to the same degree.  Rare means RARE, people!
That might be a liability thing.  In some countries it's not even legal to serve meat cooked to less than medium.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

Beltway

Quote from: vdeane on December 03, 2019, 12:57:36 PM
I think I'd find auto start-stop to be very annoying.  Not only do you need to wait for the engine to start when going (so you can't just accelerate from the green), it causes additional wear and tear on the car, and you don't have climate control while you're stopped, even though it's a perfect time to warm your hands in winter.  Not to mention that I always get the car running with the air and defrosters on full blast when brushing snow/ice off... it makes it SO much easier.
Idling uses very little fuel in any event.

I do volunteer work for the Richmond Marathon, and when it is cold like it was this year, I leave my car idling for the whole time.  Three hours idling burned 0.9 gallons of fuel, and that is on a 3.8 liter engine.  Burn of 0.3 gallons per hour is not much.
http://www.roadstothefuture.com
http://www.capital-beltway.com

Baloney is a reserved word on the Internet
    (Robert Coté, 2002)

DaBigE

Quote from: vdeane on December 03, 2019, 12:57:36 PM
Quote from: TravelingBethelite on December 03, 2019, 12:07:18 AM
I am seriously bothered by people leaving their cars running in park (or starting it before they need to), and more generally people running their cars when they don't need to. It's why I'm a fan of the start-stop technology included in cars in the last couple of model years, which cuts out the engine when idling at a traffic light, etc.
I think I'd find auto start-stop to be very annoying.  Not only do you need to wait for the engine to start when going (so you can't just accelerate from the green), it causes additional wear and tear on the car, and you don't have climate control while you're stopped, even though it's a perfect time to warm your hands in winter.  Not to mention that I always get the car running with the air and defrosters on full blast when brushing snow/ice off... it makes it SO much easier.

I have the auto start-stop "feature" on my car and find it very annoying...mainly because I cannot permanently disable it; there is a button to turn it off, but it resets every time you take the key out of the ignition. There's also a lag between with restarts at a traffic light or stop/go traffic. The system is meant to restart in the time it takes to move your foot from the brake to the gas, but apparently my reflexes are too fast for the system. The system is programmed to keep the car running if the interior temp reaches a certain point, your battery is too weak, or you're running the defrost.
"We gotta find this road, it's like Bob's road!" - Rabbit, Twister

kphoger

Quote from: vdeane on December 03, 2019, 12:57:36 PM
I think I'd find auto start-stop to be very annoying.  ... you don't have climate control while you're stopped, even though it's a perfect time to warm your hands in winter.

I already dislike the fact that the temperature of the vents gets cooler when I'm at a stop.  Definitely wouldn't like it if the heat cut out completely!

Quote from: vdeane on December 03, 2019, 12:57:36 PM
Not to mention that I always get the car running with the air and defrosters on full blast when brushing snow/ice off... it makes it SO much easier.

Oh, definitely!  It's especially good for breaking up the ice around the windshield wipers.
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

webny99

Quote from: jeffandnicole on December 03, 2019, 12:14:44 PM
It's truly scary who you're travelling next to at 75 mph.

Actually, I have found that out without ever being a toll collector...  :meh:

Max Rockatansky

People saying "I have an (insert amount) dollar business/operation to run."   In fact a lot of business cliches are kind of grating to listen to after one has heard then hundreds of times. 

1995hoo

Regarding the auto idle stop, my wife's car has it. I keep an eye on the other direction's traffic light so as to lift my foot off the brake quickly before the light goes green. That way the car starts back up in advance of it being time to move. I've been in that habit for years because in my cars I like to shift into gear and be ready to move.

Regarding waitstaff, I waited tables at a retirement home when I was in high school. It definitely gives you a different perspective on how people treat waiters and waitresses and I tend to be a lot more polite to them as a result.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

Scott5114

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on December 03, 2019, 03:54:42 PM
People saying "I have an (insert amount) dollar business/operation to run."   In fact a lot of business cliches are kind of grating to listen to after one has heard then hundreds of times. 

That one in particular is annoying because it's a cliche, a brag, and a I'm-better-than-you all in one. After all, you'd never hear anyone say "I have a $642 operation to run"!
uncontrollable freak sardine salad chef

roadman

When I see a toddler in a stroller watching something on a smartphone or tablet.  The kid will have plenty of time to be indoctrinated into the world of consumerism without Mommy or Daddy forcing it on them at the age of 2.
"And ninety-five is the route you were on.  It was not the speed limit sign."  - Jim Croce (from Speedball Tucker)

"My life has been a tapestry
Of years of roads and highway signs" (with apologies to Carole King and Tom Rush)

kphoger

Man buns.

And, with that, I win the thread.
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

Max Rockatansky

#169
Quote from: Scott5114 on December 03, 2019, 04:13:24 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on December 03, 2019, 03:54:42 PM
People saying "I have an (insert amount) dollar business/operation to run."   In fact a lot of business cliches are kind of grating to listen to after one has heard then hundreds of times. 

That one in particular is annoying because it's a cliche, a brag, and a I'm-better-than-you all in one. After all, you'd never hear anyone say "I have a $642 operation to run"!

Yes, the one saving grace it has is my retort tends to be some semblance of "no"  when said to me.  For me I'm not in a service oriented industry but I deal with a lot of people who are.  Sometimes people aren't exactly pleased when I tell them something is unrealistic, costs a lot of money, beyond my capabilities or just can't be done. 

roadman65

#170
Nail colors that women use that unmatch.  For example the girl who paints her toes red, and paints her fingers pink.  Also older women who bitched in the 80's about the new neon colors of nail polish who now wear them themselves.   Plus for me when I see a woman over 65 over apply makeup to the point of masking their natural face, I see that middle age man who drives a convertible sports car and cheats on his wife with a young gold digger.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

formulanone

#171
Quote from: jeffandnicole on December 03, 2019, 12:14:44 PM
There's some jobs I think everyone should have, just so they see the other side of things.

Waiter/Waitress/Server would be one of them.

I've had jobs with lots of multi-tasking around people, but those where people mostly come to me to tell me what they want and what they should do. I don't have the outgoing personality and charm to approach strangers that well, with the prospect of making them happy enough to ply me with money. I suppose all things get better with practice, but I'm glad I don't have to do that in a pressurized environment.

Quote
Another job, especially related to this group: Toll Collector. 

My brother-in-law (not the picky-eater-in-law described a few posts above) was a toll collector about 30 years ago, and was bored out of his mind after a month, and quit after a few months. Nothing else to but to make change, read a book, and listen to the radio...and occasionally give directions. He was told that his ability to make correct change "over 95% of the time" was impressive, which made him realize there was no hope for climbing the career ladder. He'd told me that it took a day or two to not wince at the sight of a 18-wheeler going 55 mph, which was the toughest part of the job.

Your mileage may have varied!

Quote from: DaBigE on December 03, 2019, 02:06:15 PM
I have the auto start-stop "feature" on my car and find it very annoying...mainly because I cannot permanently disable it; there is a button to turn it off, but it resets every time you take the key out of the ignition. There's also a lag between with restarts at a traffic light or stop/go traffic. The system is meant to restart in the time it takes to move your foot from the brake to the gas, but apparently my reflexes are too fast for the system. The system is programmed to keep the car running if the interior temp reaches a certain point, your battery is too weak, or you're running the defrost.

Yeah, I can't stand them either. If it's 60 degrees outside and I'm not making up any time in traffic, it's unnoticeable. But it sucks when it's 90 degrees out in the summer, or where there's long traffic delays. It always feels clumsy.

The domestic brands seem to be fans of them; some put the button near the shifter or near the ignition switch. Others make it some afterthought of a spot next to the radio. I take it they're the ones with the most desperate mpg numbers, because the import brands aren't as big on using them. Hybrids don't have that problem because the battery power and electric motor prevents the slow-speed stuttering of the engine. I've noticed most performance vehicles don't have this feature. Nobody buys a Mustang 5.0 just to hear it cut off abruptly. At least BMW puts the switch next to the start/stop button and remembers that you don't want that crap.

Still, I hate when jerks idle in front of the front door of a building. Take a parking space or move away 50 feet, you inconsiderate lump.

Quote from: kphoger on December 03, 2019, 04:55:56 PM
Man buns.

I like the idea of knowing who I can instantly take 50% less-seriously...unless they have a katana.

kphoger

Quote from: formulanone on December 03, 2019, 05:25:35 PM
Still, I hate when jerks idle in front of the front door of a building. Take a parking space or move away 50 feet, you inconsiderate lump.

My first real job was pushing shopping carts at a Target in the west suburbs of Chicago (Roosevelt & County Farm, for those of you who care).  I got sick of seeing people drop someone off, then just idle in the fire lane in front of the store for a while–or, worse, pull up in the fire lane, and go inside themselves for a quick purchase.

For my job, I used one of those remote-controlled motorized cart pusher machines.  I also–in the name of efficiency and because nobody told me otherwise for the first few months–tended to push as many carts with the thing as the remote control signal strength would allow me to.  45 carts was my approximate max train length:  much more than that, and the remote control signal would cut out and the machine would stop every so often.

So one day, I had a good long train of carts going, and I saw a car parked in the fire lane.  It irked me.  I double-parked my whole train of shopping carts, curving it just enough to "wrap" the guy in and not let him drive away.  Then I went inside to take a bathroom break, refill my cup, etc.  When I came back out, he was none too happy about having come out to his car with no way to escape.  But there wasn't anything he could do about it either.

I'm sure most of you will find it easy to believe that customer service is not one of my strong suits.
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

SSOWorld

Quote from: formulanone on December 03, 2019, 05:25:35 PM
Quote from: DaBigE on December 03, 2019, 02:06:15 PM
I have the auto start-stop "feature" on my car and find it very annoying...mainly because I cannot permanently disable it; there is a button to turn it off, but it resets every time you take the key out of the ignition. There's also a lag between with restarts at a traffic light or stop/go traffic. The system is meant to restart in the time it takes to move your foot from the brake to the gas, but apparently my reflexes are too fast for the system. The system is programmed to keep the car running if the interior temp reaches a certain point, your battery is too weak, or you're running the defrost.

Yeah, I can't stand them either. If it's 60 degrees outside and I'm not making up any time in traffic, it's unnoticeable. But it sucks when it's 90 degrees out in the summer, or where there's long traffic delays. It always feels clumsy.

The domestic brands seem to be fans of them; some put the button near the shifter or near the ignition switch. Others make it some afterthought of a spot next to the radio. I take it they're the ones with the most desperate mpg numbers, because the import brands aren't as big on using them. Hybrids don't have that problem because the battery power and electric motor prevents the slow-speed stuttering of the engine. I've noticed most performance vehicles don't have this feature. Nobody buys a Mustang 5.0 just to hear it cut off abruptly. At least BMW puts the switch next to the start/stop button and remembers that you don't want that crap.

Still, I hate when jerks idle in front of the front door of a building. Take a parking space or move away 50 feet, you inconsiderate lump.
Wait until the laws start popping up requiring them (Which has happened in Europe, New York and some local areas)
Scott O.

Not all who wander are lost...
Ah, the open skies, wind at my back, warm sun on my... wait, where the hell am I?!
As a matter of fact, I do own the road.
Raise your what?

Wisconsin - out-multiplexing your state since 1918.

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: kphoger on December 03, 2019, 07:07:00 PM
Quote from: formulanone on December 03, 2019, 05:25:35 PM
Still, I hate when jerks idle in front of the front door of a building. Take a parking space or move away 50 feet, you inconsiderate lump.

My first real job was pushing shopping carts at a Target in the west suburbs of Chicago (Roosevelt & County Farm, for those of you who care).  I got sick of seeing people drop someone off, then just idle in the fire lane in front of the store for a while–or, worse, pull up in the fire lane, and go inside themselves for a quick purchase.

For my job, I used one of those remote-controlled motorized cart pusher machines.  I also–in the name of efficiency and because nobody told me otherwise for the first few months–tended to push as many carts with the thing as the remote control signal strength would allow me to.  45 carts was my approximate max train length:  much more than that, and the remote control signal would cut out and the machine would stop every so often.

So one day, I had a good long train of carts going, and I saw a car parked in the fire lane.  It irked me.  I double-parked my whole train of shopping carts, curving it just enough to "wrap" the guy in and not let him drive away.  Then I went inside to take a bathroom break, refill my cup, etc.  When I came back out, he was none too happy about having come out to his car with no way to escape.  But there wasn't anything he could do about it either.

I'm sure most of you will find it easy to believe that customer service is not one of my strong suits.

Funny, I had that exact same job at 18.  I found a lot of those people were actually hitting the store on hit-and-run shoplifters.  I later became security later and ended up getting quite a few of the parking lot fiends, those were sweet tiny little victories.  I even had the cart guy block in a couple shoplifters on one occasion. 



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