WTF: Help me understand this recent cultural phenomena

[RICLARK]

People that Are Scared to Drive in the Snow but still want to be out there going 25 on the Expressway and then get pissed when I pass them and throw snow all over there damn cars! IF YOUR SCARED DONT DRIVE!!!!!!!!!!AHHH

 

[shafferpilot]

Automatic toilet flushers and automatic paper towel dispensers!!

Many of you remember when the tree huggers started convincing municipalities to require toilets to use a minimal amount of water per flush. It worked! Flushing toilets is a huge burdone on the water purification system in this country. Now all that work is being undone by the G0D Damned Auto Flushers! i was in a stall last night that flushed when I walked in, again when I took my coat off, again when I sat down, again when I leaned forward to grab some phanny-paper, and twice more before I could get out of the stall. That's SEVEN flushes. Seriously people, can't we flush the frickin toilet on our own anymore? Are the big bad germ monsters going to eat our damn hands off???

Automatic towel dispensors. Now I do think that these are a good idea. I really don't want to be touching stuff in a bathroom after washing my hands, so these actually help..... except that 95% of the stupid things don't work at all. I wave my hand. I try backing away from it and stepping back up. There are towels in the thing, but there's no way to get them out. Ever try to dry your hands with toilet paper??? ARGGGHHHH! Can't someone design one of these things that actually works????

 

[superfluent]

"Paper or Plastic?"

A phenomena I never really figured out while living in the US was why the plastic bags you get at the supermarket are made from the thinnest, most fragile plastic known to man? Because they are are so thin and fragile they basically allways have to use double bags and to transport the weight a normal healty person can carry to the parking lot you need about 6-8 bags. Why not actually supply bags that are tough enough to contain what a normal person is comfortable carrying?

And what's the deal with the paper bags? Why on earth don't they come with handles?

H

 

[shafferpilot]

Shorts and T-shirt while it's 30 degrees and snowing. WTF! Seriously, guys, you may think that you look hot walking around in the middle of winter with your "killer" calves and "rippin" biceps showing..... but you actually look like a complete moron because you're shivering and grinding your teeth. PUT SOME DAMN CLOTHES ON!

 

[Chris_Dog]

What is up with the crazy $ ATM charges? I just went to a mainstream bank and they wanted $3.00 to use the ATM. Do they have to hire a little person to sit in the ATM to push the money through???


Notice I said little person.

 

[david_42]

High ATM charges are just a way of punishing you for not having a bank account at every bank in the country.

[Not saying the charges have much justification, but ATMs are expensive and tough to maintain. You would not believe some of the lame, but destructive things people do to try breaking into one.]

 

[olllllo]

I never asked them (bank) to update from the amber/green terminals that dispensed my money to the full color with commercials that thay have now.

 

[Chris_Dog]

This one gets solid traffic, maybe 10-12 people an hour (Lets say 10 for easy math). In a 12 hour day that is 120 peeps. Lets assume 25% of them have accounts. That leaves 90 people at $3 a pop = $270.00 a day. The machines can't cost $50.00 a day to maintain.

 

[RICLARK]

What is up with the crazy $ ATM charges? I just went to a mainstream bank and they wanted $3.00 to use the ATM. Do they have to hire a little person to sit in the ATM to push the money through???


Notice I said little person.

I get charged 2$ from the Foreign ATM then my Bank Charges me and Additional 2$.It's Crazy...I went to the Nascar race last summer and there ATM charged a 7$ Fee ****'s Insane.

 

[Chris_Dog]

I get charged 2$ from the Foreign ATM then my Bank Charges me and Additional 2$.It's Crazy...I went to the Nascar race last summer and there ATM charged a 7$ Fee ****'s Insane.

Wow that is worse than the $5.00 I paid at a strip club... BTW Don't use and ATM at a strip club... They charged me twice and wouldn't give it back.

 

[TexLaw]

Yeah, and the folks at the concession stands charge you for popcorn, Cokes, and bottled water. When you go to the movies, they charge you just to see it, even though there are all those commercials at the beginning. What drives me crazy is how these friggin' cable people charge me when I just want them to show some stuff on my TV.

ATMs are a service, and a very nice one. If you don't like the price, don't use the service. Plan ahead, go to your bank, and make a withdrawal. Or, plan ahead and go to your bank's ATM. Or, open an account with a bank that reimburses for ATM charges. You have a choice.

I'm not even a banker.


TL

 

[Chris_Dog]

Yeah, and the folks at the concession stands charge you for popcorn, Cokes, and bottled water. When you go to the movies, they charge you just to see it, even though there are all those commercials at the beginning. What drives me crazy is how these friggin' cable people charge me when I just want them to show some stuff on my TV.

ATMs are a service, and a very nice one. If you don't like the price, don't use the service. Plan ahead, go to your bank, and make a withdrawal. Or, plan ahead and go to your bank's ATM. Or, open an account with a bank that reimburses for ATM charges. You have a choice.

I'm not even a banker.


TL

I understand your point but don't you think $3.00 for a transation is excessive... At $50.00 that is 6%.

 

[ohiobrewtus]

I understand your point but don't you think $3.00 for a transation is excessive... At $50.00 that is 6%.

It's very excessive. When SWMBO and I travel we take some cash with us, but it's pretty rare to find a place that won't take a debit card these days.

 

[RICLARK]

I Try to use my Debit card as much as possible so I dont carry cash and I dont have to go to the atm. But it sucks when you go to a place that doesn't take debit but has an atm. So I just try to plan ahead now as well.

 

[TexLaw]

I understand your point but don't you think $3.00 for a transation is excessive... At $50.00 that is 6%.

Yes, I do. I think that fee is quite excessive, and that is why I do not pay it. Instead, I go to my own bank's ATMs, where I do not pay a fee at all. With a little simple planning, I avoid the cost. I also have another bank that I use, and that one reimburses for ATM fees (but I've never withdrawn from that account by ATM).

As I said, ATMs are a service. In fact, they are a luxury. Whether you're talking about ATMs, cars, or beer, one cannot complain about the price of a luxury while continuing to pay it. You have a choice. You may not have your dream choice available, but you have a choice.


TL

 

[Kevin Dean]

I use a debit card ONLY. If some place doesn't accept debit card, I leave.

WTF is it with grocery stores that have 15 checkout lanes and 1 cashier? Couldn't they have put in three lanes, saved the cost and hired 2 more cashiers?

Especially WTF is the self-serve checkout lanes that have no money in them. My closest store removes the money from the machines at 8 pm so all self-scan customers have to take a ticket t othe person manning the checkout island, have them scan it and pay the person - while everyone else waits behind you in line.

 

[wild]

Wow that is worse than the $5.00 I paid at a strip club... BTW Don't use and ATM at a strip club... They charged me twice and wouldn't give it back.

Do the ATM's in strip clubs pay out in $1 bills?

 

[shafferpilot]

Do the ATM's in strip clubs pay out in $1 bills?

ROFLMAO

 

[kornkob]

WTF is it with grocery stores that have 15 checkout lanes and 1 cashier? Couldn't they have put in three lanes, saved the cost and hired 2 more cashiers?

A cahsier costs between 25 and 35k a year. (Note I didnt' say that's what they made-- that's what they cost to employ) and is an ongoing, recurring cost.

A lane costs 40-60k as a one time capital expense that can be writen off during the buildout phase of construction. Which means its actual cost is lower than that again.

I'm just saying that swaping a salary for a capital expense isn't a fair swap. Never mind the fact that they probably use most of those checkouts on their busy days.



That being said: At least around here I don't seem to have a huge problem getting through lines at the grocery unless I go on Friday night to Sunday Night when everyone and their freaking brother is trying to shop. (Worse when it is end of month and the folks on welfare are trying to figure out how to get a week's food out of $3 in change and a smattering of welfare vouchers of various types).

The times I've had to wait a few minutes have been obvious 'rushes' and every business has to cope with them. there's really no efficent way to deal with it unless you are going to burn money by having employees standing about getting paid to breathe.

Everyone makes customers wait sometimes. It's a fact of life and you do the best you can but it is what it is.

Frankly, I think people have gotten far more impatient. It seems to me that people are less able to keep themselves occupied with their own thoughts for more than a few seconds. Most of the time I find standing in line a relaxing exercise because I simply tune out the world and organize my thoughts for a bit.

Then again-- I'm an anomoly as I'm the same way with traffic: slow traffic doesn't bother me all that much. I'll get there and nothing I'm doing is so important that getting there 10 minutes sooner is going to save anyone's life.

 

[shafferpilot]

you make some great points. I've found that lately, my patience has been non-existant. Sometimes I have to tell myself out loud to just relax and roll with the waves.

 

[TexLaw]

Frankly, I think people have gotten far more impatient. It seems to me that people are less able to keep themselves occupied with their own thoughts for more than a few seconds.

That is everywhere, and it leads only to frustration, which leads to more impatience, which leads to more frustration . . . .


TL