Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Random Thoughts and Musings

I just got home from working out and needed to go to the grocery store. I had to get quite a few items and knew I just had to be patient and understand that it was going to take awhile. What I didn't anticipate was that it was going to take as long as it did. I got behind a lady who had quite a few things going on. Here is the breakdown:

She had bread, milk, and cheese that she used food stamps for, so that was one purchase. Next she had cigarettes, beer, chips, cookies, etc. that she paid for with a $100 dollar bill. I am thinking that she must be done, but then her mother has her bread and milk and used food stamps. Okay, they must be done, right? Nope, Mom has to get ciggie butts too. Then there was an incorrect charge on the wine she was getting. It was on sale. Clerk had to send bagger to go check, and she looked about 16, so that was interesting. And it went on.

Ten minutes later I get up to the front of the line and the clerk is crabby. She doesn't even look at me and scowls when I try and be polite. Then she is upset because I don't know the price of something. I can't win! I was pretty sure it was $1.99, but she calls a bagger and she runs and looks. Being honest is a dead art, as it ended up being $2.49.

At any rate, I made it home with groceries so I am relieved.

Other confusion today: I go to Taco Bell to get the #7 combo like normal. Because I have cash and just need my usual, I get in the drive thru. The lady in front of me has a list and orders at least ten combos. It takes fifteen minutes for her to get it ordered and get her food. My question here is why wouldn't she go in to take care of a large order? I certainly would. Maybe I just don't get it. Explain to me proper drive thru etiquette please.

The kicker is that I got my order and it was wrong. I ate it anyway because I was hungry, but you know what I mean. Eaglewing, you posted about that on your site and made very good points.

The good news is that my comic books came in correctly today. I got World War Hulk #4 and everything was normal. I feel for Lisa, who didn't get all her stuff. What a horror for a great retailer like Lisa and her husband. I am praying the rest comes in tomorrow, Lisa.

Here is crossing my fingers for a better rest of the week, and hoping for good karma. Have a great night!

8 comments:

Eaglewing said...

Jeez, talk about priorities askew. The food that'll keep them alive gets covered by food stamps, and the stuff that'll kill them gets picked up with a 100 in cash. What the? Some people are nuts. As someone who has lived through some serious health problems caused by basically bad luck and genetics while trying to be healthy, I have very little sympathy for those that volunteer to consume dastardly cell killing products and struggle with the financial burden of it. If I had been in that line up and looks could kill, they'd have been paging for a cleanup on checkout 10. Kudos to you for keeping it polite.

And I can totally sympathize with you on the drive through routine. It's irritating as hell when someone uses the drive through for lunch for 20. They should have gone inside. I think Ms Manners or the front end of my Dodge RAM should convey the proper drive thru etiquette to some people. Sorry your order was wrong on top of it and you had to eat it anyway. Wendy's around here are bad for that too. Everytime it happens to me, I think of Joe Pesci as Leo Getz and his rant on drive thrus in Lethal Weapon 2. He was so right.

At least your comics came in right. Hooray!

Lisa said...

Sorry to hear about your grocery store nightmare - I know we've ALL been there. You could do a meme on that and everyone would have a nightmare story to share.

Taco Bell - the one by us almost NEVER gets our orders right. And once I got food poisoning from a chicken soft taco - so we don't go there too much anymore even though it's close.

Good News - we did get all of our boxes today. Some of the comics were damage, as were a few trades, and there were a few trades missing. But, it's much better than not getting them at all. And I'm SURE Diamond regrets the error. After talking with other retailers it's sounding like the LA warehouse problems have transfered to the NY warehouse - where my store is serviced.

Now the trick is getting people to come in today. Die hard fans literally schedule out their Wednesdays so they can get comics and having an unexpected Thursday shift always throws them off. And non-die hards have a hard time coming in twice per week. Most people will just wait until next week. This week was a really slow week, and this was a really big invoice, so this combination of events is pretty bad. *sigh* I guess the life of a comic book retailer can't always be cash and glamor.

Nick said...

Had a person riding my ass down a street the whole way yesterday. The guy was honking and kept driving up fast like he was gonna hit me. I was driving at a decent speed, giving proper distance between cars and everything. Since it was two lane he couldn't just pass me either. I flip the guy off behind me, then he drives up beside me later looking pissed off...like I was the a-hole.

The dude was lucky I am a reserved person and didn't have a cup of something, otherwise I would have thrown it at him.

The moral of the story, there are a-holes and rude people in this world, it's best to ignore them, otherwise it rubs off on you, and you become like them. Focus on the good stuff in life, like the feel of a cool wind on your face, or the sound of the ocean, or the feel of cold water hitting your skin, or well....a good graphic novel with a slice of hot apple pie...you know...with like a scoop of vanilla on it...man that is tasty and....oh...rambling.

*cue the more you know music*

Lisa said...

Yesterday was a full moon wasn't it! I checked it on the web and today is 98% full, so I'm thinking yesterday was full... It is the best explanation I can find for the overwhelming amount of bad behavior that seems to have occurred yesterday in all parts of United States.

Heidi Meeley said...

Eaglewing, it is hard for me to watch this happen at the grocery store. I feel bad because I can't afford what the people ahead of me could. I don't usually buy alcohol, and I don't smoke. I also try not to eat too many sweets, so my cart is full of hopelessly nutritious stuff like fruit and protein. I completely agree with your assessment that it is odd that a person can't afford to eat but they can afford tobacco or booze. Add chips and candy into the mix, and then I get really pissed. I try and stay calm because no matter what I say, this is not going to change the other person. Sometimes I really have to bite my tongue!!

As for the drive thru, it just really made me upset that this lady was ordering that much food at noon. When my company has a lunch in, we try and do it either early or later so it isn't an inconvenience to other workers. God are we naive!!

I loved your comments, Eaglewing. They made me smile. Thank you so much!

Heidi Meeley said...

Lisa, I read your twitter, and it sounds like the last few days haven't been too kind to you. I am so sorry to hear that. The automobile woes and the late comics contribute to ugliness to be sure. I think you have something with this whole full moon thing. I woke up at 3:30 this morning and the moon was so bright that the sky was almost a gray color. I could see my yard and the house across the street with ease, and I wasn't even wearing my glasses, you know?

As I have talked to a few people at work and the club, I would have to agree that the full moon was in effect. They had a bad time too. One co-worker had the flu and another one had a full fledged sore throat. To top it off, the one had a flat tire. It just wasn't good.

With your blessing, I am going to do a post tomorrow asking for horror stories. That is a great idea!

I am thinking about you and your hubby and trying to send good thoughts your way. I am also hoping that your die-hards came back today and were pleased and happy. You deserve a good day!

Heidi Meeley said...

Nick, I love what you said here. It pretty much comes down to what you said. There will always be dickheads and a-holes, and we can choose to let them color our lives or get past it. As you know, I have had my moments, but I am trying hard to be a good girl!!

Thank you so much for your words of wisdom.

Lisa said...

Thanks for the well wishes Heidi! Today was a little better in the store. Thankfully the coupon helped bring people back today. So, while it was about $400 behind what I'd have liked, it was ONLY $400, not $800 or $1000 - which is about what we figured we were down the last time our Wednesday shippment arrived on Thursday. We at least have each other and our health and even though the car is dying and the house is old, we're better off than a lot of others. And I'm sure the sun has got to come out soon.

I am going with the full moon being part of the problem. Crazy drivers, crazy customers at store and Taco Bell drive-thru's... Just too many crazy things have been reported!

Definately ask for stories. It will be great fun!! I have no doubt there are some good ones out there.