Alright you olds....Listen up....

[JinVA]

Learn to use a freakin' debit card for christ sakes

 

And if thats too much to ask at least have your checkbook in hand with everything but the amount filled in.

[Bullpen]

Cincy, I think he's looking at you!

[The Dean]

Learn to use a freakin' debit card for christ sakes

 

And if thats too much to ask at least have your checkbook in hand with everything but the amount filled in.

 

 

Are you are talking about the speed of the transaction, here?

 

Credit and Debit take about the same amount of time (sign credit, pin for debit). Cash IN HAND should be just as fast (exact change, if you have it, too). (Why do people wait until their item is rung, bagged and the cashier asks them for payment BEFORE they take out their wallet/purse and get the money ready?)

 

As you note, fill out the check as the stuff is being rung, and just add the amount.

 

Try to remember there are people BEHIND you, some of whom actually are in a hurry. Keep the chatter down, if the store is busy.

[aussiew]

Are you are talking about the speed of the transaction, here?

 

Credit and Debit take about the same amount of time (sign credit, pin for debit). Cash IN HAND should be just as fast (exact change, if you have it, too). (Why do people wait until their item is rung, bagged and the cashier asks them for payment BEFORE they take out their wallet/purse and get the money ready?)

 

As you note, fill out the check as the stuff is being rung, and just add the amount.

 

Try to remember there are people BEHIND you, some of whom actually are in a hurry. Keep the chatter down, if the store is busy.

 

Must be time for another of those pet peeves threads....this is #1 on my list.

[Chef Jim]

Learn to use a freakin' debit card for christ sakes

 

And if thats too much to ask at least have your checkbook in hand with everything but the amount filled in.

 

What's a debit card?

[Hammered a Lot]

And you young punks, stay out of the Contractors checkout line at Loews/Home Depot when buying frickin candy bars. Have you ever seen a sideways 2x4........Have you punks?

[stuckincincy]

Cincy, I think he's looking at you!

 

Wise guy...

 

Debit card? DEBIT card? Checks?

 

I pay in CASH for most purchases, unless it's an item where I feel I may need the ability to dispute a charge to enforce resolution of a product problem, checks utility bills, med bills, insurances etc. or card if it's an on-line buy.

 

The action of peeling greenies out of a wallet goes a long way towards not making snap purchases. The more things you buy for cash, the less "gotta have it today" junk one buys, the more cash you seem to retain. Which keeps the collectors from showing up at the door, and one from regretting their decision to choose 2000w speakers over heat in the winter.

 

In my experience...

[Marv's Neighbor]

Irrespective of age there's a fair amount of stupidity on both sides of the Counter!

 

If the freakin register didn't tell the Bozo how much change to give they'd be lost.

 

I always shop at a large chain Grocery store, always sign the check and let the register fill the rest in. Pretty foolproof. Last trip I handed the signed check to the clerk and he didn't know the entry to have the register fill the check out. That's a training deficiency, not age related.

[The Dean]

Irrespective of age there's a fair amount of stupidity on both sides of the Counter!

 

If the freakin register didn't tell the Bozo how much change to give they'd be lost.

 

 

Ain't that the truth. But, the thing is, you still have to COUNT. That there is the bugaboo.

[Johnny Coli]

Sad, that the days where one could go down to the local five and dime and converse, exchange pleasantries, and catch up on the local goings-on with one's neighbors while waiting in line to pay for their 3-in-1 oil or somesuch have been replaced by lines of rude and impatient know-it-alls, too antisocial to avert their gaze from their unshined shoes and in a mad rush to get home to watch what passes for entertainment on the idiot box. One can learn a lot from their fellow citizens, especially our older neighbors who through the benefit of time can be a font of knowledge to be accesssed for those who would only take the time to peel their lips from their can of Red Bull to ask.

[DC Tom]

Are you are talking about the speed of the transaction, here?

 

Credit and Debit take about the same amount of time (sign credit, pin for debit). Cash IN HAND should be just as fast (exact change, if you have it, too). (Why do people wait until their item is rung, bagged and the cashier asks them for payment BEFORE they take out their wallet/purse and get the money ready?)

 

As you note, fill out the check as the stuff is being rung, and just add the amount.

 

Try to remember there are people BEHIND you, some of whom actually are in a hurry. Keep the chatter down, if the store is busy.

 

I don't believe the problem with checks is checks per se, but the fact that they're used by idiots. "Oh, that pack of gum is ninety-eight cents? Can I write a check? Who do I make it out to? Okay, let me get it out of my purse. Oh, my pen doesn't work, do you have one? Here, here's the check...what, you need ID? Okay, let me get my wallet back out of my purse, and get my driver's license...hmmm, it's here somewhere. Oh, here it is. Wait, where are you going with it? Oh, you need manager authorization? Oh, okay. Can I have my receipt so I can enter this into my check register? Thank you...let me get my wallet BACK out of my purse, and I'll just enter this into the register now while I'm standing at the cash register...there, that's done. Thank you...but you know what, I'd like to buy another pack of gum. Can I pay for that with a check?..."

 

 

I !@#$in' hate !@#$in' people.

[DC Tom]

Sad, that the days where one could go down to the local five and dime and converse, exchange pleasantries, and catch up on the local goings-on with one's neighbors while waiting in line to pay for their 3-in-1 oil or somesuch have been replaced by lines of rude and impatient know-it-alls, too antisocial to avert their gaze from their unshined shoes and in a mad rush to get home to watch what passes for entertainment on the idiot box.

 

Damn liberal hippies. [/stuckincincy]

[BUFFALOTONE]

Sad, that the days where one could go down to the local five and dime and converse, exchange pleasantries, and catch up on the local goings-on with one's neighbors while waiting in line to pay for their 3-in-1 oil or somesuch have been replaced by lines of rude and impatient know-it-alls, too antisocial to avert their gaze from their unshined shoes and in a mad rush to get home to watch what passes for entertainment on the idiot box. One can learn a lot from their fellow citizens, especially our older neighbors who through the benefit of time can be a font of knowledge to be accesssed for those who would only take the time to peel their lips from their can of Red Bull to ask.

 

Hmmmm, got something on your mind Pops?

[Johnny Coli]

Hmmmm, got something on your mind Pops?

There was a time when our older neighbors and family members were revered, a time when they were cherished for their wisdom and life experience, not ridiculed and elbowed out of the way for inconveniently paying with real money, using coupons clipped from the local Penny Saver, or heaven forbid paying for their comestibles with a check. Now they are trampled and herded through checkout lanes by caffeined-up simpletons hell-bent on dashing through express lanes and paying for their Entertainment Weeklys and Cheetoes with vitual money on the way to their next pointless errand or high-priced coffee fix.

[stuckincincy]

Sad, that the days where one could go down to the local five and dime and converse, exchange pleasantries, and catch up on the local goings-on with one's neighbors while waiting in line to pay for their 3-in-1 oil or somesuch have been replaced by lines of rude and impatient know-it-alls, too antisocial to avert their gaze from their unshined shoes and in a mad rush to get home to watch what passes for entertainment on the idiot box. One can learn a lot from their fellow citizens, especially our older neighbors who through the benefit of time can be a font of knowledge to be accesssed for those who would only take the time to peel their lips from their can of Red Bull to ask.

 

I recall merchants taking a pencil and adding up one's purchases on the paper bag that they were put in. All cash. You put your payment on the counter; your change was also put on the counter, so you could inspect it.

 

That was still the norm in Europe, last time I was there (1988....cash on the counter, not the scribbling on kraft paper).

 

Charge cards used to be called charge plates.

 

They were made of aluminum, of the same dimensions as today's cards. They were issued to customers of the old-line department stores, as a matter of convenience. There were no carrying charges, because they were not credit accounts. When the bill arrived, the bill was paid in full. Few folks would get themselves in debt if they could avoid it then. You would incur interest for furniture, a vehicle, a house, large repair bills, but that was pretty much it.

 

How things have changed.

 

In Buffalo, shopping downtown used to be THE thing. You would usually take the bus (car ownership was less, plus why bother hunting for parking?). You would transact, and your goods were delivered. Some might recall the brown delivery trucks of the Downtown Merchant's Association. Some might recall the ads in the Buffalo Evening News and the Courier-Express, the illustrations of goods for sale by graphic artists.

 

Those were jobs. The graphic drawings, the deliveries, etc. employed folks. People wring their hands about this or that Administration. The march of technology has cut more livelihoods than any governmental regime could ever do. Of course, their appetite for taxation stuck in the final knife...

[MattyT]

I think I've got the 67 cents in my pocket here somewhere.........

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nope. Don't got it. Can you break $100?

[The Dean]

There was a time when our older neighbors and family members were revered, a time when they were cherished for their wisdom and life experience, not ridiculed and elbowed out of the way for inconveniently paying with real money, using coupons clipped from the local Penny Saver, or heaven forbid paying for their comestibles with a check. Now they are trampled and herded through checkout lanes by caffeined-up simpletons hell-bent on dashing through express lanes and paying for their Entertainment Weeklys and Cheetoes with vitual money on the way to their next pointless errand or high-priced coffee fix.

 

 

It's funny because living here in Florida (Home of the Geezer), and being my own boss and all, I actually operate the way you describe, much of the time. I'm rarely in a hurry, anymore, and love to jabber with the old folks. Still, there is something about inefficiency, and incompetence, that bugs the hell out of me, particularly when the place is busy and/or the line is long.

 

At my local cigar store, where I spend WAY too much time (some nice leather chairs a TV, free coffee and cookies, some decent conversation while smoking and such...I usually spike my coffee, but that's another story...) the relaxed, old-school style is firmly entrenched. But, even there, at times it makes me crazy when chit-chat gets in the way of business...particularly when the owners complain about how bad business is, at the moment. Old Joe (a mythical customer) is chatting away at the register while there are three people in line, and another looking at pipes, or humidors, or Lampe Berger lamps. Instead of telling Joe to have a seat, and relax so they can catch up after the people are taken care of, the owner just chats away. I have seen people walk out before anyone waited on them. I usually just wait on them, myself, but there are times when I don't have the answers to questions they have.

 

So, in general, I think these complaints are targeted at big stores like Walmart (get me the fu#k out of there ASAP) or a big grocery store, Home Depot, etc. (I LOVE the self checkout lanes.) And while I think your post was partly (mostly?) in jest, Johnny, you're right that most of us are missing that relaxed interaction from days gone by...and it is sad, I think. But, even in the situations where that is the norm, and the situation is more relaxed, not everyone has all day to make a simple transaction. The polite thing to do is notice when there are people waiting and offer to let them go ahead of you, while you stand and jabber.

 

 

And now, here is one of my all-time worst experiences with retail incompetence. I'm at Fenway Park (this is many years ago) and I go to get beer. Well, at that time, you had to go to a separate line that only sold beer. The line I was in only sold one kind of beer, draft beer. You were allowed a maximum of TWO beers. So, you choices were:

 

1. One Beer

2. Two Beers

 

That's it! The motherfuc#ing line was very long, and went very slow. I found out why when I got to the front of the line. There were two (or more) people behind the counter. One would as the next customer "What would you like?", the person would order one of the two choices above, THEN they poured the beer, and THEN the cashier would calculate the price (as if it were going to be anything other than one, of two, numbers) and THEN they would count out the change, as if it were going to be different with every transaction. WTF? This thing should have been a well-oiled machine with constant pouring and "One" or "Two" being shouted and change ready for either, on a $20 or $50 bill. No such luck. Missed a couple of innings watching that clusterfu#k.

[buckeyemike]

It's funny because living here in Florida (Home of the Geezer), and being my own boss and all, I actually operate the way you describe, much of the time. I'm rarely in a hurry, anymore, and love to jabber with the old folks. Still, there is something about inefficiency, and incompetence, that bugs the hell out of me, particularly when the place is busy and/or the line is long.

 

At my local cigar store, where I spend WAY too much time (some nice leather chairs a TV, free coffee and cookies, some decent conversation while smoking and such...I usually spike my coffee, but that's another story...) the relaxed, old-school style is firmly entrenched. But, even there, at times it makes me crazy when chit-chat gets in the way of business...particularly when the owners complain about how bad business is, at the moment.

 

Where is this cigar store, Dean?

 

Can I join you there? Please?

[The Dean]

Where is this cigar store, Dean?

 

Can I join you there? Please?

 

 

Right here in sleepy old St Augustine Beach. You're welcome anytime, Mike.

 

http://www.stjorge.com/

[ExiledInIllinois]

Sad, that the days where one could go down to the local five and dime and converse, exchange pleasantries, and catch up on the local goings-on with one's neighbors while waiting in line to pay for their 3-in-1 oil or somesuch have been replaced by lines of rude and impatient know-it-alls, too antisocial to avert their gaze from their unshined shoes and in a mad rush to get home to watch what passes for entertainment on the idiot box. One can learn a lot from their fellow citizens, especially our older neighbors who through the benefit of time can be a font of knowledge to be accesssed for those who would only take the time to peel their lips from their can of Red Bull to ask.

 

 

Exactly!

 

We are the roses in the garden, beauty with thorns among our leaves.

To pick a rose you ask your hands to bleed.

What is the reason for having roses when your blood is shed carelessly?

It must be for something more than vanity.

 

Believe me, the truth is we're not honest, not the people that we dream.

We're not as close as we could be.

Willing to grow but rains are shallow.

Barren and wind-scattered seed on stone and dry land, we will be.

Waiting for the light arisen to flood inside the prison.

And in that time kind words alone will teach us, no bitterness will reach us.

Reason will be guided another way.

 

All in time, but the clock is another demon that devours our time in Eden, in our Paradise.

Will our eyes see well beneath us, flowers all divine?

Is there still time?

If we wake and discover in life a precious love, will that waking become more heavenly?

 

 

 

I wonder if people actually stop to think about others?... Maybe they are not as lucky as some and need that check to to float a day to clear... And feed their family or themselves early. Then again, if they are writing it for the 2000 watt speakers, all bets are off!