Shopping Misadventures

Misadventures is really a misnomer.  Other than two run ins with rather nasty women, both vehicle related, I had a pretty good experience on my frantic shopping marathon yesterday.  Considering I essentially started my Christmas shopping at 2:00 p.m. yesterday, things went exceptionally well.

I didn't have a long list and I thought I had a pretty simple list.  With one exception, this turned out to be the case.  But, that was one heck of an exception.  I visited no fewer than ten stores and three shopping centers, including the Galleria, in search of this particular item and still ended up empty handed.  I was, ultimately, successful, but only after about an hour of quality time with Google.

Yesterday was completely crazy but mission accomplished with no casualties.  Don't get me wrong, everywhere was super crowded, but people we nice, sales people were friendly and helpful and even the parking lots weren't horrible.

I also witnessed marketing at its finest on my late night trip to the Galleria.  Heading out I came upon hundreds of people lining up in front of the Westin's parking garage. At first I thought this was Occupy the Galleria, but no, it turns out that people started lining up on Tuesday to purchase SHOES?!? Sorry, I don't get it.

As for the vehicle issues.   Apparently I am a b*tch because I attempted to explain to a woman, screaming at me to get out of her way, that she was, in fact, attempting to drive the wrong way down a one way (which is why there wasn't room for two cars, duh!).  AND I am evil because I pointed out to the neighbor's home health aide that she had parked in my driveway.  Actually, she hadn't so much parked in my driveway as parked sideways in both my driveway and my neighbor's driveway.  I wasn't really impressed with her "I just had to run back in and get my cell phone" excuse and when I failed to comment on it, I got a nasty "Happy Holidays".  To which I responded, very cheerfully, "Merry Christmas."  Look lady, I'm tired, I have to pee and you are prohibiting me for parking my car, so now I'm blocking traffic. I don't think pointing out that you're blocking my driveway, in the hopes you'll never do it again, is out of line.

RUDE. RUDE. RUDE.

While I (almost) never actually talk to telemarketers, I'll usually talk to pollsters or people doing market surveys. But, I had an experience last night that may result in me never answering my land line at all. (It's not like anyone I actually WANT to talk to even has the number.)

Someone called for my opinion about Harris County politics and I asked how long the survey would take. A reasonable question, I think. Typically, they'll say 5 minutes or no more than 15, usually inaccurate. But hey, how many people would actually agree if they were honest and said 30 minutes?

This time the guy said (I kid you not) "Well, it depends on how you answer, but you're the one holding the phone and you can hang up whenever you want." Huh? I let that slide partly because I couldn't believe he actually said that and partly because I couldn't believe he didn't realize how rude that sounded. (Boy was I wrong.)

I just sort of laughed and said, "well, you've caught me having just poured milk on my cereal.(actually true)." At which point, he interrupted me to say (I couldn't make this stuff up!)

"The last time I ate cereal it only took one hand."

I actually pulled the phone away from my ear and looked at it. (I'm not sure what I was looking for) Here is some guy who called my unlisted phone number after 9:00 p.m.to basically ask me to do him a favor, so he can get paid and he's being a complete and utter a$$.

So, I did something I almost never do. I hung up on him. Not another word, not so much as a good bye. Just click.

In the the split second before I hung up, one clever comeback ran through my head:

"Well, while I'm sure this isn't a problem for you, but I wouldn't want to be rude and crunch in your ear."

Right on the heels of that thought, though, was the realization it would probably have gone right over his head. So, CLICK.

I'm sure he complains constantly to anyone who will listen to him about all the awful people who hang up on him.

White Elephant Gift Exchange Gone Wrong

Whether you call it a White Elephant or Dirty Santa Gift Exchange the game is popular at holiday parties and usually a lot of fun. Some embrace the tradition of the old fashioned "white elephant" gift (e.g. crap) others involve real presents, usually with a price limit specified. Either way, typically, it's a lot of fun.

Granted whatever the type of present involved there's a bit of self-imposed pressure to bring a good gift. Everyone wants the gift they brought to be stolen at least once and it's a lot of fun to bring the gift that everyone wants. It's less fun to have brought the gift that clearly no one wants, but usually everyone has a lot of fun or at least has the good manners to pretend they did.

Until last night. There's always someone in the group who takes it a little too seriously, feels the need to correct the host as they explain the rules, makes sure everyone knows as soon as each gift is "locked" or gets huffy when a gift they really wanted is stolen from them. But last night set a new standard for bad behavior. One couple at the party didn't understand that this was a real gift exchange not a gag gift exchange. So, the items they brought didn't quite fit in with the rest of the stuff. Okay, so a couple of people are going end up with less than fantastic presents. Not exactly a tragedy. The hostess actually opened one of these presents, played it off beautifully, gave the giver in question an appropriate of grief, the giver apologized and explained they had not understood the intent of this particular exchange. No harm, no foul, right?

Not to fast. There was one couple at the party who had been vocal from the beginning, jumping in during the explanation of the rules, keeping track for everyone what was "frozen", etc. Well, the woman proceeded to harangue the person who brought the gag gifts, pointing out the gifts didn't fit in to the price parameters and that information as on the invitation, etc. She would not let it go. It was ridiculous. I have never seen a grown up behave so badly over something so completely silly. Yes, her husband did not get an awesome present, but she walked away with a very nice bottle of vodka. And again, the purpose of these things is to have fun, right? It's not really about the gift itself, usually something given by a stranger or casual acquaintance, so in the best of circumstances it's a crap shoot.

On the upside, I guarantee what people are talking about after the party are not the two gifts that weren't fantastic, they're talking about that woman's awful behavior.

Boundaries

Funny how boundaries only apply to other people....

I was enjoying a lovely bottle of wine with a friend this afternoon in a small, somewhat crowded restaurant and noticed a man shooting me dirty looks. In this restaurant, you find yourself sitting very close to other diners, so even though I didn't think I was speaking loudly, I tried to remember to tone it down. However, he still regularly glared at our booth, so I chalked it up to grumpy old dude and tried to be quiet.

As sensitive as he appeared to be to my animated conversation, he didn't seem to have a problem testing his blood at his table and then lifting up his shirt and giving himself a shot in the middle of the restaurant. Now, I understand how important it is for a diabetic to monitor their blood sugar; my college roommate was diabetic. But, I do think that some things shouldn't be done in the presence of total strangers, especially while they're eating. (I feel the same way about nose blowing...)

The real kicker occurred when I was in line to order our pizza. Our waiter pulled me out of line and offered to take my order. As he was walking me over to the side register, Mr. Grumpy pants waves him over and asks him to take care of his daughter (granddaughter??) who was standing in line BEHIND me. Um, hello, you can hear me, but apparently you can't see me??

I love making new friends!

Customer "Service"

I've expressed my disapproval in the past about customers talking on their cell phones while going through the checkout line, but how about cashiers who talk on the phone while checking people out? I don't know about you, but I'm not a fan of that, either.

(I'm not talking about cashier's talking on their cell phones, because seriously, that should be grounds for disciplinary action.)

If I'm in the process of purchasing something and the cashier feels the need to answer the phone, I think the customer should be placed on hold until our business is concluded. I think talking to anyone on the phone while simultaneously taking my money is rude. (If it's some kind of emergency, politely excuse yourself, I don't mind waiting.) And, hey, Sur La Table girl, don't shoot me a dirty look (while you're on the phone) because I dared to ask you for a bigger bag for the fancy knife I just bought for Father's Day. At that price point, I don't think it's too much to ask for a bag large enough so the item doesn't extend beyond the handles. I wish I'd just waited for Bev, the rockin' salesperson who helped me picked out my knife.

Human Behavior Research Project

I would love to conduct a research project to find out what people are thinking when they flagrantly disregard social mores. I wish I could just ask people, "hey, why did you (park in the handicapped spot/take a phone call in a movie/whatever)?

Let's face it, everybody, at least on occasion, makes the decision to so something they know isn't really cool. Usually, there's a thought process, even if it's fast. I'd love to get some insight into people's thought processes at these times. (I know, I'm easily entertained.) I don't want to give them a hard time, I'm just curious about the reasoning.

Like the group of middle aged adults who chose to have a conference call using the speaker feature on their cell phone in the middle of a busy store. Did it never occur to them that it might be a bit annoying to the people around them to have to listen to all that racket?

Or, what exactly was this person thinking when they parked their giant SUV on top of a big red NO PARKING sign?

There is no way they missed the sign. This was a movie theater, not an airport. So you miss a few minutes of the movie going up a level to find an actual parking space, does it really justify this? Did they realize they were impeding the flow of traffic creating a frustrating and potentially dangerous situation? Maybe they didn't realize they had just turned a two way traffic flow in to a one-way traffic flow and created a huge blind spot. Maybe they didn't care. I don't know, but I'd like to find out. I’m guessing they did realize they wouldn’t be towed. Way too much hassle to tow a car let alone an SUV out of a parking garage, especially one with such low clearance. Oh well, one of the eternal mysteries of life, I guess.

Is Courtesy Dead?

It used to be that a cell phone ringing during a movie would result in someone scrambling to dig out the offending object and turn if off as fast as possible while shrinking in their seat in shame. Not any more, more often than not the reaction is not only answer the phone but have a conversation right there in the theater.

And, it doesn't stop there. Recently, I was attending a workshop and had the misfortune of sitting front of two women who carried on their own conversation off-and-on through the entire 45 minute panel discussion. To say that it was distracting (and irritating) is an understatement. Just as I was getting used to the intermittent whispering I started to hear a low-pitched, but completely understandable conversation on the other end of the row behind me. After a few seconds I realized I could only hear one side of the conversation. Confused, I glanced behind me to see a woman on her cell phone. Now, it's worth noting that this was not a large meeting, only about 60-70 people, so it's not like she was in an anonymous attendee in a sea of hundreds (not that would be okay, either, but...). I'm sorry, I was stunned. She made no effort to leave the room, just sat in the middle of the audience and carried on her conversation. (By the way, this was NOT a meeting of transplant surgeons.)

It's bad enough to deal with the constant whispered side conversations during luncheon presentations, but to talk on your phone during a workshop? I just don't get it.

Although on the subject of luncheon faux pas, nothing (I hope) will ever beat a fund raising lunch I attended, populated largely by the "ladies who lunch" crowd. The wine was flowing and the crowd kept up a restaurant level din throughout not one, but TWO speakers. I wanted to crawl under the table....or start throwing silverware at socialites. Fortunately, everyone did shut up when the keynote speaker was introduced.

So, what is going on here? Have we completely the concept of commont courtesy.

Cell Phone Etiquette Part 2

I've always thought it was tacky, if not downright rude to talk on a cell phone while completing a purchase. But, now that I've spent quite a bit of time over the past few weeks behind a cash register, I have a new perspective.

It doesn't (always) bother me as much as I thought it would. But, here's a secret, cashiers can tell if you're stuck on the phone and/or actually dealing with something important or not. If you're stuck in a situation beyond your control, no harm, no foul. The harried mother trying to deal with the kids with her while talking to the kids back home (and usually apologizing to me the whole time) has my complete sympathy. There are several other types of cellshoppers who also fall in to this category and, truly, I'm not bothered by these situations.

However, the people who are clearly just carrying on extended chit chat sessions are another story. Are you seriously so self-absorbed that you can't take two minutes out of your day to give the cashier your full attention, basic respect and common courtesy. Trust me the people behind you would appreciate it, too. While the first category of cellshopper usually tries hard to wrap everything up as quickly as possible, this second group takes their own sweet time with no regard to the line of people behind them as the fumble one handed with their purchases, their change, etc.

While the register line chatters are rude, there are a group of even worse offenders. People who ask for assistance and STILL carry on their conversations. This is so beyond rude I can't find the words. I have been monopolized by people who asked for my help and then forced me to wait around for them to take a breath so I can get a word in edgewise, usually with a line of other people waiting for assistance.

I can't decide if this is a matter of being unbelievably self-centered, completely oblivious or deluded into thinking that acting this way makes them seem important. (Trust me, no one thinks you're so busy/important/special that you can't get off the phone, they just think you're rude.) I guess it really doesn't matter why they do it, just that they do it. So, once again people, I'm going to say GET OFF THE PHONE!


And don't even get me started on the people who can't take their iPod earphones out...and guess what it's not teenagers.

Get Off the Phone People!

I will admit it, I am occasionally guilty of talking on my cell phone while driving (BAD!), but I'm going to do my best not to do it all moving forward, especially after today. I saw three near misses all caused by people yammering on their cell phones and not paying any attention to what they were doing. In order of potential severity:

1) Two women simultaneously backing out of parking spaces and coming within a foot of backing in to each other. Neither one noticed.

2) A women driving a large sedan pulling out of a shopping center, turning left on to a very busy street at 5:00 p.m. talking on her cell phone, driving with one hand and not even glancing once at on coming traffic.

And the scariest

3) The man who seemed to have forgotten basic driving laws (or maybe he just thinks he's too important to follow them) turning left in front of oncoming traffic. The light turned green and he turned left, right in front of us. I guess he thought he could beat us through the intersection. One hand on the wheel, one hand on his phone, he never even looked at the on coming traffic. What he didn't count on was the car in the right lane that hadn't been stopped at the red light. Fortunately, the woman was able to stop in time and I drive a stick, so I saw what he was doing before I really got going. Ironically, when the car in the right lane almost hit him he was furious.

Seriously people GET OFF THE PHONE!!!

Before I sign off, I have to give a shout out to the man in the blue BMW convertible on Westheimer driving through Montrose at 5:30 p.m. tonight. Thank you for letting me in, I really appreciate it. I swear I was being stupid, not being an a$$hole. I thought the back up was caused by people turning left, I did not realize there were cars parked in the right lane. (Don't you just hate it when people run up the short lane and want to cut over??).

Between the lines, please!

Yes, occasionally, this blog will descend in to venting. I will try to limit the frequency, but sometimes I will be overcome, like today. I wish I had a picture, because it really was ridiculous...four cars taking up seven parking spaces. I'm pretty sure it was a cascade, one person's bad parking job, begets the next person's bad parking job, until finally the car on the end is blithely straddling two parking spaces.

This particular parking lot has normal sized parking spaces and none of these cars were gigantic, so there really isn't a good excuse for the rash of discourteous ineptitude.

Learn to park, people!