What makes me crazy and annoyed..

[maxtog]

Not at all. Both sides are prone to wild exaggeration. Feel free to call me out if and when I start spouting cockeyed conspiracy theories. 
I need to be fortified with some extra-spiked eggnog before studying all those links and references you provided. Thanks.

 

I think you will find I am no hard-right-wing nut.  I want and try to seek the truth, whatever it might be.  All the media is now so sensationalist and biased in one way or another (including Fox) that it is often extremely difficult to know how things really are out there.

[B.D.F.]

Yeah? Would you go so far as to say some of those 'news' channels, with multiple people yelling over each other spouting outrageous statements, stances and "facts" could even be called..... wait for it..... 'The Crazy Channel'? Hmmmmmmm?

Brian

<snip>

 All the media is now so sensationalist and biased in one way or another (including Fox) that it is often extremely difficult to know how things really are out there.

[maxtog]

Yeah? Would you go so far as to say some of those 'news' channels, with multiple people yelling over each other spouting outrageous statements, stances and "facts" could even be called..... wait for it..... 'The Crazy Channel'? Hmmmmmmm?

Well, calmly discussing falsehoods or stupidly "discussing" truthhoods- neither is compelling.

[Conniesaki]

In our area there's a grocery store named Aldi. When it comes to shopping cart management, Aldi has the best idea of ANY grocery store out there. In order to get a cart shoppers have to insert a quarter to unlock the cart and when you return the cart you get a quarter back. As a result, there are virtually zero carts left in the parking lot and all the carts roll true and still have their factory alignment. No need to hire anyone to fetch the carts out of the lot either.

I don't know why all grocery stores don't use this method.

A whopping 25 cents is enough to get all their carts back? Around some of our 'hoods, shoppers walk off the premises with a cart full of their purchases, and then just abandon the cart somewhere near their 'hood-home. Doesn't seem like 25 cents would be enough to dissuade that.

[Conrad]

Now fun is fun and all but you are getting pretty close to the line with this one Conrad. After all, that IS my wife you are talking about!

I would put a ROFLMAO emoticon here but the sad truth is that that is the sad truth. :-(

Been shopping for 40 years and the whole operation is still full of surprises such as 1) Move your cart so that woman can get around you. 2) Move your cart so that man can get around you. 3) Do not leave your cart cross- wise in the middle of the aisle because neither that woman nor that man can get by you. 4) That man is staring at you and would like you to move.... again, just like seven feet ago in this aisle. 5) That man cannot get by you, you have to move your cart. 6) That woman would like to look at / pick up something that is behind the cart you abandoned in front of the milk. 7) That man would like to look at / pick up something that is behind the cart you abandoned in front of the cereal display.  And after this, it starts to get repetitive.

It is not averace, nastiness or even a cavilier attitude that causes this, it is the fact that she is all alone in the store and there is no one else trying to do anything around her. Oh wait, there IS a human trying to get around my cart! Who'd a thunk it? Wow, I have never seen another human in a store before. And so forth..... 

Without a firm hand steering reality, chaos will take over and run things. And that is never, ever pretty.

Brian

Brian, Brian, Brian...

I too have been shopping with such a woman for over 40 years now. The difference is that I found a solution to this problem LONG ago.

Take control of that damn shopping cart man!

YOU have to drive that thing and make it your mission to never be in anyone's way while they're reaching for that box of cereal!

I'll expect a full report after these changes have been implemented.   

[Conrad]

snip...

?? ?? Beats me- I read that story before I posted the link (obviously I was at that link) and I just went back there now. No warning, no interruptions of any kind and I have Norton Premier 'on the job' so it <should> have reported any attacks. ?? I am also using an ad blocker, so perhaps whatever jumped out to you came in the form of a threaded link to an ad(s)?

Brian

Brian

I wasn't blaming you of course, I just let you know as a FYI.

[Conrad]

A whopping 25 cents is enough to get all their carts back? Around some of our 'hoods, shoppers walk off the premises with a cart full of their purchases, and then just abandon the cart somewhere near their 'hood-home. Doesn't seem like 25 cents would be enough to dissuade that.

25 cents seems to be enough but the stores neighborhood is much different than what you described above. I will confess that 25 cents wasn't enough for me to return my cart that other day with the temps hovering around zero.   

[B.D.F.]

Of course, I know that Conrad- I know you meant no offense and none was taken. As the Australians say 'No worries, mate'. :-)

And my response was in the same vein; I again loaded that link in an effort to see if I ran into anything suspicious or malicious, and then just reported back that I did not- though I am sure you did. Not sure what is going on but caveat emptor to everyone on the 'Net, although these days that is kind of a fore-gone conclusion before plugging in the Ethernet unfortunately.

Brian

I wasn't blaming you of course, I just let you know as a FYI.

[Eupher]

In our area there's a grocery store named Aldi. When it comes to shopping cart management, Aldi has the best idea of ANY grocery store out there. In order to get a cart shoppers have to insert a quarter to unlock the cart and when you return the cart you get a quarter back. As a result, there are virtually zero carts left in the parking lot and all the carts roll true and still have their factory alignment. No need to hire anyone to fetch the carts out of the lot either.

I don't know why all grocery stores don't use this method.

I'd say that method does not work well for those who are disabled. They are expected to get the cart in the first place, then put it back when done.

The disabled generally just leave the cart right where they loaded their vehicle. Sometimes pushed up on a curb.

Oh, wait. I see a LOT of able-bodied people doing that too.

Grrrrrrr. 

[maxtog]

I'd say that method does not work well for those who are disabled. They are expected to get the cart in the first place, then put it back when done.

The disabled generally just leave the cart right where they loaded their vehicle. Sometimes pushed up on a curb.

Oh, wait. I see a LOT of able-bodied people doing that too.

Well, SOMEONE out there is likely to see some of those stray carts and want to bring them back and pocket the $0.25 each.  So in that regard, it might still work OK even if some people leave their carts in the lot.

[Eupher]

Well, SOMEONE out there is likely to see some of those stray carts and want to bring them back and pocket the $0.25 each.  So in that regard, it might still work OK even if some people leave their carts in the lot.

Yeah, I admit the Aldi model is better than what the current system is -- but that's not really my point. This is the "what makes me crazy and annoyed..." thread, right?

[VirginiaJim]

Yep!

[maxtog]

Yeah, I admit the Aldi model is better than what the current system is -- but that's not really my point. This is the "what makes me crazy and annoyed..." thread, right?

In that case.... "what makes me crazy and annoyed" about the Aldi carts would be that we should be able to pick up and return the carts closer to the car so we don't have to walk all the way back to the store to get the 25 cents.  There!

[Eupher]

In that case.... "what makes me crazy and annoyed" about the Aldi carts would be that we should be able to pick up and return the carts closer to the car so we don't have to walk all the way back to the store to get the 25 cents.  There!

   Good point. That would help the disabled, but they'd still leave their carts half-parked on the curb. It's the nature of the beast. Then we're right back to making me crazy and annoyed, because it wouldn't be just the disabled doing that.

Circular logic strikes again! Another thing that makes me crazy and annoyed!

[motonerd14]

Well, SOMEONE out there is likely to see some of those stray carts and want to bring them back and pocket the $0.25 each.  So in that regard, it might still work OK even if some people leave their carts in the lot.

I did this in high school to make cigarette money. The machine in the bar down the street from where I lived charged $1.75 for a pack of Marlboro Red in 1999. Those were the days...  (Edit: I'm dyslexic with numbers...)

[Conrad]

In that case.... "what makes me crazy and annoyed" about the Aldi carts would be that we should be able to pick up and return the carts closer to the car so we don't have to walk all the way back to the store to get the 25 cents.  There!

The solution is an easy one, Max. Just part closer to the cart corral and you won't have to strain yourself with SUCH a long walk. The handicapped parking slots are right up there close like so you won't have any issues.   

[maxtog]

The solution is an easy one, Max. Just part closer to the cart corral and you won't have to strain yourself with SUCH a long walk.

Absolutely not.  I usually park as far away as possible so my car isn't damaged by idiots who don't give a F*** about other people's property.  Thus far it has worked.

[Cold Streak]

Absolutely not.  I usually park as far away as possible so my car isn't damaged by idiots who don't give a F*** about other people's property.  Thus far it has worked.

I don't fret about that too much since I drive a 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix or a 1997 GMC Sonoma when I'm not on two wheels.  I cherish a spot next to the cart corral.  Especially in winter time.  I may need to upgrade the stable in the next couple of years however, then I can start getting exercise from the back of the lot again.

[jettawreck]

Absolutely not.  I usually park as far away as possible so my car isn't damaged by idiots who don't give a F*** about other people's property.  Thus far it has worked.

Even that Doesn't seem to work for me. I will park away from all other vehicles only to come out of the store to have some moron(s) right parked next to me-even in a relatively empty outlot.
Once I had my big 24' enclosed trailer behind the Suburban and parked it far away along the side of the lot, across several perpendicular parking spaces only to come out and find some idiot (despite a hundred closer spaces) park right in front of the truck preventing me from getting out. Hard to believe....

[maxtog]

Even that Doesn't seem to work for me. I will park away from all other vehicles only to come out of the store to have some moron(s) right parked next to me-even in a relatively empty outlot.

Yep- that exact same thing for me sometimes.  I will park far away, 6 spaces from anyone, and some jackoff parks right next to me, even with 100 empty spaces all around.   I haven't figured that out.

The ONLY body defect on my G37S happened in the first month of owning it, almost 9 years ago.  I parked 6 spaces away at the post office, went in to deliver mail, came back out, and there was a car parked on my passenger side.  When I got home, I noticed a ding on my passenger door.  Fortunately, I later successfully had it removed (no paint), but it still left a very tiny scratch (non-rusting).  I was furious.