What is your pet peeve of the day? -- 2021

[youbet]

For that matter, why don't they make smaller containers of food products?

Cost. The smaller jar or can costs almost as much as the larger so the cost per unit of measure for the product can increase substantially.

In today's grocery flier....... One gallon of milk = $3.49. One-half gallon of milk = $2.49.

 

[Walt34]

I think they spread it just fine, but YMMV as some people seem to think they are painting a Picaso when spreading condiments on bread.

DW is one of those. She spreads peanut butter so thin you can see bread through the layer. "Dear, it's peanut butter. We can afford as much as you want." She says that's because that's the way her Mom made it. With five kids I guess she had to spread it thin then.

When I use it, it's not a sammich if the PB is not at least a quarter-inch thick.

 

[aja8888]

Why do they make food jars so tall with narrow openings at the top, like mayonnaise or peanut butter jars? When you get near the bottom it's impossible to get the food out with a knife. Then you have to resort to a spatula and still end up with mayo or peanut butter all over the spatula handle and your hand. I wish they made shorter, wider containers with bigger openings you could actually reach into. A more cubical shape should use less plastic too.

For that matter, why don't they make smaller containers of food products? There are a lot of items we buy like salad dressings, or other condiments that expire before we can use the entire bottle. We just don't use them that much. A little 4-6 ounce container would be more than enough for most items. There would be less waste and they shouldn't cost as much. I have occasionally seen tiny bottles of ketchup, mustard, mayo, and relish. But those are exceptions and aren't reliably available.

With respect to large, cylindrical jars like for peanut butter, the manufacturer probably selected that kind of container on cost per unit, and also probably ease of machine filing. Packaging and filling equipment is very specialized and a lot of thought goes into design criteria for handling, filling, packaging, etc.

Containerizing goods is a whole industry and it's pretty specialized. I've been to a few contract packaging plants in my career and I was surprised at the effort that went into that field of work.

DW was not using her coffee creamer fast enough and I was tired of dumping 1/2 a bottle, so I now order the little tiny restaurant size cups by the box. You can order all kinds of small packaged good for individual use and get rid of most of your large containers.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

With respect to large, cylindrical jars like for peanut butter, the manufacturer probably selected that kind of container on cost per unit, and also probably ease of machine filing. Packaging and filling equipment is very specialized and a lot of thought goes into design criteria for handling, filling, packaging, etc.

Containerizing goods is a whole industry and it's pretty specialized. I've been to a few contract packaging plants in my career and I was surprised at the effort that went into that field of work.

DW was not using her coffee creamer fast enough and I was tired of dumping 1/2 a bottle, so I now order the little tiny restaurant size cups by the box. You can order all kinds of small packaged good for individual use and get rid of most of your large containers.

Speaking of packaging...I am still miffed that hot dogs tend to come in packs of 8 while the buns are packs of 10. I know there are exceptions but still...

 

[aja8888]

Speaking of packaging...I am still miffed that hot dogs tend to come in packs of 8 while the buns are packs of 10. I know there are exceptions but still...

I guess those different manufacturers don't talk to each other.

 

[braumeister]

Speaking of packaging...I am still miffed that hot dogs tend to come in packs of 8 while the buns are packs of 10. I know there are exceptions but still...

Buy five packages of hot dogs and four of buns. Then invite us over.

 

[ERD50]

Cost. The smaller jar or can costs almost as much as the larger so the cost per unit of measure for the product can increase substantially.

In today's grocery flier....... One gallon of milk = $3.49. One-half gallon of milk = $2.49.

Yes, but if you only use 1/2 gallon before it goes bad, $2.49 is still cheaper than $3.49. And takes up less room the fridge.

-ERD50

 

[Momcpa]

My Pet Peeve of the Day: this time of year I usually buy up a bunch of school supplies and then donate them to the local Food Pantry. So today I start looking for supplies. They had little glue sticks the kids use.....packaged 2 ways. You could get two in a package for $.54/package. Or you could buy 6 in a package (same brand, same product) for $2.87. In other words the "convenience" of the larger package costs me an extra $1.25 .
What ?

 

[Venturer]

My Pet Peeve of the Day: this time of year I usually buy up a bunch of school supplies and then donate them to the local Food Pantry. So today I start looking for supplies. They had little glue sticks the kids use.....packaged 2 ways. You could get two in a package for $.54/package. Or you could buy 6 in a package (same brand, same product) for $2.87. In other words the "convenience" of the larger package costs me an extra $1.25 .
What ?

Because they know that "most" of the consumers of their product will be poorly educated parents who won't look at the cost per piece & think more is better.

 

[Walt34]

My Pet Peeve of the Day: this time of year I usually buy up a bunch of school supplies and then donate them to the local Food Pantry. So today I start looking for supplies. They had little glue sticks the kids use.....packaged 2 ways. You could get two in a package for $.54/package. Or you could buy 6 in a package (same brand, same product) for $2.87. In other words the "convenience" of the larger package costs me an extra $1.25 .
What ?

They're just checking to see if all those lessons in arithmetic and critical thinking are actually working.

 

[Chuckanut]

My Pet Peeve of the Day: this time of year I usually buy up a bunch of school supplies and then donate them to the local Food Pantry. So today I start looking for supplies. They had little glue sticks the kids use.....packaged 2 ways. You could get two in a package for $.54/package. Or you could buy 6 in a package (same brand, same product) for $2.87. In other words the "convenience" of the larger package costs me an extra $1.25 .
What ?

You are a great example of somebody who paid attention when Mental Math skills were taught. If I was still teaching I would use you to answer the age old question, "When are we going to use this stuff?"

 

[Gumby]

They're just checking to see if all those lessons in arithmetic and critical thinking are actually working.

When the young wife taught math at the alternative high school, the way she got them to buy in was to tell them that she was teaching them how to avoid getting ripped off. So they would do things like calculate whether it was better to drive 10 miles out of your way to get gas 5 cents per gallon cheaper, or they would figure what was the best deal on cell phone plans, or whether they should take the 20% off deal or pay less elsewhere. She also taught them how the games at the casino work and why every wager has a negative expected value.

 

[Walt34]

... She also taught them how the games at the casino work and why every wager has a negative expected value.

I would have loved to have had a teacher like her, who taught lessons that were actually useful in everyday real life. Too many stuck to the abstract useless and boring junk in the textbooks that put everyone, including myself, right to sleep. In hindsight, I have to wonder how even the teachers stayed awake.

 

[Chuckanut]

I would have loved to have had a teacher like her, who taught lessons that were actually useful in everyday real life. Too many stuck to the abstract useless and boring junk in the textbooks that put everyone, including myself, right to sleep. In hindsight, I have to wonder how even the teachers stayed awake.

When you are ordered to "teach the curriculum", you do it. And when the standardized tests rate the students, the school and YOU, based upon how well they know that curriculum, well.....

I guess that's why I am a big fan of charter schools as long as the playing field is even.

 

[COcheesehead]

Trying to grocery shop and having the personal shoppers pushing big boxy carts in the same isle with 5-7 other people.
They should pick all orders after hours. If you order on line, you can wait a day.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

I would have loved to have had a teacher like her, who taught lessons that were actually useful in everyday real life. Too many stuck to the abstract useless and boring junk in the textbooks that put everyone, including myself, right to sleep. In hindsight, I have to wonder how even the teachers stayed awake.

Reminds me of a time I was sent to the principal's office. Why? Well, a friend and I figured out about a week into our geometry class that the teacher had no clue what she was talking about. She would only teach the examples out of the book and then tell us to start on the homework. If you pressed her to show additional examples or expound on what she was saying, she couldn't. Well, she thought we were being disrespectful so sent us to be counseled about our unruly ways.

I think that was the same year I got in trouble for refusing to fill out some ridiculous vocabulary book. From a very young age, my parents beat "advanced" vocabulary into me, so the vocabulary that was assigned wasn't suitable to the level in which I could perform. Even though I could answer any questions asked when it came review time, I would "fail" the assignment for not completing it. College suited me much better; no busy work, just exams.

 

[JoeWras]

When the young wife taught math at the alternative high school, the way she got them to buy in was to tell them that she was teaching them how to avoid getting ripped off. So they would do things like calculate whether it was better to drive 10 miles out of your way to get gas 5 cents per gallon cheaper, or they would figure what was the best deal on cell phone plans, or whether they should take the 20% off deal or pay less elsewhere. She also taught them how the games at the casino work and why every wager has a negative expected value.

Great teacher! Much better than mine who had us do the old problem that went like this:

You have a full cylinder holding liquid 1m high with a radius of .5m. Given that you have a drain that releases 1 cu m per hour, how long will it take to reach a liquid level of 0.5 m if new liquid is added at <a certain rate less than 1 cu m per hour>. Not too difficult, but what am I, a drug mixing technician?

I'd much rather worry about gambling, gas prices or cell phone plans.

Love the real world applications! And the gambling is no joke. Just look at the lottery, and the people who frequent them at a high rate.

 

[ERD50]

When the young wife taught math at the alternative high school, the way she got them to buy in was to tell them that she was teaching them how to avoid getting ripped off. So they would do things like calculate whether it was better to drive 10 miles out of your way to get gas 5 cents per gallon cheaper, or they would figure what was the best deal on cell phone plans, or whether they should take the 20% off deal or pay less elsewhere. She also taught them how the games at the casino work and why every wager has a negative expected value.

Very good, I like it! I'll discuss this with DD, she teaches 8th grade math, and has taught HS math.

She was/is a math wiz, Aced the most advanced classes she could take in HS with ease, majored in math at U of I, and got whatever credentials she needed to teach.

I kid her that she's too good at math to teach, she won't understand how to help kids that struggle (typical of many people who know stuff in any field, but can't explain it well to others without that same level of knowledge). But she apparently got training (or self taught?) in how to do that. I read an article about grading math homework/exams, and the key for the teacher was to understand how the student came up with that particular wrong answer, so they could walk them through where they went wrong. She was familiar with that technique, so I was pleased about that.

-ERD50

 

[Markola]

Xfinity!!!!!

Rant concluded. I feel better. [emoji253]

 

[ShokWaveRider]

What REALLY grinds my gears is the fact one has to "OPT OUT" of letting companies Use and Sell one's personal data. If the Gubment could do anything useful (Not holding much hope, my donations are not big enough), it would pass a law that mandated the default for any company with respect to data would be OPT OUT. One should have to "Opt In" if desired.

 

[MRG]

Yesterday we left Reykjavik for Durango, only made it to Denver and spent the night at a major hotel chair paid for by the airline.

OMG I would have paid out of pocket for something, anything else better, cleaner, without the smells. I can't believe thus place is inspected by anyone. Most of the electric sockets don't work because the plugs fall out. No inspection on the elevator, didn't notice that on the way up. Not sure we're going to take down.

The highlight is the breakfast area. My feet stuck to the floor! I was going to tell the front desk but I noticed he was sticking to it and seemed to think it was normal.

 

[razztazz]

What REALLY grinds my gears is the fact one has to "OPT OUT" of letting companies Use and Sell one's personal data. If the Gubment could do anything useful (Not holding much hope, my donations are not big enough), it would pass a law that mandated the default for any company with respect to data would be OPT OUT. One should have to "Opt In" if desired.

Hey, it's business. They're just trying to make a living. Don't get the Government involved. They'll just ruin it. That'll be the cry. Don't tell me how to run my business.

What they could easily do is treat every normal person like a dead celebrity and give them control of their "public image." Simply pass a law declaring all personal data "intellectual property". (Since intellectual property is only what we say it is. It doesn't exist in nature.) Then force anyone using it to pay for it. Every time it's used. For 70 years after the death of the person whose data is being used, just like paying royalties to Billy Joel for singing Piano man. It's capitalism. Make them pay for it. No free lunch. No free source material. I'm sure they'll come up with a million reasons why all of a sudden it's bad

 

[JoeWras]

Having a plastic food container lid slip to the bottom of the dishwasher and get baked and melted by the heating element. This is one nasty pet peeve of mine!

 

[travelover]

What REALLY grinds my gears is the fact one has to "OPT OUT" of letting companies Use and Sell one's personal data. .......

But...but you agreed to it when you clicked on that simple one hundred paragraph "contract".

 

[mountainsoft]

Garbage Carts

Our garbage company is switching to wheeled garbage carts so they can use automated trucks instead of the drivers having to lift them in. Sounds good, our recycling bin has been that way for years.

However, I have two garbage cans. We use one for the house and miscellaneous garbage, and a second can I keep in the garage for my shop garbage. We rarely fill up our normal garbage can, so when the garage can gets full I put it out INSTEAD of our normal can. Basically, I alternate which can goes out to the road, but never put out more than one can at a time.

So I asked the garbage company if I could get a second wheeled cart to use in the garage like this. They sent me a direct "NO" but they could upgrade me to a larger can. Obviously that's not what I wanted. We don't fill up our normal can, I don't need a bigger one. I need two cans in different locations. It's just not convenient to take garbage from the garage out to the house garbage can as I'm working.

So I contacted them again, clarifying I don't want to put more garbage out, I just want a second cart I can alternate as needed. I even offered to BUY the extra cart if they just let me know how much it was. Again, they said NO, but they could give me a second cart for an additional $17 per month. Are you kidding me? No way am I paying a monthly fee just to have a second can.

I was just trying to be consistent and make things easy on the drivers. I guess the garbage gods feel their plastic carts are some kind of prized possession. So I'll just put out my normal garage garbage can as needed and make the driver lift it manually.

Sheesh, talk about inflexibility.