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

[braumeister]

The Halloween candy and decorations appeared at the supermarket today.

 

[aja8888]

The Halloween candy and decorations appeared at the supermarket today.

And in Costco today, I saw the $1,499 Xmas tree with all the multi-colored lights blinking.

 

[tmm99]

An acquaintance (around 40 yrs old) posted on FB that she had started a Gofundme for her dad who's terminally ill and most likely will be dead within a year. She wants to take him on his last camping trip by renting an RV and she needs $2,000. She can't afford $2,000 (she says. She's gainfully employed), yet I see her posting going to restaurants, going kayaking (she bought a kayak so she can put it on top of her car and go kayaking at different lakes), and doing different activities. Some people use a terminal illness to get sympathy and collect money. I simply cannot stand stuff like this. I felt like saying "That's what your emergency fund is for! If you don't have enough saved up, use your credit card!" Having said that, my point isn't whether this person is employed or poor. My point is that people nowadays casually ask their friends/acquaintances for money.

Another acquaintance (late 20s or early 30s) started a Gofundme because his bike was stolen and evidently he ended up collecting enough money for him to buy a new bike.

The world has gone insane... Or maybe it's been like this forever and I just didn't know it.

 

[travelover]

An acquaintance (around 40 yrs old) posted on FB that she had started a Gofundme for her dad who's terminally ill and most likely will be dead within a year. ........

My BIL posted a Go Fund me for treating his dog's cancer. Knowing if I contributed on line, he would not get the full amount, I sent him a check instead. He replied, thanks but I don't REALLY need the money.

 

[aja8888]

The world has gone insane... Or maybe it's been like this forever and I just didn't know it.

The internet caused all of this insanity, and throw in a bunch of losers.

 

[W2R]

An acquaintance (around 40 yrs old) posted on FB that she had started a Gofundme for her dad who's terminally ill and most likely will be dead within a year. She wants to take him on his last camping trip by renting an RV and she needs $2,000. She can't afford $2,000 (she says. She's gainfully employed), yet I see her posting going to restaurants, going kayaking (she bought a kayak so she can put it on top of her car and go kayaking at different lakes), and doing different activities. Some people use a terminal illness to get sympathy and collect money. I simply cannot stand stuff like this. I felt like saying "That's what your emergency fund is for! If you don't have enough saved up, use your credit card!" Having said that, my point isn't whether this person is employed or poor. My point is that people nowadays casually ask their friends/acquaintances for money.

Another acquaintance (late 20s or early 30s) started a Gofundme because his bike was stolen and evidently he ended up collecting enough money for him to buy a new bike.

The world has gone insane... Or maybe it's been like this forever and I just didn't know it.

That would annoy me, too! Oh well. At least you know what she is like, now.

 

[travelover]

The internet caused all of this insanity, and throw in a bunch of losers.

I think they were always out there, the internet just gives them a megaphone.

 

[aja8888]

I think they were always out there, the internet just gives them a megaphone.

You said it better than me, thanks.

 

[tmm99]

That would annoy me, too! Oh well. At least you know what she is like, now.

I called her an acquaintance in my post, but I actually considered her a casual friend as I used to go out with her (before the pandemic). Now she's just someone I used to know.

 

[RunningBum]

A few years ago a guy I know raised $10,000 via a crowd funding site so he and a friend (both around 30) could visit 59 national parks in 59 days. Both had decent jobs that they quit to do this. People paid money so these guys could go on vacation and strafe a bunch of parks. His job had been a fundraiser for a university so I guess you could call this a kind of continuing job education. Now he's writing a book. I wonder if he'll reimburse the people who funded him.

 

[folivier]

In earlier days we called people like this beggars.

 

[Chuckanut]

I think they were always out there, the internet just gives them a megaphone.

+1

I would add a big, electronically magnified megaphone.

 

[razztazz]

+1

I would add a big, electronically magnified megaphone.

The elimination of shame and its replacement with an ersatz concept of self-esteem also figures into it.

 

[mountainsoft]

Deceptive and Confusing Coupons!

I went grocery shopping today, checking for coupons online as always. Then I get to the store and see several items with "digital coupons" posted that I didn't see online.

Example 1: Marie Callender's frozen dinners. Posted as $2.99 in the store, but the coupon says "Hidden Valley Salad Dressing"? Yeah, if you look close you can see a tiny frozen dinner box in the background of the photo, but it's kind of confusing. Especially as you're scanning through hundreds of coupons on the web site. Who has the time to read the fine print on every coupon?

Example 2: This one irked me the most. I wanted a box of Kelloggs Special K cereal. The online coupon for Special K showed $4.03, with two other coupons for Kelloggs cereals at $1 off, and $2.49 each (all on the same page). Which is it? At the store it showed the price as $5.99, with an in store price of $3.99. That didn't match any coupon? It also listed the "digital coupon" as $2.49. I didn't see that online when I was looking through the coupon list (The photo shows Raisin bran and cereal bars). So, I tried scanning the bar code in the store with the app to confirm. It pulled up something like 20 different items, none of which were Kellogg cereals (spaghetti, ground beef, etc.). Grrr... So I tried searching for Special K. Nope, no deals found. What about cereal? Nope, couldn't find it that way either. I finally searched for Kellogg and saw that misleading photo again. I had to open it and see the details of which items it applied to. In the end I finally got the $2.49 price, but it was huge hassle, and I still had to review the receipt when I got to the car to decipher whether I really got the deal or not.

Unfortunately, I have been burned multiple times thinking I selected a coupon for something, and ended up paying full price because I didn't select the right coupon. In recent months I have also avoided buying some items on sale because I wasn't sure the deal would be applied and didn't want to take the chance (I don't want to pay $9 for an item that was posted at $1.50).

Even watching the monitor at the store while they are ringing items up doesn't help. It shows the full price on the screen, occasionally with a sale price that doesn't match anything. Then "deals" are deducted at the end of the transaction with cryptic abbreviated names that make no sense and scroll by so fast you can't read them anyway.

The mobile app is terrible. Scanning bar codes almost always brings up completely unrelated items, if it finds anything at all. Searching manually is equally frustrating, as it's always a guessing game what an item will be found under (ice cream, frozen, Tillamook, etc.).

I really wish every item just had the lowest price listed already. None of these coupon games. If it's available at a lower price, post it that way. At the very least, limit items to one discounted price. Not an in store discount, a manufacturer discount, a special purchase discount, a bulk discount, a digital only coupon, etc...

I suppose I could just "clip" every single item in the coupon list. That would take forever with hundreds of items, and I'd probably still end up paying full price by being out of the sale date range or something. Sheesh!

 

[aaronc879]

I went grocery shopping today, checking for coupons online as always. Then I get to the store and see several items with "digital coupons" posted that I didn't see online.

Example 1: Marie Callender's frozen dinners. Posted as $2.99 in the store, but the coupon says "Hidden Valley Salad Dressing"? Yeah, if you look close you can see a tiny frozen dinner box in the background of the photo, but it's kind of confusing. Especially as you're scanning through hundreds of coupons on the web site. Who has the time to read the fine print on every coupon?

Example 2: This one irked me the most. I wanted a box of Kelloggs Special K cereal. The online coupon for Special K showed $4.03, with two other coupons for Kelloggs cereals at $1 off, and $2.49 each (all on the same page). Which is it? At the store it showed the price as $5.99, with an in store price of $3.99. That didn't match any coupon? It also listed the "digital coupon" as $2.49. I didn't see that online when I was looking through the coupon list (The photo shows Raisin bran and cereal bars). So, I tried scanning the bar code in the store with the app to confirm. It pulled up something like 20 different items, none of which were Kellogg cereals (spaghetti, ground beef, etc.). Grrr... So I tried searching for Special K. Nope, no deals found. What about cereal? Nope, couldn't find it that way either. I finally searched for Kellogg and saw that misleading photo again. I had to open it and see the details of which items it applied to. In the end I finally got the $2.49 price, but it was huge hassle, and I still had to review the receipt when I got to the car to decipher whether I really got the deal or not.

Unfortunately, I have been burned multiple times thinking I selected a coupon for something, and ended up paying full price because I didn't select the right coupon. In recent months I have also avoided buying some items on sale because I wasn't sure the deal would be applied and didn't want to take the chance (I don't want to pay $9 for an item that was posted at $1.50).

Even watching the monitor at the store while they are ringing items up doesn't help. It shows the full price on the screen, occasionally with a sale price that doesn't match anything. Then "deals" are deducted at the end of the transaction with cryptic abbreviated names that make no sense and scroll by so fast you can't read them anyway.

The mobile app is terrible. Scanning bar codes almost always brings up completely unrelated items, if it finds anything at all. Searching manually is equally frustrating, as it's always a guessing game what an item will be found under (ice cream, frozen, Tillamook, etc.).

I really wish every item just had the lowest price listed already. None of these coupon games. If it's available at a lower price, post it that way. At the very least, limit items to one discounted price. Not an in store discount, a manufacturer discount, a special purchase discount, a bulk discount, a digital only coupon, etc...

I suppose I could just "clip" every single item in the coupon list. That would take forever with hundreds of items, and I'd probably still end up paying full price by being out of the sale date range or something. Sheesh!

The one thing i'm good at is basic math. I add up my items as I shop so I have a close estimate of what the total should be. I have gone to customer service a couple times because the total was off by several dollars. I'm sure I have unknowingly overpaid a few times over the years so if I am undercharged I do not say anything. At least 75% of what I buy is on sale so it pays to keep track.

 

[Gumby]

I mostly shop at Aldi's, and they don't take coupons. Even when I don't, I rarely buy brand name groceries; you're just paying for the advertising if you do.

 

[Pluperfect]

I think they were always out there, the internet just gives them a megaphone.

I firmly believe that the only thing social media has given us is the opportunity to be our worst selves.

 

[ivinsfan]

I firmly believe that the only thing social media has given us is the opportunity to be our worst selves.

Not always. For example a female cousin of DH's who I was very close to died quickly from an awful cancer this Summer..she has a mid 50 age son who because of distance and stuff I don't really know or see at all.


He's been posting on FB since Mom became ill and died. Lovely pics of her, and memories and saying that he is struggling. So we talked at her funeral and he told me his Mom spoke often of me which felt good. I have gotten in the habit whenever his says something about his Mom of logging on to messenger and sending a private message. About his Mom, or about how I dealt with the grief of my parents, how its OK to feel sad and/or lost and someday the good memories of his Mom will help counteract his grief. I never would have been able to do this ITM before social media. I don't know that I would have done it at all.



We can use social media to be our best selves if we want to.

 

[GalaxyBoy]

The post office is an easy target for a pet peeve. My Amazon package was due today and the USPS tracking showed it arrived in my city early this morning. Then for some weird reason it showed it arrived at some podunk town I never heard of, a hundred miles away. This isn’t the first time something like this has happened. Oh well, I’ll get it tomorrow.

 

[John Galt III]

Self checkout screens that don't make sense. Had another one today. At Walmart. They change them about every 3 months for some reason. There was what looked like a button on the touch-screen that said 'pay $45.23' so I pushed on it and nothing happened. No other option anywhere. Kept pushing it, nothing. Clerk came over and said I was supposed to pay without telling the machine whether it was going to be debit, credit, or cash. OK, I can do that. Now don't change it again in three months!

 

[statsman]

The Halloween candy and decorations appeared at the supermarket today.

Nothing more sensible than buying Halloween candy 2 1/2 months before Halloween, with a month of summer left, in 100+ degree weather.

We used to start buying Halloween candy on October 1. But given the supply issues which may never go away, who knows what will available then.

 

[aja8888]

Nothing more sensible than buying Halloween candy 2 1/2 months before Halloween, with a month of summer left, in 100+ degree weather.

We used to start buying Halloween candy on October 1. But given the supply issues which may never go away, who knows what will available then.

You can get a Xmas tree at Costco now too!

 

[EarlyandLate]

Self checkout screens that don't make sense. Had another one today. At Walmart. They change them about every 3 months for some reason. There was what looked like a button on the touch-screen that said 'pay $45.23' so I pushed on it and nothing happened. No other option anywhere. Kept pushing it, nothing. Clerk came over and said I was supposed to pay without telling the machine whether it was going to be debit, credit, or cash. OK, I can do that. Now don't change it again in three months!

I recently went to a small local chain grocery store while visiting my dad. Contrary to every self checkout I have used before, theirs required you to put in the produce code and confirm the item BEFORE placing it on the scale. I put my bananas on the scale first and then the screen locked up and I couldn't do anything. The clerk had to intervene. I think the machines were branded Toshiba, which I've never seen in a store before.

 

[Time2]

Self checkout screens that don't make sense. Had another one today. At Walmart.

Arrgh! Went to Walmart for one item, the two end lines had 6 and the other 7 people waiting, the self checkout had more. What ticked my off there were two lines that had just closed (light out) and they were finishing up the people in line. I just put my item down and left, discussed.

And another thing, I was in Lowes in a hurry because I had a drop off at a store that closed at 8pm, I had enough time but I got inline and the cashier knows the people and is having a nice discussion about buying their house, what the are going use the shovel purchases for and it droned on and on.
I made it on time.
Not sure why I don't patience for these things, I used to not care about a wait, I'd just get my phone and read. This is only since I started eating Carnivore, I have loads of energy and I'm doing things and have things to get done. Get out of my way !

 

[John Galt III]

The ever-increasing number of things I like to do that now REQUIRE me to own a smartphone and pay a monthly subscription fee. Don't want or need either. At least should not need it. The latest thing to be victim of the digital fascism is football tickets to certain stadiums. You can't buy a paper ticket anymore. No more scalping. No more negotiating during the tailgating, for a cheap ticket from a scalper. The digital fascists state that it is all about reducing counterfeiting, and making thins 'easier'. Ha Ha. What a load. I was OK with risking the counterfeit tickets. Maybe I was lucky, but I never had a problem with it. And digital coupons at checkout. Need a smartphone. Now get off my lawn, you digital whippersnappers !