Do You Have a Pet Peeve? More Than One?

I never thought of the pinky thing - so I am sitting here with my coffee (no handle just I just got it from Dunkins), I pick it up and automatically put my pinky underneath. Now I pick it up and don't do it. I am now unsure if I am an alcoholic coffee drinker or just suspect to what you are saying.

Thanks alot!

I vote for oblivious.

This first part happened a few years back. One of those instances where the store was really crowded. Someone had their cart at a perfect 45 degree angle in the aisle while standing there staring at the mayonaise. The person was slightly to one side of the center of the aisle, so that one person at a time could gingerly squeeze past. Keep in mind 2 way traffic.

I saw one person actually make physical contact, brushing against the doofus. Of all things, That person was the one who said "Oh. Sorry" to the blocker, who continued to stand there. I mean, this went on well over a minute, and people were now back up either way to the ends of the aisle. I was maybe 2 people back from the road block.

Sometimes I just can't anymore.

I called out...."Excuse me!? Loud enough that just about everyone, including the blocker looked over.

"Do you realize that if you move your cart 2 inches to the left, you'll be able to completely block everyone from moving?

That got their ass moving to one side. Then a wave of people and carts flooded through.


Since then (2nd part) I guess something in me just dissolved. I realized shopping carts, even when they have someone elses stuff in them, are not sacred.
If there is a cart parked catty whumpus in an aisle, even if the person using the cart is standing 2 feet away, I just step over and move it. To hell with that faux politeness of "excuse me? Um, could you please, I don't know, maybe move your cart...you know, if it's not too much trouble?"

I'm not being rude when I move there cart, like don't do it aggressively or with a harumph. No one has ever said anything other than "Oh! Sorry!" But if they did, I'd just say the truth. "You're not aware of your surroundings, so I moved your cart out of my way. I saved you the trouble."

Just don't do that if there is a child in the cart or you will get my wrath. When my child was a toddler some old grumpy lady did that. Now my cart was not blocking an aisle, I had it to the side, but it was blocking some produce this lady wanted access to and I was about a foot at most away from the cart (basically I could reach out and touch my cart), but was back was to it. The lady moved it with my child in it when she could have simply looked at me and asked me to move it.

I came down on her and said you never ever touch a cart with a child in it. I must have looked deranged because she was obviously terrified - I could see it in her eyes. In part because my child was terrified that some strange lady was moving the cart.

I told my child afterwards if anyone does that you have every right to yell out and tell her not to touch it or to yell out for me.

But yeah - a cart with just their food in it - in fair game.

This is starting to really cook. (rubbing hands together in pathetic glee)

A number of times when my path is being blocked, I toss niceties to the side. Sure, I start off pleasantly: 'Excuse me. pardon me.'
then: 'um, pardon me, I need to get by.'

If either of those works, I thank the individual(s) who move. If those do not elicit the desired result. I often bellow: 'Move or die!. That usually does it. I'm relatively short (5'5") and not muscle bound, so they may just figure me to be insane. Whatever it is, I love the result of plenty of space.

Related to blockers are the people, (honestly, usually men) who have their young child for the day, and want to make it a point that you both notice, and comment on them.

They probably do it more towards women in general, and it seems the older I get, the more it happens. I guess because they think I'm grandmothery and just can't wait to get all gushy and baby talky.

The other day I was working Grubhub, and had to go inside a mall to the Chick Filet in the food court. Oh....my....God. I had mistakenly accepted that order before I realized it was the mall address. But oh well, I accepted it.

So CF at a mall food court is a madhouse, a zoo. This day, everyone waiting for their orders and such were trying to keep it in the road, forming an organic "waiting area" and everyone was giving each other their space.

Until.

A dad with his 3 year old, who was wearing her "special outfit" (I really didn't look directly but I could see it was some kind of princess ****) just had to make the rounds getting up in everyone line of sight as they anxiously waited to hear their name called, and get out of there. Just as my order became available, he hit paydirt with with grandmother of some middle aged woman, who just gushed and God Blessed the kid, while said kid was obviously looking the other way.

Yeah, I get it. You love your daughter. But look around you bub. We are knee deep (literally) in people that won't be voting for 14 or 15 years.

The mall is the 7th circle of hell.

Well sure, you shaved your head and wear an eye patch. Of course they think you're insane.

Well of course your story reminded me of another. My son had a French Bull dog named Charger. I don't remember why I had him this paticular day but he was still a small puppy and I had errands to run. I couldn't leave him at my house because I had two grown maniac Vizsla dogs plus he was a PUPPY and would pee all over the house.......so I carted this little bundle around. When I hit my local pharmacy (independent, and the pharmacy techs and pharmacists love animals) and counter ladies were fussing over the puppy, then carried him back so Elliot could see him. This other cranky older lady got excited and was craning her neck to see the 'baby' and asking to see then when she realized it was a puppy her face contorted in disgust and she spat out "I thought you were holding a baby". The clerk just said "well, he's a baby dog" and woman was not amused.

I was a little surprised that she was so 'put out', but really???? Did she really think anyone in their right mind would be passing a tiny baby around like a party favor???

mark

Probably.

You're right, she probably did. I can still she the look on her face all contorted in angry disapproval.

I could also get on board with never ever having to watch and/or hear another 'celebrity' trying to sell something.

This means Joe Namath, Alex Baldwin, James Cordon Matthew McConaughey, Alex Trebek, Wilford Brimley and the others!

Put real, regular life people in these irksome ads.

Home mortgage loan. I'm a celebrity. Would I lie to you?

It peeves me to admit that if the celebrity had donated the fees to charity then I might allow the ad ... bah humbug and curmudgeon.

Ok, I'm just gonna say it.

Matthew McConaughey bugs the hell out of me.

I don't mean as an actor.
As a person.

I have to back you up on this, Matthew has made Lincoln vehicles creepy.

One other creepy ad, it's old but still uber creepy. Bob Dylan posing with a bunch of Victoria Secret models wearing some sort of wonder-bra and decked out with big fluffy angle style wings. It was unsettling and gagworthy.

but highly creative, especially with the music from "Billy the Kid"

Hmph. I didn't know about that ad, and just looked it up.

I think it's just sort of sad that Dylan felt he needed to do that, or frankly, any commercial.

It's like "Is this where you've come to Bob? Selling underwear?" That's true for any iconic person shilling merchandise. Just my opinion.

The ewwwwwwwww factor was too high, he looked like a lech.