Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Office Supply Store Rip-Offs.
When is a sale not really a sale?
When the retailer is miserly cheap about it, and hides it in fine print.
Case example: I went to Staples, hoping to get a good deal on some disposable mechanical pencils. My spouse told me that (at the time of this writing,) the local Staples had packages of disposable mechanical pencils for 25 cents each in Staples’ back to school sale.
Since my children really love to use them at school, and they go through several of them every year, I picked up eight packages. I get to the register and my total comes to $16 and some odd cents.
W.T.F. ?
The cashier told me there is a limit of two per customer. Like, really, can’t I read? It’s on the sign at the display. I checked the sign. The disclaimer was printed in type smaller than a rat’s ass. Oh, I see. That’s makes it all nice, tidy, and legal.
First off, it’s not any kind of bargain worth wasting my gas coming to the store if I can only get two measly packages. Second, hiding things in fine print might be legal, but it sure as hell is not good customer service. Treat people like fools in that manner, and you can kiss customers goodbye.
That’s not the half of it. I desperately needed an ink refill for my printer. I have a super important project due. Unbeknownst to me at the time, the computer printer industry has undergone heavy consolidation lately, and most retailers only carry Canon, Lexmark, and HP. Not only that, but you can’t buy generic ink refills any more – the major brands have been cutting deals to chase the generics out of the market.
I simply refuse to pay the over-inflated prices of name brand ink. That’s like paying $500 for an alternator at a dealer when you can buy a re-built one for $89 at the auto parts store. It’s monopolistic restraint of trade, and retail piracy. I don’t stand for it.
So, the store person had to explain to me why I had to pay a king’s ransom for my ink. He did so with obvious disdain. What rock have I been hiding under? Why can’t I see the “obvious” advantages of genuine HP ink?
Even if I had the money they wanted for it, they didn’t even have the right cartridge I needed. So guess what? I gave the arrogant, computer nerd punk ass clerk a good “fuck you” in my mind, and I went to Wal Mart. They had plenty on hand of everything I needed and at a lower price. I mean, like right out of a cheesy customer testimonial on a commercial.
I absolutely hate both Staples and OfficeMax for just these reasons. Arrogant clerks and mis-leading advertising. Fuck that.
When the retailer is miserly cheap about it, and hides it in fine print.
Case example: I went to Staples, hoping to get a good deal on some disposable mechanical pencils. My spouse told me that (at the time of this writing,) the local Staples had packages of disposable mechanical pencils for 25 cents each in Staples’ back to school sale.
Since my children really love to use them at school, and they go through several of them every year, I picked up eight packages. I get to the register and my total comes to $16 and some odd cents.
W.T.F. ?
The cashier told me there is a limit of two per customer. Like, really, can’t I read? It’s on the sign at the display. I checked the sign. The disclaimer was printed in type smaller than a rat’s ass. Oh, I see. That’s makes it all nice, tidy, and legal.
First off, it’s not any kind of bargain worth wasting my gas coming to the store if I can only get two measly packages. Second, hiding things in fine print might be legal, but it sure as hell is not good customer service. Treat people like fools in that manner, and you can kiss customers goodbye.
That’s not the half of it. I desperately needed an ink refill for my printer. I have a super important project due. Unbeknownst to me at the time, the computer printer industry has undergone heavy consolidation lately, and most retailers only carry Canon, Lexmark, and HP. Not only that, but you can’t buy generic ink refills any more – the major brands have been cutting deals to chase the generics out of the market.
I simply refuse to pay the over-inflated prices of name brand ink. That’s like paying $500 for an alternator at a dealer when you can buy a re-built one for $89 at the auto parts store. It’s monopolistic restraint of trade, and retail piracy. I don’t stand for it.
So, the store person had to explain to me why I had to pay a king’s ransom for my ink. He did so with obvious disdain. What rock have I been hiding under? Why can’t I see the “obvious” advantages of genuine HP ink?
Even if I had the money they wanted for it, they didn’t even have the right cartridge I needed. So guess what? I gave the arrogant, computer nerd punk ass clerk a good “fuck you” in my mind, and I went to Wal Mart. They had plenty on hand of everything I needed and at a lower price. I mean, like right out of a cheesy customer testimonial on a commercial.
I absolutely hate both Staples and OfficeMax for just these reasons. Arrogant clerks and mis-leading advertising. Fuck that.
Put My Cheese Back, and F* off.
Sacred Cows and Finely Ground Beef.
You know the old saying about sacred cows – they make great hamburgers.
Yesterday I was browsing through the business section of my favorite book store. I saw several copies that old ivory tower management fad hack piece, “Who Moved My Cheese?” That’s the book which says we must always change, whether we need it or not:
• It says management should always cram change down people’s throats, whether they want it or not.
• It says that people who resist change are stupid, incompetent, stubborn morons and they should always feel guilty for resisting change.
• It says that people who resist change are disloyal to their company, and are worse that kitten-stomping axe murderers.
• It says we should never question management whenever they demand change, but instead we should always suspend our reason and common sense.
• We should just simply accept the word of management when they introduce change.
• When it becomes obvious the change is a bad disaster, we must suspend our reason again and ignore all evidence against the change.
• It says that all change is good, and there is no such thing as change that is badly planned and poorly executed.
• It says we should ignore all examples in history where bad change led to bad results, destroying businesses, governments, and entire populations. (Hitler, Stalin, the Khmer Rouge, and New Coke come to mind.)
If there is one “silver bullet” management fad that I absolutely HATE, its “change worship.” The one thing I hate worse than “change worship,” is people who are change “worshipers.” These are the people who take their brains out of their head and leave them at the door when they go to work in the morning.
I’m thinking of writing a book, and calling it “Put My Freakin Cheese Back, or You’ll Loose Your Arm.”
You know the old saying about sacred cows – they make great hamburgers.
Yesterday I was browsing through the business section of my favorite book store. I saw several copies that old ivory tower management fad hack piece, “Who Moved My Cheese?” That’s the book which says we must always change, whether we need it or not:
• It says management should always cram change down people’s throats, whether they want it or not.
• It says that people who resist change are stupid, incompetent, stubborn morons and they should always feel guilty for resisting change.
• It says that people who resist change are disloyal to their company, and are worse that kitten-stomping axe murderers.
• It says we should never question management whenever they demand change, but instead we should always suspend our reason and common sense.
• We should just simply accept the word of management when they introduce change.
• When it becomes obvious the change is a bad disaster, we must suspend our reason again and ignore all evidence against the change.
• It says that all change is good, and there is no such thing as change that is badly planned and poorly executed.
• It says we should ignore all examples in history where bad change led to bad results, destroying businesses, governments, and entire populations. (Hitler, Stalin, the Khmer Rouge, and New Coke come to mind.)
If there is one “silver bullet” management fad that I absolutely HATE, its “change worship.” The one thing I hate worse than “change worship,” is people who are change “worshipers.” These are the people who take their brains out of their head and leave them at the door when they go to work in the morning.
I’m thinking of writing a book, and calling it “Put My Freakin Cheese Back, or You’ll Loose Your Arm.”
Monday, March 9, 2009
How Sweet It Is
In earlier entries I had mentioned having dreams about the local Target getting hit by a tornado. A couple of weeks ago, the store that fired me got hit by a Tornado and sustained considerable damage to the roof.
Payback is a bitch, baby.
Also: apparently Target has problems with the accuracy of their prices, especially on items marked down for sale. When customer try to complain about being overcharged, they are met with customary Target rudeness. (how those employees get to keep their jobs when I lost mine is beyond me.)
You can find the nice details about false advertising at Target right here at this link:
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/retail/target_pricing.html
Have a nice day, shoppers!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Just Shoot Me.
Right now I'm having to deal with someone who continually puts upon me problems I don't ask for or deserve, after all that I've done in the past to put up with them and the things that they do, after all I've done to go out of my way to help them get things that they want. To top it all off, this person has the nerve to bad mouth me continually behind my back to all her friends. One of these days, something is going to change, and it may not be pleasant for someone.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
More Video Gamer Loser-dom.
In previous posts I've ranted about the absolute worthless losers who would get bent out of shape over the Nintendo Wii when I worked the electronics counter at Target.
Here's some more lovely idiocy that goes along with that:
Couple gets in fight over Wii. [link]
The guy gets pissed off because his girlfriend bought him a Wii, instead of the remote controlled plane he wanted. She starts to leave, he starts to whoop on her. She gives it back to him good, and both get arrested. The day after Christmas.
Is this guy stupid, or what?
His girlfriend manages to score a Wii, which is almost impossible to find, and he gets upset? What kind of idiot does a guy have to be? He could have easily sold it for twice what they paid (to begin with), but the least he could do is graciously accept what's given him by someone whose love is obviously misplaced. Then, he starts whooping on her the day after Christmas. Yessiree Mom and Dad, this girl has a real catch on her hands -- start addressing the wedding invites right now....
Ladies, I'll give you a helpful tip. If the grown man you're dating owns a video game set, ditch him and ditch him fast. Trust me on this one. When you marry a video gamer, you marry the back side of his head for hours at a time. You also marry his stunted emotional state, arrested somewhere about age twelve.
You'll have better luck marrying a Doctor who's always too busy for you. At least with the Doctor you won't be broke, and the Doctor will actually will be off his ass WORKING. At least a Doctor will posess half a brain and know what art and literature are. At least a Doctor will know how to bathe, brush his teeth, and shave once in awhile. A Doctor will know how to button his shirt right and match his socks.
When you walk down the street alongside a Doctor, you won't have a sign over your head shouting "I married a pathetic video game loser" in big, bright letters.
Here's some more lovely idiocy that goes along with that:
Couple gets in fight over Wii. [link]
The guy gets pissed off because his girlfriend bought him a Wii, instead of the remote controlled plane he wanted. She starts to leave, he starts to whoop on her. She gives it back to him good, and both get arrested. The day after Christmas.
Is this guy stupid, or what?
His girlfriend manages to score a Wii, which is almost impossible to find, and he gets upset? What kind of idiot does a guy have to be? He could have easily sold it for twice what they paid (to begin with), but the least he could do is graciously accept what's given him by someone whose love is obviously misplaced. Then, he starts whooping on her the day after Christmas. Yessiree Mom and Dad, this girl has a real catch on her hands -- start addressing the wedding invites right now....
Ladies, I'll give you a helpful tip. If the grown man you're dating owns a video game set, ditch him and ditch him fast. Trust me on this one. When you marry a video gamer, you marry the back side of his head for hours at a time. You also marry his stunted emotional state, arrested somewhere about age twelve.
You'll have better luck marrying a Doctor who's always too busy for you. At least with the Doctor you won't be broke, and the Doctor will actually will be off his ass WORKING. At least a Doctor will posess half a brain and know what art and literature are. At least a Doctor will know how to bathe, brush his teeth, and shave once in awhile. A Doctor will know how to button his shirt right and match his socks.
When you walk down the street alongside a Doctor, you won't have a sign over your head shouting "I married a pathetic video game loser" in big, bright letters.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Ya Can't Fix Stupid
As I've mentioned earlier, I'm taking courses with an online university. My wife, who is a professional chef at a nice eatery here in town, has graciously consented to work while I finish my degree.
One thing became very apparent as I've been interacting with my online classmates, who on the average are significantly younger than I am: either our school systems around the country just generally suck, or these days kids are being born more and more stupid. Probably both.
Case in point: the class professor posted a discussion question asking us to define the term "weak dollar," and discuss the fiscal and monetary policies our government uses to influence the strength of the dollar.
My classmates immediately launched into a series of discussion posts that showed they hadn't done diddly-squat when it comes to reading the assigned text. They kept talking about inflation, and about how bummed they were about the rising price of clothes at the mall.
Jesus.
First off, the strength of the dollar does not refer to inflation. It refers to how well it trades against foreign currency on the international exchange markets. The professor posted a reply to one particular student telling her she needed to read the text again, when her responses had been showing that she had no clue.
She continued to make posts that looked like she had her head buried in the sand. I couldn't stand it any longer, so I made a post telling her as kindly as I could to read the text again. It's one of those situations where someone is making a complete fool of themselves and ignoring the warning signs, like walking out of the restroom with your skirt still tucked into the back of your pantie-hose.
She then replied to me very tartly, saying she had read the professor's post and didn't need a fellow student to lecture her about the text. All of her posts in the days after continued to show that she still didn't understand the subject, and she still continued to make a fool of herself.
Many of her classmates were in the same boat. It got so stupid in the virtual classroom that finally the instructor made a post literally BEGGING the class to understand the text before they discussed the subject further. A small handful of working professionals who are students in my class agreed with me that we needed to beg the university to get rid of all the morons.
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