After yesterday's rant about customer service morons who confidently give you the wrong answer to your question, I had an interesting encounter with a guy at the Giant Eagle today of the opposite nature. Or to be more exact, it was a curious combination of competence and incompetence. This guy was kind of like the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of supermarket help.
I was getting exhausted and irritable searching for items at a crowded Giant Eagle (that's the weird avian name of a supermarket chain in Western Pennsylvania) when a helpful employee asked me if I was finding every thing on my list. I said I needed help finding soy sauce, couscous, and corned beef hash (how's that for a strange trio?). It always impresses me that these employees can tell exactly where every single item is in the store, and he did not disappoint when it came to the soy sauce and the couscous. But he drew a blank with the hash. He honestly did not know, and to make matters even stranger, he said that was the second time today that someone asked him where the hash was. And THAT is what pissed me off about this guy. If he has just said that he didn't know where the hash was I would have let it go. But if someone had actually asked you earlier in the day about the hash, why didn't you ask someone where the hell it was in the interim? Well, he definitely is not getting my vote for employee of the month.
Anyway, I vowed to find that stupid hash or drop dead trying. I finally located it in the section of the store where thay have Spaghettio's and other miscellaneous canned stuff. I would call it the "disgusting canned shit that really doesn't belong in a can" section. I'm not even sure what the hell hash is, to tell you the truth. But at least I now know where to find it in the supermarket.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Pent-Up & Pissed Off
I'll tell you, even though I enjoy my Seinfeld blog, Bobsblogaboutnothing (http://bobsblogaboutnothing.blogspot.com/), there's something very therapeutic about spilling your guts out about life's daily travails. I happen to have had a trio of incidents recently with a common theme that got me so pissed off that I had to temporarily resurrect my Pissed Off In Pittsburgh blog.
The common theme is "customer service idiots who don't know what they're talking about but are extremely confident that they do." One of my basic philosophies is that there are 4 combinations of competence and confidence. You have people who are competent and confident (insufferable, but nice to have around in an emergency), competent and lacking confidence (unlikely to lead in a crisis, but unlikely to make mistakes), incompetent and lacking confidence (these people know their limitations, thank goodness), and the most dangerous category, incompetent and confident (the last President, for example).
Anyway, here are the 3 examples of the last category I have encountered:
1. My wife needed a couple of links removed from her Twist-O-Flex watch band, recently purchased at WalMart. I have had this done at WalMart many times before. So I went to the store in Fox Chapel, where the idiot behind the jewelry counter confidently stated that one cannot remove links from a Twist-O-Flex watch band! I was so pissed off that I ratted her out to the store manager (I'm sure that did a lot of good). I then looked up the instructions on the Internet and did it myself.
2. I was looking for this frozen polenta stuff that they have at Trader Joe's but I couldn't find it. So I asked one of the store cretins dressed up in his tropical costume where it was located and he looked at me like I was an absolute dope and said that Trader Joe's has never, ever had frozen polenta in its entire history, like he was some kind of Professor of Advanced Trader Joe's studies. So when I was checking out, the cashier asked if I had found everything that I was looking for, and I lept at the chance to complain about Mr. Polenta Know-It-All. She was actually nice enough to find another store employee who took me directly to the frozen polenta in question.
3. I wanted to get some cash from a pre-paid debit card I had received in return for completeing a survey online. You can't use it at an ATM but the website of the sponsoring bank said you could go to any bank and ask for a cash advance. I went to the PNC at the corner of Fifth and Craig with this intent, whereupon I was told by a very confident teller that there is absolutely no way that my request could be honored, again with the implication that I was an idiot for asking. Unfortunately, I did not have the website documentation with me at the time, so I went back to my office and printed it out. I then went to another PNC branch armed with my printout, but I didn't even need it, because the teller at this branch said it would be no problem. However, there was a $25 minimum on any cash advance, and I only had $2.36 left on the card.
The common theme is "customer service idiots who don't know what they're talking about but are extremely confident that they do." One of my basic philosophies is that there are 4 combinations of competence and confidence. You have people who are competent and confident (insufferable, but nice to have around in an emergency), competent and lacking confidence (unlikely to lead in a crisis, but unlikely to make mistakes), incompetent and lacking confidence (these people know their limitations, thank goodness), and the most dangerous category, incompetent and confident (the last President, for example).
Anyway, here are the 3 examples of the last category I have encountered:
1. My wife needed a couple of links removed from her Twist-O-Flex watch band, recently purchased at WalMart. I have had this done at WalMart many times before. So I went to the store in Fox Chapel, where the idiot behind the jewelry counter confidently stated that one cannot remove links from a Twist-O-Flex watch band! I was so pissed off that I ratted her out to the store manager (I'm sure that did a lot of good). I then looked up the instructions on the Internet and did it myself.
2. I was looking for this frozen polenta stuff that they have at Trader Joe's but I couldn't find it. So I asked one of the store cretins dressed up in his tropical costume where it was located and he looked at me like I was an absolute dope and said that Trader Joe's has never, ever had frozen polenta in its entire history, like he was some kind of Professor of Advanced Trader Joe's studies. So when I was checking out, the cashier asked if I had found everything that I was looking for, and I lept at the chance to complain about Mr. Polenta Know-It-All. She was actually nice enough to find another store employee who took me directly to the frozen polenta in question.
3. I wanted to get some cash from a pre-paid debit card I had received in return for completeing a survey online. You can't use it at an ATM but the website of the sponsoring bank said you could go to any bank and ask for a cash advance. I went to the PNC at the corner of Fifth and Craig with this intent, whereupon I was told by a very confident teller that there is absolutely no way that my request could be honored, again with the implication that I was an idiot for asking. Unfortunately, I did not have the website documentation with me at the time, so I went back to my office and printed it out. I then went to another PNC branch armed with my printout, but I didn't even need it, because the teller at this branch said it would be no problem. However, there was a $25 minimum on any cash advance, and I only had $2.36 left on the card.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
NEW BLOG!!!
My readers have evidently turned on me and demanded new material. So if you're tired of hearing about my complaints about making change, crappy muffins, and waiting in line behind thoughtless jerks, check out http://bobsblogaboutnothing.blogspot.com!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Time to start ranting again
Wow! I don't know if it's the onset of cold weather or what, but I've had a trifecta of merchant interactions recently that really pissed me off. Of course, to most of the residents of our planet, these transgressions would have been meaningless and trivial to the extreme, but to Grumpy Old Man, they were priceless reminders of how truly cheap and irritable I can be.
The most curious encounter was at Einstein's. I think I ordered some coffee and a bagel and the price came to $3.59. I gave the cashier $3.60 and here's where it got really weird. You know the tray next to the cash register where you can take a penny if you need one to pay? Well, the cashier took a penny from the tray, and then she promptly deposited it into her cash register! She basically took the penny she owed me and kept it. It was just too strange for me to comment on at the time. I just shook my head and left.
The I went to Rite-Aid to buy an envelope which cost $1.49, according to the tag on the merchandise. However, when I went to check out, it rung up at $1.59. When I complained, they wouldn't even sell it to me for $1.49. I could either pay the $1.59 or return it for a refund. They should have given it to me for free.
Then I went to Giant Eagle for a muffin and a coffee. So I placed the muffin on the counter and the cashier rings me up without even asking if I wanted anything else. I hate when that happens!
Anyway, I'm riled up now, so I should have some more rants in the near future.
The most curious encounter was at Einstein's. I think I ordered some coffee and a bagel and the price came to $3.59. I gave the cashier $3.60 and here's where it got really weird. You know the tray next to the cash register where you can take a penny if you need one to pay? Well, the cashier took a penny from the tray, and then she promptly deposited it into her cash register! She basically took the penny she owed me and kept it. It was just too strange for me to comment on at the time. I just shook my head and left.
The I went to Rite-Aid to buy an envelope which cost $1.49, according to the tag on the merchandise. However, when I went to check out, it rung up at $1.59. When I complained, they wouldn't even sell it to me for $1.49. I could either pay the $1.59 or return it for a refund. They should have given it to me for free.
Then I went to Giant Eagle for a muffin and a coffee. So I placed the muffin on the counter and the cashier rings me up without even asking if I wanted anything else. I hate when that happens!
Anyway, I'm riled up now, so I should have some more rants in the near future.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Public Enemy #1 (at CC)
I think I may have worn out my welcome at Caribou Coffee. I ordered a muffin this morning. I usually like to have a little butter on my muffin but I know Caribou Coffee doesn't have butter so I ask for a little container of cream cheese, which I know they have. Only it turns out that this tiny little container of cream cheese costs 50 cents! Can you imagine? I think I may have told the checkout person that I was going to report them to the Department of Commerce or some such nonsense and then I told them to take their crummy cream cheese and shove it! Needless to say, I think I may be banned for life from this particular Caribou Coffee.
Which brings me to my next point. Why can't the places that serve iced coffee serve any decent breakfast accompaniments? The places in Oakland (Starbucks and Caribou Coffee) have terrible rolls, doughnuts, and pastries. And Panera doesn't have iced coffee! There is no doubt about it - we need a Dunkin Donuts in Oakland in the worst way.
Which brings me to my next point. Why can't the places that serve iced coffee serve any decent breakfast accompaniments? The places in Oakland (Starbucks and Caribou Coffee) have terrible rolls, doughnuts, and pastries. And Panera doesn't have iced coffee! There is no doubt about it - we need a Dunkin Donuts in Oakland in the worst way.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
I can't take it anymore
Please, no more interviews of the athletes at the Olympics. I love watching these amazing competitors but why do I have to be subjected to these idiotic cliche-filled interviews? And the next reporter who asks an athlete the "what was going through your mind" question should be thrown in the pool and pummelled senseless by the Croatian water polo team.
I actually wouldn't mind if the interviewers asked the athletes questions that weren't related to sports. Let's see what Michael Phelps thinks about hyperinflation in Zimbabwe. Now that, at least, would be entertaining.
I actually wouldn't mind if the interviewers asked the athletes questions that weren't related to sports. Let's see what Michael Phelps thinks about hyperinflation in Zimbabwe. Now that, at least, would be entertaining.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Overkill
Without a doubt, the most overdone information campaign I have ever seen in my life is the one alerting folks about the conversion of over the air television signals from analog to digital in February, 2009.
First of all, it is unnnecessary. I don't know anybody who still uses an antenna to watch TV, do you? I'm sure there still are a few million folks out there who don't have cable yet, but I have a feeling that even if their TV signal was to disappear in February, 2009 without any advance warning, they wouldn't be all that upset. I mean, they're only getting a few channels now as it is, so what's the big deal? They'd get around to figuring out what was going on sooner or later all by themselves. And then they could go out and get a converter. Why do the rest of us have to be blasted with announcements for an entire year that a few people will lose their precious over the air signal? It makes no sense!
Secondly, I can see that the cable companies are exploiting this situation and misinforming their customers. Even though you will still be able to get analog signals through your cable company for at least a few more years, Comcast is not including this information in their sales pitch for upgrading to digital cable. They are sneakily (and correctly) assuming that most customers will not be aware that the cessation of analog transmission only applies to over the air signals.
I don't know which is worse - these antenna TV warnings or the political ads. Maybe I should be happy with the talking animal ads.
First of all, it is unnnecessary. I don't know anybody who still uses an antenna to watch TV, do you? I'm sure there still are a few million folks out there who don't have cable yet, but I have a feeling that even if their TV signal was to disappear in February, 2009 without any advance warning, they wouldn't be all that upset. I mean, they're only getting a few channels now as it is, so what's the big deal? They'd get around to figuring out what was going on sooner or later all by themselves. And then they could go out and get a converter. Why do the rest of us have to be blasted with announcements for an entire year that a few people will lose their precious over the air signal? It makes no sense!
Secondly, I can see that the cable companies are exploiting this situation and misinforming their customers. Even though you will still be able to get analog signals through your cable company for at least a few more years, Comcast is not including this information in their sales pitch for upgrading to digital cable. They are sneakily (and correctly) assuming that most customers will not be aware that the cessation of analog transmission only applies to over the air signals.
I don't know which is worse - these antenna TV warnings or the political ads. Maybe I should be happy with the talking animal ads.
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