Dorm Whiteboards

[Chivewarrior]

Okay, so in my dorm we have this whiteboard next to the doors of the dorm parents. One of these is in the common room, and it states the duty status and location of the dorm parent whose door it is. Now, whenever I am sitting in the common room, I will be asked "is Dorm Parent around?" I will then glance at the board and tell them the information on it. Why can't these people read the board for themselves?

[Rose2Bear]

Eh some RAs are bad at changing those signs maybe they think you will know more up to date information, or maybe they are just trying to make small talk or feel weird walking past you and ignoring to to read a sign then leave...  OOOOOOR people are just lazy!

[jfulle5]

Point to the sign

[Chivewarrior]

Point to the sign

I've actually tried that. If it's one of the people in my dorm, that will usually elicit the response I want. (However, they promptly forget an hour later and ask me again.) If it's a visitor looking to sign in, especially from the guys' dorms, and there's anything more complicated than knocking on the correct door involved (such as calling the cell number on the board), I will then be asked "so what do I do now?" It answers their question on the board that I just directed them to read!

[jfulle5]

hummm....get ipod insert head phones? no hablo ingles? outright ignoring them? I can imagine it would get annoying

[Clara Bow]

The same reason people would walk into our little drugstore and ask us where stuff was without looking at the signs on the aisles and without making any attempt to look for those items. Why should they do any work when you're right there and it's your joooooooooooobbbbb.....

[Rose2Bear]

The same reason people would walk into our little drugstore and ask us where stuff was without looking at the signs on the aisles and without making any attempt to look for those items. Why should they do any work when you're right there and it's your joooooooooooobbbbb.....

Ah or like when people come to my coffee shop and ask how much something costs. Um, the menu is hanging right above your head and you were just looking at it and I can not remember the price of every single drink on the board...

[Yarnspinner]

1) We have three clocks in this library and a lot of our patrons wear watches.  This does not stop them from asking us what time it is.  Some little ones can't tell time, of course, and I don't mind answering them (we're an information service, after all, but gee whiz, people!)

2) Our downtown branch has tax forms on the second floor.  The circulation desk on the first floor is repeatedly asked for the forms and they direct people upstairs.  One of the circ people got tired of answering questions, so she made a huge (I mean, it took up the entire wall behind her) banner in glowing neon colors that read "TAX FORMS, SECOND FLOOR".  She made a smaller one and stuck it in front of the desk. 

Now people point to the sign and ask "Where are the tax forms?"  She will point to the sign and say "Like it says, the second floor."  And they will ask "Where is the second floor."

3) The second floor is clearly marked as being so.  I wish I had a penny for every time I was asked "Is this the second floor?"  One of my co-workers started answering "No, the second floor was sent out for basic maintenance and cleaning.  We're the third floor."  Some people laughed, but one woman actually said she would come back when the floor returned.

I think the lesson here, Chivewarrior, is that you can do nothing for helpless people but help them...and often that means stating (and restating) the obvious.

[IndianInlaw]

Tell them you're off duty and they need to read the frickin' sign.


I know you won't but it would be fun.

[Chivewarrior]

Tell them you're off duty and they need to read the frickin' sign.


I know you won't but it would be fun.

Don't tempt me. There are times when that would be sooooooooooo much fun.

[Liebling]

I work in a Self Storage office, and we sell cardboard boxes and cartons. There are huge piles of stacked boxes in the office (the boxes are un made up so each box is flat, but the stacks are a few feet high). Each stack has a made-up box on top of it with a large sign stating the dimensions and price of the box on the front. I can't count how many people walk into the office, look around, then ask me if we sell boxes.

"No, we just like to decorate this way."

[Ko-Ko]

This kind of thing used to happen to my father when he used to work at a library as a teenager. Nobody seemed to know where returns were, so they made a huge sign for it. People would still go to the circulation librarians and ask them where returns were, or even stupider, they would ask, "Should I take this to returns, or drop it off here?" when they had to walk past returns to get to the circulation desk. I wonder what they were doing in the library if they can't read?

Ko-Ko

[IndianInlaw]

" There are huge piles of stacked boxes in the office "


Maybe they think it's the Cardboard Cathedral.

[Suze]

I work in a Self Storage office, and we sell cardboard boxes and cartons. There are huge piles of stacked boxes in the office (the boxes are un made up so each box is flat, but the stacks are a few feet high). Each stack has a made-up box on top of it with a large sign stating the dimensions and price of the box on the front. I can't count how many people walk into the office, look around, then ask me if we sell boxes.

"No, we just like to decorate this way."

Here's your sign! ...... <giggle>  (I like Bill Engvall)

[itiswhatitisn't]

I work in a Self Storage office, and we sell cardboard boxes and cartons. There are huge piles of stacked boxes in the office (the boxes are un made up so each box is flat, but the stacks are a few feet high). Each stack has a made-up box on top of it with a large sign stating the dimensions and price of the box on the front. I can't count how many people walk into the office, look around, then ask me if we sell boxes.

"No, we just like to decorate this way."

Happened to me at the post office at Christmas.  Why wrap a package and then buy a box when you can buy a box that is festive and wrapped?  Same for the awesome "wrapping paper envelopes".  It took me twenty minutes to get all of my presents into the awesome boxes and envelopes.  I got in line and the woman behind me remarked on the boxes and asked where I got them.  Um, from the very large brightly colored display that you must not be seeing over my shoulder.  Thank you USPS!  Making wrapping and shipping presents easier.