Special Snowflake Stories

[Hillia]

I saw a fire truck t-bone a jerk running a light in front of the lights and sirens parade.  Fortunately the truck was the last of several and none of the firefighters were injured.  We were going the opposite direction so I don't know what else happened to the idiot driver of the car.

[snowfire]

"Oh," he says "I didn't realize YOU were waiting for bags, too."

Here's your sign.....

[Pippen]

Driving through town yesterday the lights and barrier arms came down on the train crossing. Now these are always freight trains and take forever to pass through but that is just too bad and in the greater scheme of thing an annoyance rather than something to have a meltdown over. Out of hundreds of cars patiently waiting at all the intersections I had to be directly in front of the one woman who didn't seem to understand she was not going anywhere.  We were only about 5-6 cars back the alarms and the train were clearly visible but she thought sitting on her horn and going nuts would somehow have an effect. She pulls out into the median strip like that is going to help and gets stuck there. When the barrier went up and the traffic started moving again I stopped and indicated to her to let  her in and did I get a cheery wave or a polite nod. No. She glared at me and gave me the fingers.

[Elfmama]

I have had one young woman actually trip on my walking stick which was less than two inches from my foot. She had the nerve to get mad at me!

Sounds like the female parent of the kid that I stiff-armed in the grocery store.  He was zipping around on those shoes with the wheels built in (Wheelies?  Heelies? something like that) and I just put my hand out to fend him off as he zipped toward me.  He ran into ME, but she figured that it was my fault that he fell down.  Sorry, lady, but I have no intention of getting bruises or broken bones because your kid has knocked ME down.

[iridaceae]

I remember once being at the red light with the "no turn on red" sign, and the guy behind us kept honking his horn.  You know, the long obnoxious beeeeeeeps.  We refused to move and I (the passinger) even stuck my arm out the window and pointed to the sign, but that didn't stop him.  We just rolled our eyes and privately made fun of him, but we did not move until the light was green.  We're not going to break the rules for you, buddy.

Yeah, there's an intersection on my way to and from work that is no right turns on red. It is also a favorite spot on Sunday mornings for cops to sit and wait. This lady one time pulled up behind me and honks . I didn't move. She gestured and continued honking.  I pointed to the sign. She reversed, got into the other turn lane and turned right while obviously screaming and gesturing at me. No cops unfortunately but hey I don't break the law so you can get somewhere 25 seconds faster.

[weeblewobble]

I get that all the time at the local drugstore. 

One line feeds two or three registers.  People who are used to the place have a standard procedure.  The person paying is at the counter.  The next on line stands a few feet back near a display of snack cakes.  The third person and the rest of the line forms down an aisle leaving a space between the snack cakes and the start of the aisles for shoppers entering the store.

I don't know how many times I've been the third person with a line behind me and someone will stand right behind the snack cakes.  This person will be amazed to discover that a line exists.

Oh no, we're not on line.  We get our jollies standing in a drugstore aisle with boxes of tissues and half-gallons of milk.

We have the same problem at my local Super-Mega-Book-Chain store. The displays of bookmarks and novelty gifts is set really close to the counter, so there's not a lot of room to line up for the multiple cashiers.  Regular customers know to line up single-file starting at the bookmark/gift displays, and then you go to whatever register opens next.  At least once every time I visit, someone swans in front of the people waiting in line and then gets seriously indignant when told that they are not next in line.  "BUT THERE'S NO LINE!"  they'll insist.

That's right, we're just standing her with stacks of books, watching other people check out because we don't fully understand the payment procedure.

[Kitty Hawk]

I'm afraid I was PA here and may have been an SS myself...but it didn't start out like that.

This weekend I got back from vacation (where there were no SS) and friends and I went to retrieve our luggage after disembarking from the plane.  We had to wait a bit.  Those of us who got there early ringed the carousel, crunching in to accomodate others who arrived later.  The luggage came in on one side and most people hung around there to get their bags.  Friend and I thought it made more sense to stand as far as possible from the incoming luggage, thinking things would be easier there.

The best laid plans...

A few of the folks who were breathing down on the incoming luggage suddenly decided they would wait at the far end of the carousel, too.  Fair enough except that they started pushing out of the way folks who had been waiting in the same spot for quite a while.

As my bag comes aro9und the carousel, I reached to get it with both hands, only to have it slide when my arthritic left hand couldn't keep a tight enough grip.  I tried to grab at it again, but even though I was leaning towards it and had a hand on it, some man pushed between me and my suitcase so that I had to wait for it come around again.

And I didn't want to shove so I kept saying "excuse me" and worked my way back to the front....and had to watch the bag go away again because as I was reaching for it, I was shoved out of the way yet again by someone who "just wanted to be in front".

So on the third try, I had finally gotten back to where I had been (the very, very end so as to be out of everyone's way)  a young man walks up to where I am and says "Excuse me, ma'am, but *I* am waiting for my bags so I need to stand in front of you."  I asked him if they happened to be any of the ones coming up and he said "No.  I just want to be here when they do."  I said "Well THAT is MY bag coming up right now and you'll forgive me for being bee-itchy, but it's the  third time I have tried to get it and I am not going to be nice anymore."  "Oh," he says "I didn't realize YOU were waiting for bags, too."

And as I reach for my bag, another woman who was with him tries to get in front of me...and like I said, I stopped with the whole excuse me thing and planted my not inconsiderable backside in front of her and said "I'm sorry, but I am just grabbing this suitcase and NOW you can get in."  Perhaps I should have walked around to the other side, but it was exactly as crowded there as it was in my area, so it would have made no difference.  But it really irked me that people who had arrived first were being shoved aside by others who didn't want to wait their turn.

I have been known to smack such people with my luggage as I take it off the band.  Totally accidentally, of course.

[weeblewobble]

I'm afraid I was PA here and may have been an SS myself...but it didn't start out like that.

This weekend I got back from vacation (where there were no SS) and friends and I went to retrieve our luggage after disembarking from the plane.  We had to wait a bit.  Those of us who got there early ringed the carousel, crunching in to accomodate others who arrived later.  The luggage came in on one side and most people hung around there to get their bags.  Friend and I thought it made more sense to stand as far as possible from the incoming luggage, thinking things would be easier there.

The best laid plans...

A few of the folks who were breathing down on the incoming luggage suddenly decided they would wait at the far end of the carousel, too.  Fair enough except that they started pushing out of the way folks who had been waiting in the same spot for quite a while.

As my bag comes aro9und the carousel, I reached to get it with both hands, only to have it slide when my arthritic left hand couldn't keep a tight enough grip.  I tried to grab at it again, but even though I was leaning towards it and had a hand on it, some man pushed between me and my suitcase so that I had to wait for it come around again.

And I didn't want to shove so I kept saying "excuse me" and worked my way back to the front....and had to watch the bag go away again because as I was reaching for it, I was shoved out of the way yet again by someone who "just wanted to be in front".

So on the third try, I had finally gotten back to where I had been (the very, very end so as to be out of everyone's way)  a young man walks up to where I am and says "Excuse me, ma'am, but *I* am waiting for my bags so I need to stand in front of you."  I asked him if they happened to be any of the ones coming up and he said "No.  I just want to be here when they do."  I said "Well THAT is MY bag coming up right now and you'll forgive me for being bee-itchy, but it's the  third time I have tried to get it and I am not going to be nice anymore."  "Oh," he says "I didn't realize YOU were waiting for bags, too."

And as I reach for my bag, another woman who was with him tries to get in front of me...and like I said, I stopped with the whole excuse me thing and planted my not inconsiderable backside in front of her and said "I'm sorry, but I am just grabbing this suitcase and NOW you can get in."  Perhaps I should have walked around to the other side, but it was exactly as crowded there as it was in my area, so it would have made no difference.  But it really irked me that people who had arrived first were being shoved aside by others who didn't want to wait their turn.

I have been known to smack such people with my luggage as I take it off the band.  Totally accidentally, of course.

This is bizarre.  I have never had this problem before at airports!  What do these people think you are doing?  Watching the suitcases go 'round for fun?

[Kiara]

Apparently so!  I know I enjoy paying $5 an hour to park and then waltz inside to the baggage level at BWI to just stand there for a while.   

[siamesecat2965]

I get that all the time at the local drugstore. 

One line feeds two or three registers.  People who are used to the place have a standard procedure.  The person paying is at the counter.  The next on line stands a few feet back near a display of snack cakes.  The third person and the rest of the line forms down an aisle leaving a space between the snack cakes and the start of the aisles for shoppers entering the store.

I don't know how many times I've been the third person with a line behind me and someone will stand right behind the snack cakes.  This person will be amazed to discover that a line exists.

Oh no, we're not on line.  We get our jollies standing in a drugstore aisle with boxes of tissues and half-gallons of milk.

We have the same problem at my local Super-Mega-Book-Chain store. The displays of bookmarks and novelty gifts is set really close to the counter, so there's not a lot of room to line up for the multiple cashiers.  Regular customers know to line up single-file starting at the bookmark/gift displays, and then you go to whatever register opens next.  At least once every time I visit, someone swans in front of the people waiting in line and then gets seriously indignant when told that they are not next in line.  "BUT THERE'S NO LINE!"  they'll insist.

That's right, we're just standing her with stacks of books, watching other people check out because we don't fully understand the payment procedure.

Mine is at the local Panera.  There really isn't anywhere to line up, and the registers sort of go off to the side, with a pillar somewhat blocking them.  Since I enver know which register might free up, I ususally stand a bit back from them, waiting my turn.  I can't tell you how many people come in, see me standing back a bit, and got in front of me, and stand in front of one register, thinking there's no line. 

[SingMeAway]

DH and I saw a lovely one a while ago - we were taking some documents to MIL's lawyer for her. This law practice is in a business/residential area and there is NO on-site parking. They only have parking for their employees; everyone else has to park in the surrounding streets where there is plenty of space. There is a huge sign outside by the front door about parking, there is a sign inside the office, there is a warning on their website, they tell you this when you call to make an appointment, etc...

Anyway, we're sitting in the waiting room waiting for the lawyer and this man comes in and the following conversation ensues:

Man: "Who owns the BMW parked out front?"
Receptionist: I don't know; probably one of the partners. Why?
Man: I wanted to park there, so I moved it.
Receptionist:   

I started to laugh when he said that, but then I realized he was dead serious!! Then I tried to figure out how exactly he managed to move someone else's car without the keys!!

Reception called down and an office assistant went out with the man to find a parking spot. We were finally called in to talk to the lawyer and were able to see the BMW is an X5 (large, very expensive SUV)! We watched a minute longer and the man, who has now parked right across the street  is driving a Suburban (even larger SUV). At least that explained how he was able to move the other vehicle.

Hope the Beemer still had a working transmission!

DH and I were hoping that the man was from someplace where people leave the cars in neutral and the parking brake off to help with parking (DH is from Cairo and that is common there) as opposed to just being a complete moron. Good grief!

[EmmaJ.]

Every Panera restaurant I've ever been to has major design flaws.  In one restaurant there is no clear "stand in line" place so folks stand awkwardly amongst the seated diners waiting for a cashier.  In another one the line is to the left, but all the menus are posted behind the cashiers and you cannot read them until you're called up to place your order.  So now you're standing there trying to decide what you want while holding everyone else up.   

[Virg]

EmmaJ wrote:

"Every Panera restaurant I've ever been to has major design flaws."

I suspect that's because it doesn't seem like that franchise takes any control over site layout.  For example, if you get a McDonald's franchise and then set up in a mall or storefront, you're required to have corporate site designers come in and lay out the place to McDonald's site standards, and they'll do stuff like line planning or moving walls and stuff to make it work.  Panera places always look more like they provide setup but leave layout to the local owner, and because of that a lot of them aren't laid out very well.  We have one of the rare ones where the layout is superbly done, with a foyer corral that leads right to the counter and proper separation of the serving and dining areas and everything.  It's a great place to go, and after that place I started to notice it when a Panera is badly designed.

Virg

[cass2591]

I have been known to smack such people with my luggage as I take it off the band.  Totally accidentally, of course.

I'm sure. Maybe you're trying to be amusing, but it's not, at least to me and others who reported it.

[VorFemme]

DH and I saw a lovely one a while ago - we were taking some documents to MIL's lawyer for her. This law practice is in a business/residential area and there is NO on-site parking. They only have parking for their employees; everyone else has to park in the surrounding streets where there is plenty of space. There is a huge sign outside by the front door about parking, there is a sign inside the office, there is a warning on their website, they tell you this when you call to make an appointment, etc...

Anyway, we're sitting in the waiting room waiting for the lawyer and this man comes in and the following conversation ensues:

Man: "Who owns the BMW parked out front?"
Receptionist: I don't know; probably one of the partners. Why?
Man: I wanted to park there, so I moved it.
Receptionist:   

I started to laugh when he said that, but then I realized he was dead serious!! Then I tried to figure out how exactly he managed to move someone else's car without the keys!!

Reception called down and an office assistant went out with the man to find a parking spot. We were finally called in to talk to the lawyer and were able to see the BMW is an X5 (large, very expensive SUV)! We watched a minute longer and the man, who has now parked right across the street  is driving a Suburban (even larger SUV). At least that explained how he was able to move the other vehicle.

Hope the Beemer still had a working transmission!

DH and I were hoping that the man was from someplace where people leave the cars in neutral and the parking brake off to help with parking (DH is from Cairo and that is common there) as opposed to just being a complete moron. Good grief!

Great googley moogley - my gabber is so flasted that it may never recover.....