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April 3, 2008
I am a (stupid) Grumpy Old Man
[It appears I published this the other day as well. In the midst of the hard-drive upgrade I'd lost track of some things I'd saved. Sorry folks.]
The other day the boys and I were at Taco Bell having a late lunch. As we sat and ate a guy in his early 20s walked past.
As he walked a napkin blew off his tray and onto the floor. When it did it caught the guy's eye; I watched him watch it fall to the floor.
Two steps later a second napkin blew off and hit the floor.
Three steps after that the guy sat down and didn't appear to give his napkins a thought. I, however, was unable to let it go.
Firstly, if you don't need two extra napkins, don't get them. You drive up costs for all of us and use resources that don't need to be used. If everybody in the US took two extra napkins that would be a half billion extra napkins.
(When I get a Fruit & Yogurt Parfait at McDonald's, I give the granola back. I don't like it and I don't want to throw it away. I take one napkin; I can normally eat an Egg McMuffin and Parfait without getting stuff all over my face. Some foods, I'll admit, require more napkinage.)
Secondly, leaving your trash laying in the floor seems to suggest you are too good to pick up after yourself. You're not. You're not better than anybody else. Honestly, if you don't have the manners to pick up after yourself you are one or two steps down the evolutionary ladder than the rest of us; just half a step ahead of Sally Kern.
Finally, trash on the floor is a slip hazard. Though I'd be lying if I said this was the thing that bothered me most. It was the rudeness of leaving trash on the floor.
Anyway, I picked up the napkins, took them to the guy, laid them on his table and said, "You dropped these."
He mumbled something and didn't look up. I don't know if I made any sort of point as far as he's concerned, but my kids saw me do it and, if nothing else, I'm sure they'll think twice before leaving crap that blows off their trays in the floor.
Posted by delmer at April 3, 2008 8:36 PM
Comments
I am also bothered when people leave perishable food items on shelves or other non-refrigerated places, all because they changed their minds on purchasing it and didn't want to return it from where they found it.
I've also have changed my mind on things (Usually Impulse buying, but I'll at least bring it to the cashier and tell him/her. Grrr.
While I completely understand your view, pleasePleasePLEASE don't pull a Sheryl Crow on me....and only allow me one measely toilet paper square, per trip!! You'll send me clear over the edge.
newsbusters.org/node/12226
~ZZ
Posted by: SherylCrowI'mNot at April 3, 2008 10:31 PM
....Oh and btw - Unless you plan on sporting white patent shoes, and wearing your pants up to your arm pits while you complain about the government all day, You don't qualify as a Grumpy Old Man.
;p~~
Posted by: SherylCrowI'mNot at April 3, 2008 10:37 PM
Not long ago, at Kroger, I became irritated with people in the express lane and decided to leave.
I returned the two items I had in my hand -- a cooked chicken and garbage bags -- to their appropriate places. It is not a Kroger employee's fault I changed my mind, why should they have to pick up after me?
Not long ago one of my kids tried to leave something at the store in a place it didn't belong and I made him return it.
Posted by: delmer at April 3, 2008 10:52 PM
Is this a "Groundhog Day" moment?
Sounds vaguely familiar.
Posted by: mikeo at April 3, 2008 11:02 PM
Hahaha. The world needs more Delmers to remind us youth of the right thing to do.
Posted by: Sue at April 4, 2008 7:24 AM
"It is not a Kroger employee's fault I changed my mind, why should they have to pick up after me?"
I agree it's not their job to 'pick up' after me. I also know the employees job is to be helpful to their customers. While I would never leave something in a place where it doesn't belong, if I'm at the checkout counter and change my mind on something, I'm not going to trek to the back end of the Store (Wegmans Stores can be very large) to return something, when I know the store appreciates it that the item is returned to them, not left on a shelf somewhere to spoil. Especially knowing it's a marketing ploy to begin with to have the dairy, bread and meat section located in the farthest corner of the store so that one has to walk by hundreds of other food items to get the one loaf of bread and milk they came in for.
Call me a sloth, but I will make sure the unwanted item is not just left somewhere.
~ZZ
Posted by: SherylCrowI'mNot at April 5, 2008 9:48 AM
I worked in a grocery store during the summers of my high school years, so perhaps I can put in a word on etiquette:
If you are in line and realize that you don't want something, give it to the cashier. We have a re-shelving system that makes sure food won't spoil and that it gets back to the appropriate place.
If you are walking around and realize that you don't actually want that turkey, put it back where it belongs. As I'm sure you've noticed, grocery stores are not full of employees milling around waiting to help you. As I'm sure you've noticed, food is expensive. If you want someone to have to walk around picking up after you or helping you return items, everything is going to get jacked up a dollar. Do you want that?
Mostly, though, it's about conservation and respect: if you respect the members of your community and food in the abstract, you won't waste and you'll endeavor to conserve. Most people loll around the grocery store slowly and make several circles, anyway: try to avoid being wasteful and rude!
p.s. There is a certain amount of "marketing ploy" involved in the placement of foods- there's a reason why you've got to walk past the area where they cook chicken to get to the raw chicken. However, most of the reason that chilled items are stocked in the backs of stores is about creating less waste. If the milk can go straight from chiller truck to chilled shelf with very very little time sitting at room temperature, the milk doesn't spoil. If the milk doesn't spoil, the store doesn't lose money. If the store doesn't lose money, it won't cost you $10 to get a gallon of milk.
/rant.
Thanks.
Posted by: Dyna at April 5, 2008 3:58 PM
I laughed from start to finish - I only wish I'd been there to see you getting all puffed up, did you also add an overly loud sigh?
Posted by: kate at April 9, 2008 8:55 PM