View Full Version : Pet Hates........or FFS
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Btw, when I (rightfully) complained in the Co-op, and got a member of staff to open another till and serve customers who were waiting (in an ever-growing queue), instead of standing chatting to her mate, the others in the queue thanked me for it! Thing is, they were all moaning about it to themselves prior to me doing something about it!:doh:
I just smiled, but thought to myself: 'You've got a tongue in your head too, so why not use it?' Fortunately, timidity has never been my weak point;)
Thing is, I've worked in retail, and was always told that ultimately it's customers who pay your wages, so when you see one, you stop whatever else you're doing and serve them, before they take their business elsewhere... Sadly, the same message doesn't appear to have been drummed into shop assistants these days!!:rolleyes:
Marco.
I've said it before we need more of a tipping culture in this country. Give people an incentive. It works in America. Except if you're British and on the East coast where they know Brits rarely tip.
Well, the only 'incentive' I needed, back in the day, was keeping my job. Because if I didn't do what I was told, and be attentive, I'd have soon been replaced! Today, folk get away with murder...
Plus, what happened to pride in doing a good job/your best? I was brought up always to do my BEST, in any task I undertook, so whenever I did anything, I put my heart and soul into it and performed it to the BEST of my ability. For me, that's the norm.
Simply lazily just going through the paces wasn't an option, as a) I wasn't wired that way to start with, and b) I'd have soon been found out and reprimanded.
Nowadays, neither attitude seems to exist, so standards of service in shops have fallen to unacceptable levels - and if people don't complain, and do something about it, nothing will ever change! I simply can't abide imbecilic 'fart-abouters', who appear to exist in a permanent stupor... They need given a damn good shake.
Marco [never afraid to complain about *anything*, to ANYONE, if it's justified].
walpurgis
24-02-2019, 21:52
Never had a job I was shit at. It makes things easier if you become good at them!
Indeed. How's your tolerance level for laziness and ineptitude? Problem is, shops these days are too full of gormless 'millennials'!:doh:
Marco.
Just don't go to shops. Problem solved.
Lol - sometimes you need to though, and I prefer existing in the real world, as much as possible, rather than a virtual one. I enjoy certain types of shopping (for nice things), in nice places, where it's a fun and pleasurable experience. Thankfully, there are plenty of places like that near me.
No, I'll seek to raise standards in today's 'apathetic' world, and not allow ineptitude to fester, so in that respect I'm not afraid to speak up when necessary!
Marco.
walpurgis
24-02-2019, 22:19
Indeed. How's your tolerance level for laziness and ineptitude?
Marco.
Not good.
My patience wears thin quickly anyway.
Several times in supermarkets I've walked off after placing all my shopping on the checkout conveyor only to be held up because there's an issue serving the person in front and they're waiting indefinitely for a supervisor. I'll only give them a minute or two before I get pissed off and go leaving all my stuff where it is.
I'm semi-retired, Joe, so have little shortage of time either, but I've got better places to "pootle" around than inside shops (or in this case Post Offices). Fortunately, POs are somewhere I rarely need to frequent.
Marco.
You gotta fight
For the right
To pooootle!
Indeed. How's your tolerance level for laziness and ineptitude?
Marco.
I've got the laziness bit down to perfection. Still working on the ineptitude.
It keeps them off the streets. Not everyone, ie some folk are not good at anything alas... Still many shops dont want folk that are great at job, or they will have to pay them a living wage. So most hire folk that are cheap, via incentive schemes and lay off the good, more expensive ones.
Not good.
My patience wears thin quickly anyway.
Several times in supermarkets I've walked off after placing all my shopping on the checkout conveyor only to be held up because there's an issue serving the person in front and they're waiting indefinitely for a supervisor. I'll only give them a minute or two before I get pissed off and go leaving all my stuff where it is.
Quite right, mate. That's one of my pet hates, too. Somehow I always manage to pick the till where at the front, previously unbeknown to me, there's some on-going 'issue'....:doh:
What boils me piss royally though [normally in supermarkets that sell clothes as well as food items] are the arseholes who buy piles of baby clothes, or some such, and you have to sit there while the assistant takes all the bloody hangers off them - and wait - then decides that they want to change something for a different size, and the assistant calls someone over to take back whatever it was and get a replacement, whilst you're left standing there!!:steam:
Why aren't these inconsiderate fucks FORCED to take their clothes pish to a separate till, geared up specifically for that purpose? Oh wait a minute, there aren't any now because they've been replaced with 'self-service checkouts'!:doh:
Marco.
It keeps them off the streets. Not everyone, ie some folk are not good at anything alas... Still many shops dont want folk that are great at job, or they will have to pay them a living wage. So most hire folk that are cheap, via incentive schemes and lay off the good, more expensive ones.
There's the problem with the system right there, mate!
Marco.
You gotta fight
For the right
To pooootle!
:lolsign:
Bet you drive that way, too!;)
I'm the guy behind, throwing you daggers...
Marco.
walpurgis
24-02-2019, 22:44
And I'm the guy in the little motor whizzing past both of you on the inside using the cycle lane. :lol:
:D:eyebrows:
Not up here you wouldn't!
Marco.
southall-1998_mk2
24-02-2019, 23:08
Not good.
My patience wears thin quickly anyway.
Several times in supermarkets I've walked off after placing all my shopping on the checkout conveyor only to be held up because there's an issue serving the person in front and they're waiting indefinitely for a supervisor. I'll only give them a minute or two before I get pissed off and go leaving all my stuff where it is.
Yes, I've seen it happen many times ;)
S.
Minstrel SE
26-02-2019, 08:07
I think Struth is getting at it there. They mainly employ staff young and cheap...some older ones, mainly second income pin money earners who are a bit rough round the edges. Lets face it they have no stake in the company and zero job progression.
They are employed for the ability to tolerate the hours and not question the status quo. Highly ambitious with excellent customer skills doesnt really swing the interview
To be fair its a job that gets monotonous fast. I see them with blue tooth headsets on stacking shelves and they are micromanaged into insanity. In the local co-op thay are stacking shelves and covering the tills.
One notable point about the post office is that they were all replaced by very young workers looking no older than 20.....thats the discriminatory banding for minimum wage.
To be fair they have given very good service when I get to the counter
We get what we put up with and I use the computer tills when I can. I have met some good staff but I generally cut them some slack as its not a job I could always plaster a fake smile on for.
They are employed for the ability to tolerate the hours and not question the status quo. Highly ambitious with excellent customer skills doesnt really swing the interview..
That says it all. Sad days indeed, as far as how we've *allowed* the world to become, because your other statement is so true:
"We get what we put up with".
Absolutely. Thank goodness I got out of retail when I did, and started my own business, as I'd never have put up with what folk seem willing to do now!:nono:
Marco.
Alan Partridge though I do like Steve Coogan and the Calf twins.
stairpost
08-03-2019, 20:06
A new pet hate of mine is cheap shit audio cables, and piss poor ebay support.
I bought a jack to jack cable from eBay to connect my Echo dot to an external speaker. I plugged it in and all was well, I then wanted to move the echo so I unplugged the cable only to find the end of the jack plug was still wedged into the output socket of the echo, and I could not get the bugger out for the life of me. To make matters worse the little bit stuck in the socket was enough to disable the built in speaker, rendering the unit mute. I emailed the seller and he refunded me the cost of the cable straight away, I said what about the knackered echo, he replied "send it to me and I'll have a look". But with a combination of it being next saturday before I could get to the post office, and being extremely reluctant to send it off to someone that can't put a cable together properly I declined. I asked again about the unusable echo and he basically said tough shit, contact eBay. I did and they said all he had to do was refunded the cable cost, he was under no obligation to resolve my issue. They did say I could leave suitable feedback though, to which I replied that I had already left positive feedback as it worked when I plugged it in, and when I asked if I could redo the feedback with something that reflected my experience as a buyer, they said no. So they didn't offer any useful advice whatsoever. I was trying to total up how much I had spent on eBay over the years and gave up after getting to about £5k in 4 purchases, as it was making the lack of resolution worse to think I could probably get to a total that neared £20k.
I know it's bordering on a 'do you know how much I spend here' hissy tantrum to feel disinclined to use eBay again anytime soon, after what is basically one bad experience that would cost about £30 to rectify, but bollocks to them!
Supermarket checkouts.
For want of a better phrase: "I've dumped my load" at many many of them and walked off.
Life's too short, "Management to tills" and there begins an unbearable 10 minute haitus (in your already unbearable existence), where if I was living in the States and was an AK47 toting type who'd forgotten to take his medication, you'd be seeing pictures of my mug on global news. With people who knew me making comments like: "Such a quiet lad, I'm shocked!".
Supermarket checkouts.
.
The number of times this comes up on this thread its got to be number one pet hate. I am now in the habit of calming myself down even before entering the supermarket. It's the only way to prevent a kill-crazy rampage. It's not just the checkouts, it's the whole supermarket experience. Is it designed to be as unpleasant as possible? Naïve question, I know.
The number of times this comes up on this thread its got to be number one pet hate. I am now in the habit of calming myself down even before entering the supermarket. It's the only way to prevent a kill-crazy rampage. It's not just the checkouts, it's the whole supermarket experience. Is it designed to be as unpleasant as possible? Naïve question, I know.
Nah, just sit down and breath, supermarkets are fine. Lost worse things going on in the world. Like cyclists who don't stop on a red, and I ride a bike regular.
Macca,
"Is it designed to be as unpleasant as possible? Naïve question, I know. "
The system/employees they use is designed to take us right to the edge of what we'll tolerate, thereby maximising their profits and not our comfort!
This might be rather controversial so I'm ready for the backlash. It really irks me when grinning celebrities tell me how wonderful first class on British Airways is, quaffing champagne and scoffing fine food when three months ago they were all over the telly asking us to donate money to charities desperately in need, full of pathos and concern. I realise everyone has to earn a living but surely any credibility they had went out the window when they sat there grinning from their world class comfy seats.
Hi Bob,
The system/employees they use is designed to take us right to the edge of what we'll tolerate, thereby maximising their profits and not our comfort!
I'm not saying that you're wrong, but could you explain how you think such a policy works? Basically, I'm struggling with the concept of how pissing folk off, and exasperating them with a poor in-store experience, maximises profits...? :hmm:
Marco.
Tapid,
That sounds like a wonderfully civilised world you live in down there.
We've got groups (10 - 20 a time) of hoody trial bikers in parts of this city will go out deliberately looking for a police pursuit, wheelies through red lights and across main junctions and onto in-coming traffic.
Sit back and relax mate, there's always somewhere worse.
Hi Bob,
I'm not saying that you're wrong, but could you explain how you think such a policy works? Basically, I'm struggling with the concept of how pissing folk off, and exasperating them with a poor in-store experience, maximises profits...? :hmm:
Marco.
Get you in and out as fast as possible. They're subliminally training us to make our shop as quick and efficient as possible by making it such a dismal experience,
Marco,
How often do you switch your supermarket?
Just like they place toys where they're most visible to our brats, they do their research into just how much you're prepared to suffer before moving your loyalty off somewhere else.
My local super size Tesco when it first opened had the tills full with assistants and packers, it was fast. Now your waiting around, things have settled down, the tills are mostly empty and so there is a call " assistants to tills", a few will come but there's still a wait.
They're not putting us first, there's an optimisation being done some are shelf stacking etc, there's only so many staff in any store and if they all come running to the tills other tasks would be interupted harming profits.
The profit optimisations have been done! If they start losing customers they'll put more staff on, but they won't because they know precisely how many minutes the average Joe will wait and have the staff just to cope with that.
All the people who used to be on the checkouts are now sorting out problems at the self service tills.
Visited our local mega tescos this morning after a grand tour of the car park (my other half was driving) we ended up about as far as it was humanly possible to get from the entrance. Popped upstairs to check out (what turned out to be) the woeful record & men's clothing selection (what did I expect?). Then we got trapped up there, we hadn't noticed the down travellator was out of order so we had to join a long queue to use the dodgy looking lift. Eventually it was our turn to descend & we were joined by a sweaty unsteady looking delivery guy who had the most overloaded sack barrow I'd ever seen, needless to say he never rested his load & I was expecting it to fall on us at any moment. Glad to get out of there we started shopping (joy). As I'd understood our agreement we needed about 3 things & I really don't understand why we needed to go up & down EVERY SINGLE AISLE. My partner pointed out products of interest 'Ooh look dog biscuits' (we don't have a dog) & I got to fight a pensioner over the reduced display because he thought I was after his chicken livers (who the f*** eats chicken livers?). We'd scanned stuff as we went (still don't know where the entry for air freshener came from, a suggestion maybe) but the falsely happy overtly patronising blue nylon suited tesco SS officer type obviously didn't like the look of us and checked what we'd scanned. Not a pleasant experience, I'll stick to getting it delivered I think.
Get you in and out as fast as possible. They're subliminally training us to make our shop as quick and efficient as possible by making it such a dismal experience,
I get what you're saying, but having worked in retail for years, albeit some time ago, I can say with some certainty that that's the complete opposite of the management directive - and I'd be very confident that if you approached the chief executive of Tesco, Asda or whatever, and put that theory to him or her, they'd tell you anything different.
The primary directive/aim is to encourage customers to spend as much as possible (via various means) during the time that they're present in the store, not to chase them out as soon as possible. And making the shopping experience as dismal as possible, simply doesn't facilitate that aim.
From a personal point of view, I don't find the shopping part of the experience dismal, simply the paying for it at the checkouts, which *is* dismal in the extreme:rolleyes:
*However*, the experience there at the likes of Aldi and Lidl, is rather different from what it is at checkouts in other supermarkets (much quicker and more efficient), which is one of the reasons why we mostly shop there, when we choose to use supermarkets, rather than our preferred option of using local independents.
Marco.
Marco,
How often do you switch your supermarket?
Just like they place toys where they're most visible to our brats, they do their research into just how much you're prepared to suffer before moving your loyalty off somewhere else.
My local super size Tesco when it first opened had the tills full with assistants and packers, it was fast. Now your waiting around, things have settled down, the tills are mostly empty and so there is a call " assistants to tills", a few will come but there's still a wait.
They're not putting us first, there's an optimisation being done some are shelf stacking etc, there's only so many staff in any store and if they all come running to the tills other tasks would be interupted harming profits.
The profit optimisations have been done! If they start losing customers they'll put more staff on, but they won't because they know precisely how many minutes the average Joe will wait and have the staff just to cope with that.
Hi Bob,
We're not really loyal to any supermarket, we simply go to whichever one is convenient at the time and stocks the particular products we're looking for. In Wrexham, all the supermarkets (and all the majors ones are represented) are within easy driving distance of each other; indeed Asda and Tesco are 2 mins apart, so it's easy to switch from one to the other.
Also, in the Tesco here, there are no calls for assistants, such as you mention. What non-self service checkouts are left are usually manned by someone, and there's always staff on hand to help if you need it. The same applies in the other supermarkets.
I've personally never had a problem of having to wait for an assistant to come and open a till, but rather get frustrated at how slow the staff are at scanning goods through tills, often due to chatting shit with other customers, when all I want [never mind the supermarket] is to be in and out ASAP, as I'm not a big fan of supermarkets. We prefer using our local butcher, fishmonger, etc.
Retail, in any sector of the market, has always been about *maximising profit*, but as I said to Martin, you don't achieve that by deliberately making the shopping experience as dismal as possible for customers. It's that way simply because of how staff are trained these days (or the lack of such), and also crucially the type of people who are employed, chosen simply to be obedient 'robots to the system', as was mentioned earlier - so in effect you get what you create!
Marco.
The number of times this comes up on this thread its got to be number one pet hate. I am now in the habit of calming myself down even before entering the supermarket. It's the only way to prevent a kill-crazy rampage. It's not just the checkouts, it's the whole supermarket experience. Is it designed to be as unpleasant as possible? Naïve question, I know.
I don't mind supermarket shopping and, as long as I can avoid busy times, it's not really unpleasant. What I truly hate is shopping at Ikea and/or B&Q. We always seem to spend ages drifting round them and either leave empty-handed or, in the case of Ikea, with something we don't really want or need, but feel obliged to buy to offset the hours of our lives we've wasted.
I get what you're saying, but having worked in retail for years, albeit some time ago, I can say with some certainty that that's the complete opposite of the management directive - and I'd be very confident that if you approached the chief executive of Tesco, Asda or whatever, and put that theory to him or her, they'd tell you anything different.
The primary directive/aim is to encourage customers to spend as much as possible (via various means) during the time they're present in the store, not to chase them out as soon as possible. And making the shopping experience as dismal as possible, simply doesn't facilitate that aim.
.
They want you to spend as much as possible but they also want you to do it in the quickest time possible. If you go to your local supermarket and you struggle to park every time because the car park is so full, and then when you get in there the place is so packed you can't get around, you're going to start going somewhere else.
They put a lot of thought into making it what it is so I can't agree that the dismal nature of it is due to poor management - https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/the-secrets-of-our-supermarkets-8228864.html
if they wanted you to stay as long as possible they'd design the experience to be more like a casino, where that is one of the primary goals. The casino will have soft lighting, mood music, a confusing, rambling layout, and the exits will not be obvious. Whereas a supermarket has nice straight aisles, multiple big exits that are in plain view, harsh strip lighting, annoying jingles playing on the PA, and so on.
What you're saying might be more true of a department store where they want you to take your time and browse around. The department store more closely resembles a casino in layout and atmosphere.
Quite like going round a decent shop. Staff is the biggest cost in a shop I guess so they try and utilise is best they can. Folk have to have breaks etc.
You often hear the call to the tills in tesco so guessing they are doing it more shirt sleeves staff wise
They have some sort of guideline in that if more than 3 people are queuing at the tills then they open another because they know that queuing at the till is one of the main things that gives a bad experience. The reason it takes forever to get a new till open after the call goes out is because no-one likes working on the tills so they will all go and skulk at the back of the warehouse and look busy rather than come running to help. That's what used to happen when I worked in a supermarket, anyway. okay that was 35 years ago but I doubt anything has changed.
walpurgis
09-03-2019, 09:45
I wouldn't know about such things. I have the butler send one of the junior staff out to obtain essentials. :D
Pigmy Pony
09-03-2019, 11:49
If the supermarkets wanted you in and out of there asap why would they put essentials (milk, bread, adult nappies) miles from the entrance?
Explained in the link I gave.
They want you to spend as much as possible but they also want you to do it in the quickest time possible. If you go to your local supermarket and you struggle to park every time because the car park is so full, and then when you get in there the place is so packed you can't get around, you're going to start going somewhere else.
I agree with the bit in bold, as it's a fact, simply because the quicker you've bought what you want, and are in and out, the quicker someone else can replace you and do the same. The management want stores full of folk spending money, not dithering around. It's all about streamlining the whole operation, for maximum efficiency and profit.
However, car parks won't stay full for long, if the goal is to deliberately create a dismal experience, which I'm sorry is not something I buy.
The dismal experience is symptomatic of life in today's society, where in retail people are no longer employed in jobs that they enjoy doing and *want* to do (as it was in my day - I loved my job, was very good at it, and amply rewarded), but rather are there just because they need a job [ANY job], simply to earn money.
When I was in retail, there were staff who had spent almost their whole careers working for the one company (House of Fraser), as they loved their job, were properly paid, and so were loyal to their employers for good reason - and also staff were popular with regular customers. That simply doesn't happen now, as working conditions and expectations from management, based on how people shop now, are so different.
Therefore, as soon as stores are populated by disillusioned, unconscientious, non-incentivised, poorly-paid and overworked staff, who are there grudgingly, not because they enjoy their job and take a pride in the quality of work they produce/service that they offer to customers, then standards will fall - and *that* is the catalyst for the dismal experience, not some devious, preconceived plan by management, as in the long run it would be counterproductive.
Quite simply, if supermarkets were full of happy, switched on, conscientious, incentivised, and decently paid staff, who clearly enjoyed their job, then the dismal shopping experience you mention would largely disappear. Certainly, checkout staff would be rolling their sleeves up and working with a sense of urgency, rather than dithering about in a dream, no matter how big the queue is beside them, which is what pisses me off...
if they wanted you to stay as long as possible they'd design the experience to be more like a casino, where that is one of the primary goals. The casino will have soft lighting, mood music, a confusing, rambling layout, and the exits will not be obvious. Whereas a supermarket has nice straight aisles, multiple big exits that are in plain view, harsh strip lighting, annoying jingles playing on the PA, and so on.
I get that and, as far as that's concerned would agree, as indeed I do with the bit below:
What you're saying might be more true of a department store where they want you to take your time and browse around. The department store more closely resembles a casino in layout and atmosphere.
Not sure about a casino, but certainly a more relaxed environment than in a supermarket. I used to bring in tapes of music I'd recorded on my system at home [this would've been around 1987] and give it to one of the girls in the office, who would play it over the store PA system, and so the likes of U2, Prince, The Pet Shop Boys and George Michael, would be resounding out through the store!:)
Marco.
They have some sort of guideline in that if more than 3 people are queuing at the tills then they open another because they know that queuing at the till is one of the main things that gives a bad experience.
But if the goal, as you say, is to deliberately create a bad (dismal) experience, then surely opening tills to get folk served, rather than making them wait, is counterproductive? Nothing pisses off folk more than standing waiting at checkouts!
Marco.
But if the goal, as you say, is to deliberately create a bad (dismal) experience, then surely opening tills to get folk served, rather than making them wait, is counterproductive? Nothing pisses off folk more than standing waiting at checkouts!
Marco.
No the subliminal environment is deliberately dismal. They want quick and efficient staff, they want a car park that is never full. They just don't want a pleasant atmosphere inside because that will cause people to linger and I'm guessing that their research shows that people who linger do not actually spend more, they just clog the place up.
McDonald's restaurants are also designed to be unpleasant and uncomfortable for the same reasons.
Pigmy Pony
09-03-2019, 14:49
Why would McDonalds go to the trouble of making their restaurants unpleasant when their patrons do that for them? And anyway it would be cheaper to just make shit burgers. Oh wait, they already do that.
Pigmy Pony
09-03-2019, 15:01
Marco, I can picture you in your retail days, walking round the store with your handful of mix tapes. And in your work suit with the shoulder pads and the sleeves pushed up to your elbows :)
No the subliminal environment is deliberately dismal. They want quick and efficient staff, they want a car park that is never full. They just don't want a pleasant atmosphere inside because that will cause people to linger and I'm guessing that their research shows that people who linger do not actually spend more, they just clog the place up.
McDonald's restaurants are also designed to be unpleasant and uncomfortable for the same reasons.
Sorry, I disagree. I don't believe for one second that if you were to ask diners there if they felt unpleasant or uncomfortable, that they'd say yes. It would largely be the opposite, which is one of the reasons why they're there. I don't know anyone who would *choose* to sit in an unpleasant or uncomfortable place to have a meal.
Certainly the reason I don't go to McDonalds is nothing to do with the environment being unpleasant or uncomfortable, but rather that I hate the plastic shit served, posing as 'food!
Also, contrary to what you say, supermarkets are largely not populated by quick and efficient staff, usually the opposite, which is why myself and many others get so pissed off by dithering staff at checkouts, so if that's what is wanted by the management, that's not what they're getting. Plus, if supermarket car parks are *continually* empty, then they won't be doing much business, which is why they're mostly always full...
When was the last time, during the busiest trading times, that you saw an empty supermarket car park? Even when I go, outside of such times, car parks are 60-70% full, and at weekends often around 80-90% full - and they're clearly making money, so I'm afraid that part of your argument doesn't stack up.
Marco.
macdonalds is comfortable and pleasant for its target audience. You are not really its target audience tho. The young teens and young families are.
Sorry, I disagree. I don't believe for one second that if you were to ask diners there if they felt unpleasant or uncomfortable, that they'd say yes.
It's subliminal! Most people don't notice how awful it is as you rightly say. But it still gets them in and out more quickly. By uncomfortable I mean the environment is deliberately made to be psychologically uncomfortable. Not that they have spikes sticking out of the seats or something.
Also, contrary to what you say, supermarkets are largely not populated by quick and efficient staff, usually the opposite,
I didn't say they were! The people who run them would like them to be quick and efficient. And you do come across some staff who are. Staff psychology now that's a whole different issue. The supermarket want you to come back, they just don't want you to linger around when you do.
Plus, if supermarket car parks are *continually* empty, then they won't be doing much business,
They want a car park that always has spaces available. Not an empty car park. And they don't want you to have to drive around too long looking for a space. The quicker everyone is in and out the less likely it is that the car park will get full or close to full.
Pigmy Pony
09-03-2019, 15:18
macdonalds is comfortable and pleasant for its target audience. You are not really its target audience tho. The young teens and young families are.
So true. If you are over fifty, with a dodgy back and an aversion to screaming kids, then it's not the place for you.
Marco, I can picture you in your retail days, walking round the store with your handful of mix tapes. And in your work suit with the shoulder pads and the sleeves pushed up to your elbows :)
Ha - you're not far off, mate!:D
I was both a hard worker and very good salesman, thus respected by the management, which is why I did well during my time there, before being promoted to department management.
I had a great rapport with the store manager (who by chance was a mad Celtic fan), and who used to move me around into departments that were underperforming and not hitting their targets, especially during sales periods, and I'd try and turn things around.
And no, unfortunately I never got the chance to 'kick butt' in the lingerie department, however that didn't stop......no we won't go there!!:lol:;)
Marco.
So true. If you are over fifty, with a dodgy back and an aversion to screaming kids, then it's not the place for you.
I wouldn't know, as I've NEVER been in one! And that situation is unlikely ever to change. As for screaming kids, Del and I wouldn't eat anywhere where there was such. We like quiet, relaxed places, where we can hear each other speak.
Marco.
macdonalds is comfortable and pleasant for its target audience. .
No it isn't, it is designed to be uncomfortable for everyone, especially the target audience! If you don't believe me go in one and hang about for an hour and watch how quickly people of all ages are in and out. This isn't a secret or my pet theory, they spend a lot of money and do a lot of research to get that effect. Not just McDonalds obviously but they were one of the pioneers.
Pigmy Pony
09-03-2019, 15:24
Well I heard that you put the 'linger' into 'lingerie department', and that you did go there. A lot. :D
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/how-mcdonalds-uses-interior-design-tricks-to-keep-customers-wanting-more-2018-03-23
Of course, McDonald’s — which did not respond to requests for comment on these strategies — isn’t the only restaurant that uses these techniques. Food retailers try everything from menu fonts to the color of the walls to influence how much a customer eats, how their food tastes, and how long they stay.
No it isn't, it is designed to be uncomfortable for everyone, especially the target audience! If you don't believe me go in one and hang about for an hour and watch how quickly people of all ages are in and out. This isn't a secret or my pet theory, they spend a lot of money and do a lot of research to get that effect. Not just McDonalds obviously but they were one of the pioneers.
Families and kids, plus teens sit in them a lot; they dont linger long after eating as, as you say there is little to do once youve eaten, but that as you say is deliberate as they only have a few tables and it is "fast food". But I wouldnt even stay long enough to eat it.... You and me are catered for at the carry out or the drive thru.
Well I heard that you put the 'linger' into 'lingerie department', and that you did go there. A lot. :D
https://i.imgur.com/xtCgypy.jpg
. You and me are catered for at the carry out or the drive thru.
And we all know what they do to you at the drive-thru...
yes a lot of people prefer to eat it in their car than go in. Because the interior of your car has been designed to be a psychologically pleasant environment - so the exact opposite of Maccy D's.
It's subliminal! Most people don't notice how awful it is as you rightly say. But it still gets them in and out more quickly. By uncomfortable I mean the environment is deliberately made to be psychologically uncomfortable. Not that they have spikes sticking out of the seats or something.
Ok, you're saying it's subliminal, but exactly how is the environment designed to be "psychologically uncomfortable", and how would you know whether that approach was successful, as the fact that somewhere is busy/making a good profit might simply mean that customers are actually ENJOYING the whole experience?
And if they're enjoying the experience, by definition it can't be psychologically uncomfortable.
A McDonalds is what it is: the environment of a commercial food chain. The same as that of 1000s of others like it. It's as comfortable as it can be, based on the business model, type of product being sold and target clientele.
They want a car park that always has spaces available. Not an empty car park. And they don't want you to have to drive around too long looking for a space. The quicker everyone is in and out the less likely it is that the car park will get full or close to full.
Well, clearly the plan isn't working, because most supermarket car parks in busy towns are nearly always full!
Marco.
walpurgis
09-03-2019, 15:39
And we all know what they do to you at the drive-thru...
yes a lot of people prefer to eat it in their car than go in. Because the interior of your car has been designed to be a psychologically pleasant environment - so the exact opposite of Maccy D's.
You wouldn't say that if you'd been in one of my brother's cars. The interior always looks as though he's been carting livestock about. :)
No it isn't, it is designed to be uncomfortable for everyone, especially the target audience! If you don't believe me go in one and hang about for an hour and watch how quickly people of all ages are in and out.
Yes, but that could simply be because of their busy lives. It is a FAST FOOD chain, after all, for folks who want to eat something quickly!;)
Therefore, how do you gauge whether a customer doesn't stay long because of the 'psychological discomfort' you've subliminally inflicted on them, and simply their OWN desire not to stay long, no matter how comfortable or uncomfortable it was?
Everyone is running about like headless chickens these days, with no time to relax, for all sorts of reasons! And not just in fast-food restaurants either.
Marco.
And we all know what they do to you at the drive-thru...
yes a lot of people prefer to eat it in their car than go in. Because the interior of your car has been designed to be a psychologically pleasant environment - so the exact opposite of Maccy D's.
On the *very* rare occasion I frequent the local Burger King, the food purchased is taken home to eat, as that's my "psychologically pleasant environment";)
Plus, no eating is allowed in my car, although it's so clean inside you could eat off the floor - if it was allowed!:D
Marco.
Well I heard that you put the 'linger' into 'lingerie department', and that you did go there. A lot. :D
I certainly used to 'linger' chatting to the manageress, who was a babe, and if she liked you, sometimes modelled the stock:eyebrows:
Marco.
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/how-mcdonalds-uses-interior-design-tricks-to-keep-customers-wanting-more-2018-03-23
Of course, McDonald’s — which did not respond to requests for comment on these strategies — isn’t the only restaurant that uses these techniques. Food retailers try everything from menu fonts to the color of the walls to influence how much a customer eats, how their food tastes, and how long they stay.
Also from your link:
Your craving for a quick Big Mac may send you to the door of a McDonald’s MCD, -0.57% but once you’re inside the restaurant, a carefully orchestrated set of sensory cues work together to maximize your spending and minimize your discomfort.
Note MINIMIZE, not maximize!;)
The rest of the article I don't dispute. There's no doubt that they don't want people to stay in restaurants any longer than necessary (so they will try to control that), but contrary to your suggestion, there is no deliberate intention to inflict 'psychological discomfort' on customers.
Marco.
What I truly hate is shopping at Ikea and/or B&Q. We always seem to spend ages drifting round them and either leave empty-handed or, in the case of Ikea, with something we don't really want or need, but feel obliged to buy to offset the hours of our lives we've wasted.
Why go though, if there's nothing you specifically need?:hmm:
Especially to Ikea, as unless you're lucky enough to have one on your doorstep, it invariably involves a bit of a trek, in our case, around 40 miles, as our nearest store is in Warrington.
Therefore, we go with a written list of items we specifically want, having first identified them and verified stock availability at our nearest store on the IKEA website, so as not to have a wasted journey. When we go round the store in question, we usually pick up a few extra bits, but only if it's something we really need, otherwise the list is strictly adhered to!
It's called being organised, rather than wandering around aimlessly, like a zoomer:D;)
Marco.
Also from your link:
Note MINIMIZE, not maximize!;)
The rest of the article I don't dispute. There's no doubt that they don't want people to stay in restaurants any longer than necessary (so they will try to control that), but contrary to your suggestion, there is no deliberate intention to inflict 'psychological discomfort' on customers.
Marco.
It means minimize your discomfort at spending money. Look at the context.
Sure, but there's nothing that indicates a deliberate intention to inflict 'psychological discomfort' [or indeed any other form of discomfort] on customers, as you are claiming. The opposite is more likely, and making things comfortable/simple, in order to encourage customers to spend money!:)
Marco.
Why go though, if there's nothing you specifically need?:hmm:
Especially to Ikea, as unless you're lucky enough to have one on your doorstep, it invariably involves a bit of a trek, in our case, around 40 miles, as our nearest store is in Warrington.
Therefore, we go with a written list of items we specifically want, having first identified them and verified stock availability at our nearest store on the IKEA website, so as not to have a wasted journey. When we go round the store in question, we usually pick up a few extra bits, but only if it's something we really need, otherwise the list is strictly adhered to!
I rarely go to Ikea, though the nearest one's only three miles away. Last time we went to look at sofas (nothing felt comfortable to sit on) and lamps (nothing we liked). We bought some tea towels. B&Q's five miles away; we went there to look at shower units, but also checked out lamps (all rubbish) but we did find a suitable shower unit. I just dislike big shops really.
I rarely go to Ikea, though the nearest one's only three miles away. Last time we went to look at sofas (nothing felt comfortable to sit on) and lamps (nothing we liked). We bought some tea towels. B&Q's five miles away; we went there to look at shower units, but also checked out lamps (all rubbish) but we did find a suitable shower unit. I just dislike big shops really.
I sympathize, I don’t have the legs of a young man, and I have not set foot in a Walmart or large hardware store in many years. There’s a grocery store within 2 miles of my house, and if they don’t have it, I don’t eat it.
When I shop, I would rather spend a few cents more and support a small, local business, that specializes in the product I’m shopping for. Increasingly I shop online! And I’m terrible about buying small items from eBay, it always seems like my birthday when a package arrives in the mail!
Russell
Pigmy Pony
10-03-2019, 18:14
Sure, but there's nothing that indicates a deliberate intention to inflict 'psychological discomfort' [or indeed any other form of discomfort] on customers, as you are claiming. The opposite is more likely, and making things comfortable/simple, in order to encourage customers to spend money!:)
Marco.
Marco, your argument seems well reasoned, but if you are drawing on your experiences in retail, you may be a little out of date - I'm sure that there have been plenty of re-thinking during the last 30 years or so, and the psychology of shopping will have become something of a science. And in an earlier post you questioned how we could tell whether our need to get out of there soonish is due to it being made psychologically uncomfortable by subliminal methods. The answer is: you can't! That's because it's subliminal!
Also, as you admit to never having darkened their door, then your view wouldn't necessarily be any more valid than me posting a review of say, Rammstein, having never heard anything by them. I reckon you should visit a Maccie's and 'take one for the team', you'll have burnt it off by autumn, a few days of raking leaves should do the trick. :D
IMO, they don't deliberately set out to make their restaurants uncomfortable, I think they look the way they do for practical reasons (primary colours to attract the young kids, after all they're the ones running things these days, and also wipe clean surfaces because they're sloppy little shites).
I do quite like their coffees, though I only ever use the drive-thru.
Fast food outlets get a lot of bad press, but I don't see what's wrong with them. Look at my avatar - that body didn't build itself you know. :)
AJSki2fly
10-03-2019, 18:28
With respect to comfort generally in fast food restaurants nowadays I think it is of little consequence as far a marketing is concerned. The key aim will be to get people in bums on seat, eat the stuff and then for them to move ASAP, to get another bum on the seat. So putting seats/tables close together and maximising seats is key, put lots of kids together in one area to make a lots of noise will ensure older people move on quickly. I am sure there other things put in place to max out turnaround and revenue.
As for Ikea I personally find there shops very irritating, primarily the layout is deliberately set out to make you walk through a maze and see every possible item in the store, before getting to the point you can actually take it off the shelf, pay for it and get out. The restaurant I suspect will be a loss leader, it offers reasonably good food at good prices, that entices people to go and have something to eat and probably spend more time in the store, and buy more.
The days of a nice Lyons Corner tea room type, or sitting in a comfortable chair on the shop floor in a department store while getting personal service have been put in the bin.
Marco, your argument seems well reasoned, but if you are drawing on your experiences in retail, you may be a little out of date - I'm sure that there have been plenty of re-thinking during the last 30 years or so, and the psychology of shopping will have become something of a science. And in an earlier post you questioned how we could tell whether our need to get out of there soonish is due to it being made psychologically uncomfortable by subliminal methods. The answer is: you can't! That's because it's subliminal!
Yup, I fully understand that. However, my point was how do you gauge whether the "need to get out there soonish" is because of subliminally being made to feel psychologically uncomfortable, as outlined, or because you were just in a hurry regardless? And so it wouldn't have mattered how comfortable or otherwise it felt being there, as the outcome would've ended up the same...
Also, as you admit to never having darkened their door, then your view wouldn't necessarily be any more valid than me posting a review of say, Rammstein, having never heard anything by them. I reckon you should visit a Maccie's and 'take one for the team', you'll have burnt it off by autumn, a few days of raking leaves should do the trick. :D
Ha - very good! If I had a choice of that or sticking pins in my eyes, I think 'they eyes would have it' [just]!;)
IMO, they don't deliberately set out to make their restaurants uncomfortable, I think they look the way they do for practical reasons (primary colours to attract the young kids, after all they're the ones running things these days...
That's also my view. Pity, as there are much more interesting places for young kids to eat, if only their parents had a little more imagination!:doh:
I can't stand how folks these days are so easily brainwashed.
Marco.
Pigmy Pony
10-03-2019, 18:47
After one trip round Ikea, we got to the checkout and Mrs. P realised we'd forgotten to pick up some glasses, so I said, "I'll go and get them, back in a minute". Never again! Going against their 'one way system' I kept getting lost, and eventually had to ask one of the staff for directions. Then I got lost again! Would have been much quicker to leave, then go back in through the entrance.
Pigmy Pony
10-03-2019, 18:54
Yup, I fully understand that. However, my point was how do you gauge whether the "need to get out there soonish" is because of subliminally being made to feel psychologically uncomfortable, as outlined, or because you were just in a hurry regardless? And so it wouldn't have mattered how comfortable or otherwise it felt being there, as the outcome would've ended up the same...
Ha - very good! If I had a choice of that or sticking pins in my eyes, I think 'they eyes would have it' [just]!;)
That's also my view. Pity, as there are much more interesting places for young kids to eat, if only their parents had a little more imagination!:doh:
I can't stand how folks these days are so easily brainwashed.
Marco.
I don't think the parents are brainwashed, rather it's the kids that are. The parents are then bullied.
Beobloke
10-03-2019, 19:21
The last time I went to Ikea, it was before the Southampton store opened and required an hour and a half trip to Bristol. We wanted two sets of glass doors for our bookcases. I checked the stock online in the morning and found they had four in stock, so off we went.
On arriving, they did indeed have four pairs of doors, but three were damaged. I spoke to an employee who basically couldn’t have cared less, so I asked to speak to the manager. He appeared and confirmed they had no more in stock, no they wouldn’t order me any more and ship them to me and, basically, it was my hard luck.
I found my remaining set of doors in another store but, other than that, haven’t been back since. Shame in a way - their Daim Bar cake was awesome...
If the other children they know are going to McDonalds then they will want to go to McDonalds. Pretty hard for parents to tell them no. I'd have no bother with it mind but then neither did my parents. We had burgers twice a year. My birthday and my brothers' birthday. Brothers were twins so I missed out there too. And it was Wimpy, no Maccy D in those days. That was also the only two times of the year we got to go to the cinema too. And if you told young people that today …(cont. page 94)
Pigmy Pony
10-03-2019, 19:34
You were lucky! Eating out for me was when we made a fire in the woods, and chucking in some spuds liberated from the pantry. At certain times of the year a visit to a nearby orchard provided the dessert. Rock hard pears that tasted like wood.
Little forum niggle, recently responded to a couple of 'wanted' ads, took the trouble to take pics of the items etc. & then failed to get a 'yes please'/'no thanks'/'kiss me arse' (without prompting). Anyway, just to say I probably won't bother in future.
Little forum niggle, recently responded to a couple of 'wanted' ads, took the trouble to take pics of the items etc. & then failed to get a 'yes please'/'no thanks'/'kiss me arse' (without prompting). Anyway, just to say I probably won't bother in future.
I sympathise Roy.
I used to feel the same when providing a detailed and full reply to a technical query; my efforts were completely ignored by the OP. A little courtesy goes a long way and costs nothing.
I used to feel the same when providing a detailed and full reply to a technical query; my efforts were completely ignored by the OP
Even more galling Barry, all it takes is a quick 'thanks'
Name and shame the ungrateful twat, Roy... Doubt it's a regular!
Marco.
The last time I went to Ikea, it was before the Southampton store opened and required an hour and a half trip to Bristol. We wanted two sets of glass doors for our bookcases. I checked the stock online in the morning and found they had four in stock, so off we went.
On arriving, they did indeed have four pairs of doors, but three were damaged. I spoke to an employee who basically couldn’t have cared less, so I asked to speak to the manager. He appeared and confirmed they had no more in stock, no they wouldn’t order me any more and ship them to me and, basically, it was my hard luck.
I found my remaining set of doors in another store but, other than that, haven’t been back since. Shame in a way - their Daim Bar cake was awesome...
Ha - I agree and always have one (with a hot dog) when I go there:) However, we've never had a problem with Ikea, and we go there at least half a dozen times a year. That was shoddy service you were given, though. The manager would've certainly heard me!!
Marco.
If the other children they know are going to McDonalds then they will want to go to McDonalds. Pretty hard for parents to tell them no. I'd have no bother with it mind but then neither did my parents. We had burgers twice a year. My birthday and my brothers' birthday. Brothers were twins so I missed out there too. And it was Wimpy, no Maccy D in those days. That was also the only two times of the year we got to go to the cinema too. And if you told young people that today …(cont. page 94)
Our two were never that bothered with McDonalds; I think we ate there once. Their coffee's OK and cheap, so we'll sometimes get some there especially if we're pushed for time and/or in an unfamiliar place.
Our 'big' cinema trip was once a year, at Christmas, though we'd sometimes go to a cartoon cinema that used to be near Lime Street station when we were out shopping. There was also a local 'fleapit' cinema that we used to go to on Saturday mornings, but that must have been when I was very young as I don't remember anything about it.
Our two were never that bothered with McDonalds; I think we ate there once.
Neither are many of the kids who belong to friends, or were any of my cousins, when they were younger. Contrary to popular belief, it's not automatic that all kids/teens are big fans of McDonalds, or indeed even junk food!;)
They're more likely to be, however, depending on the habits of their parents, and whether they sign up to the rather unimaginative notion of: 'There's only one place to take kids for a meal, and that's McDonalds'...
Come on parents, use your brains and bring your kids up to be a little more discerning, FFS!:rolleyes:
Marco.
Minstrel SE
11-03-2019, 11:50
I will probably be branded as a snob but tell your children that you are not going to muckdonalds again (cos its crap) because you can take them to somewhere much better...whats wrong with people? :)
It dismays me that the place exists and surely we can find something better than mass produced corporate eating
The rich have a good shopping experience because they get someone to do it for them and bring the very best. The rest of us are herded through the doors and walk along warehouse isles picking up flatpacks. We are doing their work and quality control for them.
I hate shopping unless its a very relaxed and casual experience. Picked up a Himalayan salt lamp yesterday...walked into a nice empty shop and had the time for deep thought and relaxation .With the full attention of the owner and we picked a nice one together. 250 million years old with a usb plug....Im happy :)
We generally get the shops we deserve. Ok Ive got a couple of Ikea drawers but I cant really think of anything worse than going to a superstore queuing for some meatballs and picking up some laminated chipboard.
Ok I'm a proper snob without the money...a recipe for confusion and misery :D
Pigmy Pony
11-03-2019, 18:26
Neither are many of the kids who belong to friends, or were any of my cousins, when they were younger. Contrary to popular belief, it's not automatic that all kids/teens are big fans of McDonalds, or indeed even junk food!;)
They're more likely to be, however, depending on the habits of their parents, and whether they sign up to the rather unimaginative notion of: 'There's only one place to take kids for a meal, and that's McDonalds'...
Come on parents, use your brains and bring your kids up to be a little more discerning, FFS!:rolleyes:
Marco.
Stop trying to get parents to take their brats to nicer eateries - us grumpy old gits need somewhere kid free to go to! Instead, give 'em a pile of ingredients and teach them to cook something nice at home. You know it makes sense :)
Stop trying to get parents to take their brats to nicer eateries - us grumpy old gits need somewhere kid free to go to!)
That's a very good point.
You're making a lot of sense today - did you get a bash on the head at work?
Pigmy Pony
11-03-2019, 18:53
That's a very good point.
You're making a lot of sense today - did you get a bash on the head at work?
That's a fair assumption - I bash my head at least once a fortnight. And just when the scab from the previous bash had fallen off. Most commonly heard thing from Mrs. P when I get in from work: "Bloody hell, what have you done now?" Never used to happen when I had hair.
Reminds me I avoided one of my pet hates the other day. Waiting in the Barber's. Jamaican bloke, really good but takes his time so if there's two in front you're looking at being in there 2 hours.
Got in there miraculously and no-one about. Just him sweeping up. Had a number 5 so don't have to go back for ages. Cold though. You don't realise how much your hair insulates you.
Well you probably do but you know what I mean.
Pigmy Pony
11-03-2019, 19:11
I feel sorry for the guy that goes in after you. "Bloody dreadlocks! I may as well come back tomorrow."
Hair cut day for me tonight - will take Anita approx. 5 minutes, and that includes the eyebrows.
Yeah I had a lot to come off too. Like shearing a sheep. Probably make some dreads out of it. They'd be almost all grey, mind.
Crackles
11-03-2019, 19:15
Reminds me I avoided one of my pet hates the other day. Waiting in the Barber's. Jamaican bloke, really good but takes his time so if there's two in front you're looking at being in there 2 hours.I go to a posh barbers where I can book now. Got really sick of waiting for over an hour at the place I used to go. It costs more now but I can leave work 5 mins before my appointment and be back 45 minutes later. Worth the extra 7 quid in my book.
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You know I've never been in a barber in this country where they have a TV to watch while you are waiting. I know you get the performing rights bloke round eventually but you tell him the owner is away on holiday and you can do nothing and he'll piss off. And he'll come round even if you just have the radio or a tape on anyway which lots of barbers do. Never understood that.
Had a number 5
If you have it the same length all over Martin why not get some clippers & do it yourself? I just used to do a number 2 till I kept getting nagged for looking like a thug.
walpurgis
11-03-2019, 19:29
I just used to do a number 2 till I kept getting nagged for looking like a thug.
Mine's clipped to a number 2 and I am a thug! :)
If you have it the same length all over Martin why not get some clippers & do it yourself? I just used to do a number 2 till I kept getting nagged for looking like a thug.
I'd miss bits I know I would. I've considered it but it would be a disaster. A good man knows his limitations. If your doing a 1 or a 2 then it isn't so hard I guess but I can't go that short - you've got to have the head and build to carry it off and I don't. I look like I just escaped from a chain gang. It's bad enough with a 5. But this bloke's cuts always grow out well so it postpones the next visit a bit longer.
A girl calls at the house to cut mine. Known her for years. She used to work in the salon I want to, then left and started her own mobile business, so I've simply become one of her customers. It's great, as I don't have to go anywhere:cool:
Fuck being sat in a salon for 2 hours, waiting to be served - I'd commit suicide!
Marco.
walpurgis
11-03-2019, 19:44
I've been clipping mine since the eighties. Not been near a barber's since.
(used to be my job, I trained as a barber for two years after leaving school, but decided I needed better money and went into engineering instead)
You know I've never been in a barber in this country where they have a TV to watch while you are waiting.
They have one in the Italian barbers I use. Mind you, I only go in if there's no queue, then I have to take my specs off while my hair's being cut, so it's all a blur anyway.
I've been clipping mine since the eighties. Not been near a barber's since.
(used to be my job, I trained as a barber for two years after leaving school, but decided I needed better money and went into engineering instead)
Useful skill to have though.
mad-moon
11-03-2019, 21:41
I hate cats
Costs my missus about £80 every 4 weeks! Cost me bugger all for about the last 20 years, no. 2 all over and she tidies up the bits I miss. I haven't got much left on top so it's a 5 minute job every couple of weeks.
I've been clipping mine since the eighties. Not been near a barber's since.
Do you chat to yourself while cutting your hair? Ask yourself if you're going anywhere nice for your holidays, that type of thing?
walpurgis
11-03-2019, 23:39
Do you chat to yourself while cutting your hair? Ask yourself if you're going anywhere nice for your holidays, that type of thing?
No, but I do say "something for the weekend sir?".
Pigmy Pony
11-03-2019, 23:49
A work colleague once offered to cut my hair in our lunch break. So the next day he came in with his clippers. He did one half of my head, then the battery died, and he hadn't brought his charger. So I spent the rest of the day with my head looking like the edge of a golf course. He was laughing so much I'm convinced he'd done it on purpose. Back to using barbers after that.
I hate cats
You're a bad man.
mad-moon
12-03-2019, 08:36
You're a bad man.
The title does say ''pet hates''
The title does say ''pet hates''
My cat hates me with a passion.
I hate cats
:wowzer::nono:
Marco.
wish I had a cat or a dog again, but struggle to look after myself now lol so it probably wouldnt be fair. A lot of cats around here so not really safe for a younger one either being let out too much.
One of my gripes is people in small houses who insist on having huge dogs; rarely walk them, and they just shite all over their garden etc when let out for 5 mins a day.
YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE:steam:;)
Nightmare, mate. If you've got ANY animal, you should have the wherewithal and desire to look after it properly, and if not, get it taken off you and given to someone else who does!
Marco.
Buying a ticket for the train. The latest in my 'How can they possibly take so long about it?' series.
Myself, I walk up to the counter, state my destination and whether I want a single or return. The ticket is printed out I hand over the money, receive the ticket and my change and I'm off. I'd say tops 30 seconds and that's down to the vendor, not me, since they tend to be quite lacksidaisical even at busy times. If I were to put a gun to their head and give them 10 seconds I reckon they'd manage it. That's a 200% increase in efficiency.
So how did several people in the queue in front of me yesterday manage to make this simple transaction last five, or in one case, ten minutes? One couple, perhaps in their early thirties, were involved in a protracted discussion with the bloke before money finally changed hands. And after that there was a further period of consultation in which Mr Railway pointed a lot to some piece of paper he was waving about.
I couldn't see what was on it, possibly it was a drawing of a train: 'Now this is what a train looks like. You get on that. When it gets to the place you want to go to then you get off. Do you have any questions?' And of course they do. Loads of them. The wankers.
walpurgis
16-03-2019, 19:47
If you let a cat out around this way, it'll probably get eaten!
Trains...? Hmm...:hmm: I've heard of them I think, but it's all rather cloudy...
Marco.
walpurgis
16-03-2019, 19:58
Trains...? Hmm...:hmm: I've heard of them I think, but it's all rather cloudy...
Marco.
I saw one once. Noisy dangerous looking thing. :)
One of my theories about this behaviour is that some people don't get out much. I mean I don't blame them, I try to get out as little as possible but I'm starting to realise I'm an amateur in a world of professionals.
So when they do go out, even if it for something mundane, like buying a train ticket or depositing some money in the bank, they like to drag it out a bit because for them this is all quite new and exciting. They want to savour the experience.
I work at a fair size office building and for a while there was a health clinic on the ground floor. You cannot get to the building without walking or driving past the entrance which is quite grand with two sets of revolving doors. Yet when I was round the back having a ciggy I would often see people attempting to gain entrance via another method. One woman I found attempting to get in through a fire exit. On the outside the exit is just a featureless white upvc panel. There is clearly no way to open it. But she's pressing on it with a puzzled expression as though she expects to find some hidden lever or switch.
Another bloke I found wandering around in a little fenced-off area where the outlets for the air conditioner are sited. It's full of scrub and small trees. Presumably looking for some sort of hatchway or manhole by which to enter. Because let's face it the entrance to most health clinics is located around the back of the building and hidden in a maintenance area.
Most amazing is the number of people, some in their sixties and seventies, who had clearly never encountered a revolving door before in their entire lives . Attempting to go through the wrong way round was a perennial favourite. And then, instead of just logically trying it the other way, withdrawing entirely from the door in order to contemplate the problem more seriously and from a distance.
If you cant beat them go Barefoot in the Park
One of my theories about this behaviour is that some people don't get out much. I mean I don't blame them, I try to get out as little as possible but I'm starting to realise I'm an amateur in a world of professionals.
So when they do go out, even if it for something mundane, like buying a train ticket or depositing some money in the bank, they like to drag it out a bit because for them this is all quite new and exciting. They want to savour the experience.
I work at a fair size office building and for a while there was a health clinic on the ground floor. You cannot get to the building without walking or driving past the entrance which is quite grand with two sets of revolving doors. Yet when I was round the back having a ciggy I would often see people attempting to gain entrance via another method. One woman I found attempting to get in through a fire exit. On the outside the exit is just a featureless white upvc panel. There is clearly no way to open it. But she's pressing on it with a puzzled expression as though she expects to find some hidden lever or switch.
Another bloke I found wandering around in a little fenced-off area where the outlets for the air conditioner are sited. It's full of scrub and small trees. Presumably looking for some sort of hatchway or manhole by which to enter. Because let's face it the entrance to most health clinics is located around the back of the building and hidden in a maintenance area.
Most amazing is the number of people, some in their sixties and seventies, who had clearly never encountered a revolving door before in their entire lives . Attempting to go through the wrong way round was a perennial favourite. And then, instead of just logically trying it the other way, withdrawing entirely from the door in order to contemplate the problem more seriously and from a distance.
Two words sum it up, mate: stupid bastards!:doh:
Marco.
Reminds me they built a secondary wall just inside the main entrance and put security doors in it. So even if you figured out the revolving door puzzle you'd only go ten feet and be confronted by closed double doors and an intercom system. This bloke turns up pushing a wheelchair containing a large elderly lady. He gets through to the security doors and, presumably thinking they are just like fire doors in a hospital and will swing open, he speeds up and rams the chair and the old lady into them.
Of course they don't budge an inch but he and the chair-bound lady bounce back a couple of feet. So what does he do? He backs up and rams them again! I thought I was going to be sick I was laughing that hard.
Lol... Dear oh dear:doh:
The world is truly full of imbeciles.
Marco.
is it just me or is the introduction of a brioche bun to a burger an abomination? Not only do they want to ruin your meal but they want to charge you an extra £5 for the privilege!
The quality of the bread/bun is the worst thing about most burgers - rather like pizza, and the quality of the base. So it doesn't matter how good the toppings are, or with burgers the fillings, if what surrounds it tastes like plastic!
Marco.
yes, although my worst memory of burgers are the ones my mum served when we were kids which didn't come with a bun, to be fair we didn't have much money and this was the 60's/70's, they were out of a tin and came with an onion gravy, goodness knows who came up with that idea, and when as kids we would eat pretty much anything, they were rank.
Burgers at school were the worst. They were not round. I could never get past that. How low grade does a burger have to be before they can't even afford to make it round? They were just random shapes. And revolting. Seriously if I gave one to the cat it would not eat it. Rats would not eat it.
I'd rather have the brioche bun, poncey though it is, than a soft bap with the powder on it. Like you'd get if you went round to your mate's house and stopped for tea. Sometimes it would have butter on it too. It's bread so you butter it, that was the thinking. Just so wrong.
I don't recall burgers at school, maybe they were so bad I've blocked it from my memory - more likely just old age.
Don't recall ever having burgers when young. Think birds eye made frozen ones but don't remember eating them. Usual fare was Lorne sausage
Remember mum Making rissoles etc which are a sort of burger I guess
Wot, you never went to a Wimpy bar?:eyebrows: or maybe they weren't around in the olden days...:D
I always laugh at these discussions, where the assumption is that if it wasn't available from a shop, you didn't have it!:doh: Did none of your parents do any cooking when you were young? My mum used to make her own burgers, with meat she bought from the local butcher, which on the summer months my dad cooked on the barbecue, and they were fab.
It's not exactly difficult!;)
Anyway, in terms of burger buns I'm a fan of the Kaiser roll:
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/xq90/922/AmOZVx.jpg
Just a bit more interesting that a plain bun, and holds the meat up well. The problem with brioche buns is that they're quite small, so it forces you to make smaller patties, and for me, that spoils the experience. You want a big, thick juicy burger, not an emasculated version of such!
Marco.
as I said she made rissoles, but I dont remember burgers. rissoles would be on a plate tho, not in a bun. .and no we didnt have a wipmy until i was a late teen and ive never been in one.
Dont recall any carry outs or restaurants at that time bar a few chip shops. 1 had a dine in facility(Italian)Serafini I think was the name. No Indian, No Chinese(although I think one did appear eventually)Now the town is littered with them...
I never had a burger when I was a lad, either home-made or out of a tin or frozen. Friday night was fish and chips night, other than that it was all home-cooked from scratch. Not much variety though; you could tell what day of the week it was by what was on your plate.
Friday was always fish and chips at school (the only edible meal they did and even that wasn't great. Chips would always be soggy).
Can't remember what tea was on a Friday. Too long ago now and my mother's cooking was always forgettable.
Friday was always fish and chips at school (the only edible meal they did and even that wasn't great. Chips would always be soggy).
Can't remember what tea was on a Friday. Too long ago now and my mother's cooking was always forgettable.
In our house it went:
Sunday: roast lamb, roast potatoes etc etc with home-made apple pie
Monday: cold remains of lamb, with boiled potatoes
Tuesday: scouse
Wednesday: mince and mashed potatoes
Thursday: liver and bacon
Friday: fish and chips
Saturday: I can't actually remember. Maybe sausages.
i had mince n tatties a few times...was my fav. usually with a tin of beans :ner: might get chicken, but not every week as it was expensive. stew and dumplings too... lots of homemade soup too usually with plain bread. occasional puddings like apple sponge, rhubarb sponge, or crumbles..
was always tasty and plenty of it...no complaints
In our house it went:
Sunday: roast lamb, roast potatoes etc etc with home-made apple pie
Monday: cold remains of lamb, with boiled potatoes
Tuesday: scouse
Wednesday: mince and mashed potatoes
Thursday: liver and bacon
Friday: fish and chips
Saturday: I can't actually remember. Maybe sausages.
I'm impressed that you can remember. I think Wednesday was our scouse night, or 'hot pot' as we called it. I think our system broke down when I was about 12 as my mother then had to look after her parents and wasn't always about in the evenings so it was chippy tea or Chinese takeaway instead. She'd just leave some money on the side and you went and got what you wanted. An equitable arrangement that suited everyone. I still eat loads of Chinese food as a result of that.
walpurgis
17-03-2019, 10:00
I refused to eat red meat as a child, so that rather cocked up the home catering arrangements.
But red meat is the best kind.
In our house it went:
Sunday: roast lamb, roast potatoes etc etc with home-made apple pie
Monday: cold remains of lamb, with boiled potatoes
Tuesday: scouse
Wednesday: mince and mashed potatoes
Thursday: liver and bacon
Friday: fish and chips
Saturday: I can't actually remember. Maybe sausages.
Lol@creatures of habit!:D
We tended to have fish on Fridays and pasta on Saturdays, but other than that mum cooked whatever looked good in the butcher, fishmonger or greengrocer, and also the Italian delis we used in Glasgow, one of which was run by my dad's cousin, when she went out shopping. This was in the (good old) days before supermarkets ruled all.
On Sundays, mum got out her recipe books and made something 'exotic', always Italian or French-based. It would've simply been too unadventurous and boring to have had such a rigid food regime, as outlined above. That's really the key to eating well: buying what looks good on the day (at the shops you go to), and cooking *that*, not sticking to set foods, simply to fulfil a habit.
However, you do what you have to do, based on your individual circumstances, and you seemed to have ate good home-cooked food Joe, when you were growing up, and which I'm sure tasted very nice:)
Marco.
But red meat is the best kind.
Disagree... I prefer poultry or pork. When I eat red meat, it's usually lamb. Beef I only eat once in a blue moon. We've having some slow-cooked brisket today, and that'll be the first piece of beef/red meat I'll have eaten in about a month!
TBH, if it weren't for chicken, I could fairly easily become a vegetarian, although I'd still want to eat fish.
Marco.
Not that keen on pork unless it is in bacon form. Could eat bacon for England. And lamb chops. Lamb fat is the best fat.
chicken is probably better for you. I eat more chicken than beef, but it can depend on whats available and how im feeling health wise as to what i have in. if im not able to move well then I rely on ready meals. if fitter i will make from scratch
as I said she made rissoles, but I dont remember burgers. rissoles would be on a plate tho, not in a bun. .and no we didnt have a wipmy until i was a late teen and ive never been in one.
Dont recall any carry outs or restaurants at that time bar a few chip shops. 1 had a dine in facility(Italian)Serafini I think was the name. No Indian, No Chinese(although I think one did appear eventually)Now the town is littered with them...
No worries, mate. That 10/15 years difference, when I was growing up and you were, would've made the difference, in terms of which foods were available. Plus, I grew up in Glasgow, so there was always a more 'happening' scene there, even in the 70s, than there was in smaller towns. However in saying that, there was a Chinese take-away in our town from the early 70s onwards, and of course my dad's chippy!:D
Marco.
chicken is probably better for you. I eat more chicken than beef, but it can depend on whats available and how im feeling health wise as to what i have in. if im not able to move well then I rely on ready meals. if fitter i will make from scratch
Indeed, so you do what you have to do. My mum was the typical out-and-out housewife, so took great pride in all aspects of the role, while my dad was at work, and absolutely loved cooking and entertaining, as it was how she had been brought up, not so much the entertaining side (as that was more of a 70s/80s dinner party thing - think food in the style of Robert Carrier or Keith Floyd), but being brought up cooking fresh ingredients from scratch.
Marco.
On Sundays, mum got out her recipe books and made something 'exotic', always Italian or French-based. It would've simply been too unadventurous and boring to have had such a rigid food regime, as outlined above. That's really the key to eating well: buying what looks good on the day (at the shops you go to), and cooking *that*, not sticking to set foods, simply to fulfil a habit.
However, you do what you have to do, based on your individual circumstances, and you seemed to have ate good home-cooked food Joe, when you were growing up, and which I'm sure tasted very nice:)
Marco.
Well, there were six mouths to feed on not a lot of money. Plus my dad was a dour Scotsman who couldn't be doing with any sort of what he called 'fancy food'. I liked all of it really except the liver and bacon.
Pierre De Grenoble
17-03-2019, 16:56
I never had a burger when I was a lad, either home-made or out of a tin or frozen. Friday night was fish and chips night, other than that it was all home-cooked from scratch. Not much variety though; you could tell what day of the week it was by what was on your plate.
wasn't it just. I hated Tuesday's. My ma's mince stew was absolutely disgusting.
Well, there were six mouths to feed on not a lot of money. Plus my dad was a dour Scotsman who couldn't be doing with any sort of what he called 'fancy food'. I liked all of it really except the liver and bacon.
Yup, I absolutely get that. It was the opposite for me. Just the three of us, with no shortage of money, although my dad worked very hard to provide us with what we had.
The important thing was, unlike in such situations now, your mum (or whoever else was doing the cooking back then), didn't simply open a tin or heat up some frozen chips - and *that* is what we need to get back to now with today's families: the cooking of proper, simple, home-made food, rather than lazily worshiping at the altar of 'chicken ding'!:doh::rolleyes:
Marco.
Pigmy Pony
17-03-2019, 18:22
Yup, I absolutely get that. It was the opposite for me. Just the three of us, with no shortage of money, although my dad worked very hard to provide us with what we had.
The important thing was, unlike in such situations now, your mum (or whoever else was doing the cooking back then), didn't simply open a tin or heat up some frozen chips - and *that* is what we need to get back to now with today's families: the cooking of proper, simple, home-made food, rather than lazily worshiping at the altar of 'chicken ding'!:doh::rolleyes:
Marco.
I think we've been here before with this conversation - what we REALLY need to get back is a situation where only one person needs to work in order to afford a reasonable standard of living. As it is, the mother (other sexes are available) has to get herself and the kids sorted in the morning, get them off to school, go do a full days work, then get home at the end of the day and sort out meals for everyone as well as keeping up with other necessary household chores. On the one hand there may be help from the other half, but then there are also after school clubs and sick kids to factor in.
In our house Anita does not go out to work (due to health reasons), but apart from a household income which is usually the wrong side of adequate, it's an arrangement we are both happy with. I like coming in from work to a warm, tidy house with Anita in it, a meal ready for me, and even a bath done if it's been a tough day.
Unfortunately for a lot of folk, even two incomes is barely enough :(
Sure, then as I've said before, the answer to is reduce your outgoings, and the amount of material possessions you *think* you need/deserve, and have to pay for, downsize your house, drive a smaller/cheaper car, cut down on unnecessary overspending in supermarkets - WHATEVER - in order to allow you MORE TIME to eat properly!
Quite simply, there's no way I would downgrade my eating standards, simply to live in a 'fancier'/bigger house than I needed, carrying a mortgage that I couldn't really afford, and the same would apply to a car, or holidays I went on, the latest smartphone 'must have', etc, etc, etc...
In short, you LEARN to cut your coat according to your cloth, and lead a simpler life, concentrating instead on doing the basics right (such as eating proper, home-cooked food), as folk still managed to do in the past (as outlined by Joe), despite needing to work hard and support multiple children, rather than wasting money on 'stuff'/materialistic bullshit that you have to work ridiculous hours to pay for, and which in reality you don't really need!
:exactly:
Marco.
Pigmy Pony
17-03-2019, 19:43
Hey, don't be shouting at me, just because you're dying for a beer :D Only kidding mate, you make some good points, though I feel that as 'outsiders', we are probably not qualified to comment on the nuts 'n' bolts of modern budgeting.
By the way, I crashed my Lent last night, and made pancakes. Ingredients would have cost about 50p, as opposed to spending a couple of quid on shop bought ones. You would have been so proud :)
Hey, don't be shouting at me, just because you're dying for a beer :D Only kidding mate, you make some good points, though I feel that as 'outsiders', we are probably not qualified to comment on the nuts 'n' bolts of modern budgeting.
By the way, I crashed my Lent last night, and made pancakes. Ingredients would have cost about 50p, as opposed to spending a couple of quid on shop bought ones. You would have been so proud :)
:lol: Aye... not!
Outsiders or not, I have plenty of friends and relatives with kids, where both parents are working full-time, yet still manage to find time to eat properly, rather than simply consuming microwaved junk food [I've been sat in their houses when it's happened], therefore that experience is largely what forms the basis for my point of view.
Quite simply, if you *really* want to do something, you'll FIND the time (somehow) to do it - and the desire to eat properly seems to have lessened significantly in recent years, with folks these days more interested in being glued to their mobile phones, checking their social media accounts, than the cooker!:doh:
Therefore, it's as much about managing your free time better, and making time for the most important things [eating well being one], as it is supposedly not having any free time.
Marco.
Pigmy Pony
17-03-2019, 23:12
:lol: Aye... not!
Outsiders or not, I have plenty of friends and relatives with kids, where both parents are working full-time, yet still manage to find time to eat properly, rather than simply consuming microwaved junk food [I've been sat in their houses when it's happened], therefore that experience is largely what forms the basis for my point of view.
Quite simply, if you *really* want to do something, you'll FIND the time (somehow) to do it - and the desire to eat properly seems to have lessened significantly in recent years, with folks these days more interested in being glued to their mobile phones, checking their social media accounts, than the cooker!:doh:
Therefore, it's as much about managing your free time better, and making time for the most important things [eating well being one], as it is not having any.
Marco.
Some more very good points. I did consider asking how many of these friends/relatives choose to live in tiny shoebox houses with the wallpaper peeling, kids in charity shop clothes, a car that only starts when it feels like it, and no holidays, in order to maintain culinary standards, but it would take me too long to type :D
Some folks will struggle to enjoy a good standard of any of the above. While others are just self serving lazy shites, and its the kids that lose out.
stairpost
31-03-2019, 07:51
Idiots that send a text at 2am making an offer for a gumtree ad. To make it even more annoying the offer was about 60% of the asking price.
Daughter makes mostly her stuff from scratch. Both work and are footy parents too. It can be done but takes commitment
Idiots that send a text at 2am making an offer for a gumtree ad. To make it even more annoying the offer was about 60% of the asking price.
Same with the idiots on ebay, who place sales ads just before going on holiday, then disappear and aren't available to answer questions, which you need answered urgently, if you're going to buy/make an offer on whatever it is they're selling - same applies when you're a seller and have sold something in an auction to the highest bidder, then they disappear for days (or longer) before paying you!:doh:
For me, there's no excuse these days, with smart phones, not to be immediately 'on it' and contactable, when you're using Internet sites to buy and sell stuff - and if you've bought something on ebay, pay the seller *immediately*, just the same as you would in shop, and if you don't have the money right away, then don't make an offer in the first place!!
And don't get me started on the ARSEwipes who run on-line shops, selling whatever, whose website indicates that a specific item is in stock, or doesn't say one way or the other, so you presume it is, then once selected and paid for, nothing happens, sometimes for days afterwards, until you contact them, chasing shipment of your goods, only to be told that they're out of stock!!!!
:guns::guns::steam:
If you're running a business on-line, particularly with a shop attached, then BE PROACTIVE, focussed and efficient, and ensure that everything you're advertising for sale is marked as in stock or not - BEFORE taking folk's money!!
Marco.
they oft say they are on hols to avoid questions
That's stupid, as answering questions from prospective buyers, may well end up in selling what you've got advertised, which is the whole point, is it not?:rolleyes:
Marco.
aye, but who said they were bright; more likely to be chancers... not all though and ive had one or two who have been gentlemen.
I dont sell much these days as there is a growing army of parasites using ebay
Pigmy Pony
31-03-2019, 11:11
There could be all sorts of reasons for this (Like they're trying to keep sale secret from partner, bidding against themselves, amongst them). Not forgetting that the seller is probably thick as a workhouse butty.
Whilst on the subject of clueless sellers, I have a question: I want to put a BOW Wazoo amp for sale on th'ebay, but considering its value (about a grand) and its scarcity (probably quite a small market for it) I'm unsure how to sell it. Should I auction it with a big reserve, or do 'buy it now' at or just above what I'm happy to take?
can do both with a reserve. put a low enough acceptable value on it and it will probably sell.. try it here first; you never know
Pigmy Pony
31-03-2019, 11:25
Yes I've had it on here for a few weeks now, and I also took it down to Kegworth, but no joy. Scarce enough to make valuing difficult, I saw one on eBay for about £1800, and that was without the expensive remote, and a nasty scratch on the selector knob. Of course I can't assume that it sold, I think probably not. So I was going to put on for about £1000 (what I paid) or fifty quid or so more.
Yes I've had it on here for a few weeks now, and I also took it down to Kegworth, but no joy. Scarce enough to make valuing difficult, I saw one on eBay for about £1800, and that was without the expensive remote, and a nasty scratch on the selector knob. Of course I can't assume that it sold, I think probably not. So I was going to put on for about £1000 (what I paid) or fifty quid or so more.
go into advanced search in ebay and tick completed listing box and search. if its price is in green it sold for that
There could be all sorts of reasons for this (Like they're trying to keep sale secret from partner, bidding against themselves, amongst them). Not forgetting that the seller is probably thick as a workhouse butty.
I think I'll settle on the latter being the most likely! As for keeping sales secret from a partner, that's also daft, as such secrets [like hiding bits of hi-fi from 'her'] are unlikely to form the basis of a successful, long-term relationship, especially if you get caught - and if you're buying them a present, then why would that prevent you from answering questions from someone in reference to that?
Does your partner read your texts or emails, or have access to your on-line accounts? If so, that's not on, and an unacceptable invasion of privacy. I'd have no interest in doing that to Del, and neither would she with me, as a) we're not nosey bastards, and b) trust each other implicitly. A lack of trust is also one of the biggest causes of relationship failures.
Marco.
stairpost
31-03-2019, 11:43
Same with the idiots on ebay, who place sales ads just before going on holiday, then disappear and aren't available to answer questions, which you need answered urgently, if you're going to buy/make an offer on whatever it is they're selling - same applies when you're a seller and have sold something in an auction to the highest bidder, then they disappear for days (or longer) before paying you!:doh:
For me, there's no excuse these days, with smart phones, not to be immediately 'on it' and contactable, when you're using Internet sites to buy and sell stuff - and if you've bought something on ebay, pay the seller *immediately*, just the same as you would in shop, and if you don't have the money right away, then don't make an offer in the first place!!
And don't get me started on the ARSEwipes who run on-line shops, selling whatever, whose website indicates that a specific item is in stock, or doesn't say one way or the other, so you presume it is, then once selected and paid for, nothing happens, sometimes for days afterwards, until you contact them, chasing shipment of your goods, only to be told that they're out of stock!!!!
:guns::guns::steam:
If you're running a business on-line, particularly with a shop attached, then BE PROACTIVE, focussed and efficient, and ensure that everything you're advertising for sale is marked as in stock or not - BEFORE taking folk's money!!
Marco.
Absolutely! And the description that has no actual details of the item for sale is another one. I was looking for a cutlery tray yesterday, they had a pic on the listing, but the entire description was something like 'cutlery tray, grey'. I was left to guess the size. It's one thing on a cheap kitchen accessory, but I've seen very similar on all sorts of more expensive listings.
Pigmy Pony
31-03-2019, 11:54
Same here. I totally trust Anita, and she knows all my details, pin numbers, bank details, and I don't have a pin on my phone either. Nothing to see on my phone anyway, it's all correspondence with customers, suppliers and work colleagues. She'd soon get bored!
As far as unreliable sellers go, most likely explanation is that they are thick as two short planks. Perhaps they aren't smart enough to post pictures on AoS, so go to eBay because it's simpler! Just saying... :)
Pieoftheday
31-03-2019, 16:10
Just booked a holiday, paid in full,2 minutes later boiler packed up FFS:steam:
Firebottle
31-03-2019, 17:08
Oh bugger, that's really bad form.
Pieoftheday
31-03-2019, 17:14
Yes we could have done without it, hopefully an inexpensive fix,got a new kitchen booked in aswell, bloody bugger shit!!!
Pigmy Pony
02-04-2019, 17:44
Currently trying to cancel my bike insurance with Hastings Direct, and it's a right battle, so I'll call it "The Battle of Hastings Direct". Was on hold for 20 minutes, after which the line went dead. I'm not the most patient of folk, so my reaction was "well they can piss off", so Anita had a go. After being in a queue for 35 minutes, that call went dead too. So She's trying again, and now the recorded message says that there is a one hour wait. I suggested we just cancel the direct debit and they'll get the message, but apparently there would then be a cancellation fee
If they'd just kept the renewal the same as last year, instead of hiking the price by 35%, I'd stay with them but now they can shove it up their arse. And the quote from them for a new policy is even cheaper than last year's premium!
So going with Bennetts, actually 30% cheaper than Hastings' premium last year.
Currently trying to cancel my bike insurance with Hastings Direct, and it's a right battle, so I'll call it "The Battle of Hastings Direct". .
Almost genius.
Pigmy Pony
02-04-2019, 19:59
Just booked a holiday, paid in full,2 minutes later boiler packed up FFS:steam:
You're taking your boiler with you on holiday? Must be a big suitcase.
You're taking your boiler with you on holiday? Must be a big suitcase.
No - I don't think boilers need much in the way of luggage when they go on holiday, so only a very small suitcase is needed.
Probably just takes a man-bag.
Pigmy Pony
02-04-2019, 20:22
True - being endotherms, they don't need to take any clothes. maybe a bit of lagging if it's a skiing holiday.
Sun hat if it's the Tropics.
Could just wear that on the plane anyway though.
Pigmy Pony
03-04-2019, 06:20
Worcester Bosch make the best travel companions. I once went to Spain with a Baxi Bermuda, and it complained all week, "Ooh, the food's rubbish" and "there's too many Germans" :(
You think that was bad, try a wet weekend in Llandudno with an immersion heater. Never again.
Pigmy Pony
03-04-2019, 13:28
You think that was bad, try a wet weekend in Llandudno with an immersion heater. Never again.
:lol: Rhyll's even worse, the caravan sites are teeming with them! I once shared a caravan with an immersion heater called Vaillant, which is Welsh for "From the Valleys". It had a faulty thermostat, and if left unattended would make noises which sounded like it was boiling over. Turns out it was swearing at me in Welsh. They don't like us Brits, and I've no idea why.
Tut...Only the lower orders grace such places, whilst those with class go to Conwy. You can eat crabs there, rather than catch them;)
Marco.
try a weekend in the highlands without an immersion heater:eyebrows:
Pigmy Pony
03-04-2019, 13:48
I usually avoid using supermarket filling stations because (a) I hear the fuel is crap, and (b) the queues are usually ridiculous. Yesterday I had no option but to use morrisons at Preston as I was driving on fumes and it was the closest place. They've made the forecourt much bigger, and the "kiosk" is now larger than many supermarkets, selling just about everything.
And I think this is the reason for the overcrowded forecourt: people filling up, then leaving their car at the pump while they do a spot of grocery shopping. My arm would never get tired slapping these people. Plenty of parking bays outside the kiosk, all of them vacant.
I have on occasion used the Asda, where you pay at the pump - Morrisons have now added some of these, but they're the pumps closest to the kiosk, while the old pumps are so far away they should have a free bus service.
always pay at the pump. Morrisons here have a few and they are usually empty.... tesco ones are both. fortunately the new motor doesnt need too much fuel. maybe a tenner every couple of weeks
Lol... I'd never soil the Brabster's fuel system with supermarket fuel:eek::spew::nono:
Strictly Texaco Supreme diesel here! And bought from my local friendly, small, family-run service station, who even phone me up when they're running low on that specific fuel, as I won't use anything else, so that I can pop down and top up without having to wait until the next tanker arrives - and I never have to wait in a queue:)
Howzzat for service?:cool:
Marco.
Pigmy Pony
03-04-2019, 14:00
Caught crabs in the highlands, caught plenty of lobsters too. Used to sell them to the hotel. Usually pretty warm up there in June/July, but the sea was piggin' freezing. And it was part of the Gulf Stream, hence the palm trees in Plockton I was told.
Caught crabs in the highlands, caught plenty of lobsters too. Used to sell them to the hotel. Usually pretty warm up there in June/July, but the sea was piggin' freezing. And it was part of the Gulf Stream, hence the palm trees in Plockton I was told.
A Scotsman's idea of warm does not correspond to anyone else's idea of warm, except maybe an Eskimo.
I was there end of June and for 5 of the 7 days it was bastard.
Honestly, if you've not been, next time you're in that area, visit Conwy. It's a class above that shithole, Rhyl. And Llandudno, whilst ok, has long since seen better days!
Beautiful Conwy: https://www.google.com/search?q=conwy&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=8ziazJ0vwgA32M%253A%252CnnSkD9fmOtTWSM%252C%25 2Fm%252F02__d3&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kQ7sUeOBor1te6Rw2BBbP2rwHnxbw&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjGneDZi7ThAhWUQxUIHcbuDTkQ_B0wFXoECA4QB g#imgrc=8ziazJ0vwgA32M:
The castle in particular is stunning:)
Marco.
Minstrel SE
03-04-2019, 14:17
A Scotsman's idea of warm does not correspond to anyone else's idea of warm, except maybe an Eskimo.
I was there end of June and for 5 of the 7 days it was bastard.
Oh yeah I could tell you about Findhorn. It could be very warm but you could never guarantee anything even in mid summer. Water was very cold and it was often very windy. I suppose thats true of Britain but you dont really want to be heading north from where I am now :)
If you liked getting off boats in several layers of clothing and wading through freezing cold water....fill yer boots...literally
We had a family cottage there and to be honest I wish it was in Portugal
Pigmy Pony
03-04-2019, 14:20
Honestly, if you've not been, next time you're in that area, visit Conwy. It's a class above that shithole, Rhyl. And Llandudno, whilst ok, has long since seen better days!
Beautiful Conwy: https://www.google.com/search?q=conwy&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=8ziazJ0vwgA32M%253A%252CnnSkD9fmOtTWSM%252C%25 2Fm%252F02__d3&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kQ7sUeOBor1te6Rw2BBbP2rwHnxbw&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjGneDZi7ThAhWUQxUIHcbuDTkQ_B0wFXoECA4QB g#imgrc=8ziazJ0vwgA32M:
The castle in particular is stunning:)
Marco.
I heard that when digging out the shithole that is Rhyl, they took all the crap over to Llandudno and piled it up there. Now that grass has grown on it, it has become something of a tourist attraction, with stunning views of England from the top. I love history, me. :)
Once passed Conwy Castle on the way back from Portmerion, and it did look impressive. Unfortunately I was in a carful of pissheads with no interest in castles.
Lol... It's not just the castle, but the town itself has class, with some nice, good quality shops, many privately owned, lovely quaint pubs and a few superb eateries. Even a few great chippies!:)
Probably our favourite place to eat in the area is situated nearby in Colwyn Bay: https://portheirias.com/
The food is to die for. Treat Anita!:)
Those are our usual haunts on the North Wales coast, or further up over to Anglesey, to Beaumaris: https://www.google.com/search?q=beaumaris&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=hX5Aq6KIDFBqDM%253A%252CNWBRIby48pkrYM%252C%25 2Fm%252F02whd6&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kTKekn8Dgf8Vfs3UzkSIKbEp796gg&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjx9uTNkLThAhX-UBUIHef4DpcQ_B0wFXoECAwQBg#imgrc=hX5Aq6KIDFBqDM:
Yes, more castles!:eyebrows:
There's more to it than that though, and going further into Anglesey itself reveals some great places, not to mention *stunning* beaches... The local fresh lobster is also half decent;)
Marco.
Been Conway loads of times it isn't that great.
Better than Rhyl though, I'll give you that.
Oh yeah I could tell you about Findhorn. It could be very warm but you could never guarantee anything even in mid summer. Water was very cold and it was often very windy. I suppose thats true of Britain but you dont really want to be heading north from where I am now :)
If you liked getting off boats in several layers of clothing and wading through freezing cold water....fill yer boots...literally
We had a family cottage there and to be honest I wish it was in Portugal
Not that bad :lol: its not quite the arctic, normally, more like greenland:ner: we do get nice days too....occasionally
Been Conway loads of times it isn't that great.
Better than Rhyl though, I'll give you that.
Isn't that great? Lol, we'll let's just say it's bit nicer than Stoke!:lol:;)
And it's Conwy, daftee, not Conway. It's a Welsh place, so use the Welsh spelling, none of your English bollox:eyebrows:
Marco.
Oh yeah I could tell you about Findhorn. It could be very warm but you could never guarantee anything even in mid summer. Water was very cold and it was often very windy. I suppose thats true of Britain but you dont really want to be heading north from where I am now :)
If you liked getting off boats in several layers of clothing and wading through freezing cold water....fill yer boots...literally
We had a family cottage there and to be honest I wish it was in Portugal
I was on a boat. I didn't fall off but you know like in 'Jaws' where the only way to get from the front to the back of the boat is along a narrow little ledge down the side which is always dead slippy? That's what it was like.
Whoever designs boats has obviously never been on one.
Isn't that great? Lol, we'll let's just say it's bit nicer than Stoke!:lol:;)
And it's Conwy, daftee, not Conway. It's a Welsh place, so use the Welsh spelling, none of your English bollox:eyebrows:
Marco.
not if Russ is with ya it aint:D
Pigmy Pony
03-04-2019, 14:51
Not that bad :lol: its not quite the arctic, normally, more like greenland:ner: we do get nice days too....occasionally
Southern softies you see, by which I mean anyone south of Chorley :D Maybe I just got lucky, but had a lot of good weather days up Ullapool way over the years. My worst ever sunburn was at Achiltibuie June 1976. Probably underestimated the strength of the sun. After the scabs fell off everyone assumed I'd been to Spain.
One word for Martin (Minstrel) regarding cold wet feet when boating: JETTY :ner:
Pigmy Pony
03-04-2019, 14:55
not if Russ is with ya it aint:D
Same goes for that Twitty dude.
Isn't that great? Lol, we'll let's just say it's bit nicer than Stoke!:lol:;)
And it's Conwy, daftee, not Conway. It's a Welsh place, so use the Welsh spelling, none of your English bollox:eyebrows:
Marco.
I do not consider that names that have been familiar for generations in England should be altered to study the whims of foreigners living in those parts. Without a firm stand the B.B.C. will be pronouncing Paris 'Paree.' Foreign names were made for Englishmen, not Englishmen for foreign names- Winston S Churchill.
I do not consider that names that have been familiar for generations in England should be altered to study the whims of foreigners living in those parts. Without a firm stand the B.B.C. will be pronouncing Paris 'Paree.' Foreign names were made for Englishmen, not Englishmen for foreign names- Winston S Churchill.
'They' keep arsing around with place-names. I still call Bombay 'Bombay', not Mumbai, same for whatever we're supposed to call Calcutta these days. And Burma's still Burma, not some random collection of consonants.
As for Welsh names, most of them are just the English word with a few letters changed, like ambiwlans for ambulance and ffôn for phone.
Been Conway loads of times it isn't that great.
It was a school trip venue in my day, as was Llandudno. We visited the latter in our last year at primary school (what's now known as Year Six) and robbed the place blind. This was before the 'only two schoolkids allowed in the shop at one time' rule was introduced. Indeed it may have been why that rule was introduced.
Childhood summer holidays were also mostly spent in Wales, at Prestatyn holiday camp when I was a nipper, then in a farmhouse on Anglesey for several years in my teens. It always seemed to be pissing it down in Anglesey, but my sister got sunstroke there one year, so the sun must have shone occasionally. We used to drive there in my uncle's Humber Super Snipe, all packed in like sardines, with no seatbelts or any of that nonsense, and before speed limits were introduced on many rural roads.
I do not consider that names that have been familiar for generations in England should be altered to study the whims of foreigners living in those parts. Without a firm stand the B.B.C. will be pronouncing Paris 'Paree.' Foreign names were made for Englishmen, not Englishmen for foreign names- Winston S Churchill.
:lolsign:
It's still Conwy. Did you spell Rhyl earlier as 'Ril', or Llandudno, as 'Landudno'? No, so...... ;)
Marco.
:lolsign:
It's still Conwy. Did you spell Rhyl earlier as 'Ril', or Llandudno, as 'Landudno'? No, so...... ;)
Marco.
I still call it Pembroke rather than Penfro.
primary 7 here... only time i remember being in wales was a job at a substation or something like that near wrexham. we were repairing the building if memory serves from a trailer cherrypicker. heap of crap that was. Quite liked the area tho, and it was fairly pretty.
It was a school trip venue in my day, as was Llandudno. We visited the latter in our last year at primary school (what's now known as Year Six) and robbed the place blind. This was before the 'only two schoolkids allowed in the shop at one time' rule was introduced. Indeed it may have been why that rule was introduced.
Childhood summer holidays were also mostly spent in Wales, at Prestatyn holiday camp when I was a nipper, then in a farmhouse on Anglesey for several years in my teens. It always seemed to be pissing it down in Anglesey, but my sister got sunstroke there one year, so the sun must have shone occasionally. We used to drive there in my uncle's Humber Super Snipe, all packed in like sardines, with no seatbelts or any of that nonsense, and before speed limits were introduced on many rural roads.
Awesome! Never saw you though as a shoplifter... Typical scouser. All 'wrong uns', lol:eyebrows:
Marco.
Awesome! Never saw you though as a shoplifter... Typical scouser. All 'wrong uns', lol:eyebrows:
Marco.
I blame the bad lads I was with. One particularly, who I'll call Peter Connor (because that was his name). One break-time, we were carrying a crate of empty milk bottles to the school kitchen between us. Suddenly, without warning, Peter let go his end of the crate, and it crashed to the floor, making the loudest noise I've ever heard in my life. It naturally drew the attention of several teachers, including the Headmaster. Fortunately I was still holding my end of the crate, and Peter was a known troublemaker, so I escaped punishment, and he got the cane.
primary 7 here... only time i remember being in wales was a job at a substation or something like that near wrexham. we were repairing the building if memory serves from a trailer cherrypicker. heap of crap that was. Quite liked the area tho, and it was fairly pretty.
When I lived in Glasgow, I'd never even heard of Wrexham! However, we went on a family holiday to North Wales in the mid 80s, touring around in the car, having driven down there from Scotland, and my abiding memory was going down the slate mine in Blaenau Ffestiniog [awesome place: https://slatemountain.co.uk/] and the stunning scenery of Snowdonia, where we stayed in a lovely little hotel, and where the owner made her own Bara Brith:)
Marco.
When I lived in Glasgow, I'd never even heard of Wrexham! However, we went on a family holiday to North Wales in the mid 80s, touring around in the car, having driven down there from Scotland, and my abiding memory was going down the slate mine in Blaenau Ffestiniog [awesome place: https://slatemountain.co.uk/] and the stunning scenery of Snowdonia, where we stayed in a lovely little hotel, and where the owner made her own Bara Brith:)
Marco.
went a few family hols down south; various places but 2 or 3 times to the Norfolk Broads, as Dad liked boats
Nice one. So did we. I remember going to various places in Devon and Cornwall - the gorgeous Cornish ice-cream and clotted cream stick in the mind! Polperro was a favourite haunt of my dad's. Beautiful little seaside village, and that was in the days before it was spoiled by heaving levels of tourists! You can't move there now in peak season:rolleyes:
And also going to Dartmoor, Exmoor and Somerset, where I first tasted genuine scrumpy! And of course we visited the Lake District numerous times - got lots of good memories of places like Keswick and Buttermere/Grassmere:)
Marco.
got a huge big lump on my lower back. dunno where this came from.:rolleyes: maybe got stung although dunno how or when... big bloody thing anyway so will need to stop wearing the thong :ner:
:lolsign:
It's still Conwy. Did you spell Rhyl earlier as 'Ril', or Llandudno, as 'Landudno'? No, so...... ;)
Marco.
That's because they are spelt the same in Welsh. I notice you are using 'Wrexham' instead of 'Wrecsam'...
Anyway as Joe says they're just having a laugh with the whole Welsh language thing. Back in the 1970s there were like 8 people left who spoke it, until some chancer spotted the opportunity to make a few bob.
It was a school trip venue in my day, as was Llandudno. We visited the latter in our last year at primary school (what's now known as Year Six) and robbed the place blind. This was before the 'only two schoolkids allowed in the shop at one time' rule was introduced. Indeed it may have been why that rule was introduced.
.
Reminds me of our school trip to St Malo. The poor Frenchies thought the Hundred Years War was back on.
Pigmy Pony
03-04-2019, 15:56
Isn't that great? Lol, we'll let's just say it's bit nicer than Stoke!:lol:;)
And it's Conwy, daftee, not Conway. It's a Welsh place, so use the Welsh spelling, none of your English bollox:eyebrows:
Marco.
Yes the Lake district is favourite for me, especially round Keswick and Derwentwater. Have some good memories of it, when not pissed.
And it's Grasmere, daftee, not Grassmere. It's an English place so use the English spelling, non of your Welsh bollox :eyebrows:
That's because they are spelt the same in Welsh. I notice you are using 'Wrexham' instead of 'Wrecsam'...
Anyway as Joe says they're just having a laugh with the whole Welsh language thing. Back in the 1970s there were like 8 people left who spoke it, until some chancer spotted the opportunity to make a few bob.
Lol... Eh? There are loads of places round here that are Welsh speaking, and where Welsh is the first language spoken and written, not English. It's like that over the vast majority of North Wales, especially in rural areas, and it would almost certainly have been that way, perhaps even more so, in 70s!
Certainly more than "8 people"... You do have some funny notions sometimes;)
Marco.
Yes the Lake district is favourite for me, especially round Keswick and Derwentwater. Have some good memories of it, when not pissed.
And it's Grasmere, daftee, not Grassmere. It's an English place so use the English spelling, non of your Welsh bollox :eyebrows:
Hahaha... Slip of the keyboard, shweety, or perhaps memories of having smoked too much of the weed, back in the day:D
Marco.
Pigmy Pony
03-04-2019, 16:09
Hahaha... Slip of the keyboard, shweety, or perhaps memories of having smoked too much of the weed, back in the day:D
Marco.
:) I can identify with that, having smoked a fair bit of gras in Grassmere. See you've got me doing it now :D
Lol... Eh? There are loads of places round here that are Welsh speaking, and where Welsh is the first language spoken and written, not English. It's like that over the vast majority of North Wales, especially in rural areas, and it would almost certainly have been that way, perhaps even more so, in 70s!
Certainly more than "8 people"... You do have some funny notions sometimes;)
Marco.
8 was an exaggeration but my funny notions are usually true: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welsh_language#cite_note-34
: Historically, large numbers of Welsh people spoke only Welsh.[33] Over the course of the 20th century this monolingual population "all but disappeared", but a small percentage remained at the time of the 1981 census During the Modern Welsh period there has been a decline in the popularity of the Welsh language: the number of Welsh speakers declined to the point at which there was concern that the language would become extinct
Yes, but unfortunately in the real world, outside of Wiki, the reality is rather different;)
I live here, remember, so I know the scene.
As a small example, there's a little village just outside of Wrexham, called Coedpoeth, and if you walk into any shop there, or the local pubs, they'll all be speaking Welsh, and if you go there with an English accent, speaking English, they'll give you a filthy look - and worse probably ignore you and mutter something unpleasant!:D
Honestly, that's the scene mostly throughout North Wales, which outside of Wrexham consists of nothing else but farms and small towns/villages. There are more sheep than people! Different story in South Wales, near Cardiff and Swansea, where things are rather more 'England-fied', although in the valleys there are still plenty of Welsh speaking towns and villages.
Also, in Wrexham, Welsh is still being taught in schools, both at primary and secondary level, and in some schools they speak nothing but Welsh! So the language is hardly "extinct"... It's great keeping these traditions alive:cool:
I just wish that Gaelic was spoken more in Scotland... Celts rule! :sheep::ner:
Marco.
Have a read here: https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/education/subject-second-language-welsh-being-15693728
They're totally focussed now on Welsh becoming the FIRST language spoken in Wales now, not second - and quite right, too!
Marco.
Pigmy Pony
03-04-2019, 18:31
Yes, but unfortunately in the real world, outside of Wiki, the reality is rather different;)
I live here, remember, so I know the scene.
As a small example, there's a little village just outside of Wrexham, called Coedpoeth, and if you walk into any shop there, or the local pubs, they'll all be speaking Welsh, and if you go there with an English accent, speaking English, they'll give you a filthy look - and worse probably ignore you and mutter something unpleasant!:D
Honestly, that's the scene mostly throughout North Wales, which outside of Wrexham consists of nothing else but farms and small towns/villages. There are more sheep than people! Different story in South Wales, near Cardiff and Swansea, where things are rather more 'England-fied', although in the valleys there are still plenty of Welsh speaking towns and villages.
Also, in Wrexham, Welsh is still being taught in schools, both at primary and secondary level, and in some schools they speak nothing but Welsh! So the language is hardly "extinct"... It's great keeping these traditions alive:cool:
I just wish that Gaelic was spoken more in Scotland... Celts rule! :sheep::ner:
Marco.
If someone from the village of Coedpoeth (English translation: Codpiece) wandered into a shop in England brandishing a Welsh accent, would he be ignored, or insulted in rhyming slang? NO, because we're good people,* more concerned with being respectful and welcoming towards others, regardless of their origins. :)
Shame really, up to this point North Wales looked like a place worth visiting, but no matter how hilly the hills or how woolly the sheep, nothing is worth that kind of aggro. Lakeland fells are prettier anyway, they make Snowdon look like a lunar landscape :ner:
*Generalising of course, there will be exceptions. Although some may look down on Coedpoeth, I know Larry Blackmon is a big fan :)
Yes, but unfortunately in the real world, outside of Wiki, the reality is rather different;)
I live here, remember, so I know the scene.
As a small example, there's a little village just outside of Wrexham, called Coedpoeth, and if you walk into any shop there, or the local pubs, they'll all be speaking Welsh, and if you go there with an English accent, speaking English, they'll give you a filthy look - and worse probably ignore you and mutter something unpleasant!:D
Honestly, that's the scene mostly throughout North Wales, which outside of Wrexham consists of nothing else but farms and small towns/villages. There are more sheep than people! Different story in South Wales, near Cardiff and Swansea, where things are rather more 'England-fied', although in the valleys there are still plenty of Welsh speaking towns and villages.
Also, in Wrexham, Welsh is still being taught in schools, both at primary and secondary level, and in some schools they speak nothing but Welsh! So the language is hardly "extinct"... It's great keeping these traditions alive:cool:
I just wish that Gaelic was spoken more in Scotland... Celts rule! :sheep::ner:
Marco.
That's because when it was close to dying out in the 1970s they started teaching it in schools and promoting it on radio and TV so 40-odd years later it's back again. Which is what you experience now.
walpurgis
03-04-2019, 19:27
That's because when it was close to dying out in the 1970s they started teaching it in schools and promoting it on radio and TV so 40-odd years later it's back again. Which is what you experience now.
Bang on.
The Welsh are reinterpreting their culture as they go along, they had bugger all interest before the mid seventies. I remember when next to nobody in Wales under fifty spoke Welsh and nobody under thirty even understood it. Those that did speak the language were elderly 'chapel' folk or from small rural communities. There were no signs in Welsh anywhere apart from name places. In fact my dad was one of the very few people I heard who actually spoke the lingo apart from one or two old relatives.
That's because when it was close to dying out in the 1970s they started teaching it in schools and promoting it on radio and TV so 40-odd years later it's back again. Which is what you experience now.
It still refutes what you said earlier, and any notion that Welsh speaking in Wales is "extinct". It's anything but - and it's been like that since I started regularly coming down here in the late 80s/early 90s. Therefore, its resurgence is not just something that's new.
Marco.
The Welsh are reinterpreting their culture as they go along, they had bugger all interest before the mid seventies.
Fair enough, Geoff. I'm talking about since the late 80s, to now. That the period I have direct experience of, and since then the Welsh language has very much been promoted in Wales, and so it is far from extinct.
Marco.
If someone from the village of Coedpoeth (English translation: Codpiece) wandered into a shop in England brandishing a Welsh accent, would he be ignored, or insulted in rhyming slang? NO, because we're good people,* more concerned with being respectful and welcoming towards others, regardless of their origins. :)
Shame really, up to this point North Wales looked like a place worth visiting, but no matter how hilly the hills or how woolly the sheep, nothing is worth that kind of aggro. Lakeland fells are prettier anyway, they make Snowdon look like a lunar landscape :ner:
*Generalising of course, there will be exceptions. Although some may look down on Coedpoeth, I know Larry Blackmon is a big fan :)
Hahaha... Love it. Was largely pulling yer leg!:D
Marco.
The Welsh are reinterpreting their culture as they go along, they had bugger all interest before the mid seventies.
Actually, I've just spoken to Del, who was born in a small village in Wales (Gresford), just outside of Wrexham, and I'm informed that there was still large sections of Welsh speakers in the local community and surrounding towns and villages, especially in places such as Coedpoeth, Llangollen and Bala. This would've been in the early 70s.
She didn't go to it, but there was also a dedicated Welsh school nearby back then called Ysgol Morgan Llwyd [in fact it still exists, see here:http://ysgolmorganllwyd.wrexham.sch.uk/ , and where only Welsh was spoken, so ample proof that Welsh speaking was fairly widespread even then. However, it didn't start being promoted in ordinary schools until the 80s, and since then more so, up to the point now of the current education system promoting it to first language status.
Marco.
Pierre De Grenoble
03-04-2019, 20:45
As a small example, there's a little village just outside of Wrexham, called Coedpoeth, and if you walk into any shop there, or the local pubs, they'll all be speaking Welsh, and if you go there with an English accent, speaking English, they'll give you a filthy look - and worse probably ignore you and mutter something unpleasant!:D
Honestly, that's the scene mostly throughout North Wales, which outside of Wrexham consists of nothing else but farms and small towns/villages. There are more sheep than people! Different story in South Wales, near Cardiff and Swansea, where things are rather more 'England-fied', although in the valleys there are still plenty of Welsh speaking towns and villages.
I just wish that Gaelic was spoken more in Scotland... Celts rule! :sheep::ner:
Marco.
The last time I was staying in Wrexham for 4/5 weeks (25 ish years ago) I was working in Gwersylt (If my memory spells that right) I well remember that I could walk into most pubs that were handy to Errdig Rd and the locals would speak English until they heard my Essex accent, then they started speaking the Welsh with a scouse accent.
My own experience has been that its the West Coast that are the natural welsh speakers even in a biggish and student town like Aberystwyth,
You could have 6 locals in a small shop all happily chuntering away inthe Welsh.
Here in Cardiff it appears to my jaundiced eyes, that speaking the Welsh is a political yuppie thing, I'm in Whitchurch in North Cardiff and the only Welsh speakers I hear are young scruffy but affluent couples with badly behaved kids.
As a small example, there's a little village just outside of Wrexham, called Coedpoeth, and if you walk into any shop there, or the local pubs, they'll all be speaking Welsh, and if you go there with an English accent, speaking English, they'll give you a filthy look - and worse probably ignore you and mutter something unpleasant!:D.
'Small nation syndrome'.
My comments were largely tongue-in-cheek, hence the smiley! Steve's summary of events is more accurate:)
Marco.
My own experience has been that its the West Coast that are the natural welsh speakers even in a biggish and student town like Aberystwyth, [/LEFT]
You could have 6 locals in a small shop all happily chuntering away inthe Welsh.
Yup, that's one of the reasons why I love it out there: so unspoiled in many ways, especially by the worst influences and commercial excesses of modern existence!
The pace of life is relaxed, the scenery is beautiful and little has changed in the last 30 years. Our idyl! That's why if we were moving to somewhere else in Wales, it'd either be out to the west coast (St David's perhaps?) or into Powys, to our favourite little village there of Montgomery: https://www.google.com/search?q=montgomery+wales&client=firefox-b-d&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=fHnKo6cgEjsCwM%253A%252Cq7iE42VBagAhGM%252C%25 2Fm%252F02xzjh&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kQx4nn4Qr3dE72r3hxUyJTN7mss7A&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj50uDX_LThAhWmThUIHfDCB1EQ_B0wEHoECA8QB g#imgrc=fHnKo6cgEjsCwM:
Life as it used to be in the good old days - *totally divorced* from the rat race!:cool:
Marco.
It still refutes what you said earlier, and any notion that Welsh speaking in Wales is "extinct". It's anything but - and it's been like that since I started regularly coming down here in the late 80s/early 90s. Therefore, its resurgence is not just something that's new.
Marco.
No it doesn't, I never said the resurgence was new. if you read the article I linked to, when they did the census in 1971 they found out that the language was dying out so after that active efforts were made to re-introduce it by teaching it in schools and having radio and television shows in Welsh, putting up Welsh road signs and so on.
If that hadn't happened no-one would be speaking it now, fifty years on. That was the only point I was making.
Of course it is another good example of how having pride in your country and its culture is only a bad thing if you are English.
No it doesn't, I never said the resurgence was new. if you read the article I linked to, when they did the census in 1971 they found out that the language was dying out so after that active efforts were made to re-introduce it by teaching it in schools and having radio and television shows in Welsh, putting up Welsh road signs and so on.
If that hadn't happened no-one would be speaking it now, fifty years on. That was the only point I was making.
Fair enough and I accept that, but the fact is there was still plenty of Welsh being spoken around that period in various towns and villages, and Welsh-only speaking schools were among that (as outlined), so what I'm refuting is your assertion that there were only "8 people" left speaking it, implying that almost no-one did back then, when my wife, who was born there, knows rather different.
Marco.
Of course it is another good example of how having pride in your country and its culture is only a bad thing if you are English.
Nothing wrong with having pride in your country. It's when "pride" turns into bigoted/nationalistic arrogance that it becomes a problem - and that can apply to people from any nation.
Marco.
Pigmy Pony
04-04-2019, 17:27
My understanding is that the British Isles comprise England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. But while English folk are happy to be called 'Brits', you would never hear anyone from the other countries accepting that appellation (I'm not British, I'm Scottish for example). Our ancestors clearly did a real shitty number on our neighbours, who have a right to feel a bit aggrieved, but I don't see why I (or any other Englishman) should get crap for the sins of our long-dead Monarchy.
Modern day Scotland/Wales/NI may well feel that they are still short changed by successive British Governments, but really (a) it's not our fault and (b) We are all getting shit on! So really we should be united in our contempt, not sniping at each other.
I know all the preceding posts are just a bit of banter, no more than a snowball fight, but as it's been a cold tough day at work I thought I'd put a little stone in my snowball :D
Think it's more the nationalist superiority attitudes of England as a nation more than the people.
A bit like the French lol
Pigmy Pony
04-04-2019, 17:38
"You're not from round here are you? This is a local shop, for local people!"
Whereas Scotland is a great nation, its just the people that are hopeless. The Scots ruined Scotland [emoji23]
My understanding is that the British Isles comprise England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. But while English folk are happy to be called 'Brits', you would never hear anyone from the other countries accepting that appellation (I'm not British, I'm Scottish for example). Our ancestors clearly did a real shitty number on our neighbours, who have a right to feel a bit aggrieved, but I don't see why I (or any other Englishman) should get crap for the sins of our long-dead Monarchy.
I agree. It's not like our ancestors benefited any from it. They were working 6 days a week in a mill or a pit or getting their arses shot off in some foreign shithole. Or dying of cholera because no-one had figured out that drinking water people had crapped in was bad for you. They might not have been having much fun in Wales, Scotland or Ireland but it wasn't a 24 party in England either for 99% of the population.
I suppose if you are reading this and you are loaded from inheritances and can trace your ancestry back to the Conquest you're pretty much complicit though :D
Ha - Piggurs, I'm not going there, as political discussions like that, even in banter, are notoriously divisive! Folks here, from discussions before you joined AoS, know my views on that sort of stuff:D
If you want to search the archive under words such as 'Scottish Independence', 'Corruption', 'Westmonster' or 'Unfair English rule', and 'Chinless wonders', then you may discover how I think in reference to these matters;)
Basically, I'm just an Italian Scot, who justifiably doesn't consider himself as British, and who dislikes the Royal Family, Westminster rule and the whole of the 'establishment' [I am *very* anti-establishment/nanny state] - and that's all I'm saying!:eyebrows:
Marco.
Pigmy Pony
04-04-2019, 18:17
Ha - Piggurs, I'm not going there, as political discussions like that, even in banter, are notoriously divisive! Folks here, from discussions before you joined AoS, know my views on that sort of stuff:D
If you want to search the archive under words such as 'Scottish Independence', 'Corruption', 'Westmonster' or 'Unfair English rule', and 'Chinless wonders', then you may discover how I think in reference to these matters;)
Basically, I'm just an Italian Scot, who justifiably doesn't consider himself as British, and who dislikes the Royal Family, Westminster rule and the whole of the 'establishment' - and that's all I'm saying!:eyebrows:
Marco.
Fair enough, I have no interest in being divisive - as I normally give this sort of thing absolutely NO consideration, it didn't occur to me that some folks might get the hump! We still have plenty to say about hi fi, music, and bowel movements, so it's all good :)
Stand by my comments about Snowdon though - if it didn't have a train service no one would be arsed! Helvellyn rules! :D
Pigmy Pony
04-04-2019, 18:28
I'm feeling a bit philosophical today. After my early morning 'gift to the world', I looked in the toilet (as is my wont) and it was in the shape of a question mark. And it got me thinking...
I agree. It's not like our ancestors benefited any from it. They were working 6 days a week in a mill or a pit or getting their arses shot off in some foreign shithole. Or dying of cholera because no-one had figured out that drinking water people had crapped in was bad for you. They might not have been having much fun in Wales, Scotland or Ireland but it wasn't a 24 party in England either for 99% of the population.
:D
Being half Scottish, a quarter English and a quarter Irish I guess my ancestors oppressed each other. Though the quarter English ancestry is Northern, so maybe they were oppressed too.
My understanding is that the British Isles comprise England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. But while English folk are happy to be called 'Brits'
I hate that term. Makes me think of a naff pop music awards show.
Ninanina
05-04-2019, 20:42
Chaps trying it on is a pet hate... they should chill out more...:D
Yup I'm fed up with them too. Coarse hairy beasts ner
Ninanina
05-04-2019, 21:04
Yup I'm fed up with them too. Coarse hairy beasts ner
So you have knowledge too Grant ?? :lol:
Can't hrlp being fanciable alas
walpurgis
05-04-2019, 21:35
I know the feeling. :)
Pigmy Pony
05-04-2019, 22:11
Been chatted up many times by blokes over the years. Always found it quite flattering, although Mrs. P takes the mickey a bit.
Ninanina
07-04-2019, 17:47
Been chatted up many times by blokes over the years. Always found it quite flattering, although Mrs. P takes the mickey a bit.
:D:D:eek: .... indeed Steve....
Pigmy Pony
07-04-2019, 18:57
:D:D:eek: .... indeed Steve....
Oh yeah, and one of them was my mate's older brother (actually the fella who got me interested in hi fi). He'd known me since I was fifteen, met most of my girlfriends, met my wife, and knew I had two young kids. His current partner was sat beside him the whole time. And did any of this put him off?
He spent most of the evening trying, probably thought that persistence (and beer) would eventually wear me down. It didn't. I made sure I left the pub before them, saying if I didn't get home soon my missus would be locking me out. Cue one last effort: "If you end up locked out you can come and stay at mine".
When I saw him a few days later he was suitably embarrassed, telling me how extremely pissed he was. The other blokes that have come on to me over the years have all been strangers, and that's ok, but this bloke was virtually family!
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