Perhaps I'm a bit grumpy today

[mrsbrown]

or else other people have a different definition of reasonable?

First incident:

At Aldi this morning I was the second person in the queue at the check out. My trolley wasn't amazing full (but it cost me an awful lot more money than it should have, impulse buys!). I was approached by a slightly older woman with a bag of stuff and a couple of other items, there might have been less than 12 items, but maybe not. She asked if she could go ahead of me in the line. I said no and she went away to the other line. To try someone else I suppose.

Second incident:

I was driving my Flexicar back to its carparking spot. As I drove into the street there was some one doing a U-turn and I followed him to go and park in the correct place. Then he parked in my Flexicar spot. I tooted and indicated that he should move. I tooted again. Then I put the car into neutral and got out to explain that the car I was driving had to be parked in the spot he had put his car. The spot clearly marked, "No Standing - Flexicar only". He pleaded with me and told me that he would be "only a minute, he just had to pick something up". I repeated my story and told him I expected him to move. He then locked his car and started walking away!!

That's when I enabled booming embarassing voice, "I THINK YOU ARE BEING VERY RUDE, YOU SHOULD COME BACK HERE AND MOVE YOUR CAR". All the people in nearby Victoria St stopped to look and he scurried back to his car and moved it. I was only just leaving the car when he came back, so he was right, he was going to be only a minute, OTOH, how annoyed would I have been if he hadn't returned?

BTW, come and buy a fighter at Arrowsreach Tournament tomorrow and raise money for the Bushfires, as well a possibly winning a groovy medieval thing.

Comments

[sootysmudge.livejournal.com]

fair enough re: the car, if it's a legally designated spot for your flexicar, that's what its there for, when l've questioned people parking in disabled spots (without a disabled sticker), l've got the same response "I'll only be a minute".

[quatrefoil.livejournal.com]

This is a vague memory, but you might want to check the rules about SCA money going to another organisation - I have a feeling it's been problematic in the past. I'm sure there are ways around it, though, or maybe I've got the wrong end of the stick, but better safe than sorry.

[omnot.livejournal.com]

I've seen money raised at SCA events, but for a specific non-SCA charity before. The way I figure it works is that it isn't SCA money, it is money contributed by people who happen to be in the SCA. The money doesn't (that I'm aware of) go into an SCA account, so I'd be curious to know what problem there could be.

[quatrefoil.livejournal.com]

As I said, it's a vague memory from a long time ago, but I think there were issues around making the 'donation' part of the fee for an event - i.e. you couldn't go to the event without contributing to the cause. I'm not suggesting that the fundraising shouldn't happen, just that it's worth checking to make sure it's within the rules to avoid there being a problem down the track.

[omnot.livejournal.com]

Ah, I can see how people might have a problem with that.

[mordwen.livejournal.com]

I don't think you're being unreasonable. But then again, I'm considered "intimidating" by some people so my opinion probably doesn't count here. *grin*

[drjon.livejournal.com]

Was the first incident unreasonable? No. It was not kind, but it was not unkind, if you take my meaning.

Was the second incident unreasonable? No. And kudos to you for your forthrighteousness!

Are you a bit grumpy today? Perhaps. Or perhaps the day is being grumpy at you. Tell the day to smarten up!

[hnpcc]

In agreement. I've let people go ahead of me in the checkout when they've only got a few items (I go with 5 or less) and I've got a trolley load. No rule that says you have to though, and most places do have a 12 items (meaning somewhere between 1 and 20 from what I can work out) or less queue.

Second one - minute or not, the space is clearly marked and should be regarded in a similar light to a disabled space - i.e. not permitted to park there.

Then again given that apparently half of Melbourne thinks "no standing" equates to "no parking" (I don't care that you're dropping your kids off to school, and will only be a second, it's a no standing zone. Sheesh) it doesn't surprise me either.

[mimdancer.livejournal.com]

I have also said no to someone asking to go ahead of me. I had the youngest in her loudest glory with four items in the basket. In goods & services, in many ways it is first come, first served.

As for the parking, it has always pissed me off that the parents with prams parking in my area are always taken up by non-parent cars. They have no car seats for small children in them. It is a rare day that I manage to get any of those spots. There is nothing wrong with standing up for yourself. I just wish I could do with those about to park in those spots as I miss them...

[mishymoocow-2.livejournal.com]

I think it's rude to ask to go ahead except in exceptional circumstances - I think this is up to the person ahead of you to offer, and they usually do if you only have a couple of things. I know I do - if I'm not in a hurry, if the person behind doesn't harumph in a hinting fashion, and if they only have a couple of items.

We were at Spotlight on Sat and the lady ahead of us had severe osteoporosis (ie bent double with widow's hump) and the queue was out the door, and the lady hadn't seen that she needed a number. Hubby grabbed an extra ticket, and told the poor lady: "Here, have this extra ticket that I accidentally pulled out" and gave her the next number up. The bent old lady thanked him, vaguely, and ordered her tiny bit of elastic. When it was Hubby's turn to be served, the counterstaff thanked him! (I was well proud because he loathes and despises the queue at Spotlight, so it was doing a good turn in a very challenging situation). Hubby blushed and said, "She didn't buy much did she" but we all knew he was a Knight in Shining Armour.

[anthraxia.livejournal.com]

I can't get my head around the notion that 'it's only for a minute' is a reasonable excuse to park somewhere you shouldn't. I've lost count of the number of times I've come home to find my back gate blocked because some parent at the school down the end of the street parked in front of it 'only for a minute' to go pick up their child. Which is me standing there for 10 minutes until they get back so I can get to my own gate. It got to the point where I would walk around the block, go in the front gate, march straight down the back and forcefully open the gate outwards so it would smash into the car. Note left under windscreen wiper saying 'parking on the north side of the lane clearly prohibited. Didn't think car would be parked in front of my gate, sorry to hit your car.' 17 damaged cars later and police and council warnings to school in question and it finally stopped!

Really loathe the people who pull into bus stops to drop people off with a bus right behind them, or worse still sit there waiting to pick someone up and ignoring the bus honking at them to move. Today's bus driver was a wonder at my stop to get off - he kept his hand on the horn and slowly edged ever closer until he was actually pushing the said car forward. Driver took off in a huff, went round the block and parked smack bang in the exact same spot! ARGH!!