Daily Dose of Common Sense

One thing I’ve noticed about suburban shopping is that it’s hard to return a shopping cart. Why else would you see a parking lot like this:

Actually, it’s not hard to return a shopping cart. It’s fairly easy. There are cart return sections all over most parking lots. Some people just won’t expend the effort. In this particular photo, there were at least six parking spaces rendered unusable because of the unreturned carts.

I have also seen carts bang into cars, people, and buildings. All because someone wasn’t courteous enough to take two minutes to return the cart to a proper place. Come on, are we so lazy?

Is it me, or has 911 become a self-help line? In recent news, there have been some crazy requests called into the hotline that is supposed to be for EMERGENCIES only. For example:

• In November, a Florida man called 911 looking for sex. He claimed it was the only number that would work since his cell minutes ran out.
• A volunteer firefighter in Colorado was just arrested last week for making 48 phony 911 calls. Depressed and suicidal, the woman seemed most interested in monitoring the law enforcement response to her calls.
• A Texas woman called 911 to report that her husband wouldn’t eat his dinner. She has also called the emergency line to report her dogs missing or that she couldn’t find her clothes.
• Today, a mom in Boston called 911 because her son would not stop playing video games. Police responded and were able to convince the child to go to sleep.

It seems that some people have lost the ability to judge what is an emergency. I was taught that 911 should only be used in a life-threatening situation. Minor injuries, routine medical check-ups, parental assistance, and loneliness don’t count.

This article has a great discussion of the increasing abuse of the 911 system:

If you call 911 because your toilet is overflowing, the fire department will come. Call 911 because you’re lonely, the fire department comes. If you call 911 but call back to say you changed your mind, it’s too late.

The fire department will come.

“We err on the side of responding,” [Lt. Jake Nyhart of St. Petersburg Fire Rescue] said. “That one time you miss a real call and someone dies, you’re liable.”

Some communities have carried out 911-awareness campaigns to educate the public on when it is appropriate (or not appropriate) to contact emergency services. According to the article, these sorts of efforts generally only increase the number of non-emergency calls to 911.

The unfortunate part is that these trips cost money, sometimes three or four hundred dollars a pop. And, since it’s taxpayer money at work, that means you and I are on the hook for it. I think anyone who calls 911 for a non-emergency situation should be issued a bill. They should be expected to pay back their frivolous waste of taxpayer money. Then, perhaps they would think twice about calling the next time a non-emergency occurs.

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Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Just not when I want to travel.

You’ve probably heard about the 2,000 or so folks stuck in the Chunnel for 16 hours on Friday. No heat, no food, no water, no bathrooms. For SIXTEEEN hours. Doesn’t it seem incomprehensible that any person would be forced to endure these conditions in this day and age? After 4 or 5 hours, you think someone would have come up with a solution to get those people out of there. Or, at least found a way to get them food, water, and blankets.

Remember the Jet Blue incident a few years ago where passengers were left sitting on a runway for over 10 hours? They were so close to the terminal but no one was allowed to get off the plane. Again, this was during an intense winter storm.

Delays beyond three hours are rare and occur in extreme circumstances, usually during peak travel days in the winter, when extreme weather can have a huge impact on scheduling.

Over the 2008-09 winter period, U.S. airlines reported 373 tarmac delays in excess of three hours, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

So, the good news is that the DOT has just mandated that the maximum length passengers can be confined in a plane on the runway is 3 hours. It seems pathetic that we needed the government to get involved in this no-brainer. But, airlines see us as little more than cattle. In fact, they are complaining that a 3-hour cap is going to cause “more cancelled flights and greater passenger inconvenience.”

Yeah, because sitting for 10 hours on a runway isn’t inconvenient for us AT ALL.

I would much rather have my flight cancelled or rescheduled than sit on the runway for a few hours. Wouldn’t you?

Photo: Carl Court / AFP/Getty Images / December 19, 2009

You’re driving down a busy road, looking ahead to your destination. You see it, and–lucky you!–there’s a parking spot on the side of the road. You pull in and then go to get out of your car. Do you:

A) Open your door quickly to get out. You’re in a hurry, after all!
B) Open your door quickly and stick your leg out onto the road. Oncoming traffic will stop, right?
C) Check the traffic flow to make sure that you can exit your car safely. You don’t get out until you’re sure that your car door will not get taken off by an oncoming car.

If you answered C, congratulations! You show enough common sense to procreate. It is AMAZING how many people do either A or B. Besides really stupid and dangerous, it’s also selfish. Why is it my responsibility as a moving vehicle to stop and wait for you to get out of your car?

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The answer is almost always do NOT regift. If you don’t want it, what makes you think someone else will? But, times are tight so many people may be desperate to cover all their gift bases. If you MUST regift, consider these helpful hints:

How is the condition? Only new, unopened gifts in good condition should be considered for regifting. Never give partially used gift cards. Don’t give items that you have owned for a long time. A general rule of thumb: if you have to dust it off, it is not regiftable. 

Is this going to work? Successful regifters use common sense. If you are going to regift, be sure you know who gave you the item, so you don’t return something to the original giver. Only regift items to people who are not likely to see the original giver.

Do you have good intentions? Don’t just give a gift to give a gift. Be sure that the recipient will appreciate the item. Remember, if you feel that an item is undesirable, the recipient probably will too. If you are regifting simply because you ran out of time, gift cards are simple to obtain and always well received.

The smarter thing to do with unwanted gifts is to give them to a charitable organization. Visit this information page by the Better Business Bureau for ideas.

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With the holidays upon us, many of you will be at cocktail parties, office gatherings, and seasonal shindigs. It’s a time for seeing old friends as well as meeting new ones. Or, as I like to call it, the Season of Mindless Chit Chat.

If you’re not hugging the wall, chances are you’ll be mingling and chatting people up at these parties. It’s usually fairly easy to tell whether someone is interested in what you have to say or not. (If someone pulls the old “Oh, look at the time” routine, that’s usually a pretty good indicator that you’re not exactly a witty conversationalist.)

However, there are some people who really do seem clueless. To make sure you’re not one of the boring ones, check out this list by Gretchen Rubin at Psychology Today.

Her tips to know if you’re boring include:

Repeated, perfunctory responses. A person who repeats, “Oh really? Wow. Oh really? Interesting.” isn’t particularly engaged.

Simple questions. People who are bored ask simple questions. “When did you move?” “Where did you go?” People who are interested ask more complicated questions that show curiosity, not mere politeness.

Interruption. Although it sounds rude, interruption is actually a good sign, I think. It means a person is bursting to say something, and that shows interest.

Body position. People with a good connection generally turn to face each other. A person who is partially turned away isn’t fully embracing the conversation.

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What do you eat while at the movies? Junior Mints? Raisinettes? Nachos? Well, if it’s popcorn, please CLOSE your mouth while chewing. The sound of people loudly munching on popped kernels of corn smothered in fake butter is one of the most annoying disruptions to the movie-going experience. The rustling of the bag is no picnic, either. But, we’ll put up with that in exchange for quiet chewing.

Why do we encourage everyone to chew with their mouths closed EXCEPT at a movie theatre. Well, we’re starting a revolution, people. Eat quietly. That’s all we ask.

Oh, and if you break a tooth on an unpopped kernel, you won’t be able to sue the theater, genius.

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It was recently announced that “unfriend” was Oxford Dictionary’s 2009 “Word of the Year.” (Don’t those Facebook holdouts feel stupid right about now?) If you’ve used Facebook to any large degree, you know why this word is so popular. It’s occasionally necessary to separate the “friends” from the “unfriends” on your list.

Some are bolder about weeding out than others. In fact, we heard of this status update on Thanksgiving Day:

“Time to slim down the facebook friend herd. Check back in an hour to see if you made the cut.”

Ouch. You can be thankful you weren’t that guy’s friend.

If you need to whittle down your friend list, we put together a quick guide to help you determine who should go. Here are eight reasons to unfriend someone:

#8: Anyone who announces they’re cutting their friend list and then asks you to check back to see if you’re still a friend. No thanks, ass-clown. UNFRIEND.

#7: Someone who habitually leaves inappropriate comments on your updates/links/photos. Usually someone you don’t know very well, he or she assumes they are witty. They’re not. UNFRIEND.

#6: Along the same lines, someone who habitually tags you in inappropriate photos. Yes, the “untag” button is helpful. But there’s a good chance mutual connections could still see it. UNFRIEND.

#5: Anyone who posts marketing messages (or SPAM) on your wall. This is becoming more and more prevalent as people use social media for business. Leave the business to LinkedIn or Twitter. Facebook should be about friends, not the weekend marketing seminar you’re trying to book. UNFRIEND.

#4: People who can’t be bothered with a real status update. “Jodi is” is not a status update. If you have nothing to say, don’t bother updating your status. Also in this category are the jokers who say, “Jodi is XYDFDKALJC” as a status update. Mashing your keyboard is NOT a status update. UNFRIEND.

#3: Those people who relentlessly send you invites to FB games. One word: Farmville. UNFRIEND.

#2: Anyone over thirty who continually brags about how drunk they were the night before or how hard they party. Maybe we’re just bitter because we have lives and responsibilities, but we DON’T want to hear about it. Besides, your mom is probably on FB, too. She definitely doesn’t want to hear about it. (Unless you were partying WITH her, in which case…ewwww.) UNFRIEND.

#1 reason to unfriend someone on Facebook: you can’t remember who the hell they are.

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Not everyone relishes the quality family time provided by the holidays. If you dread the upcoming moments with your kin like a Michael Jackson seance, here are some tips to get through it all in one sane piece.

At family gatherings, don’t talk about:

• religion
• politics
• the lack of seasoning in the food
• your lesbian experiment in college
• the inheritance

More tips:

Don’t expect to share a bedroom with your boyfriend/girlfriend if your hosts are conservative in this area. Just accept that you’re sleeping apart for a few days in exchange for some free grub. Better yet, offer to stay in a hotel nearby.

Just smile and nod any time your mother picks on comments on your _________________ (insert most sensitive topic here). Because she WILL mention it.

Make sure to keep taking your medication. Whether it’s Prozac, Ambien, Johnny Walker or chocolate cake, don’t try to go cold turkey around Turkey Day.

Pack a bag with snacks. That way, if you don’t like the food, you can sneak away for a Snickers bar later.

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Two college students in Pennsylvania experienced terrible service at a local pub. They did what almost anyone who gets bad service would do: they didn’t pay the tip. The problem is the students were with other friends, and the restaurant automatically adds an 18% added to any large party’s tab.

So, the restaurant called the police and the two tip skippers were later arrested. With handcuffs. Court date to come.

So, let’s look at both sides. First, how bad was the service? Here is what the two students told the media.

They had to find their own napkins and cutlery while their waitress caught a smoke, had to ask the bar for soda refills, and had to wait over an hour for salad and wings, they told NBC10.

Sounds pretty lousy. I wouldn’t tip either.

The restaurant, on the other hand, believes this was a violation of their policy.

The menu clearly states, “18 percent gratuity added to check of parties of 6 of more,” and a similar message is printed on receipts, a pub employee said this morning.

So, the police treated this as a theft. A theft of $16.35.

First, if you have ever waited tables, you know when you’re giving lousy service. I waited tables for years, and I knew that I was a horrible server. It’s not hard to figure it out based on your tips, guest comments, and your own common sense. This waitress went out to have smokes and let people wait an hour for food? She KNEW she didn’t deserve the tip, but thought she was entitled to it anyway. Guess what? Gratuities are given for good service.

Second, the restaurant risks bad PR and the ire of every college student in town over a lousy $16? It’s mind-boggling. Seems like these students are their bread and butter (forgive the food pun) and the restaurant should treat them a little better. It’s been a few years since I’ve been on a campus, but if I remember anything, it’s that all college students are just itching for a good protest. I smell a boycott brewing in Bethlehem.

Third, the police have nothing better to do than get involved in this case? What real crimes were being committed while these non-tippers were being booked? You would think one of the officers would show a little common sense, throw down a $20 and call it a day.

If you want to fight an automatic gratuity, talk to the manager. Explain your situation and make your case. Most times (as it happened with me a few times), the manager will remove the automatic gratuity from your bill and instead leave the tip to your discretion. If the manager isn’t there, or doesn’t agree with you, pay the tip and then talk to the owner later. Believe me, these people care about how their customers are treated. You might find a free dinner or gift certificate coming your way.

If that doesn’t work, there’s always the Fox Problem Solvers.

[Via PatsPapers.com]

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