Originally Posted by 56S

Me, I can't wait for that alarm to go off and I'll drop the package, throw up my hands and yell, "DON"T SHOOT!" I'm hoping this happens when she is here visiting and right there with us.

Jeeze- I can't wait to try that next time! I'm gonna yell "Don't taze me bro!".

Originally Posted by Mike_Then

When I go to Sam's club - especially on a Saturday - I have to weave a very careful path through the store to avoid DirecTV salesmen, insurance pitchmen, and Verizon representatives. They all babble about their latest offers while I run past them and avoid eye contact.

I just want to go in the store, buy my items, and be left alone.

I had to get gas yesterday. As I pulled into the station, I saw a table near the front door of the store with a banner hanging below it. There was a nicely-dressed young man behind it so I knew what that was... he was selling something. Due to the wonderful invention of pay-at-the-pump, I wouldn't have to go into the store and pay for my gas, which means I should be safe. Nevertheless, I drove to the pump farthest from him and hoped he wouldn't see me. Sure enough, as I was filling my tank, I saw him walk over to someone else at another pump island and I started nervously watching the gallon counter go up as slowly as I've ever seen it. When the tank was half-full, someone cheerfully popped out from behind the pump and immediately launched into his pitch. Damn, there's two of them. Didn't see him the first time! He explained this new fantastic product while demonstrating it on my car. He also excitedly told me it would last for 30 days AND if I bought one today, I would get another one for free!! I politely thanked him and said I'm not interested... my vehicle is lucky if it gets washed twice a year. I don't have the time or the desire to do it any more than that, if at all. He smiled and left.

I just want to pump gas, and be left alone.

It's bad enough I have to endure commecials on TV, but thanks to the wonderful invention of DVRs, that has been minimized. But it seems that I can't even watch a 2-minute news clip on a website without being bombarded by ads, commercials, etc. Even YouTube videos are getting peppered with ads.

I just want to watch a video online, and be left alone.

Is that too much to ask in the day and age? Am I wrong in wanting to go about my day and be left alone? I'm a pretty social guy, and quite outgoing at that. But I'd really like to just be left alone when performing simple daily tasks, such as pumping gas or grocery shopping.

Rant over. Just wanted to vent a bit. You may now return to your regularly scheduled programming.

It bothers me as well. I just look at them and then use ASL for "I cannot hear you, sorry".

Pinky extended palm toward them - I
Shake head side to side, clench fist extend thumb from fist, place thumb on chin, bring fist away from your face knuckles facing them - cannot
Tilt head to side point to ear - hear
Point index finger at them - you
Make fist similar to the word cannot, rub fist on chest in circular motion knuckles out - sorry

Usually the person just goes away. The best thing is you don't have to make eye contact you just ignore them until they enter your line of site. Most people that aren't hearing impaired don't know ASL so the chance of a conversation happening is minimal, if it does just be rude and walk away.

Originally Posted by MajorMal

Not that I'm defending them, but when you buy your cheap gas at Sam's, this is how you pay for the cheap gas. You have to be interrupted by mindless salespeople. Same thing on television, you pay for the programming through being bombarded by commercials. The buses the run around your city? You get cheaper bus fare by looking at the billboards on them. I could go on and on but this is how our culture works now. You pay for almost everything today by having to be bombarded by an insane amount of commercial propaganda. Its the new human experience.

I agree, many things cost less because it's being paid for with advertising. However, I'm happy to pay a little more for no ads. A good example is apps/games on my Android phone. I GLADLY pay a few dollars to have an ad-free experience on something I like and will use often. Not only that, it supports the developer which gives me a warm/fuzzy inside.

A bit off topic, but another (somewhat close) example is airfares. Don't fee me to death. Don't charge me $89 for the ticket but then charge $50 for a bag fee and $10 for a bag of peanuts and $15 for a pillow. I don't have to have the "cheapest" offer thrown at me. If the cost of my ticket needs to be $164 instead of $89 so the airplane is properly maintained, the crew is well-rested, and your company does not operate at a loss, then I'll gladly pay it. But that's just me.

Originally Posted by Mike_Then

I agree, many things cost less because it's being paid for with advertising. However, I'm happy to pay a little more for no ads. A good example is apps/games on my Android phone. I GLADLY pay a few dollars to have an ad-free experience on something I like and will use often. Not only that, it supports the developer which gives me a warm/fuzzy inside.

A bit off topic, but another (somewhat close) example is airfares. Don't fee me to death. Don't charge me $89 for the ticket but then charge $50 for a bag fee and $10 for a bag of peanuts and $15 for a pillow. I don't have to have the "cheapest" offer thrown at me. If the cost of my ticket needs to be $164 instead of $89 so the airplane is properly maintained, the crew is well-rested, and your company does not operate at a loss, then I'll gladly pay it. But that's just me.

+10 on that one.

On the sals people that try to stop you on streets and call you on the phone etc. Before they are done talking i just say "I am not interested" and walk on / hang up the phone.

Funny fact, take stance close to one of those sales places, with their banners and baloons. And see how people walk around it in big circles

I don't think any of you should attempt a timeshare talk.

Originally Posted by microflitedude

I don't think any of you should attempt a timeshare talk.

I appreciate the humor. Keep it going.

Jeeze- I can't wait to try that next time! I'm gonna yell "Don't taze me bro!".

No. You are an idiot. Coyotes are not people too. They are vermin and should be shot if the opportunity arises.
Around here, it's the rabbits that are the vermin, so we cheer the coyotes. But we say with a big smile "It's so great there are still some coyotes around. One of them ate my neighbor's yappy dog last month - now we can sleep with the windows open."

Does it help to wear a tin hat at Sam's Club? Or do you just fit right in?

Originally Posted by Reegor

Does it help to wear a tin hat at Sam's Club? Or do you just fit right in?

Sam's Club really isn't that bad. It's Wal-Mart that a tin hat would blend right into the existing clientel. I don't go into Wal-Mart unless I have no choice. *shudder*

We sure are weird. We let the rabbits breed, then yell about the coyotes, We let the deer breed, then complain about the cougars. We leave the garbage out, then complain about the bears. We leave the beavers alone, then complain about local flooding. We spend half our time interfering with nature, and the other half complaining about the results.

In my area, we have all these animals, but most of us just stay out of the way. We mourn the bear or the deer that meets it's end on the highway, and don't worry about the dull bugger who crashes at the end of the long straight past our house, better if it is a Harley. Darwin was right...

I used to buy art supplies and I loved window shopping in art supply stores, except the stupid store employees spoiled it for me. They keep asking you if you need help every few minutes. That really made me mad and I talked to them about it. I think they do this mainly to discourage shoplifting. Young women shoplift more than anyone else. Young women also like art supplies. So I guess art supplies have a high theft rate. Michael's Craft store deals with it by locking much of their art supplies in glass cabinets. They don't ask you if you need help. I don't go to art supply stores anymore but if I do go again I'm going to loudly demand that all the store employees back the hell off and not bother me.

The worst store nuisance was this jerk at Fry's Electronics. He came and stood next to me and grinded the left side of his body against my body while he fumbled with boxes on the shelf. He thought I was going to shoplift just because I was holding my hoodie instead of wearing it. I should have told him off for that. Next time i will.

Another instance that made me angry was when this jerk father came into Toys R Us with his boy and repeatedly harassed me, saying things like toys are for kids and indirectly telling me to get out of the way so his boy could shop for toys. It was totally unnecessary. I wasn't stopping him from getting anything. I should have told him off. If that ever happens again I'm going to say some things.

I almost never go to theaters anymore because the people there bother me in a lot of ways. I have a nice big HDTV now, so I'm even less inclined to go to a theater.

As for online ads, I just use adblocker.

Originally Posted by TLyttle

We sure are weird. We let the rabbits breed, then yell about the coyotes, We let the deer breed, then complain about the cougars. We leave the garbage out, then complain about the bears. We leave the beavers alone, then complain about local flooding. We spend half our time interfering with nature, and the other half complaining about the results.

In my area, we have all these animals, but most of us just stay out of the way. We mourn the bear or the deer that meets it's end on the highway, and don't worry about the dull bugger who crashes at the end of the long straight past our house, better if it is a Harley. Darwin was right...

Luckily we live in a neighboor hood where animals are left alone. I have seen a bear from our neighboors porch

But americans in general are very meddlesome. we try to do whatever we want, and push animals out of the way. we also get into any other countries buisness, and as a result many countries don't like americans

Please try to keep in mind that these people who annoy you so much are often doing the only job they have been able to find. They'd rather not be there, either. Would you rather them be on unemployment and/or welfare?

And if the ones in the stores cheese you, don't take it out on them; complain to the manager; tell them you didn't come to their store to be harassed.

Whether at the store, at your door, or on the phone, Just Say NO. Making these folks feel worse is bad karma, and it's not what Jesus would do, either.

Talk about harassment: I have the Adobe program on my computer, and every time I fire up my computer, I get a notice that there is an update that I simply must have, and it requires me to change my antivirus program. EVERY time! I don't WANT their antivirus program, but there is no way to tell them that!

Just leave me alone, dammit!!

Get a mac. No antivirus programs

Yeah, I got the same message about Ubuntu. Had the program loaded in, bloody thing wouldn't even let me in...

I have just enough knowledge of computers to allow me to get really messed up without the knowledge of how to get out of a mess. If it wasn't for the amazing levels of informaton on here, I would have pitched the whole rig out the window!!

Yah. You either have to have no idea what you are doing, or be a computer god