It's been a long time since I've been around, and I hope that this is the right place to post, and that I've not missed this topic having already been discussed. If so, my apologies.

I posted this topic on Facebook and it seems not many people are willing to discuss it, and if they do, it is done with lightness and not seriously addressed. So here goes, hoping to get some honest answers.

I was in a grocery store the other day and the woman in front of me had to have the cashier remove some items because the person did not have enough money to pay for everything she had in her basket. I'm talking about basics - like laundry detergent. During this time the woman was talking on her cell phone. Had she not been on a cell phone I would most likely have helped her to pay for the items removed.

So I'm standing there wondering (luckily I just wondered and kept my mouth shut), what would it take for any person to give their cell phone? There are lots of issues that might come into play - is it a primary phone, no other phone; are children going hungry at home, is there a land line for emergencies; could data be done without?

In my humble opinion, if I could not put food on the table, or have my children in clean clothes, I'd drop my cell phone in a minute, or if no other phone at home, I'd drop everything else but just the line itself for emergencies.

True, there might be extenuating circumstances, or simply be a temporary setback, but I seem to get aggravated when I see people texting or talking and buying groceries with food stamps. I feel like I am supporting their luxury. Yes, I understand there may be a need for a cell phone if it is the primary phone, but where does it stop?

What would it take for you to give up your cell phone?

When I was in San Francisco in 2005, I saw a bunch of homeless - they all had cell phones. I thought the same as you until people pointed out that the cell phones are becoming a necessity. Without them, it's extremely difficult to get a job. How is a potential employer supposed to contact you without one? What about job searching - how would someone let you know if there's a job opportunity if there's no way to contact you as you have no address?

You're right that you don't know the circumstances of this woman... It could be that's her only phone and she doesn't have cable TV but keeps the cell phone because she has kids or a job and needs to be reached at all times. Maybe she just didn't have the cash on hand and planned to go to the store the following day to finish out her list?

I would drop mine in a heartbeat. The usual reasons. It's antisocial, its obtrusive and if you saw the number of people doing the Hong Kong Zombie walk you would too.
But then I carry it with me but it is only a basic phone and I talk with real people not on it. Don't need it for work. Oh I just hate them and always will.
I just dont agree with their use and pleading no money. I am sure most people have a quite modern luxurious one and certainly dont need games etc. No thanks to phones.

I have a very old basic one which is switched off 99.999% of the time, the only times it gets switched on is if my car breaks down or I am trying to let my daughter know what time train I am on if visiting her. When I was ill in hospital I did hve it switched on so that my daugher could contact me as they no longer have the telephone they can bring to the bedside.

It is so strange that life went on back in the days before cell/mobile phones. We didn't have the need to be on a telephone so much of the time.

Mine will remain switched off for 99.999% of the time. Heck, I have to top up by £5 per year to keep my number and the credit just mounts up.

That's exactly what kind of phone I would have if I were in a money crunch, just the basic thing. I do agree that some phones are a necessity, for just exactly the reasons Ladymach pointed out in her first post. Everyone I know pays at a very minimum $100 a month to have that cell phone-for most it's closer to $150. I have the minimum possible data (with my type of phone) and texting because I do volunteer work with the Fire Department and get called out via text message. I am also the Treasurer of that non profit organization and need to be able to use a credit card reader. That alone takes away the use of my home phone. But then I can afford to do these things. There are others who cannot.

If one MUST have a phone when having a $$ issue (and I do agree there are times when that is true), I think the minimum features would be in order, not all the bells and whistles.

I was just curious what circumstances it would take for individuals to give up their cell phone since they have become such an integral part of our lives. I watched a video the other day and people around a table in a restaurant all put their cell phones face down in the middle of the table to see who would be the first to pick their phone up. Interesting experiment. I do believe that it is the internet, rather than the phone itself that is addicting.

p.s. Mine sits in my purse 95% of the time, with the battery run down to dead..

Hong Kong Zombie walk For your reference

I pay $110/month - but that's for two iPhones.

Also, you don't know if a family member is paying the bill for the person... You just don't know the circumstances.

Ladymach, I find phones are like so much else - the more you own, the less costly per phone. A friend that owns 3 phones pays $135/month for all of them, unlimited usage. If you break it down per phone I'm paying almost $60 more a month for my one phone. Go figure.

You are absolutely right about who pays the bill. I was just curious what it would take for people to give up their phone.

Ren, I think those photos are the same all over the world. I quite often have to move out of the way of people on their phones.

How about the rudeness of continuing to talk on your mobile phone whilst someone is serving you in the shop. I serve more and more people that do this and tend to deliberately have a conversation with them forcing them to address me not their phone.

Hang up when you're being served!

I think my phone would be one of the last things I would give up since it's so much more useful than other things. I can use it as a book, an entertainment device, games, keeping in contact with others, email, work, etc.

I have had a mobile/cell phone now for around sixteen years. I have probably used no more than a few hundred minutes on calls and have probably sent less than five hundred text messages in all that time... I really don't know why I bother with it.

As others have said, you don't know her circumstances. Her job may have provided her with the phone. That's how I got my first phone. They wanted to reach me at all times on any day to pile on the work. It wasn't the perk I thought it was!

Simply because someone has what looks to you to be an all the bells and whistles phone, that doesn't mean they are using all the bells and whistles. My sister has an early model iPhone. But she doesn't have the Internet access enabled on it to save money. Yes, that can be done. Her phone bill is less than $25 a month. I have never paid $100 or more a month for any phone bill and never will.

As for the "luxuries" of people on food stamps, you do realize that for more than a decade the US govt gives out cell phones to people on public assistance at times don't you? That may be their only phone. Those phones have a lot of restrictions attached. There is a low number of minutes the person can use to make outgoing calls a month. They can, however, receive as many calls as they want. Those minutes don't roll over to the next month either. If it's at the end of the month, they may be using up the minutes to maintain some kind of human contact.

I spend less than 8 US per year on mine, and of that almost all carries over to the following year.

And hang up when you are serving someone!

(Not you, obviously! But less mannerly people.)

One time I was short changed by a guy who was on his mobile phone while serving me. And he was adamant he had not short changed me, but I could see how distracted he was & I saw him do it! It was an awful row...

To answer my own question: If I had children and needed to feed and clothe them, I could easily give up my cell phone. It's not my primary phone. Of course if it were my only phone, then I would drop any and all extra services. When I am no longer Treasurer of the non profit group I may very well drop the service. Most of the time it sits in my purse dead as a door nail. I usually have to charge it if I want to use the credit card reader. It's great to use on rare occasion (why does that word always look as though it is spelled wrong!), but if I do need to and I'm in my car (where it is usually charging) I pull into a parking lot to use it. Of course I could even resort to my rotary dial!

I think cell phones can be so cheap (and necessary) these days that I would never judge someone for having one. They really are a lifeline for the job market.

However, I think it is completely fair to judge one's cell phone etiquette. Speaking on a cell phone while using a service that requires communication with another person is extremely rude. Not only are you being rude to the person because you are basically ignoring them as a human being, you are also denying them the chance to rectify misunderstandings. And then you are making the cashier feel guilty/rude if they need to "interrupt" your phone conversation!

Unless I hear the cashier or salesperson say something like "get out of the house now. Call the fire Dept from the neighbors house." or they are calling 911 for some reason, I feel no guilt at all interrupting them. They are being paid to pay attention to me, not their friend talking about their date last night. Many companies also have a policy banning cell phone usage and texting while someone is working. Complaining to the higher ups might help.

All I can think of is the currently running clip of President Obama admitting that he wondered where his critics found the people they cite in their criticisms of his policies, like the folks who have the free Obama Phones.

Edit to relate a subsequent thought (as he wafts the smoke away): Living in Florida has exposed me to many unusual occurrences. I could speculate I have been in line as Jar posted, behind someone subtracting items from their order while they were on the phone and that example I recall was that a shut-in's neighbor was doing some shopping for the invalid and had been given insufficient funds for the order. Requiring the call and the withdrawal of some less important items. Without that phone, maybe the whole order might have been given back.

I agree I am annoyed when salespeople do this, but I find it almost never the case that salespeople are the ones on their phones. It is almost always the customer, and then they get upset when the salesperson "interrupts" their phone call to ask a question about the transaction. There are power structures at play here, and the salespeople have the worst of it.

A very quick web search would show you that the first free phone given out happened before Obama was elected.

Things that annoy me about cellphones:
Students no longer read, listen to live people, (and therefore they have no interview skills,) use correct grammar, sentence construction, spelling. People cannot socialise, walk straight, speak on the phone without shrieking so you can hear them in China (and they might as well not have a phone at all). Sit as a family in a restaurant and converse, concentrate, care a damn about anyone else, tell me what they read in the news, and I am sure there is more.

I wouldn't be without mine. I rarely use it to call people but I text people several times a week as a convenient method of passing on messages. If a friend is likely to be busy (working, volunteering, driving etc.), I can send a message such as "I'll pick on the way to the club tonight" and get on with my business while they get on with theirs. I might not get a return message for a few hours but that's ok. If something is urgent, I'll call, but texting is great for non-urgent stuff. As for data, I have a minimal allowance, but I simply stop myself looking up anything that isn't urgent (the innate cheapskate in me won't let me go over my limit). I wait until I'm home or in a free wi-fi zone. The mobile is also excellent when you're travelling, especially when there's a group of people on holidays and there isn't a landline available to keep in contact with each other. I'm also on call for work at times so I need to be contactable so it's great for that as I can leave the house but still be reached.

Having said all that, I limit the usage of my mobile so it costs me only $15 a month and what I don't use rolls over to the next period. I have close to $2000 in credit (including bonus credits) to use whenever. I do agree with ren about the potential isolating factor of mobiles. It was brilliant on a recent holiday with a group of friends to see the teenagers put aside their mobiles and ipads to join in with the board games the adults were playing of an evening. They had a ball, as we all did, with tears of laughter streaming down all of our faces. There is hope for the next generation!

One question though: Where do the homeless charge their mobiles? The newer smart phones run out of charge within a day!

[quote=TizzabelleOne question though: Where do the homeless charge their mobiles? The newer smart phones run out of charge within a day! [/quote]


A local, public, large park in my county, where many homeless people sleep, has electrical outlets in the bathrooms & the barbecue areas. The outlets have always been there. A beverage store that takes in cans and bottles for recycllist sets some homeless people charge their phones. The homeless people search through garbage the night before pickup for the cans and bottles for money. Some have vehicles they live in & charge their phones that way. Some have jobs & charge their phones at work.

Thanks for that info. It was one of those things I've puzzled about for a while.

I finally bought a cellphone about 6 months ago. Never wanted one. However, because I am on the road at night sometimes by myself thought it might be wise as a safety item.
Here in Canada, cellphone plans vary. I have a prepaid card for 100.00 that is good for a year. It rolls over and then another 100.00 is added for a year.