I must confess I am one of those people who say o instead of zero - I think I sound so fake when I say zero and it's too long anyhow!

One thing that really gets my goat is when people start pushing to get on the tube and you haven't even got off yet. (Incidentally those people normally end up with broken ribs)

The only other one that gets me grinding my teeth is when someone says "cheer up, it might never happen" - how do you know?/there isn't anything wrong/er...it just did!

Oh, I know. Those skinny people saying "Oh my God! Look, I'm so fat!" really get on my nerves. You're right, they say it just so you'll say they're not.

I have a few little peeves to add now:

The first is that sign that pops up on your screen after you shut down your CPU that says 'You're monitor is working correctly' etc. etc. etc. I don't know why but that little sign rubs me wrong!

Also squeaky doors. Especially when it's night and you're trying to be super quiet in your midnight run to the bathroom and squeak , the silence is broken.

Also I'm getting really tired of that home gym unit commercial - it is fast turning into a pet peeve.


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Okay, finally I find the need to put in my 2 cents worth.

The first is when I go into a store and two sales clerks are visiting with each other while I stand there waiting to ask a question. When one finally deems me important enough to address, I simply say, "Sorry, didn't want to interrupt your chat!" Then they get uppity, or even worse, it doesn't even sink in that I was critizing them. Excuse me -- what do you think you are getting paid for? Chatting?

And secondly, when I go to the Doctor and it takes so long to see me. I hate to wait more than 15 minutes past my appointment. So, when I'm finished and making my co payment, I ask for their mailing address. As they give it to me, they ask what I need it for -- I simply tell them I need to send the Doctor and invoice. Now that really stumps them, after all, I'm not a salesman but a patient. They ask, "Invoice?" Yes, I need to send one to the Doctor for my time. One time a receptionist was so flabberghasted she advised me "Oh, we don't pay you for YOUR time!" I could go on....... But they get the idea.

Oh, and one more. How could I forget this. I sit in a restaurant waiting and waiting for my bill but the waiter/waitress never manages to come back. Or even after I've been given the menu, and then they don't come back for my order. (Don't ever let them give you just 2 more minutes to look at the menu a little longer -- they NEVER come back!) Worse yet, standing at a register in a department store and no one there to ring up your purchases. On either occasion I get my cell phone out and call. If it is at a restaurant I ask for the manager and ask him to send a waiter to my table. I really get good service then, but it's too late for the tip! Or, if at the department store, the clerk finally comes to answer the phone and I tell her "don't bother to answer the phone, it's me calling." Then, she gets all defensive like I was the one not doing my job!

AARRGGH!

Simple, but effective June!
Now, I guess I've worked so many jobs where unfortunately, the management was so lousy that the waiters or waitresses were pretty much doing what they could, so I tend to give the benefit of the doubt...and always let them save face. My technique, and it even works with the surly staff in France, is to save calling the manager until it's absolutely necessary. So I say, "Excuse me, it might be me, but my son had a dessert included with his meal."
If the person doesn't react to this last warning...immediately getting the dang thing, then I get up and speak discretely to the manager. But in general, whether they're slacking off or there was an error in communication, it normally works and you get what you want.
In France, if you get aggressive early on in the meal like some people I know well, things will get ugly.
I find that the courtesy disarms their aggression. But only a few can pull it off.
If a waitress or waiter makes an error and you see that they clearly didn't do it on purpose and you are gracious...that person is generally going to be thankful to you.
I once dowsed someone with a crepe suzette as there was a leak in the roof of the restaurant I worked in and I slipped. The woman was in her Sunday best, and I'd been really catering to their children beforehand.
Not only did she take it in her stride, we just mopped up all the whipped cream off of her...but they left me a major tip!

I even got tips in a hot dog snackbar I worked in on the beach in Hawaii, because the foreigners were so happy to have someone patient wait on them. The boss, a mean old guy, would try to tell them he didn't allow tips...!

So my rule of thumb is to give people a bit of slack...so that they can either mend their evil ways...(the cashiers chatting...drives me crazy too.) or else call in the troops.

OH I remember one really really bad meal in a café where we went quite often...and the woman was really asking for it..the food was really bad too...I went up and said, "I think you know that we eat here quite often, about once a week, but today must have been a bad day..."then I detailed the problems discreetly...I just said that the waitress should have mentioned the delay, apologized, asked him for advice...because otherwise, they were going to lose frequent customers.
He thanked me and paid for our meal.

One pet peeve came to mind tonight as once again I was running for my life in Wal Mart. Sometimes I think the overnight floor cleaning crew has it in for me! It doesn't matter what night of the week I go, what time of night (late night), or what section of the store I happen to be in. I will be peacefully shopping, enjoying the fact that the store isn't crowded, when I hear the hum of the floor buffer coming closer until it is a loud roar at my feet. The guy behind it is pushing it fast, and people have to scatter because he isn't going to stop. There have actually been times where the buffer has bumped into my ankles before he stops it long enough to glare at me.
I realize they have to do their job, and overnight, when the store is less crowded, is the best time to do it. All I ask is for a polite "excuse me", or simply slowing the machine down so that I (and other people) have time to move out of the way.

I hate that too!
THey do it on Saturdays here in France and that's the major shopping day, I mean, they actually do the stocking and floor polishing on Saturday during the peak hours! And they just plough you out of the way!

It is really odd that they would do the floors and stock the shelves during peak hours. I am glad they don't do that here. It is difficult enough to deal with when the store is closer to empty. The really sad part is Mr. Moo and I have both mentioned it to other employees there, including management, on several occasions, and nothing has been done about it. That is the part that really gets me.

I forgot to mention that the shops aren't open on Sundays, not even to stock things. They close up in the evenings at 8 too.

People who yak all the way through a movie it so Aggravating--Grrrr! Women who are thin as a rail, but insist on clacking on about how fat they are--especially since I have to watch every calorie I eat to keep from Looking like Winnie the Pooh when he got stuck in Rabbit's doorway. People who have "Lord of the Manor Complexes", and insist on treating people who check out their groceries, or serve them in resturants, like their servants. And, above all else, deliberate unkindness. I can't abide people without common manners--if they weren't raised to have any-- why, they can learn.

Amen to all of those, Linda! At my last job, I worked with a bunch of those skinny people who are continually discussing how fat they are. The two worst about it were the two smallest women in the building. It was rare to hear them talk about anything besides calories, fat grams, body mass index, workouts, etc. After 2 years of listening to it, I finally told them one day that if their weight was the biggest issue they had to worry about in life they could consider themselves blessed. I personally have other concerns to take up my time.

The last movie we went to, a group of people came in 20 minutes into the film. The theater wasn't even half full, but they chose the row right in front of Mr. Moo and me. They stood directly in front of our seats for a full 5 minutes discussing whether they should sit there or somewhere else. Even our asking them to sit or move didn't help.

I worked in a convenience store a few years ago, and it amazed me how rudely people treated me. There were even people who would throw their money at me. At my last job, I cleaned offices at a factory. It really hurt the way some of my co workers treated me like I was a lesser person because of what my job was. Some of them would point out that I was ONLY a cleaning lady. GRRR!

Moo, in reference to Wal-Mart....hehehhe. I believe it. I, unfortunately, used to work there. You wouldn't believe the imbeciles they hire. The guy buffing the floors must have a few screws loose. Any moron would know that you don't buff the floors when there are customers in the store. But that's Wal-Mart for you. It doesn't surprise me one bit. I only lasted there for eight months and let me tell you, I look back and wonder, "What were you thinking????!!!" Oh well, I was 18 and wanted to save for a car. I would have made more money at a gas station.

I just thought of some more pet peeves I have...you hear a song you just love on the radio and the DJ never tells you who sang it.

You have to tell every sales person in the store you're just looking. Even though I used to work in retail, I never bothered anybody. If they need help, they'll ask--that's my motto.

In reply to:

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You have to tell every sales person in the store you're just looking.

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But where do the sales staff get to when you actually want to buy something? Go into a department store knowing exactly what you want and where it is, and it'll take you ages to find anyone to deal with you.

Haha. Good point tabby. I've found that to be true almost everywhere, even Fashion Bug, where I used to work. It always turns out that there is someone at the desk the minute you walk away to help someone else. Strange.

Whew, I thought I'd never make it in here! boy I need it badly!
This woman who works on this floor just went through the whole floor with an atomizer of digusting perfume! It smells like coconut and vanilla! The guys yelled at her "what are you doing?" "Well I thought it was nice to have a nice smell in this place..."
arrrgggh! There are about twenty of us here and she just decided to atomize us with perfume...
Now I'm plunged into my old beach snack bar job with the suntanning oil smelling of coconut!

Another one...saw these jeans, the style here is the sandblasted on the thighs look. But it's made somewhere I don't know where and they figure they've got it right if they just spray something on them...and now, they're doing it like mud! So women are walking around with these jeans with two big patches of mud like spray on the front of their thighs!
The other one is the belt, here in France it's not only the Britney belly button look but an enormous belt...and then..some of the jeans have lopsided beltloops on them so that the belt hangs at an angle.

Now, I'm not against fashion flair or someone making their own look, I actually like that...but when you buy it prefabricated like that though it doesn't suit you...then it annoys me!

I also saw a pair of beige boots with such ridiculously high heels on them, the woman was towering over everyone and it gave her an odd posture...plus...fishnets!
She's caused some kinked necks around this town today.

Our Walmart is open 24 hours a day, except Christmas Day. They have to buff the floors with customers there, otherwise it wouldn't get done. They do at least do it in the wee hours of the morning when there are less people around. Still they could be a little more polite about it. I have found out that the crew at this store is from another country. The company they work for brings them over for a 3 month period, then because of their Visas, they have to go home for a while before they can come back. Most of them don't know any English, so they are unable to communicate to say Excuse me. Still, common sense in any language should tell you that plowing someone over with a floor buffer is rude.

I don't like the sandblasted jeans. I think they ruin an outfit because they look dirty. I was a teen of the 80's when acid wash, volcanic wash, bleached, ripped, etc jeans were all the rage, but at least those styles looked clean. The sandblasted ones look like they have been worn for months on end.

You are right, Bruyere, prefabricated "unique" looks aren't for everyone. Plus I feel when someone's style is copied by everyone ( Britney, Madonna back in the 80's), you look unique - just like everyone else. If I liked someone's style enough to copy it, I would always try to put my own twist to it, to make it different.

I hate it when someone thinks they have the right to make the air - and other people have the scent they choose without asking first. Some people are allergic to heavy sprays and scents, yet others just spray away. In fact, I avoid stores that have a scent sprayer, because sometimes they ask if you would like to sample the scent, and sometimes they just spritz you. Then you walk around the rest of the day stinking, because the perfume they sprayed on you clashes horribly with the one you already have on.

Ah, the 24 hour Wal-Marts. Well, I guess the guy could have at least have cleared his throat or something to get your attention if he doesn't speak English. That would be what I would do. But again, it doesn't surprise me.

And WHY is it that the people who come to this country never learn a word of English??? We have to cater to them. When I went to Italy this past summer, it was vice-versa. Bruyere, maybe you can help me with this one. I wound up having to serve as the interpreter. And the Italians weren't about to speak English. Fortunately, my Italian was good enough to get by. But what if it wasn't?? What if I didn't speak a word--like everyone else I was with--and wanted to ask a question?? I mean it, nobody spoke English. And that's the way I liked it. Gave me some practice. Why can't it be that way over here?? If you intend to relocate to another country, at least learn some words of the language to start.

And I am not discriminating against immigrants. I love immigrants. If it wasn't for them, America wouldn't be what it is--a melting pot of nationalities that is very cool. But wait a minute, if the darn English stayed put back in the 17th century, then the Indians wouldn't be confined to reservations. I'm speaking of real immigrants--my ancestors--just out to find a better life. They've made our country what it is. Ok, I'm getting off the subject.

That's my pet peeve for today--language barriers.

I must be an irritable person because the littlest things set me off. Just to name a few:
People who interrupt me.
People who use something new of mine before I have used it.
Drivers that are in such a hurry to get in front of me, then go 15miles below the speed limit.
When someone watches over my shoulder when I am reading, writing, typing, etc.
And what really annoys me is when I am walking down a crowded mall and someone comes to a dead stop right in front of me.

Now I have to wonder if the Wal Mart floor buffer guy is a member here and has been reading my posts! We had to go up there Friday night - and he actually skipped the aisle we were in until we left it!

Another pet peeve I was reminded of yesterday. I was at the grocery store, and there were two women (my guess is mother and daughter) who kept blocking my path to get around them, and were going really slow. When I was finally able to get my cart around, the younger woman darted in front of me so that I had to stop it quickly to keep from bumping her. She turned around and gave me this smirky smile like she knew she did it on purpose. I had tried saying excuse me, but they ignored me, so I was stuck. When I finally was able to get in front of them, I shopped as fast as I could down a couple aisles to give myself a head start!

I was laughing at the buffer guy avoiding you!
I just had another but please don't think me uncharitable towards older people, I'm not...in fact I probably let about twenty people go ahead of me in line per month.
But, on Saturday mornings it's the worst shopping day as the people who have to work during the week are all there, you can't imagine how bad it is...Sundays they are closed and they're only opened until about 9 on weekdays.
Therefore, last Saturday all the older people were in the supermarket and it's a free for all, and with the best intentions you can barely avoid ploughing into them...I mean, how can they possibly think they'll get their shopping done on Saturdays without all the harried people running into them?
I agree that we must all remain courteous, but when you do have to time to come in on the weekdays, why bother doing it on Saturdays with the crowd?
I have a hard time myself avoiding getting run into by carts, but this is ridiculous.
To make matters worse they'd done a major restocking job and the milk wasn't where it should be so the older people were all saying "excuse me young lady but where is the regular milk?"
You'll have realized by now that if someone has a question, I'm generally the person they ask...not a person from the store.

I really hate people reading over my shoulder...especially when I'm on FT!

People who hold up lines by engaging in marathon small-talk sessions with the cashier, the mutuel clerk, the overworked person at the license-renewal window, etc.

People who make it their business to shop at notoriously expensive "yuppie" supermarkets and then waste everyone's time while they argue with the cashier about discounts, rebates, food stamps, price markdowns, price fairness, etc.

Shreiking, "hey-everyone-looka-me-I'm-drunk" laughter in restaurants, usually at office parties, and usually issuing from the mouths of soused women past age 55.

Mandatory fast-food rejoinderism. I drive up and order a single sausage patty for my son. Simple. A disembodied voice then issues from the bowels of the Burger Fascist. The message is as follows: "Cznkfoemngorenwkofht&xcwmc?"
After five minutes of back-and-forth about this, I am finally able to discern that the poor high school kid has been compelled to ask me if I want gorgonzola cheese, elderberry sauce or pink mustard with my order, which of course I do not.
Does anyone ever actually order the additional nonsense they try to foist off on you?

Squeegee men anywhere, but especially in New York. When it all comes down to it, Giuliani will be remembered as the guy who got them olff the streets. It seems as though they are getting a little bolder again now that Bloomberg's in the saddle. Special favorite: that looooooooong stoplight at Atlantic & Bedford Aves. in Brooklyn.

Morons who flick lit cigarettes out of moving vehicles.

God, this is a bottomless pit!

No-lifers who post after their own posts.

Dotards who remember really, really old threads.

Losers who "bring up" really, really old threads.

Coolupway, thanks for bringing up this thread, you old loser, you! ( ). I think it was overdue for resurrection and we can all have some fun with it.

It was only the day before yesterday I was thinking about resurrecting this thread myself. I should have done it, then Cool would not have to bear the shame of making consecutive posts.

Why was I thinking of this thread? Because I spent the day conducting a seminar at one of our major hospitals and I had to use the lift (= elevator) several times. I was really peeved by the number of morons who plunged into the lift when the doors opened without giving those of us in the lift a chance to exit. I felt like screaming at them "For goodness sake, have some manners, stand back and let us out first!". Looking back on it, I am amazed that I didn't!

And while I have the chance to have a good whinge, I am sick to death of people who cough and sneeze all over the place without making any effort to cover their mouths. I don't need your bacteria, thank you very much. In fact, if you're sick, do us all a favour - stay home and keep your germs to yourself.

Oooh! This feels really good. Who's next?

Well, Cool, I'll have to put my hand up to the last two as well, and the first if you include answering 'I need an answer' questions where I've found an answer myself long after asking it. Isn't that half the fun of being here?

And I'm sure we all remember discussions with friends and family from well over 5 years ago, which is when the first threads were posted, so why not have similar FT memories.
And finally, I still love the surprise expressed when I remember an obscure fact or quote someone mentioned a year or two ago. So what if half the members involved now avoid me for being an anorak, or possibly a witch?

Pet Peeves, huh? Ok, here goes:

I dislike people who are overweight and complain about it over french fries, a chocolate milk shake and a hamburger. I'm not at my ideal weight either, but if I'm feeling down about it, I keep it to myself and eat a salad, and I do have rare moments of acceptance, where I happily eat my hamburger and fries, while discussing my recent pregnancy.

I also get a little miffed sometimes at the little goth / punk kids who run around acting as though they are the first "non-conformists" to conform to something outside the norm. I want to say to them, "Yes yes, dear, when I was your age I dressed all in black and burned candles in my bedroom too, and I thought I was just as cool as you think you are. In other words, it's been done, so get over yourself." But then I try to remind myself that going through phases like that is sometimes a part of life, and every generation goes through it.

Every time I see a parent blithely chatting with their dinner companions whilst their toddler stands on his chair with a mouthful of food, I have the sincere desire to go over there myself and sit that child on his bottom. There is a good reason I was taught to sit on my bottom while eating. It involved avoiding choking to death if possible. This applies to other situations as well. When did people loose the sense of control over their kids? Did they forget that those rules weren't about stiffling individuality but rather keeping kids whole and safe? And for crying out loud, if you say to your child, "Come back here and stop running" and your child disobeys you, do something about it! Yelling it again is not going to do any more than yelling it the first time unless you back it up. Do parents suddenly loose their spines when they have children?

My pet peeve is my MOTHER!

One of these days she will realise that I am not 18. In fact I am well over twice that age. I recently had the opportunity to stay with her and she said it would be just as 'a friendship thing, not as mother and daughter.' Yeah right Mum. Which planet did she just step off? Apparently this is the role of mothers. This is why they are here. Thank god for my father, salt of the earth.

My other pet peeve is screaming kids. Hate 'em. Call me intolerant if you will. I usually say in an overly loud voice in a restaurant, cinema or similar, "Who belongs to that child?" Not very nice I know but lack of parental control really gets up my nose.