The Vent and Rant Thread

[Rumpelteazer]

It's the second week after our store closed and we're busy boxing stuff up that we're giving to suppliers or colleagues or want to keep ourselves. We also make regular trips to my father's garage, where we're in the process of building shelves. Today we're also going to the recycle station to get rid of junk.

But when I'm working in the store I sometimes feel like I'm sending away people. When it's warm in the store I open the front door and wedge a rack in the opening (air can easily pass through) with a sign saying we're permanently closed. The same sign I also put up on the window. But people keep ringing the doorbell or even trying to remove the rack. I even had one older man forcefully removing the rack, after I saw him reading the sign, who claimed he thought that the rack was the door.

I suspect most of those people demand I get them an item(s) they need. Saying I don't have any change or a card machine doesn't help, they want to pay by Tikkie (similar to Cash App), some look shocked when you mention payment. Saying those items are boxed up makes them demand you unbox it. And saying we haven't got that item even had one person demanding I order it for them.

A lot of them start whining about where they should go, because they always got their special bulbs here. Which makes me want to say two things: "not my problem" and "if you got your regular bulbs here we might not have closed" (not true but still).

Yesterday I semi jokingly asked my father if he still had the electric fence shocking machine (to put on the rack and/or doorbell).

Ignoring people doesn't work. They remove the rack and come inside, keep shouting or keep ringing the doorbell. When we're upstairs we have to go downstairs because it might be a delivery of mail or a package or one of the few people we don't mind helping.

I'm glad I don't have to be nice to these types of people anymore. But I wish they would just stay away. Yesterday I had to pause what I was doing 11 times over a five hour period to send people away. At least today we've planned to bring some stuff to the garage and go to the recycle station, so we'll be away part/most of the morning.

[BetterRed]

↑ ↑ ↑

The Age of Entitlement rolls on… - Swiftie could write a song, right or wrong?

[CRussel]

@Rumpleteaser: It sounds like you and Hitch need to start a business together. You both have a positive talent for attracting truly special customers!

[Rumpelteazer]

Originally Posted by CRussel

@Rumpleteaser: It sounds like you and Hitch need to start a business together. You both have a positive talent for attracting truly special customers!

From what I hear from other local business owners and their employees it's the same for them. That since Covid people have been feeling a lot more entitled. And it isn't helped with the easy return policies of most online stores (although I've read some online stores will be changing that).

This morning I'll open the front door again, with the rack in front of it, to get rid of yesterday's heat. So I'm already preparing myself. Luckily later in the morning we're going to take some stuff the garage and run an errand afterwards, so we'll be gone for a little while.

[BetterRed]

Put a few of these on the windows



BR

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by CRussel

@Rumpleteaser: It sounds like you and Hitch need to start a business together. You both have a positive talent for attracting truly special customers!

Oh, thanks, that's all I need, are Rumples nutty customers. I have plenty of my own. I have one today that has left me GASPING.

Long story short--guy hires some illustrator, etc. to illustrate his kids' book, which is uncommonly long (for that age and genre, etc.); it's 62 pages, which is 2-3x the typical lenght. Hires us to make an eBook from it. Okey-dokey, this so far is pretty typical "stuff."

Today, (after WEEKS of making the book--which takes a long time, because he sends us "fixed" pages and lather-rinse-repeat):

He's upset because--wait for it--in the illustrations, some of the floors, stages, ground, etc are NOT LEVEL. In other words, when his illustrator drew a patch of ground upon which characters were standing that ground is not perfectly even; at (say) the right-hand-edge of the image/page, the stage or ground is "higher" than at the left-hand-edge. This happens throughout; the book is hand-drawn and frankly, appears more like a child drew it or maybe a tween, then a commercial illustrator.

Like so (see attached)

See? See how the "stage" tilts slightly?

And I asked him: exactly what the frack do you expect me to do about it? What, rotate the page and crop it, so that the characters are leaning to he left/right but the ground is (apparently) level?

I literally--literally--don't know what to say to this guy. Where do people come UP with this stuff? What...what bizarre unprocess in their brains, comes up with stuff THIS CRACKED?

UGGHGHGHGHGHGHGH!

Hitch

[ownedbycats]

Open a nut store.

[badgoodDeb]

(re-reading thread) Tell him that the characters' stance indicates where gravity is. Some landscapes do have hills! Check out that "steepest street" in San Francisco (well, California somewhere.)

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by badgoodDeb

(re-reading thread) Tell him that the characters' stance indicates where gravity is. Some landscapes do have hills! Check out that "steepest street" in San Francisco (well, California somewhere.)

Filbert Street is the one that comes to mind though I was surprised a few years back to find out that it is only tied for 6th for the steepest street in San Francisco. I was more impressed by driving down Lombard Street. The passengers loved the view, I was too scared to take my eyes off the road and the %^&* in front of me who stopped several times to take photographs preferably just after one of the switchbacks.

[ownedbycats]

Bloody spam calls, three of them in four hours. Tempted to just stick my phone on mute.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

Open a nut store.

Why not? I'm already stocked up for it....


Hitch

[Rumpelteazer]

Some might remember I complained to the council about two restaurants blocking one of our doors. One puts their tables and chairs in front of it and the other hasn't pruned their olive trees so the branches are in front of the door.

In an automated reply the council promised to respond within 5 business days, which would be the July 7. I never heard from them, I really didn't expect them to react. Until yesterday, when I got a phone call.

Over the weekend they checked several times and at all times the outdoor seating was arranged in such a way that they were over the markers (aka pins) that delineate the outdoor seating area. Especially when people were sitting at the tables our door was completely blocked. So they are going to have a talk with the restaurant and when doing the rounds they will pay extra attention if the restaurant keeps their seating within their boundaries.

The trees is another story. They did see the branches were in front of the door. The problem is that the pots the trees are planted in aren't outside of the boundaries of the restaurant, just the branches. They are still trying to find out if they can legally do anything about that.

It'll be interesting to see what is going to happen. I'm half expecting the chef/manager from the restaurant of the seating to come by, but since our store's closed now that will be more difficult. And it isn't as if we haven't asked them over a dozen times in the last year. If they keep doing it I can always contact the council, I've got a case file number. The trees I'm less bothered by; if the seating isn't over the boundary of the other restaurant there's enough space to avoid those.

[neil_swann80]

Can you erect some boundary markers/barriers to ensure there's a clear route to the property? Obviously you shouldn't have to, but I can imagine with the restaurant seating the patrons will take it on themselves to relocate the tables on occasion and having the boundary clearly marked may help?

[Rumpelteazer]

Originally Posted by neil_swann80

Can you erect some boundary markers/barriers to ensure there's a clear route to the property? Obviously you shouldn't have to, but I can imagine with the restaurant seating the patrons will take it on themselves to relocate the tables on occasion and having the boundary clearly marked may help?

Since our house is sold and we're leaving within 6 months it isn't worth the effort.

It's up to restaurant to keep an eye on their patrons and keep them within the boundaries. We've never had a problem with the previous owner. Also, technically, they can be fined for going "over the pins". In the past the council was more proactive and had people on the street, especially during the weekend, to keep an eye on if cafés and restaurants weren't being a nuisance to others. They haven't done that in years.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by Rumpelteazer

Since our house is sold and we're leaving within 6 months it isn't worth the effort.

It's up to restaurant to keep an eye on their patrons and keep them within the boundaries. We've never had a problem with the previous owner. Also, technically, they can be fined for going "over the pins". In the past the council was more proactive and had people on the street, especially during the weekend, to keep an eye on if cafés and restaurants weren't being a nuisance to others. They haven't done that in years.

Not to be cavalier, Rumple, or to suggest you be a "bad seller," but honestly...this isn't really your problem any longer. Let the buyer deal with it--I mean...think of it this way, perhaps the buyer would prefer a different solution of some kind. You just don't know.

How soon are you guys decamping?

Hitch