Jeff's random thought of the day # 2.

[JeffinNZ]

I don't know that I can decide whether the younger generation is getting increasingly stupid or I am just becoming a grumpy old man (or a combination of both).

My place of work has no dedicated lunch room so I like to wander down to the airport terminal on my lunch break (1 hour) and get an espresso to slurp while I read a book or magazine. I have branded thermal cup from my favourite outlet so get 15% off making my coffee $3.60 which is pretty cheap by local standards. That's about where the joy ends lately though.

My 'pet' barrista gals have all left and now noobs abound. One lass gets my change wrong every time. She gets absolutely flumoxed at the idea of the cup size and discount amount and needs to be bailed out each time; I avoid her kiosk. it's just easier.

Today yet another new face greets me. Lovely looking girl and cheerful which is nice. It must be a thankless job really. Hurried travelers mostly who are tired or grumpy or both. She takes my reusable cup and looks me in the eye and asks "do you want your coffee in this or a takeaway cup?". For a period that seemed like 10 seconds I stood dumb struck trying desperately to comprehend what had been said at which time she said it again. All the time my tiny lil brain is ticking over asking why I would bring my own cup and expect a paper one with the beverage in. Anyways, the penny dropped (for me a least) and I said camly and without a hint of sarcasm (not easy given the sitaution and my demeanour) "in my cup thank you".

End result was the correct change and my coffee so all was well but it begs the question - are they getting dumber or am I getting grumpier?

End.

[firefly1957]

I always took a thermos of tea to work myself. I do know what she meant we had a guy in the van pool that bought their cup for discount but always had them give him a disposable cup I asked him why , he was to lazy to wash it.

[bandit7.5]

1.90 espresso at the gas station, better than starbucks flavour wise whole lot better service too. I use a starbucks cup too, no problem. I never buy if the counter girl looks less than
25 I turn around and leave, our new crop of gooberment eddicated kids can't make change
for a dollar less 99 cents.

[Haggway]

For giggles sometimes, I test these kids. I carry a few two dollar bills around with me. It has given me proof several times the gubermint brain washed kids are really that stupid. I will try to pay my tab. And many time the kid looks at the bills funny, and then tells me they can't take them either because they don't know how to enter it into the register, or no way these are not real. So I think we are getting grumpy because of the stupidity.

[Norbrat]

I often get stunned looks from the sweet young things when I hand over exactly the correct change for 3 or 4 items in the supermarket before they can tell me how much the total is.

I just tell them I went to school "BC"; before calculators!!

[leftiye]

To answer your question, yes, they are;yes, we are. I've always prided myself on being the nastiest person that I know. In my old age I am scaring myself. It's getting scary to go out to town and see the chaos and idiocy.

[Glen]

The two most common elements in the Universe are hydrogen and stupidity.....

[geargnasher]

Einstein is supposedly credited with remarking that stupidity is arguably MORE abundant than hydrogen, and therefore is the fundamental building block of the Universe. Tough to argue with that after half a lifetime of observation.

Gear

[runfiverun]

i am sure i have contributed to the non hydrogen side of the equasion a time or two.

[JeffinNZ]

You guys rock!

[bob208]

before i got my cell phone. my truck broke down so i walked to the next off ramp where there was a truckstop. went to use the phone but needed a quarter all i had was a $20 bill. it took the 2 bimbets 1 hour t figuer out how to give me change.

you want to really mess with them. when your bill is something like $15 60 or some odd change give them a $20 and a $1. and watch the fun begin.

[firefly1957]

bob208 you are just to funny!

[bruce drake]

Jeff,
Its nice to see that Grouchy Old Men are prevalent across the water as well. Now you just need to start wearing tweeds so you can look like an old English Country Gentleman... Do they make a purple tweed???

Bruce

[DLCTEX]

Give the youngsters a five for something costing 4.31, then after they have rung it up, come up with .31 cents. Panic time! Usually they will just take my word for what they owe me.

[lbaize3]

Jeff, you are a hoot! Love your sense of humor. You manage to put into print those things that I consider in passing, but lack the eloquence to express using the Queen's English. Write a book my friend, I will certainly purchase it....

[geargnasher]

before i got my cell phone. my truck broke down so i walked to the next off ramp where there was a truckstop. went to use the phone but needed a quarter all i had was a $20 bill. it took the 2 bimbets 1 hour t figuer out how to give me change.

you want to really mess with them. when your bill is something like $15 60 or some odd change give them a $20 and a $1. and watch the fun begin.

It's all the same to them, they are incapable of planning ahead or managing bills in a till. When they run out of something, they either shut down the line or pull more change from the safe. It never occured to most of them that a person might actually be thinking in terms of COURTESY when dealing with hard currency, but often tills tend to run out of small bills because inconsiderate, lazy, or inept people just throw a $20 at the clerks for any amount under that so I attempt to compensate somewhat to round to the next bill size with change. I can't tell you how many times the clerk has handed me back the extra small bills plus the change, utterly clueless. Another good one is when the amount is, say, $4.83 and I hand them $5.08. Deer in the headlights! I've been asked "Sir, what do you want me to do?" many times. I just tell them to punch the numbers into their register and give me the quarter it will tell them to. I like quarters.

Gear

[AndyC]

"How many do you want, sir?"

"Half a dozen, please"

".... um....how many is that?"



Next time I'll ask for a baker's dozen.

[JeffinNZ]

Half a dozen....or six....whichever suits you.

[.30/30 Guy]

The intelligence of the planet is constant. Only the population is increasing.

[Jim Flinchbaugh]

While I agree with the dumbness of society today, once in a while I get stunned as happened at the range last week. In drives a van ma & pa and 4 kids, oh great I think another load of tards.
the youngest boy is out first, sporting a coonskin hat and a leather pouch hanging off his belt.
I'm thinking his folks watch Dan'el Boone reruns.

I say hi and strike up a conversation, and after a few moments I am the one dumbfounded. This kid was 9 years old, had already made to ewe self bows ON HIS OWN, and the leather pouch was full of stone points he had knapped himself! He was a fair shot with the Chipmunk 22 he was shooting as well. I had to shake his daddy's hand and congratulate him on raising a fine young man.
A rather pleasant surprise in this age of video games and portable pocket ringers