They must drive with the same obliviousness as they navigate a grocery cart- that would explain why the 880 in Fremont is such a mess.
HA HA HA!!! This is great!
Any other Bay Area Dopers want to chip in and buy erie774 a plane ticket? We could have some fun sending him to the Safeways in Alamo and Fremont…
seenidog, El Cid Viscoso, there’s a difference between moving slowly because you’re old or disabled and suddenly stopping to take a cell phone call (or for some other random self-centered reason) while walking. I have nothing but sympathy for the former, nothing but contempt for the latter. There’s a practical difference, too- an old or disabled person isn’t likely to be moving along at a normal pace and suddenly stop, like the asshole in the OP did. And most old or disabled people have the courtesy and common sense to try to stay out of the way of people who wish to move faster, also unlike the asshole mentioned in the OP.
Oh, and if you have some sort of disability that makes it impossible for you to walk and talk on a cell phone at the same time, you should make sure you’re in a safe place before you stop and answer your cell phone. Cell phones have this nifty little feature where they tell you who’s calling, so if you can’t get to a safe place before your voice mail picks up, you could call the person back once you do.
I think I’m going to take my mission to supermarkets next. Find the people in Express Lane with a cart full of stuff and begin counting out their items. “19, 20, 21. Hmm. I don’t think you belong in this line.” If they start bitching about it, I can start pulling things out of their cart until they are down the appropriate amount. “OK, you now have 20 items and can use this register. If you want to buy the rest of your crap, go stand in another fucking line!”
Or maybe I’ll go to McDonald or any other fast food joint when I am behind the person who can’t figure out what they want to order. It’s not like they’ve never been there before and don’t know what’s on the fucking menu. Plus, they’ve been standing in line, staring at the menu board for about five minutes so they should have made up their minds by the time they reach the register. As they stand there hemming and hawing over the diverse delicacies on the bill of fare, I will step up to the cashier and say, “Numbnuts here can’t make up his mind so just give him a Happy Meal ™.” When the person protests I’ll tell them to either take what is given them or to step out of line until they can get their fucking brain in gear.
The world is filled with morons and it seems like get stuck behind every one.
This is another hijack, but I can’t help it. What IS it with people who order like this?
“Could I get a Big Mac and fries?”
NO DORK! THIS IS MCDONALDS! THEY DON’T HAVE…no, wait, they DO have Big Macs AND fries, so why the hell are you ASKING? Do you think they’re going to run out by the time you get to the counter?? Do you think the kid behind the counter is going to judge you like a bouncer at some trendy club and figure you’re not cool enough to get a Big Mac and fries? “We only have quarter pounders for the likes of you” Once in a billion times is there going to be a situation where they’ve maybe run out of Big Macs and might say “Sorry, no Big Macs right now”
It may seem polite, but it’s just dorky. If they have it on the menu, they’ll almost certainly be able to give it to you, so what’s with the “Could I have…?” ordering at fast food restaurants?
Thanks! I quit drinking and am happily married but I would definitely take you up on the meal if I was down in Baton Rouge. Have some jambalaya for me!
There is a set of these in the Wal-Mart in Square One mall in Mississauga, Ontario, but they call them “Movators”. Movator and Travelator sound like trade names to me. Wal-Mart went to quite a bit of effort to replace an old rubber one (inherited from when the store was a Woolco) with a new metal-segment one.
Re: Escalator for carts:
There is a set of these in the new Canadian Tire store at Bay and Dundas in Toronto. I’d never seen them before. The store is located in the lower two floors of the new building that houses the Ryerson University business school. (I often wonder whether co-op work terms at that university involve working at that store…)
It’s because you showed him your balls. Seldom do confrontations come to blows. They’re usually settled by posturing. Men posture that way, much like gorillas. Once the man had determined you did not fear him, he knew he could not out-bluster you.
Yay for you erie774! And I can’t tell you how good it felt running back through the Quay last night dodging slow movers, but knowing there was a thread devoted to them in the Pit!
In Hawaii: Ala Moana Shopping Center, near Macy’s, ocean-side.
In Los Angeles: Ralph’s, on Wilshire, near the La Brea Tar Pits. It connects the supermarket/street level to the underground parking structure.
They are both much, much longer than a standard escalator, and, as described above, are at a much gentler angle. (Also, the Ralph’s one is… lumpy, somehow. It’s fun to jump up and down on.)
Imagine how scared he would have been if I really showed him my balls!
Yeah, that was me. The silverback thumping his chest and baring his teeth! God it felt good that one time in my life I stood up to the idiots that make life miserable and inconvenient.
But I can’t do it alone, people! I need your help to rid the world of dolts, imbeciles and dipshits! Stand up to the human roadblocks and the marching morons! Together we can make the world a better place for everyone!
Or at least make it better for us. After all, we are the important ones.
Previous to this thread the only time I had heard the word “travelator” was as the name of a large set-piece used in the Broadway show The Phantom of the Opera. (The bridge that moves forward on stage and changes in incline.) I never knew it was actually used to describe a regular piece of public machinery! Well, consider my ignorance fought.
And to go back to the OP, that is an awesome story erie774!
This reminds me of when I was staying at a motel in Florida and was walking down the little path beside the rooms. Directly in front of me was majorly obese woman sitting in front of her door with her thousands of mutant offspring running in all directions. Her massive girth was almost completely blocking the path. I managed to squeeze through all this and I was accosted with:
Can’t for the life of me see what your problem is with this. Yes, it’s polite, it takes an extra 2 seconds and is a better way of treating people. When you’re at a restaurant, do you say something like: “Yes, I’d like…” when ordering, or just: “steak, chips”!? One is likely to be more acceptable than the other, and just because it’s McDs doesn’t make it any different as far as I can see.
I don’t think I’ve ever encountered a travelator/moverizer, and they seem horribly inefficient to me, unless the alternative would be a flat, airport-style travelator + an elevator. But even then it seems like a lot of real estate taken up on both levels.
B) If someone’s so oblivious that they can’t recognize basic courtesy, why would I want to waste any time with them? If there’s a cart blocking the aisle at a supermarket, I’ll say “excuse me” and if the cart is still there three seconds later, it’s getting moved out of the way, wherever I deem “out of the way” to be. As for elevator pouncers, I usually move forward as far as I can and then give whoever’s blocking me a “Well?” look. I mean really, what are you expecting to happen here? I’m not going to get back on the damn elevator! Three cheers to the OP.
And while I recognize that not everyone’s in a hurry like I am, 99% of the time it’s possible to go about your business leisurely, without forcing everyone else to your pace.
-Troy McClure SF, the native San Franciscan who though people in NYC walked too damn slow
They’re only good for places like supermarkets with parking on the roof or in the basement. You can’t take your cart on an escalator, and an elevator would be horribly inefficient with carts. There’s no real need for a flat airport type because the distances are much less than at an airport.
I’m still surprised at their relative non-existence in the US. Is it maybe because your malls are big enough that the parking is always on the surrounding land, at the same level as the supermarket?
