No. No, you haven't "always done it this way."

The BBQ Pit
21

[QUOTE=Cisco]
My wife and I have shared a library card for about 4 years now. I lost mine and instead of paying the replacement fee we just started sharing. Either one of us could have it on any given day, but I have the number memorized so I just give that to them if I don’t have it on me. A few weeks ago I had a lady tell me that not only could I not give the number without showing the card, I couldn’t use my own wife’s card! She was rather rude about so I got frustrated and asked when this policy began.

“Oh, it’s ALWAYS been that way!”
[/QUOTE]

In my system, you have to have notes on the accounts stating that other people can use your card, regardless of who the other people are. It reduces our liability if your kid sister or your mom or someone else decides that they’re going to borrow a bunch of books on your card and never return them. If you don’t have those notes in there, I’m not likely to let you check things out on your wife’s card unless she’s there with you. Same goes with holds; if it’s not on your account, you can’t check out those books you pulled off the holds shelf. (The only time I broke this rule is when a crotchety old man decided to throw a blue wobbler over it and it was better to not have him throw a temper tantrum at me in the middle of the library and ask for my manager, who would’ve given him the books anyway. He was still a dick about it.)

Even if it’s annoying to hear “it’s always been that way,” the library sets its own rules that you have to follow. If you want to be a dick about it, you can be known as being a troublemaker for whom people won’t bend rules when you bitch. Making sure your order is correct at a dining establishment is one thing, but breaking established rules, being caught and expecting them to break the rules for you as usual is another. Why be so cheap about replacing your library card if you use it so much? You’re not only denying them funding for the processing of more books for you to enjoy, but you’re reducing the statistics that they depend on for getting grants and other government funding.

22

[QUOTE=nashiitashii]
In my system, you have to have notes on the accounts stating that other people can use your card, regardless of who the other people are. It reduces our liability if your kid sister or your mom or someone else decides that they’re going to borrow a bunch of books on your card and never return them. If you don’t have those notes in there, I’m not likely to let you check things out on your wife’s card unless she’s there with you. Same goes with holds; if it’s not on your account, you can’t check out those books you pulled off the holds shelf.
[/quote]
There is no “notes” system in our library. The hold thing is no longer an issue because they changed the computer so that if you don’t use the right card, it simply won’t let you check the book out.

Whooooaaaa there hot rod, who said I was being a dick about anything, or that this is an established rule? I was very polite as usual and the woman was rude so I asked her when this became policy. Instead of explaining anything, she just said it’s always been that way. For the record I have not changed my borrowing habits and the issue has not come up again. I’m 99.5% sure the woman was full of shit, so I let it slide right off my back.

It wasn’t a conscious decision to not replace the card, it’s just something I never did because I didn’t need to. Believe me, I’m not denying them any funding. The replacement fee is $2, and I can just about guarantee our annual late-fees are in the triple-digits. I also buy from their book sales. I’m very supportive of my public library system, thank you very much. I’m not reducing any statistics either since I still have an account with them, I just don’t have the physical card.

23

My favorite was a clerk in a Levis store who told us that Levi had never made a particular style in a particular size, and my sister-in-law was wearing a pair at the time. He still insisted they never made them. I guess that label was counterfeit.

24

[QUOTE=LifeOnWry]
I have had the same bank account for about twelve years, into which I have deposited checks made out to me personally, and to my business name. The last time I tried to deposit a check make out to my business name (for $43 - not that it matters, but the small figure increased my irritation), I was informed that I needed to have a business account, to deposit a check made out to my business.

“I do?” I asked. “I’ve been depositing checks made out to my business name into this account for like eight years.”

“Oh no. We have NEVER done that.”

OK, so maybe that is a policy and you’re the FIRST TELLER IN EIGHT YEARS to catch it, but if “we” have NEVER done that, where did all the money in my account come from? Because I’ve done anywhere from five to twelve shows in a year for eight years, so there’ve been at least FORTY deposits that have contained checks made out to my business name.

Turns out, a business checking account costs more than a personal one. it doesn’t offer any features the personal one doesn’t have (except that I can deposit a check made out to me personally into THAT one. Go figure.)
[/QUOTE]
Here’s the thing about situations like that: the tellers are more likely to cause a fuss in person. If you deposit the checks using the ATM, it’s more trouble to refuse to honor them. Same deal with checks made out to “Joe Smith and Jan Smith.” Technically, you’re supposed to have both persons sign the back of the check (unless it’s made out “or” instead of “and”). If you only have one signature and you use a teller, there could be a fuss. Use the ATM, though, and it’ll sail right through.

[QUOTE=Justin_Bailey]
At the library I work at, we’ve charged $0.50 per hold for the last five to six years (I can’t even remember anymore, it’s been so long).
[/QUOTE]
Holy shit, you charge for holds? :eek: :eek: Ewwww…just…you…ewwww!

25

[QUOTE=Lynn Bodoni]
<beating head against brick wall> Whenever I pay a library fee, I always make sure to make a donation of at least $5 more. I figure that it’s way cheaper than going to a bookstore, even a used bookstore. (You know you have it bad when you shop the $1 shelves, and spend over $60.)
[/QUOTE]

Yes, but my bookstore isn’t subsidized by my insane property taxes. Not that I would piss and moan about 50 cents, but I don’t think it is fair to compare the prices of a library vs. a bookstore..

26

I don’t know what’s more shocking: that Denny’s is apparently open when the sun is up, or that they apparently have another menu for it.

Have you talked to management about him? Waiters come and go. Having worked in foodservice myself, I’m wondering if this guy is as big a part of their corporate identity as you seem to think.

It’s possible. I’ve been sold counterfeit Levis before. (The price was low enough that I bought them anyway.)

Since Justin_Bailey is a library clerk and not a lawmaker, something tells me it’s probably not his fault.

That’s another thing that pissed me off when I worked customer service: people assuming that whatever was chapping their ass was my fault. Like the girl at the college bookstore who asked me how I could sleep at night after selling textbooks at such high prices. I thought she was kidding at first, but she actually seemed quite pissed. I had no idea what to say to that; I wish I had said something witty like “hungrily” or “probably better than you, since I’m smart enough to use this new thing called the Internet to buy my books cheaply”, but I think I just reminded her that I worked for minimum wage and didn’t get commissions.

27

[QUOTE=Malienation]
Holy shit, you charge for holds? :eek: :eek: Ewwww…just…you…ewwww!
[/QUOTE]

The hold fee is not so much for our holds, but holds that come from other libraries. I work in a very connected library system (there are over 30 libraries that all share items with each other in pretty large county), so the fee goes towards the maintenance fees and gas towards the trucks the county system uses.

It was either start charging for holds or stop truck service between the libraries. While our collection is good, being able to get things from other libraries is a heavily used service. Holds dropped off in the beginning, but are now back to their pre-fee levels.

Oh, and I’m a librarian now. I got promoted about a year ago. Still working towards my MLS though, so technically I’m a Librarian Trainee. Damn civil service and their demeaning titles.

28

On the other end of this–being the employee who’s carding someone/enforcing some rule–I generally just shrug and say, “Sorry, we’re supposed to.”

I’m not denying that someone else let them slide, but I’m not saying I’m in the wrong, either. Some people expect to be treated like VIP’s everywhere they go; I find it a bit baffling. Not talking to the OP, by the way–just a segment of the general public. Like when I’ve gotten a new bar gig and people say, “I come here all the time! Don’t you know who I am?” when I’ve asked them for a credit card to start them a tab.

Um, no. You don’t know who I am either. I just started, for Pete’s sake. Use your brain. If I don’t get your credit card and you walk your tab, I will have to pay it; therefore I’m not extending you credit til I freakin’ DO know you. Geez. How hard is this?

I asked one guy who was getting irate about it if I could borrow fifty bucks.

He said, “What? Why would I loan you money?”

I said, “I know you don’t know me at all…but it’s just for a couple of hours. I promise you’ll get the money back.”

He was about to get even more irate, and then the penny dropped.

And he had the grace to laugh and hand me his credit card.

29

The one I seem to get is “But I shop here all the time!”

No, you don’t. I’ve been at the store for a year now- for around 50 hours a week, I might add- and I have NEVER seen you in the store. Nor has the store manager, who has been here for so long he’s almost part of the furniture and works as many (if not more) hours than I do. In short, you are not a regular customer at this establishment and to insist otherwise is either delusion or the deliberate telling of porky-pies.

30

[QUOTE=Audrey Levins]
On the other end of this–being the employee who’s carding someone/enforcing some rule–I generally just shrug and say, “Sorry, we’re supposed to.”

I’m not denying that someone else let them slide, but I’m not saying I’m in the wrong, either. Some people expect to be treated like VIP’s everywhere they go; I find it a bit baffling. Not talking to the OP, by the way–just a segment of the general public. Like when I’ve gotten a new bar gig and people say, “I come here all the time! Don’t you know who I am?” when I’ve asked them for a credit card to start them a tab.

Um, no. You don’t know who I am either. I just started, for Pete’s sake. Use your brain. If I don’t get your credit card and you walk your tab, I will have to pay it; therefore I’m not extending you credit til I freakin’ DO know you. Geez. How hard is this?

I asked one guy who was getting irate about it if I could borrow fifty bucks.

He said, “What? Why would I loan you money?”

I said, “I know you don’t know me at all…but it’s just for a couple of hours. I promise you’ll get the money back.”

He was about to get even more irate, and then the penny dropped.

And he had the grace to laugh and hand me his credit card.
[/QUOTE]

??? Maybe I’ve been living under a rock, but I have NEVER heard of this. You don’t just keep a tab and then the customer pays at the end just like any restaurant?

I live in South Florida, the thieving capital of the world, and have never heard of this practice, so, while a persons anger would be totally misdirected at you, I would never frequent a bar or restaurant that made me put up a credit card to run a tab.

I mean, when you go to Olive Garden and say you want Soup, Salad, and Breadsticks, do you have to show the American Express first? Unbelievable..

31

[QUOTE=jtgain]
??? Maybe I’ve been living under a rock, but I have NEVER heard of this. You don’t just keep a tab and then the customer pays at the end just like any restaurant?

I live in South Florida, the thieving capital of the world, and have never heard of this practice, so, while a persons anger would be totally misdirected at you, I would never frequent a bar or restaurant that made me put up a credit card to run a tab.

I mean, when you go to Olive Garden and say you want Soup, Salad, and Breadsticks, do you have to show the American Express first? Unbelievable..
[/QUOTE]

I’ve seen this before quite a bit in bars. I’m going to assume that walking out on bar tabs is a bit more common than walking out on restaurant tabs. Could be the clientele…could be that drinking impairs judgment.

But, needless to say, it’s not uncommon and also not unreasonable given the setting.

32

My stop on the bus route home is the last stop on that route, and I’m one of the only people that use it. I suspect bus drivers resent me riding because if I didn’t ride, they could cut that one stop off completely and just head in early.

One day last week the normal guy driving this route was out, and his replacement got us all the way to the next-to-last stop (a rather remote park and ride lot), and told me “this is it, there aren’t any more stops”. He told me I had to get off. We argued for about 5 minutes about whether that route had another stop, and it came down to pulling out the route schedule to show him that it’s listed before he agreed.

33

[QUOTE=Brown Eyed Girl]
I’ve seen this before quite a bit in bars. I’m going to assume that walking out on bar tabs is a bit more common than walking out on restaurant tabs. Could be the clientele…could be that drinking impairs judgment.

But, needless to say, it’s not uncommon and also not unreasonable given the setting.
[/QUOTE]

It’s also pretty common IME when there’s more than three people in the group, because it saves the bartender from later having to chase down individuals who thought their drinks were paid for/are trying to duck out of their share of the drink costs/can’t remember how much they’ve actually had to drink, etc. I wouldn’t be at all offended by this, especially if I didn’t know the bartender personally.

Out of retail and into administrative stuff - my organization has very high turnover in accounts payable, for some reason, and it is absolute hell whenever we get one of the trainees who is feeling compelled to follow every last rule to the letter with “we’ve always done it this way!” No, Spanky, your predecessor was around long enough to know what was bullshit rolling down from the upper echelons and what was really necessary, and how to juggle it all so the system worked reasonably well instead of grinding to a halt on a regular basis. You’re just showing how green and obnoxious you are.

34

[QUOTE=Knorf]
This happened to me the other day, told to me by a waiter who is relatively new to an establishment I’ve been frequenting for several years. I told him, “No, actually, it has not always been this way. I’ve been coming here for a lot longer than you’ve been an employee, and you’re simply wrong.”

He was enough of a jackass that I don’t see myself ever going back.
[/QUOTE]

Wouldn’t it make more sense to bitch to the management rather than give up something you enjoy because of one asshole?

35

is getting to be a big problem for those of us into past material culture, such as collectors. Manufactured goods often have only the history the maker allows them to have, and that’s usually manipulated to suit the sales force. Very often there’s no backstory left at all, because they consider it nobody’s damn business. All trade secrets until time to trash the papers.

That’s where the toobz come in handy: you get enthusiasts comparing pictures and/or examples of actual stuff. It’s real life detective work, and it’s a hell of a lot of fun, in no small part because it is subtly subversive of the idea of intellectual property.

There can even be money in it - look at vintage catalogs on eBay. They can pull very handsome coin sometimes. There’s intellectual property for ya…

36

My standard response, when a customer wants me to do something that I can’t by law or company policy do and claims that the last person they spoke to did it, is along the lines of “I am sorry that you were given wrong information the last time you called.”

My current personal favorite of this type is the person who overdraws their debit card at a gas pump month after month and calls in shocked…shocked that they have been assessed an overdraft fee. They’ve never been charged one before, they’ve never heard of such a thing, blah blah blah and demanding that the fee be reversed. Like we don’t keep notes that we’ve already reversed a fee for her and explained exactly how she overdrew the card. What’s even more entertaining is when they start bitching about how this is child support money and we’re taking food out of the mouths of their babies, and a quick look through her transaction history turns up charges at Liquor Barn and Tobacco Joe’s. What exactly is it you’re feeding the kiddies from the Liquor Barn, sweetie? Jerky? Corn Nuts?

37

[QUOTE=jtgain]
Yes, but my bookstore isn’t subsidized by my insane property taxes. Not that I would piss and moan about 50 cents, but I don’t think it is fair to compare the prices of a library vs. a bookstore..
[/QUOTE]

You do realize that, out of the property taxes you pay, the likelihood that your personal contribution to the library in taxes is closer to $10 (or less) than $200 (or more), right? More of your taxes go to public schools, fire stations, police services, and maintaining public works. You’re not actually paying that much money to the library itself, which depends on public funding to exist.

Besides, you live in a region of Florida that has insane property taxes based on the value of homes and the multitude of extra services that the city and county pay for out of your property taxes. If you want lower property taxes, move elsewhere. Broward County, IIRC, is a bit cheaper in that regard.

Regardless of whether you have the card, when libraries are going up for funding reviews, they’re looking at not only who has a card, but how many people are actually using their card and what kind of services they’re going for. Depending on the statistics the library actually keeps by policy, the number of books you check out on a regular basis on one card would not be as helpful as that same amount split between two cards. It just all depends on how your library tracks their statistics, but from my experience, head count + % of card owners who actually use their card tends to be normal. If they were accessing your account via you presenting a photo ID with which to check out your materials, that’d add to their stats. Just using your wife’s card doesn’t necessarily help because it translates (stats-wise) into one person using a card a heck of a lot rather than two people with two accounts using them moderately. It’s nice that you support your library, but it might be helpful stats-wise if you started using your own card.

38

[QUOTE=jtgain]
??? Maybe I’ve been living under a rock, but I have NEVER heard of this. You don’t just keep a tab and then the customer pays at the end just like any restaurant?
[/QUOTE]
Audrey’s a bartender. At a bar, not a restaurant.

When I go to a standalone bar, I always have my credit card out and ready when I order my first drink because I expect to hand it over when they open a tab for me. This has been policy at almost every bar I’ve gone to.

Even at my local favorite, where I go around once a month and I do know the bartenders.

39

[QUOTE=LifeOnWry]
Then later this afternoon I went to the thrift store and purchased a few things. This is the same thrift store I have frequented - at least twice a month - for the NINETEEN YEARS I have lived in the area. I paid for my purchases with my debit card, as I usually do, but this time I was asked for my drivers’ license. I dug around in my wallet and handed it over, and the cashier glanced at both sides of it and handed it back to me. I have no clue what information she managed to glean from that, but whatever. But, since I’d never been asked for ID before, I asked why she needed my license. She shrugged and said, “Oh, we’ve always required a photo ID for debits.” I said, “No, you haven’t. I’ve never been asked before and I use my debit card here a lot.” She shrugged again, and said, “Well, I’ve been working here for three years and we have ALWAYS needed photo ID for debits.”
[/QUOTE]

I don’t see any reason to think she’s lying. There probably always has been a rule that cashiers must check your picture ID if you’re paying with plastic. They’ve probably always been trained to check IDs, as checking an ID if paying with a card is rather commonplace, if not the norm. Most likely they’ve always had a rule saying you check the plastic, but only now have you found anyone who actually obeyed the rule. Most cashiers don’t want to deal with getting a card and checking it–slows down the line, means they actually have to talk to someone beyond shouting out the price, and at the end of the day, cashiers just want a mindless, hassle-free day that will go by quickly.

So yeah, they probably always had the rule, you just got lucky enough to find the one person who actually followed it.

40

[QUOTE=Bambi Hassenpfeffer]
Audrey’s a bartender. At a bar, not a restaurant.

When I go to a standalone bar, I always have my credit card out and ready when I order my first drink because I expect to hand it over when they open a tab for me. This has been policy at almost every bar I’ve gone to.

Even at my local favorite, where I go around once a month and I do know the bartenders.
[/QUOTE]

Bambi has it down pat, jtgain. For most bars it’s policy to get a credit card to secure a tab, unless the bartender knows you well enough to feel comfortable letting you run one on faith. For my regulars I run “faith” tabs all the time, but if I’ve just started at a bar and/or you’re not a regular I recognize, it isn’t personal when I ask for your CC. I just don’t want you to get drunk and forget to pay it, because then I have to. (And in the years I’ve been bartending I’ve probably paid at over $500 in walked tabs. Sometimes you get it back, sometimes you don’t.)

And you’d be amazed by how many people do walk their tabs, and how often I’m glad I have their CC. They call the next day and say, “I believe I left my credit card there last night…” um, yeah, you walked your tab. And the only reason you care is because you need your CC back.