# The Retail Kiss of Death **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 10, 2003, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-retail-kiss-of-death/212501 "2003-11-10T22:55:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-retail-kiss-of-death/212501/61 "2003-11-12T00:59:53Z")
Awww, dat’s nice **Rick**. Except I read it on Snopes awhile back. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-retail-kiss-of-death/212501/62 "2003-11-12T01:43:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Left Hand of Dorkness \* > \*\*Wow, I’ve never pulled someone out of lurkerhood before! Welcome, Vetinari – or should I call you Lord? > > Daniel \*\* Call him “dog botherer” if you dare. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-retail-kiss-of-death/212501/63 "2003-11-12T02:15:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Elysian \* > \*\*Actually I was kind of surprised people _didn’t_ believe this story. But I should have known before I posted – this board is heavy with rampant skepticism. > > If you don’t believe me, fine, but I think the lesson I took from it is valid and it has worked for me to this day. \*\* _ahem_… One day, after a Really Bad Day, on Very Little Sleep, while working on a Really Difficult Show, I totally lost it and went apeshit on a service employee who was simply unfortunate to cross my path that day. I was in the kind of mood where I would have been homicidally infuriated if someone had squeezed the tube of toothpaste from the middle instead of the end. This woman bore the brunt of my “Hulk will smash!” mood, and maintained her decorum throughout. I didn’t dump soda on her or anything, but I was _nasty_. I dropped off a bouquet of flowers and a note of apology the next day. So yes, it does happen. But I think we Supremely Evil Customers need to have enough of a conscience to follow up. I felt horribly ashamed for losing my cool. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-retail-kiss-of-death/212501/64 "2003-11-12T03:04:46Z")
**Dooku,** I agree that she probably had no idea how irritating her choice of words was, and as a born-and-bred Wisconsinite I’m sure I have some weirdness to my idioms as well (I cannot bring myself to say “water fountain,” for example). And yes, I hear worse out of people’s mouths all the time. But I think this young lady would be well advised to learn that it is one thing to address your acquaintances as “you guys” and another to use that term for customers in a nice restaurant who are old enough to be your parents. It wouldn’t have bugged me as much at McDonald’s. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-retail-kiss-of-death/212501/65 "2003-11-12T03:08:49Z")
I agree, and I say next time you may want to say something to her, since you seem to want to visit that restaurant again. I just happened to relate to the “you guys” thing since I said that my whole life…until someone told me it was odd. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-retail-kiss-of-death/212501/66 "2003-11-12T12:18:55Z")
> [@](#): > > I don’t think advertising in a church bulletin is necessarily a black mark, though. Ad space is ad space–unless they are specifically pushing the religion angle. I’m curious why you’d trust an ad in the bulletin over an ad elsewhere, though–are the businesses vetted carefully for quality, or run by members of your church, or something? I can’t speak for the person who originally mentioned this, but I can explain why I do. It doesn’t really have anything to do with having more trust in the advertisers - I’m going to do the same amount of checking on a business I found in a church bulletin as I would do on a business found somewhere else. It has more to do with a payback- the businesses advertising in the bulletin have supported my church at least to the extent of spending their ad dollars there, and many of them contribute further support. Basically, the same reason a parent might choose the business that sponsors their child’s baseball team. ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-retail-kiss-of-death/212501/67 "2003-11-12T14:59:23Z")
Makes sense, **doreen**. Thanks for your response. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-retail-kiss-of-death/212501/68 "2003-11-12T15:28:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Audrey Levins \* > \*\* > > When a business/employee/manager/whatever says, “We didn’t ask you to come in here today,” while it may be a horrible way to conduct business, it’s still _true._ I never understood the outrage over this type of statement; just as no one is obliged to patronize a store, no store is obliged to service every customer. \*\* Yes, they _did_ ask you to come in. They have a sign out front saying “N for Sale Here” or perhaps “Bob’s N Store”. They run ads in the paper, or on TV and radio. They have sales. All of these things are done to ask the potential customer to “Pretty Please Shop Here!” And none of it counts, if slow or rude customer service drives the customer right out the door again. When **I** walk out, I not only take **my** money with me, I take a piece of the owner’s ad budget out the door with me. ---
**Author:** ![Vetinari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/58f4c7/32.png) [@Vetinari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vetinari)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-retail-kiss-of-death/212501/69 "2003-11-12T16:40:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Left Hand of Dorkness \* > \*\*Wow, I’ve never pulled someone out of lurkerhood before! Welcome, Vetinari – or should I call you Lord? > > Daniel \*\* Havelock, will do fine, thank you. Daniel, seeing as how we’re in the Pit, it’s nice to be on a first-name basis. I’ve been a daily vistor to the SD site for years, but only recently discovered the Board. Hopefully, I can live up to the proud tradition of my namesake–now I just need a sigworthy quote… I was in Asheville recently and was impressed at the food–Magic Mushroom (good, but no Peppers) and Cafe Soleil (pardon any spelling errors, but it was the cafe that exclusively served crepes). ---
**Author:** ![Vetinari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/58f4c7/32.png) [@Vetinari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vetinari)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-retail-kiss-of-death/212501/70 "2003-11-12T16:46:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Left Hand of Dorkness \* > \*\*Wow, I’ve never pulled someone out of lurkerhood before! Welcome, Vetinari – or should I call you Lord? > > Daniel \*\* Havelock, will do fine, thank you. Daniel, seeing as how we’re in the Pit, it’s nice to be on a first-name basis. I’ve been a daily vistor to the SD site for years, but only recently discovered the Board. Hopefully, I can live up to the proud tradition of my namesake–now I just need a sigworthy quote… I was in Asheville recently and was impressed at the food–Magic Mushroom (good, but no Peppers) and Cafe Soleil (pardon any spelling errors, but it was the cafe that exclusively served crepes). ---
**Author:** ![Vetinari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/58f4c7/32.png) [@Vetinari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vetinari)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-retail-kiss-of-death/212501/71 "2003-11-12T16:50:56Z")
Apologies for the double post. Request timed out, so I reposted. Please be gentle; its my first time. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-retail-kiss-of-death/212501/72 "2003-11-12T17:01:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Vetinari \* > \*\*I was in Asheville recently and was impressed at the food–Magic Mushroom (good, but no Peppers) and Cafe Soleil (pardon any spelling errors, but it was the cafe that exclusively served crepes). \*\* Magic Mushroom, if you ask me, sucks ass. I hate their pizza, I hate their sandwiches, I hate their decor, and I hate them each and every one personally. Cafe Soleil is pretty fine, though. But for good pizza and beer (they brew their own), Asheville Pizza and Brewing Company (nicknamed Brew & View – they have a discount theater in back) can’t be beat. I’d put their pizza up against Pepper’s, so good it is. Asheville generally has better restaurants than Chapel Hill; our only problem is a lack of a decent coffeehouse. We’ve got the stinky punk coffeehouse of Vincent’s Ear (great name, foul interior); the shabby hippy cafe of Bean Streets; and a few other lame places around town. Fortunately we’ve got some good bakeries, or we’d be out of luck coffeewise. Not that I’m getting completely off-topic or anything. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![PhiloVance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e19adc/32.png) [@PhiloVance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhiloVance)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-retail-kiss-of-death/212501/73 "2003-11-12T17:15:57Z")
> [@](#): > > I don’t think advertising in a church bulletin is necessarily a black mark, though. Ad space is ad space–unless they are specifically pushing the religion angle. I’m curious why you’d trust an ad in the bulletin over an ad elsewhere, though–are the businesses vetted carefully for quality, or run by members of your church, or something? As Doreen said, you try to support those who support things you support (in this case the printing of the bulletin). The case in point was my wife’s hairdresser moved out of town and we found one (only one 😉 ) in the bulletin, so my wife tried her and she was great. I’m not saying that she’d have stuck with the hairdresser had she been a worthless excuse for a hairdresser, but we just looked in the church bulletin first. We have no idea whether she was a member of the church or not, just that she advertised there. Hope that kind of explains it. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-retail-kiss-of-death/212501/74 "2003-11-12T17:17:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jackmannii \* > \*\*Awww, dat’s nice **Rick**. > Except I read it on Snopes awhile back. 😃 \*\* Maybe it is on Snopes, but I have in my hand right this minute a recipt from Canyon’s Restaurant in Mountlake Terrace WA. dated 11/10/03 with those words writen on it. If you would like I can mail it to you. :wally ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-retail-kiss-of-death/212501/75 "2003-11-12T17:19:37Z")
Or if was the broken foot story I can forward X-rays ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-retail-kiss-of-death/212501/76 "2003-11-12T19:38:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Vetinari \* > Apologies for the double post. Request timed out, so I reposted. Please be gentle; its my first time. It appears the School of Assassins needs to update its cirriculum for the internet. It is rather unseemly for one of their prized pupils to commit such a basic _faux pas,_ don’t you agree? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Vetinari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/58f4c7/32.png) [@Vetinari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vetinari)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-retail-kiss-of-death/212501/77 "2003-11-12T22:40:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by rjung \* > \*\*It appears the School of Assassins needs to update its cirriculum for the internet. It is rather unseemly for one of their prized pupils to commit such a basic _faux pas,_ don’t you agree? 🙂 \*\* Perhaps. This clacks system was installed only recently and I am still ice-skating my way up the learning curve… BTW, is it my connection or does the response (latency) of the Board vary during the day? ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-retail-kiss-of-death/212501/78 "2003-11-12T23:10:16Z")
Not your connection. It varies wildly. ---
**Author:** ![Wikkit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c0e974/32.png) [@Wikkit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wikkit)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-retail-kiss-of-death/212501/79 "2003-11-13T00:08:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Scarlett67 \* > **(I cannot bring myself to say “water fountain,” for example)** What do you say? **Rick** , I think the snopes thing was a joke from the earlier “glurge” credibility debate. ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-retail-kiss-of-death/212501/80 "2003-11-13T04:13:58Z")
I grew up in California (Santa Cruz area) and I’ve always said “you guys”. I also say “drinking fountain” and I’ve never heard “water fountain”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-retail-kiss-of-death/212501.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-retail-kiss-of-death/212501.md?page=5)