# Very, very minor mysteries **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 4, 2006, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-very-minor-mysteries/375241 "2006-10-04T14:28:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-very-minor-mysteries/375241/1 "2006-10-04T14:28:11Z")
On my way to work, I pass a huge book-remainder warehouse store (HQ of a local chain). I’m usually driving past there around 7:45 – well before opening time. There is always – well, there has never not been, when I’ve looked – an orangish car parked somewhere near the store entrance. It’s not always in the same spot, and I’ve remembered a couple of times to look on my way home – it’s not there in the 5:30 or 6:00 period. Whose car is it? Has it been there all night? Does the manager just get in ridiculously early? My original theory was that someone is parking there for convenience before hopping into his or her paramour’s car for a tryst (elsewhere) – and, yes, I _can_ say “projection,” and, no, I don’t really want to try to untangle the genesis of that theory. What minor mysteries are you devoting a good solid 30 seconds a day to? T ---
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-very-minor-mysteries/375241/2 "2006-10-04T14:50:05Z")
There was [a sign](http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l313/Angellove_010/Misc/Photo_081006_001.jpg) near my work that I’d pass on a daily basis whose title some joker had altered from its original “BE WATER SMART.” As the image indicates, it has been altered to “BEEEER SMART.” The original title only had two Es in it. Where did the other two Es come from? Why four Es when the original two would have been ideal? And of even lesser import, what happened to the other three missing letters? ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-very-minor-mysteries/375241/3 "2006-10-04T14:52:57Z")
[QUOTE=Mindfield] And of even lesser import, what happened to the other three missing letters? [/QUOTE] Everyone knows TWA went out of business years ago. ---
**Author:** ![RumMunkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@RumMunkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RumMunkey)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-very-minor-mysteries/375241/4 "2006-10-04T15:06:53Z")
> [@](#): > > Whose car is it? A [bait car](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bait_Car_Program)? ---
**Author:** ![Marlitharn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@Marlitharn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marlitharn)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-very-minor-mysteries/375241/5 "2006-10-04T15:10:37Z")
We used to have a grimy little used furniture store on the outskirts of town called “King’s Row New and Used?” I always wondered why the question mark was there. Did the owners not know what was new and what was used? Was it up to the customer to guess? Or were they just not sure what new and used items they had in stock? It’s closed now. The world will never know. ---
**Author:** ![The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_King_of_Soup)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-very-minor-mysteries/375241/6 "2006-10-04T15:11:05Z")
[QUOTE=ShibbOleth] Everyone knows TWA went out of business years ago. [/QUOTE] Gem of a post, but it’s the speed which really impresses. ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-very-minor-mysteries/375241/7 "2006-10-04T15:25:27Z")
There’s a fancy dress shop just down the road from me. In the coming up to four years that I’ve lived around here, I’ve never once seen it open, nor has anyone else who I’ve spoken to. However, everytime I walk past it, all the costumes in the window are different 😕 What’s going on? ---
**Author:** ![TroubleAgain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TroubleAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroubleAgain)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-very-minor-mysteries/375241/8 "2006-10-04T15:30:00Z")
More evenings than not, the power-lines around my gym are loaded with blackbirds. I don’t know why. I’ve not seen any unusual amount of insects or other food source nearby. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-very-minor-mysteries/375241/9 "2006-10-04T15:30:24Z")
Why doesn’t she return my calls? ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-very-minor-mysteries/375241/10 "2006-10-04T15:33:23Z")
[QUOTE=twickster] Whose car is it? Has it been there all night? Does the manager just get in ridiculously early? My original theory was that someone is parking there for convenience before hopping into his or her paramour’s car for a tryst (elsewhere) – and, yes, I _can_ say “projection,” and, no, I don’t really want to try to untangle the genesis of that theory. [/QUOTE] Not to spoil a mystery, but it’s the manager’s car. Usually, in retail, the night crew just counts down the drawers and closes up; the morning manager does all the real paperwork. 8am is standard for a 10am opening so your manager isn’t there excessively early. ---
**Author:** ![scareyfaerie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scareyfaerie/32/3135_2.png) [@scareyfaerie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scareyfaerie)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-very-minor-mysteries/375241/11 "2006-10-04T15:39:36Z")
My daily mystery is very simple. Where the f\*ck is my train? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-very-minor-mysteries/375241/12 "2006-10-04T15:41:06Z")
[QUOTE=Mindfield] There was [a sign](http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l313/Angellove_010/Misc/Photo_081006_001.jpg) near my work that I’d pass on a daily basis whose title some joker had altered from its original “BE WATER SMART.” As the image indicates, it has been altered to “BEEEER SMART.” The original title only had two Es in it. Where did the other two Es come from? Why four Es when the original two would have been ideal? And of even lesser import, what happened to the other three missing letters? [/QUOTE] Could the other two Es have come from the other side of the sign? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-very-minor-mysteries/375241/13 "2006-10-04T15:45:34Z")
[QUOTE=tremorviolet] Not to spoil a mystery, but it’s the manager’s car. Usually, in retail, the night crew just counts down the drawers and closes up; the morning manager does all the real paperwork. 8am is standard for a 10am opening so your manager isn’t there excessively early. [/QUOTE] ☹ Well, that’s … mundane. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Improv\_Geek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b3f665/32.png) [@Improv\_Geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Improv_Geek)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-very-minor-mysteries/375241/14 "2006-10-04T15:50:44Z")
On a road I travel quite frequently, there is a laundromat service and without fail they are wishing someone happy birthday every day on the west side of the sign. The name changes but it is always a “happy birthday [blank]” and at first I thought it was cool, then as it went on and on for months on end I began wondering. Are the names up there staff? Friends of staff? Customers? Random names? Secret messages? Nazi propoganda codes? I don’t know, but I remain curious. – IG ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-very-minor-mysteries/375241/15 "2006-10-04T16:07:09Z")
You see them everywhere-small, fly blown shops,that appear to be either: -never open -no visible customer base I screwed up my courage once, and went in to one such place (it was a “beauty Supply”. Turns out, it was staffed by a guy 70+ years old, with stock so old the labels were turning yellow. Never figured out who they sold to! ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-very-minor-mysteries/375241/16 "2006-10-04T16:23:44Z")
[QUOTE=ralph124c] You see them everywhere-small, fly blown shops,that appear to be either: -never open -no visible customer base I screwed up my courage once, and went in to one such place (it was a “beauty Supply”. Turns out, it was staffed by a guy 70+ years old, with stock so old the labels were turning yellow. Never figured out who they sold to! [/QUOTE] Fronts for drug sales. ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-very-minor-mysteries/375241/17 "2006-10-04T16:24:25Z")
There’s a woman I often see around our neighborhood who is something of a mystery to me. She is in her upper 50’s at least, but dresses like a hooker—mini skirt, skimpy top, ultra high heels. Okay, it’s a fashion choice, but the mysterious part is what she is doing around here. It’s a residential neighborhood, middle class shading into upper middle. There are a few businesses (veterinarian, gas station mini mart, old-lady type beauty salons) but nowhere that would likely allow her to work there dressed that way. I’ve seen her arriving and leaving by bus, so I don’t think she lives here. I see her walking around at least once a week, though. Where does she go and what does she do? ---
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-very-minor-mysteries/375241/18 "2006-10-04T16:30:15Z")
Why does that one house have a mid-70’s light blue Olds Delta Cruiser parked baqcked into it’s driveway, and why does it never move? ---
**Author:** ![Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bambi_Hassenpfeffer)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-very-minor-mysteries/375241/19 "2006-10-04T16:32:25Z")
[QUOTE=Dominic Mulligan] There’s a fancy dress shop just down the road from me. In the coming up to four years that I’ve lived around here, I’ve never once seen it open, nor has anyone else who I’ve spoken to. However, everytime I walk past it, all the costumes in the window are different 😕 What’s going on? [/QUOTE] Appointment shopping, would be my guess. A lot of high-end places only permit shopping by call-ahead appointment with the owners. ---
**Author:** ![Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bambi_Hassenpfeffer)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-very-minor-mysteries/375241/20 "2006-10-04T16:36:50Z")
[QUOTE=twickster] ☹ Well, that’s … mundane. 😉 [/QUOTE] Yeah, what **tremorviolet** said. I was gonna post that my store opens at 7:30, but the first arrivals are at 5:00. We close at 9:30, and usually leave just after 11. A lot of people who shop there say the “Well, at least it’s almost over!” thing at night around 7:30 and express surprise that we have around 4 hours left. Many of our stores have people coming in at 3 or 4 even though they don’t open until 7. It all depends on location and how much prep is needed in the morning (e.g., stores in business districts come in early to prepare a LOT of bagels, donuts, and pastries for the quick breakfast crowd). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-very-minor-mysteries/375241.md?page=2)