300,000,000

[sleepyjeff]

Funny stuff you guys!

[Moonliner]

Originally Posted by Alex Stroup

It is also inflated because the page you link says there are 163,000 grocery stores in the United States, not 445,110.

Oops, my bad. I read the NAICS code number as the count. I stand corrected.

Originally Posted by Alex Stroup

you should simply calm down, relax

Interesting. So far all I've done is request, in a considerate way, that people to pay attention to their surroundings. I've never made someones life "much worse" becuase they were slow in the checkout line. Do you just assume that everyone is as militaristic in their reactions as you seem to be? As far as I can tell you are the only one flipping out by suggesting it's OK to block traffic (in apparent disregard to how many others might be effected) and threatening to make peoples life "much worse" in response to minor indiscretions. Perhaps your "calm down" advice would be more appropriate if aimed in a sightly different direction?

[Alex]

Oh, I'm always calm about it, I'm probably the least excitable driver you'll ever encounter.

And I don't think I am making their life much worse, they think I am making their life much worse. Also, when I'm already going 15 miles over the speed limit, I don't consider myself to be blocking traffic, and if you want to go faster than me I'll happily move over as soon as I finish passing. It is only when one insists that I move as fast one wants me to move that it is necessary to remind one that there are worse things in the world than politely waiting for someone.

You're the one so bothered by 20 wasted seconds, be it at the cash register or the stop light, that you needed to post about it. It not only bothers you at the moment, but apparently well after the fact. So much so that when someone suggests you just not be bothered by it that you have to try to spin it up into a much larger sociological problem with a catastrophic impact on the GDB and shortening the lifespan of American heroes.

It must be difficult to live with the constant aggravation of people not behaving exactly the way you want them to. However, if you aren't bothered by the minor delay, then the advice obviously isn't directed at you but rather the people who waste time complaining about the minor inconveniences of life.

[Moonliner]

Originally Posted by Alex Stroup

Oh, I'm always calm about it, I'm probably the least excitable driver you'll ever encounter.

And I don't think I am making their life much worse, they think I am making their life much worse. Also, when I'm already going 15 miles over the speed limit, I don't consider myself to be blocking traffic, and if you want to go faster than me I'll happily move over as soon as I finish passing. It is only when one insists that I move as fast one wants me to move that it is necessary to remind one that there are worse things in the world than politely waiting for someone.

You're the one so bothered by 20 wasted seconds, be it at the cash register or the stop light, that you needed to post about it. It not only bothers you at the moment, but apparently well after the fact. So much so that when someone suggests you just not be bothered by it that you have to try to spin it up into a much larger sociological problem with a catastrophic impact on the GDB and shortening the lifespan of American heroes.

It must be difficult to live with the constant aggravation of people not behaving exactly the way you want them to. However, if you aren't bothered by the minor delay, then the advice obviously isn't directed at you but rather the people who waste time complaining about the minor inconveniences of life.

Ahh I see. So it's OK to screw with other people by doing such things as deliberately slowing down next to another car and blocking all traffice as long as you stay calm. Right-o. I'm sure the world would be a very different place if everyone followed that type of advice.

If on the other hand people would do as I ask, and simply keep their minds on where they are and what they are doing I wounder what difference that would make in the world.

[Alex]

None, except you'd not be so angry. Do you really think you're life would be better if you got through the grocery line 20 seconds faster? Princess, meet the pea.

Also, I didn't say my behavior is ok so long as I stay calm, just that I am calm, in opposition to your claim otherwise. My level of agitation has no impact whatever on the appropriateness of my behavior. Similarly, your level of agitation has nothing whatsoever to do with the appropriateness of when someone decides to take the check card out of their wallet.

And I certainly don't hold up traffic. If there are other people behind the jerkishly impatient person then I move on as I originally intended.

[Ghoulish Delight]

I'm with Alex on this one, Moonie. I don't reward people for being impatient jerks. If someone's riding my ass in an attempt to get me to get out of their way, I'm not going to just roll over and let them. I will continue to drive calmly as I am driving (usually, as Alex, already over the speed limit). If they want to freak out, that's their problem. If someone's flailing their arms, mouthing obscenities, and hitting their horn because I coasted up to the set of brake lights in front of me rather than gunned the accelerator in bumper-to-bumper traffic, I'm not going to then lurch forward like they want me to the next time. Perhaps they'll figure out that going 10 feet at 20 mph only to stop isn't going to save them time, perhaps not. But I'm not going to waste gas and brake life to make them happy.

On the flip side, I will admit to an occasional bit of impatience while waiting in line, though I'm usually far more impatient when the result of the hold up is an employee who's too incompetent to their job efficiently vs. a customer who can't always be expected to know a store's procedure (do I slide my club card first? do I sign the screen or a real recipt? do I sign at all?).

[Strangler Lewis]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

I was having a chat at work about cultural differences in terms of personal space and general tempo.

One guy is from NJ where you don't look at people, keep a certain amount of space between you, and if you aren't moving fast enough, everyone behind you lets you know it loud and clear.

Another guy is from the outskirts Atlanta and it is completely the opposite. Southern mentality....slow pace, ultra friendly, and if you don't greet everyone you see you are considered to be rude. No one much seems to care how long something takes. My father in law, who spent a large portion of his life in Hawaii, said it's pretty much the same there.

Yet another is from South Africa, where apparently there is not much of a concept of personal space. Think Seinfeld "close talker" episode.

It's amazing how this varies by region and country. I find myself to be more like Moonliner described (having grown up in CA).

With that in mind, stop me if you've heard this one:

An Israeli, a Russian, an Ethiopian and an American were walking down the street: A pollster stops them, saying "Excuse me, what is your opinion of the meat shortage?"

The American says, "What's a shortage?"

The Ethiopian says, "What's meat?"

The Russian says, "What's an opinion?"

The Israeli says, "What's 'Excuse me.'?"

You can probably substitute the South African for the Israeli.

[Moonliner]

Originally Posted by Ghoulish Delight

I'm with Alex on this one, Moonie. I don't reward people for being impatient jerks.... "

A quite resonable response, but tell me in response to an aggresive driver would you "guarantee I'm about to make your live much worse" or "experience a sudden loss of power that results in me exactly matching the speed of the car I'm passing" and would you "take several miles" to express your anger feelings?

[Not Afraid]

An agressive drive can go around me. It's their heart attack, not mine.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by Moonliner

A quite resonable response, but tell me in response to an aggresive driver would you "guarantee I'm about to make your live much worse" or "experience a sudden loss of power that results in me exactly matching the speed of the car I'm passing" and would you "take several miles" to express your anger feelings?

If they're being sufficiently jerky, yes I've been known to be purposefully obstinant.