Le_Forgeron <jgr### [at] freefr> wrote:
> Le 10/10/2012 19:59, Warp nous fit lire :
> > Orchid Win7 v1 <voi### [at] devnull> wrote:
> >> Seriously. You realise I'm never more than 17 feet from a computer,
> >> right? What do I need a phone for?
> >
> > Some people have friends who are not always 17 feet from a computer.
> >
> Two shocking ideas:
>  * people have friends
>  * 17 feet from a computer is already too much away.

a true poet

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On Sun, 21 Oct 2012 04:14:03 -0400, Warp wrote:

> I have heard rumors that there are neighborhoods in the US where there
> are no sidewalks at all, only streets. You are *supposed* to *always*
> drive a car there and, in fact, if you were to walk there, people would
> look at you suspiciously (because they would think you might be some
> kind of thief scouting the premises or something.) I don't know if this
> is true. (Sounds rather impractical to me.)

IME, having grown up in an area that had streets with no curbs (much less 
sidewalks), that's bogus.

Jim

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On Sun, 21 Oct 2012 05:22:46 -0400, Warp wrote:

> I have heard that there are many shops there where the parking space in
> front of them is actually owned by the shops, and it's forbidden to have
> your car parked in front of a shop while you are visiting a different
> one.

That, however, is sometimes true.  Parking spaces are generally part of 
the shop property, and some business owners are a real pain the ass about 
it, even hiring towing companies who camp out to tow or boot cars of non-
customers.

In our neighborhood, we've got a shop like that in an area where space is 
restricted - and they're *never* busy (they're a beauty supply store, and 
rarely do they have more than a couple of customers at any given time).

They could probably pay their bills by letting people use their lot and 
charging for parking, and provide validations for their own customers.  
Instead, they prefer to have the entire neigborhood hate them.

Jim

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On Mon, 22 Oct 2012 15:41:17 +0100, scott wrote:

> Funnily enough that exact shopping mall advertised some kind of
> walking/jogging event inside the mall before the shops opened (it's the
> first time I had ever heard of such events and it still seems strange to
> me).

Indeed, when I was in high school, I worked in a mall and it was very 
common, especially with the older population, for them to even organize 
walks before the stores opened.

Jim

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On Mon, 22 Oct 2012 07:24:49 -0700, Darren New wrote:

>> (Personally, I always use a backpack.)
> 
> That would have been much wiser in my case. :-)

Some stores really look down on people bringing in backpacks, though.

Jim

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On Sun, 21 Oct 2012 04:09:11 -0400, Warp wrote:

> Jim Henderson <nos### [at] nospamcom> wrote:
>> There are places that can be true, particularly in the colder climes. 
>> I remember days growing up where it was -70F outside (with the wind
>> chill)
>> - you wouldn't WANT to go outdoors in that if you could avoid it. ;)
> 
> -70F sounds refreshing.

Until your nose falls off from exposure.  Frostbite sets in very quickly 
at temperatures like that.

(I would, however, note that at least in the US how wind chill is 
calculated changed, and using the 'modern' calculation it wasn't as 
severe sounding as it was when I was a kid, but it still was damned cold).

Jim

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Jim Henderson wrote:
>
> Some stores really look down on people bringing in backpacks, though.

In Finland we have this thing called competition. If one store looks 
down on you, just choose the next one.

> Jim

-Aero

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On 22/10/2012 1:10 AM, Darren New wrote:
> On 10/21/2012 1:10, Stephen wrote:
>> But how did you learn that Brits don’t go outdoors?
>
> It was a joke

I knew that, the smiley was a bit of a give-away. ;-)

 > because Andrew commented

This raises questions about your "reasoning" if you consider Andrew to 
be a typical Briton.

> that the place two blocks away was almost close enough to walk.
>

To be fair, Milton Keynes is a "new town" and the blocks are much larger 
than a traditional British city block.

-- 
Regards
     Stephen

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On Mon, 22 Oct 2012 20:56:34 +0300, Eero Ahonen wrote:

> Jim Henderson wrote:
>>
>> Some stores really look down on people bringing in backpacks, though.
> 
> In Finland we have this thing called competition. If one store looks
> down on you, just choose the next one.

In the US we have that thing as well, but we also have this thing called 
"shoplifting", which stores wish to prevent, which is why many will not 
let you bring a backpack into the store (or will ask you to leave your 
bag with someone at the front of the store).

Jim

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On Mon, 22 Oct 2012 20:46:22 +0100, Stephen wrote:

>  > because Andrew commented
> 
> This raises questions about your "reasoning" if you consider Andrew to
> be a typical Briton.

LOL!

Jim

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On 22/10/2012 5:16 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
> That, however, is sometimes true.  Parking spaces are generally part of
> the shop property,

I will say one thing about parking spaces in America, from my 
experience. There is enough space to park and open your doors on both 
sides. In the UK you sometimes have to do a snake dance to get in and out.

-- 
Regards
     Stephen

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On 22/10/2012 8:50 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
> On Mon, 22 Oct 2012 20:56:34 +0300, Eero Ahonen wrote:
>
>> Jim Henderson wrote:
>>>
>>> Some stores really look down on people bringing in backpacks, though.
>>
>> In Finland we have this thing called competition. If one store looks
>> down on you, just choose the next one.
>
> In the US we have that thing as well, but we also have this thing called
> "shoplifting", which stores wish to prevent, which is why many will not
> let you bring a backpack into the store (or will ask you to leave your
> bag with someone at the front of the store).
>

The only shop that in Britain that I’ve been in that asked you to leave 
your bag/backpack at the door, was Forbidden Planet (SF bookshop), 
before it was a chain. Now they have a Dalek there to deter thieves, and 
security devices and bouncers. But other than that it is considered 
unacceptable. I’ve even been in a bookshop that had a sign saying, “I’ve 
gone out. Please write down the name of the book(s) and leave the 
payment on the counter. Back in half an hour.”

-- 
Regards
     Stephen

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On Mon, 22 Oct 2012 21:31:36 +0100, Stephen wrote:

> The only shop that in Britain that I’ve been in that asked you to leave
> your bag/backpack at the door, was Forbidden Planet (SF bookshop),
> before it was a chain. Now they have a Dalek there to deter thieves, and
> security devices and bouncers. But other than that it is considered
> unacceptable. I’ve even been in a bookshop that had a sign saying, “I’ve
> gone out.
> Please write down the name of the book(s) and leave the payment on the
> counter. Back in half an hour.”

Clearly, you don't have enough American tourists. ;)

In all seriousness, though, I have been at a restaurant where the owner 
asked us (as frequent customers) to just keep an eye on things for a few 
minutes so she could deal with a family issue.

But in the US, if (for example) someone has to leave the front of a shop 
and they're the only one working, they generally have to close the shop.  
There's enough of an air of litigation that any worker who didn't do that 
would be held liable for any thefts from the shop if they didn't.

And there are always enough people willing to try stealing something if 
they think they can get away with it.  Back in the late 80's when I 
worked retail in a mall, I had a onetime friend try to steal something 
from my store *while I was on duty* (and when the alarm went off, he 
returned the item and claimed he was "just testing" the system - hence 
the "onetime friend" status).  On a second occasion, we caught a guy red-
handed using a bag with a shoebox in it (with the end cut off) to dump 
expensive merchandise in and had him hauled away by the cops.

And a third occasion, I chased a couple of thieves out of the mall and 
got their license number to turn in to the police because they'd stolen 
some stuff as well.  (It was a software store, so the items were fairly 
pricey).

Some places are more relaxed about it than others.  But most places with 
high-end merchandise, they have no problem asking for people to leave 
their bags.

Jim

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On Mon, 22 Oct 2012 21:14:57 +0100, Stephen wrote:

> On 22/10/2012 5:16 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
>> That, however, is sometimes true.  Parking spaces are generally part of
>> the shop property,
> 
> I will say one thing about parking spaces in America, from my
> experience. There is enough space to park and open your doors on both
> sides. In the UK you sometimes have to do a snake dance to get in and
> out.

I need to visit the parts of America you have, because I find usually 
there's some idiot with a gigantic 4x4/SUV/Hummer who's decided to park 
right next to me, and invariably I need a can opener to get into my car.

Jim

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> And there are always enough people willing to try stealing something if
> they think they can get away with it.  Back in the late 80's when I
> worked retail in a mall, I had a onetime friend try to steal something
> from my store *while I was on duty* (and when the alarm went off, he
> returned the item and claimed he was "just testing" the system - hence
> the "onetime friend" status).  On a second occasion, we caught a guy red-
> handed using a bag with a shoebox in it (with the end cut off) to dump
> expensive merchandise in and had him hauled away by the cops.

And if you wrap a few layers of tin foil around the inside you don't 
even need to worry about removing the security tags in-store :-) My 
sister works in retail and has seen all this sort of stuff too, it's 
amazing how ingenious the thieves are.

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Jim Henderson wrote:
>
> In the US we have that thing as well, but we also have this thing called
> "shoplifting", which stores wish to prevent, which is why many will not
> let you bring a backpack into the store (or will ask you to leave your
> bag with someone at the front of the store).

Yep. That's why the clerk might friendly ask to show the inside of the 
backpack/bag and that's also why there often are lockers available (free 
or something like 50 cents) for storing the bag in front of the stores. 
But no clerk or other staff member has ever looked down at me because 
having a backpack. They have always considered me as a real, paying 
customer by default.

> Jim

-Aero

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> Yep. That's why the clerk might friendly ask to show the inside of the
> backpack/bag and that's also why there often are lockers available (free
> or something like 50 cents) for storing the bag in front of the stores.
> But no clerk or other staff member has ever looked down at me because
> having a backpack. They have always considered me as a real, paying
> customer by default.

Yeh it's pretty common here especially for people on bikes that they use 
a backpack to carry the stuff they bought. In the UK I've never seen 
anyone ask to look inside, although it happened quite often whilst I was 
living in Germany (even just normal shopping bags that you brought 
yourself they wanted to look inside sometimes).

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On Tue, 23 Oct 2012 08:51:39 +0100, scott wrote:

>> And there are always enough people willing to try stealing something if
>> they think they can get away with it.  Back in the late 80's when I
>> worked retail in a mall, I had a onetime friend try to steal something
>> from my store *while I was on duty* (and when the alarm went off, he
>> returned the item and claimed he was "just testing" the system - hence
>> the "onetime friend" status).  On a second occasion, we caught a guy
>> red-
>> handed using a bag with a shoebox in it (with the end cut off) to dump
>> expensive merchandise in and had him hauled away by the cops.
> 
> And if you wrap a few layers of tin foil around the inside you don't
> even need to worry about removing the security tags in-store :-) My
> sister works in retail and has seen all this sort of stuff too, it's
> amazing how ingenious the thieves are.

Yeah, I forget the name of the shoebox device (but it actually does have 
a name).  The guy didn't remember/know the tags were on the items, 
though, but I remember it was some sort of network device (this was in 
1987 or so, so it was worth a few hundred bucks).

I ended up stuck in the store's office with him waiting for the cops to 
show up.  *That* was fun.  17 years old with an older thief under my 
supervision.  He asked to use the phone to call his wife, his lawyer, etc 
- and I told him that the police would take care of that when they picked 
him up.

The cops, in the meantime, got lost on the way to pick him up.

I worked for "B. Dalton's Software Etc." - the mall had a B. Dalton 
Bookseller in it as well.  So the cops came to the mall and went to the 
wrong store, and it took them a bit to realize that they'd gone to the 
wrong store.

Jim

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On Tue, 23 Oct 2012 17:51:42 +0300, Eero Ahonen wrote:

> Jim Henderson wrote:
>>
>> In the US we have that thing as well, but we also have this thing
>> called "shoplifting", which stores wish to prevent, which is why many
>> will not let you bring a backpack into the store (or will ask you to
>> leave your bag with someone at the front of the store).
> 
> Yep. That's why the clerk might friendly ask to show the inside of the
> backpack/bag and that's also why there often are lockers available (free
> or something like 50 cents) for storing the bag in front of the stores.
> But no clerk or other staff member has ever looked down at me because
> having a backpack. They have always considered me as a real, paying
> customer by default.

And some customers would think it insulting and outrageous to have their 
bag searched, as if they were being accused of committing a crime and 
having to prove their innocence (which in theory is presumed in the US).

There's no solution that's going to satisfy everyone.  Some stores do 
have lockers, some stores have a bag check, some do a search....And in 
each case, someone's going to be pissed off.

The solution that works consistently is to not bring it in in the first 
place.  Then there's no problem.

Jim

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On 22/10/2012 10:25 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
> On Mon, 22 Oct 2012 21:14:57 +0100, Stephen wrote:
>
>> On 22/10/2012 5:16 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
>>> That, however, is sometimes true.  Parking spaces are generally part of
>>> the shop property,
>>
>> I will say one thing about parking spaces in America, from my
>> experience. There is enough space to park and open your doors on both
>> sides. In the UK you sometimes have to do a snake dance to get in and
>> out.
>
> I need to visit the parts of America you have, because I find usually
> there's some idiot with a gigantic 4x4/SUV/Hummer who's decided to park
> right next to me, and invariably I need a can opener to get into my car.
>

Go south young man, go south.


-- 
Regards
     Stephen

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On 22/10/2012 10:24 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
> Clearly, you don't have enough American tourists.;)

Please don't send any more of the usual suspects from your state.

-- 
Regards
     Stephen

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Jim Henderson <nos### [at] nospamcom> wrote:
> And some customers would think it insulting and outrageous to have their 
> bag searched, as if they were being accused of committing a crime and 
> having to prove their innocence (which in theory is presumed in the US).

In Finland (and probably in many other countries) your ID has to be
checked whenever you pay a purchase in excess of 50 euros with a debit
or credit card (even if you know the correct pin number.) This is, of
course, to deter stolen cards from being used to make big purchases.
(I'm not sure if this is by law or stipulated by the card issuers, but
it's always enforced.)

Some idiots get all offended when the clerk asks for their ID. Like if it
was an insult, a suggestion that they might be using a stolen card (even
though the exact same rule is applied to everyone.)

The day they get their card stolen they will be thankful that stores check
IDs for big purchases.

-- 
                                                          - Warp

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On Tue, 23 Oct 2012 15:58:00 -0400, Warp wrote:

> Jim Henderson <nos### [at] nospamcom> wrote:
>> And some customers would think it insulting and outrageous to have
>> their bag searched, as if they were being accused of committing a crime
>> and having to prove their innocence (which in theory is presumed in the
>> US).
> 
> In Finland (and probably in many other countries) your ID has to be
> checked whenever you pay a purchase in excess of 50 euros with a debit
> or credit card (even if you know the correct pin number.) This is, of
> course, to deter stolen cards from being used to make big purchases.
> (I'm not sure if this is by law or stipulated by the card issuers, but
> it's always enforced.)
> 
> Some idiots get all offended when the clerk asks for their ID. Like if
> it was an insult, a suggestion that they might be using a stolen card
> (even though the exact same rule is applied to everyone.)
> 
> The day they get their card stolen they will be thankful that stores
> check IDs for big purchases.

See, that doesn't happen in the US - and asking for ID on large purchases 
would be considered highly insulting by many people.

In fact, on the back of all my cards, I have written in indelible marker 
"ASK FOR ID", and it's amazing how few places actually ask even when the 
signature so clearly doesn't match (as I don't sign my card, I print that 
in block letters in the signature space).

Whenever a merchant does ask for ID, I thank them for doing so. :)

A few places that we frequent note it and if the cashier knows us, 
they'll say something like "I'd ask, but you're in here all the time and 
I know it's you".  That works for me as well (as the staff usually is 
well known to us).

Jim

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On Tue, 23 Oct 2012 20:40:45 +0100, Stephen wrote:

> On 22/10/2012 10:24 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
>> Clearly, you don't have enough American tourists.;)
> 
> Please don't send any more of the usual suspects from your state.

Hmmm, maybe I should pull a Rob McKenna and offer to keep them here for a 
fee. ;)

Jim

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On Tue, 23 Oct 2012 20:38:14 +0100, Stephen wrote:

> On 22/10/2012 10:25 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
>> On Mon, 22 Oct 2012 21:14:57 +0100, Stephen wrote:
>>
>>> On 22/10/2012 5:16 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
>>>> That, however, is sometimes true.  Parking spaces are generally part
>>>> of the shop property,
>>>
>>> I will say one thing about parking spaces in America, from my
>>> experience. There is enough space to park and open your doors on both
>>> sides. In the UK you sometimes have to do a snake dance to get in and
>>> out.
>>
>> I need to visit the parts of America you have, because I find usually
>> there's some idiot with a gigantic 4x4/SUV/Hummer who's decided to park
>> right next to me, and invariably I need a can opener to get into my
>> car.
>>
>>
> Go south young man, go south.

I went to school in Florida, doesn't get much farther south than that. ;)

Jim

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On 23/10/2012 10:03 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
> On Tue, 23 Oct 2012 20:38:14 +0100, Stephen wrote:
>
>> Go south young man, go south.
>
> I went to school in Florida, doesn't get much farther south than that. ;)
>

No it doesn't and I found that the parking spots there were large enough 
for me to park in. I hired a Lincoln town car and drove to Key West, a 
drive I will always remember especially the bridges between the Keys.


-- 
Regards
     Stephen

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On 23/10/2012 10:03 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
> On Tue, 23 Oct 2012 20:40:45 +0100, Stephen wrote:
>
>> On 22/10/2012 10:24 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
>>> Clearly, you don't have enough American tourists.;)
>>
>> Please don't send any more of the usual suspects from your state.
>
> Hmmm, maybe I should pull a Rob McKenna and offer to keep them here for a
> fee. ;)
>
Nope! I don't get it. Are you talking about his "Pillars of Hope" 
initiative? Stop trafficking Mormons?


-- 
Regards
     Stephen

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On 23/10/2012 10:02 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
> See, that doesn't happen in the US - and asking for ID on large purchases
> would be considered highly insulting by many people.

But not carding someone for buying alcohol even if they are white haired 
and obviously past it. ;-)

-- 
Regards
     Stephen

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On Tue, 23 Oct 2012 22:21:50 +0100, Stephen wrote:

> On 23/10/2012 10:03 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
>> On Tue, 23 Oct 2012 20:40:45 +0100, Stephen wrote:
>>
>>> On 22/10/2012 10:24 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
>>>> Clearly, you don't have enough American tourists.;)
>>>
>>> Please don't send any more of the usual suspects from your state.
>>
>> Hmmm, maybe I should pull a Rob McKenna and offer to keep them here for
>> a fee. ;)
>>
> Nope! I don't get it. Are you talking about his "Pillars of Hope"
> initiative? Stop trafficking Mormons?

Rob McKenna is a character in the Hitchhiker's Guide universe - the "rain 
god". ;)

Jim

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On Tue, 23 Oct 2012 22:24:26 +0100, Stephen wrote:

> On 23/10/2012 10:02 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
>> See, that doesn't happen in the US - and asking for ID on large
>> purchases would be considered highly insulting by many people.
> 
> But not carding someone for buying alcohol even if they are white haired
> and obviously past it. ;-)

That varies from establishment to establishment and state to state - one 
of the challenges of not having unified laws across the country is that 
one never knows (necessarily) what laws apply.

Here in Utah, I don't get carded any more.  My wife used to (even though 
she's 6 years older than me) until she stopped dying her hair.

At 21, my son didn't get carded many places because he could not shave 
for 30 minutes and have enough scruff to pass for 35.

Jim

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On Tue, 23 Oct 2012 22:16:28 +0100, Stephen wrote:

> On 23/10/2012 10:03 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
>> On Tue, 23 Oct 2012 20:38:14 +0100, Stephen wrote:
>>
>>> Go south young man, go south.
>>
>> I went to school in Florida, doesn't get much farther south than that.
>> ;)
>>
>>
> No it doesn't and I found that the parking spots there were large enough
> for me to park in. I hired a Lincoln town car and drove to Key West, a
> drive I will always remember especially the bridges between the Keys.

That is a nice area.  I taught some classes in Tampa/St. Pete and had a 
towncar as well - and people there parked close enough that I had trouble 
getting into 'the boat'.

But SUVs and that sort of thing aren't as popular in Florida.  Retirees 
generally don't have a use for it, and college students generally can't 
afford it. ;)

Jim

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Jim Henderson wrote:
>
> There's no solution that's going to satisfy everyone.  Some stores do
> have lockers, some stores have a bag check, some do a search....And in
> each case, someone's going to be pissed off.
>

True. To be honest, I don't remember any clerk ever asking me to open my 
bag/backpack, but the possibility is often mentioned at the POS (in a 
sticker oslt).

I might look reliable enough though, that might be one reason for 
getting decent service :-).

>
> Jim
>

-Aero

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Eero Ahonen <aer### [at] zbxtnet> wrote:
> Jim Henderson wrote:
> >
> > There's no solution that's going to satisfy everyone.  Some stores do
> > have lockers, some stores have a bag check, some do a search....And in
> > each case, someone's going to be pissed off.
> >

> True. To be honest, I don't remember any clerk ever asking me to open my 
> bag/backpack, but the possibility is often mentioned at the POS (in a 
> sticker oslt).

When you really, really have to go to two stores, it's always a gambit,
especially if you bought items from the first store that also the second
has (but are eg. cheaper or whatever). But even if you only have *similar*
items, it could become awkward if they asked to show the contents of your
backpack. Could take some time to resolve the situation.

Of course receipts should help resolving the situation... unless they
suspect that those receipts really are from that other store but the
items are not...

I have had to take the risk a couple of times, but so far have been lucky
to avoid the awkwardness. I try to avoid having to do that, of course.

(It helps when stores have lockers for this exact purpose, but not many
have them...)

-- 
                                                          - Warp

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Am 07.10.2012 12:33, schrieb Orchid Win7 v1:
> In case anybody missed it: I GOT HIRED.

We warned you that this might happen ;-)

Congratulations!

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On 24/10/2012 6:30 PM, Warp wrote:
> When you really, really have to go to two stores, it's always a gambit,
> especially if you bought items from the first store that also the second
> has (but are eg. cheaper or whatever). But even if you only have*similar*
> items, it could become awkward if they asked to show the contents of your
> backpack. Could take some time to resolve the situation.

That is why you keep your receipt. But it always makes me feel 
uncomfortable. My grandmother told me that it is rude to the second 
shopkeeper. And even though I know in my heart that they don't really 
care and if the do, they should reduce their prices. I still feel 
uncomfortable.
Having thought about the matter of being asked to have my bag searched, 
I would say no and refuse to allow it. If detained until the police 
arrive I would request them to charge the shopkeeper/security with false 
arrest (actually the charge is False Imprisonment, in the UK). I feel 
quite strongly about it.

-- 
Regards
     Stephen

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Warp wrote:
>
> When you really, really have to go to two stores, it's always a gambit,
> especially if you bought items from the first store that also the second
> has (but are eg. cheaper or whatever). But even if you only have *similar*
> items, it could become awkward if they asked to show the contents of your
> backpack. Could take some time to resolve the situation.

That indeed is true. I also avoid doing that, due to politeness for the 
second store and for the convenience of the situation.

> Of course receipts should help resolving the situation... unless they
> suspect that those receipts really are from that other store but the
> items are not...

Well, if they want to be bitchy, so can you. It's they who need to prove 
the possible crime. There's pretty much no chance doing that if you 
haven't actually done one, especially if you have the receipt.

> (It helps when stores have lockers for this exact purpose, but not many
> have them...)

Yep. I use them too, if the price is honestly clear. One K-Supermarket 
at Hämeenlinna earlier had such lockers and the instructions said that 
either the money stays there or is given back to you. I don't like that 
kind of randomizing, but luckily I didn't visit there very often. 
Usually the price is clearly informed.

-Aero

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Le 2012-10-24 13:30, Warp a écrit :
> Eero Ahonen <aer### [at] zbxtnet> wrote:
>> Jim Henderson wrote:
>>>
>>> There's no solution that's going to satisfy everyone.  Some stores do
>>> have lockers, some stores have a bag check, some do a search....And in
>>> each case, someone's going to be pissed off.
>>>
>
>> True. To be honest, I don't remember any clerk ever asking me to open my
>> bag/backpack, but the possibility is often mentioned at the POS (in a
>> sticker oslt).
>
> When you really, really have to go to two stores, it's always a gambit,
> especially if you bought items from the first store that also the second
> has (but are eg. cheaper or whatever). But even if you only have *similar*
> items, it could become awkward if they asked to show the contents of your
> backpack. Could take some time to resolve the situation.
>

I had this problem in Vienna a few years ago.  I stopped at a store on 
the way out of my hotel to buy snacks for the day, but still had a 
chocolate bar and a bottle of Coca-Cola in my backpack from the previous 
day.  What saved me was that the bottle was warm!


-- 
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/*    flabreque    */L)polygon{5,F,F+z,L+z,L,F pigment{rgb 9}}#end union
/*        @        */{P(0,a)P(a,b)P(b,c)P(2*a,2*b)P(2*b,b+c)P(b+c,<2,3>)
/*   gmail.com     */}camera{orthographic location<6,1.25,-6>look_at a }

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On 24/10/2012 4:58 AM, Jim Henderson wrote:
> Rob McKenna is a character in the Hitchhiker's Guide universe - the "rain
> god".;)

I never got past the first book.

-- 
Regards
     Stephen

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On Fri, 26 Oct 2012 17:57:34 +0100, Stephen wrote:

> On 24/10/2012 4:58 AM, Jim Henderson wrote:
>> Rob McKenna is a character in the Hitchhiker's Guide universe - the
>> "rain god".;)
> 
> I never got past the first book.

Shame on you. ;)

Have a listen to the radio series - that part made it into the newer 
series released post-2000.

Jim

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On 26/10/2012 10:00 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
> On Fri, 26 Oct 2012 17:57:34 +0100, Stephen wrote:
>
>> On 24/10/2012 4:58 AM, Jim Henderson wrote:
>>> Rob McKenna is a character in the Hitchhiker's Guide universe - the
>>> "rain god".;)
>>
>> I never got past the first book.
>
> Shame on you. ;)
>
> Have a listen to the radio series - that part made it into the newer
> series released post-2000.
>

I was going to say that I liked “Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective 
Agency” but on reading the plot in WikiSomethingOrOther, I realised that 
I did not finish that either. So I guess that I don’t like Douglas 
Adams’ writing. I feel that I should though.


-- 
Regards
     Stephen

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On Sat, 27 Oct 2012 11:02:20 +0100, Stephen wrote:

> I was going to say that I liked “Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective
> Agency” but on reading the plot in WikiSomethingOrOther, I realised that
> I did not finish that either. So I guess that I don’t like Douglas
> Adams’ writing. I feel that I should though.

It does seem like you should, from what I know of your sense of humour.

Jim

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On 29/10/2012 5:01 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
> On Sat, 27 Oct 2012 11:02:20 +0100, Stephen wrote:
>
>> I was going to say that I liked “Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective
>> Agency” but on reading the plot in WikiSomethingOrOther, I realised that
>> I did not finish that either. So I guess that I don’t like Douglas
>> Adams’ writing. I feel that I should though.
>
> It does seem like you should, from what I know of your sense of humour.
>

Maybe Adams was too literary for my handicaps.

Quite a few people told me that I would like Red Dwarf when it was first 
being broadcast and watching some repeats I do find them amusing. But I 
could not watch a lot of them.
Or maybe I just like my Science Fiction HARD!
As hard as the Earl o’ Hell’s heart. :-)


-- 
Regards
     Stephen

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On Mon, 29 Oct 2012 18:53:02 +0000, Stephen wrote:

>> It does seem like you should, from what I know of your sense of humour.
>>
> Maybe Adams was too literary for my handicaps.

Possibly, it doesn't really fit in the sci-fi genre, it's more like comic 
philosophy.

> Quite a few people told me that I would like Red Dwarf when it was first
> being broadcast and watching some repeats I do find them amusing. But I
> could not watch a lot of them.
> Or maybe I just like my Science Fiction HARD!
> As hard as the Earl o’ Hell’s heart. :-)

:)

Could be.  I treat Red Dwarf as a comedy set in space as well.  Liking 
the current series, BTW.

Jim

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On 29/10/2012 7:45 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
> On Mon, 29 Oct 2012 18:53:02 +0000, Stephen wrote:
>
>>> It does seem like you should, from what I know of your sense of humour.
>>>
>> Maybe Adams was too literary for my handicaps.
>
> Possibly, it doesn't really fit in the sci-fi genre, it's more like comic
> philosophy.
>

Maybe like an updated William Tenn?

>> Quite a few people told me that I would like Red Dwarf when it was first
>> being broadcast and watching some repeats I do find them amusing. But I
>> could not watch a lot of them.
>> Or maybe I just like my Science Fiction HARD!
>> As hard as the Earl o’ Hell’s heart. :-)
>
> :)
>
> Could be.  I treat Red Dwarf as a comedy set in space as well.  Liking
> the current series, BTW.
>

Yes, very "Dave" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_%28TV_channel%29)

-- 
Regards
     Stephen

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On 10/7/2012 5:33 AM, Orchid Win7 v1 wrote:
> In case anybody missed it: I GOT HIRED.

Excellent.

> I start full-time employment tomorrow.
>
> In terms of location, the building is literally 2 blocks from my front
> door. It's almost close enough to /walk/ to work.

*Almost* close enough?  I live that close to work and I walk every day. 
  My apartment complex and my work place are on opposite corners of the 
same intersection.  It takes me about five minutes to walk.

Regards,
John

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>> In terms of location, the building is literally 2 blocks from my front
>> door. It's almost close enough to /walk/ to work.
>
> *Almost* close enough? I live that close to work and I walk every day.
> My apartment complex and my work place are on opposite corners of the
> same intersection. It takes me about five minutes to walk.

It depends on the size of a "block", I suppose.

According to Google maps, the distance appears to be about 3 miles. I 
*could* walk that, but it would take me about 20 minutes or something. 
Not impossible, I'd just need to leave a lot earlier. (And in this 
weather? Forget it!)

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> According to Google maps, the distance appears to be about 3 miles. I
> *could* walk that, but it would take me about 20 minutes or something.

You walk fast :-)

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On 10/30/2012 3:47 AM, Orchid Win7 v1 wrote:
>>> In terms of location, the building is literally 2 blocks from my front
>>> door. It's almost close enough to /walk/ to work.
>>
>> *Almost* close enough? I live that close to work and I walk every day.
>> My apartment complex and my work place are on opposite corners of the
>> same intersection. It takes me about five minutes to walk.
>
> It depends on the size of a "block", I suppose.

In the US a block is about one tenth of a mile.

> According to Google maps, the distance appears to be about 3 miles. I
> *could* walk that, but it would take me about 20 minutes or something.
> Not impossible, I'd just need to leave a lot earlier. (And in this
> weather? Forget it!)

Normal walking pace for adults is 15 to twenty minutes per mile, so 
you'll make the walk in 45-60 minutes.

Regards,
John

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On Tue, 30 Oct 2012 22:19:47 -0500, John VanSickle wrote:

> In the US a block is about one tenth of a mile.

In Salt Lake City, it's 0.15-0.16 mile.  The distance from 3300 south to 
4500 south (12 blocks) is 1.7 miles.

So not really standardized here either.

Jim

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On 07/10/2012 04:24 PM, Orchid Win7 v1 wrote:
> Oh well, either way, it's going to get *quiet* around this newsgroup. ;-)

I FRIGGING CALLED IT! ;-)

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