Author Topic: Overheard at Work  (Read 13253166 times)

onlykelsey

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13000 on: April 08, 2016, 11:32:23 AM »
I think I fell victim to one a few years back.  A kid (late teens/early 20s) approached me at a BART station in downtown San Francisco needing money for a ticket to a station at the end of the line and then a cab to get home. Think he was looking for $20 or so. I happened to have $4 (surprising because I rarely carry cash) and gave it to him saying 'sorry all I have good luck'. He replies with 'well there's an ATM around the corner...'  Um fuck no.  I just walked off at that point although I really wanted to demand my $4 back.

I got accosted a few years later in a Target parking lot.  A young woman said her purse had been stolen and needed money for a cab home to get her spare car keys. Something felt off and I said "sorry I can't help you" and then she turned all nasty being like "clearly you're not blah blah ..."  Looking back I should have offered to call the police or go get Target security. I mean she'd been robbed - wouldn't they be more helpful then hitting up strangers for cash?

That's obnoxious.  I will say, I once got genuinely caught as a 12 or 13 year old in downtown Philly with no sweater or way to make it home when my wallet was stolen, and was very thankful when a middle-aged woman gave me $5.  I think being an 80-lbs white pre-teen girl was a definite advantage there.

Inaya

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13001 on: April 08, 2016, 11:44:49 AM »
I'll give them food. Never any money though, ESPECIALLY if they're asking for money for the CTA (Chicago's Bus/Rapid Rail system). Call me selfish and a horrible person, but whenever a homeless person is on the EL, it is a markedly worse ride.
Oddly enough, the one person who took the pass (a 1-day Ventra) was on the El. His story was that he needed money for a bus pass for an interview the next day. I think he actually needed it. (Agree with you about worse rides. This one time a woman pulled out a can of Febreze to cover up the homeless smell. One of life's minor heroes. I almost applauded.)

I've been walking home with a doggy bag and been asked for my leftovers before. No problem with that, since they'll probably just rot in the back of my fridge (the leftovers, not the homeless guys).

mtn

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13002 on: April 08, 2016, 12:36:41 PM »

 (Agree with you about worse rides. This one time a woman pulled out a can of Febreze to cover up the homeless smell. One of life's minor heroes. I almost applauded.)


That is amazing. Wow.

MgoSam

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13003 on: April 08, 2016, 01:13:08 PM »

 (Agree with you about worse rides. This one time a woman pulled out a can of Febreze to cover up the homeless smell. One of life's minor heroes. I almost applauded.)


That is amazing. Wow.

Reminds me of this bit by Daniel Tosh

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auMVCfIp1ZY

chesebert

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13004 on: April 08, 2016, 01:22:35 PM »
Was walking home the other day, when a woman in a new(ish) F150 pulled up and asked me for money for gas! This is not the first time recently someone in a fancy ass gas guzzler has asked me for money! It takes all of my willpower not to lecture them on not being leveraged up to the hilt on car loans!

I'd've been like, "Lady, if I had money, I wouldn't be walking!" (She doesn't know I'm carless by choice, after all.)

The equivalent around here is, "Please give me [oddly specific # of] cents for a bus pass." I've offered them bus passes; only one person ever took it.

I'll give them food. Never any money though, ESPECIALLY if they're asking for money for the CTA (Chicago's Bus/Rapid Rail system). Call me selfish and a horrible person, but whenever a homeless person is on the EL, it is a markedly worse ride.
I was in the middle of one such incident and I wished I had my gas mask.  I switched to a different section asap.

Inaya

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13005 on: April 08, 2016, 01:26:45 PM »
(Agree with you about worse rides. This one time a woman pulled out a can of Febreze to cover up the homeless smell. One of life's minor heroes. I almost applauded.)
That is amazing. Wow.
Reminds me of this bit by Daniel Tosh
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auMVCfIp1ZY

Wow... maybe she'd seen that? She didn't actually Febreze the guy; he was in the little driver hutch at the end of the car. He was just VERY pungent.

mtn

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13006 on: April 08, 2016, 01:58:13 PM »
Was walking home the other day, when a woman in a new(ish) F150 pulled up and asked me for money for gas! This is not the first time recently someone in a fancy ass gas guzzler has asked me for money! It takes all of my willpower not to lecture them on not being leveraged up to the hilt on car loans!

I'd've been like, "Lady, if I had money, I wouldn't be walking!" (She doesn't know I'm carless by choice, after all.)

The equivalent around here is, "Please give me [oddly specific # of] cents for a bus pass." I've offered them bus passes; only one person ever took it.

I'll give them food. Never any money though, ESPECIALLY if they're asking for money for the CTA (Chicago's Bus/Rapid Rail system). Call me selfish and a horrible person, but whenever a homeless person is on the EL, it is a markedly worse ride.
I was in the middle of one such incident and I wished I had my gas mask.  I switched to a different section asap.

One time I was scanning my ticket through the turnstile and I hear the train arriving. Sprint up the stairs, and I have about 3 stairs left when I hear "Doors Closing" and slide in the car right next to the stairs. Ahh, sweet, it is empty! I learned a lesson. There is a reason if there is only one car that is empty. In this case, a passed out person who either had defecated himself numerous times, or had a rotting limb.

That lasted one stop. Fun fact, I can hold my breath between the Western and Damen blue line stops.

franklin w. dixon

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13007 on: April 09, 2016, 08:59:24 PM »
Wait. Not paying out owed vacation is legal in the US??? Seriously?
See this is why we gotta elect Donald, he'll set things right

franklin w. dixon

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13008 on: April 09, 2016, 09:10:13 PM »
Co-Worker yesterday...

"I know what you mean about not taking on any debt at all. I don't either. I get my inlaws to write me loans instead. They charge me half the interest the bank does!"

I can't decide whether this is smart or not, but either way, its still debt.

Sounds like a great way to develop co-dependence, put all your eggs in one (family's) basket, and also not get credit on your credit score for timely payments. Pass.
Otoh if your family isn't made of shitheads I'd rather give 300k in mortgage interest to a family member than to Lloyd Blankfein or whoever.

BlueHouse

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13009 on: April 09, 2016, 10:01:35 PM »
I've been walking home with a doggy bag and been asked for my leftovers before.
Totally thought you meant the little green poop bags.

Tallgirl1204

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13010 on: April 11, 2016, 01:14:48 PM »
Quote
Not strictly anti-MMM in the financial sense, but if you want to know what lifetime servitude to the federal system does to people, here's an example.

Two GS-13s are currently having an argument over a cubicle.

Another former Fed here; the worst part of my time as a GS-14 was exactly this nonsense. Since so much in the Federal service is standardized (pay, time off, etc) all that is left to complain about is whether (1) someone else's workload is perceived to be lighter, (2) other people are getting to the office on time, and (3) who has a window in their cube. To paraphrase a famous quote, the fighting is so bitter because the stakes are so low.

I had a similar experience.  I'm a GS-12, and my boss is a GS-14 who spends most of his time at another location.  He is assigned a nice office in our building, which he rarely uses.  My job is very paper and file-heavy, and I am packed into a tiny space surrounded by my files.  He suggested that we trade spaces so that he would use my small space on the rare days he is at the office, and I would have the benefit of a nice sunny corner office with room for my stuff.  A GS-13 in another division (with a slightly smaller office than my boss) got wind of the trade and filed a grievance.  Sigh.  I am still in my shoebox (with a window, no worries really) and my boss is NEVER giving up his space.  All the GS-13 did was mess up my good luck and make an enemy out of my boss.  So it goes in gubmint.

MoonShadow

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13011 on: April 11, 2016, 01:25:37 PM »
Co-Worker yesterday...

"I know what you mean about not taking on any debt at all. I don't either. I get my inlaws to write me loans instead. They charge me half the interest the bank does!"

I can't decide whether this is smart or not, but either way, its still debt.

Sounds like a great way to develop co-dependence, put all your eggs in one (family's) basket, and also not get credit on your credit score for timely payments. Pass.
Otoh if your family isn't made of shitheads I'd rather give 300k in mortgage interest to a family member than to Lloyd Blankfein or whoever.

The problems with family deals is that they are too often based upon a smile and a handshake, and rarely any details upon paper.  If a real mortgage contract is signed, then there shouldn't be an issue about who is getting the interest income.  This would be a fine alternative to investing in corporate bonds, if you are actually confident that family members will actually pay you back.  You can't do this from a retirement account, though, unless you take out a 401K loan in order to do it.  It almost certainly needs to come from a taxable account.

Apples

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13012 on: April 11, 2016, 01:42:42 PM »
I was taken for a ride in a similar scam a few months back. On the parking lot at Kroger, a woman with two young kids in tow asked for $5 to catch the bus. I opened my wallet without thinking and gave her $10 (nothing smaller). The way she took the bill from my hand and walked away instantly revealed this wasn't her first rodeo.

Oh well. I wonder if the kids are coached to behave a certain way when their mother pulls that little trick.

I work a booth selling [ag commodity] at our state fair every year.  It is a fundraiser for the state organization of producers of [ag commodity].  A woman comes up and orders $3 or $4 worth of items, and I am 90% sure handed me a $10 bill.  Being unpracticed in handling money, I didn't think to lay it on top of the counter where everyone could see it; instead I put in in the money drawer.  I hand her $6 or $7 worth of change.  She counts it then says "wait, I know I gave you a $20".  I give her a funny look and hesitate.    She didn't seem to have much  money, and she had a kid with her, so I was quickly deciding to just give her the extra $10 back as "change".  Well, then her daughter says "wait mom, nuh uh" and the mom tells her "hush!"  looks up and sees me looking, and says "yes honey I got a $20 form your father before we walked over here; you must not have seen it".  Since I had no way of proving she hadn't given me a $20, I ended up just giving her the change.  But forevermore I will place bills given to me on the counter until I have given back the proper change.  I'm guessing that woman walked all over the state fair and either made money or broke even with that routine.  You see, I gave her a new $10 to go to the next stand with.

coolistdude

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13013 on: April 11, 2016, 09:43:50 PM »
I was taken for a ride in a similar scam a few months back. On the parking lot at Kroger, a woman with two young kids in tow asked for $5 to catch the bus. I opened my wallet without thinking and gave her $10 (nothing smaller). The way she took the bill from my hand and walked away instantly revealed this wasn't her first rodeo.

Oh well. I wonder if the kids are coached to behave a certain way when their mother pulls that little trick.

I work a booth selling [ag commodity] at our state fair every year.  It is a fundraiser for the state organization of producers of [ag commodity].  A woman comes up and orders $3 or $4 worth of items, and I am 90% sure handed me a $10 bill.  Being unpracticed in handling money, I didn't think to lay it on top of the counter where everyone could see it; instead I put in in the money drawer.  I hand her $6 or $7 worth of change.  She counts it then says "wait, I know I gave you a $20".  I give her a funny look and hesitate.    She didn't seem to have much  money, and she had a kid with her, so I was quickly deciding to just give her the extra $10 back as "change".  Well, then her daughter says "wait mom, nuh uh" and the mom tells her "hush!"  looks up and sees me looking, and says "yes honey I got a $20 form your father before we walked over here; you must not have seen it".  Since I had no way of proving she hadn't given me a $20, I ended up just giving her the change.  But forevermore I will place bills given to me on the counter until I have given back the proper change.  I'm guessing that woman walked all over the state fair and either made money or broke even with that routine.  You see, I gave her a new $10 to go to the next stand with.

You funded a scam artist! Just kidding...for $10, that wasn't a bad lesson. Kids are funny. The good ones often sense when their parents live outside of the rules. The biggest lesson with money and customer service is not to trust people. One guy really surprised me though. Our billing server hadn't charged him in years. I called him up, he didn't know me and so I explained what happened and that he owed us $700+-. The guy gave me a new credit card and asked me to charge all of it. All of it!! He wasn't interested in a payment plan or a discount. He saw it as legit liability. Anyway, the charge cleared and I had no reason to bother him until his card expired years later. In a single day, this guy made up for so much crap given by so many people. Sorry for the foam.

momcpa

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13014 on: April 12, 2016, 09:38:26 AM »
My sister-in-law was out shopping at Christmas time.  She was pulling out of a parking lot and a man approached her car and said he was unemployed and needed money.  She looked up and across the street was a fast food restaurant with a 'help needed' sign.  She told the man to wait right there, she went across the street and got a job application for him and took it back to him.  He was NOT happy with her.  We all chuckled about that one.  He wasn't interested in employment, only money.

An Iowa TV station was running a clip of two youngish people standing with signs on a corner saying the same 'I'm unemployed' story.  A local business man offered them a job that they refused.  So the next day he stood out there along side the panhandlers with his own sign saying they turned down his job offer.  Guess they didn't make much money that day !!!   Clever.

Fuzzy Buttons

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13015 on: April 12, 2016, 11:22:59 AM »
Short panhandler story follows...

The weekend before Christmas last year, I was driving home from my mom's open house and stopped at a red light.  A middle-aged woman in a weathered coat motioned for my attention and mouthed "Do you know the time?"  Normally I would ignore anyone I didn't know like this, but it was Christmas time and this seemed like an easy enough question to answer.  I figured she was trying to catch a bus.

I rolled down the window and gave her the time, then she asked if I could drop her off at a church about a mile up the road.  I was going that way anyway and it was still Christmas time, so I decided I would.  But once she was in the car and we were going, she launched into a well-memorized spiel about how her father had died and she needed $127 bus fare to get to the funeral.  So, that's when I realized this was all a scam.  Kudos to her for working out a good system - starting conversation with a simple ask, then escalating with something still pretty easy that got her in the car, and only once she was there asking for money.

We got to the church and she immediately proclaimed that the people she was going to meet there weren't around, and asked me to drive her to a nearby gas station.  So I did.  When I got there and parked I said politely, "I'm going to give you $20, which is all the money I have on me, but I need you to get out of the car first."  You would have thought she was an Olympic sprinter with how fast she was up and out.  I handed her the cash, she made one more mention of an ATM machine in the gas station, I said goodbye and she turned and walked off without another word.

I felt like a bit of a dupe for a bit.  But in the end, it was still Christmas.  And I figured, would I want to switch lives with her just to be the duper instead of the dupee?  No, not at all.  I'm very lucky to have the life I do, and I can spare $20 from time to time.

Though I wouldn't actually do it again.

dragoncar

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13016 on: April 12, 2016, 09:23:43 PM »
"I'm going to give you $20, which is all the money I have on me, but I need you to get out of the car first."  You would have thought she was an Olympic sprinter with how fast she was up and out.  I handed her the cash, she made one more mention of an ATM machine in the gas station, I said goodbye and she turned and walked off without another word.



"oops, it looks like I actually left my wallet at home with my sick grandma" (speeds away)

randymarsh

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13017 on: April 12, 2016, 09:46:46 PM »
You would have thought she was an Olympic sprinter with how fast she was up and out.  I handed her the cash, she made one more mention of an ATM machine in the gas station, I said goodbye and she turned and walked off without another word.


Wait, like you could go use the ATM?

If she has that kind of nerve, she could make her own money in sales!

9-Volt

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13018 on: April 13, 2016, 09:10:14 AM »
My sister-in-law was out shopping at Christmas time.  She was pulling out of a parking lot and a man approached her car and said he was unemployed and needed money.  She looked up and across the street was a fast food restaurant with a 'help needed' sign.  She told the man to wait right there, she went across the street and got a job application for him and took it back to him.  He was NOT happy with her.  We all chuckled about that one.  He wasn't interested in employment, only money.

There is a street corner, that I pass by often, the panhandlers work. They are so bad, that ppl place large help wanted signs on the street polls 2 ft away from them. Only some of the time do they even bother to cover them.

merula

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13019 on: April 13, 2016, 12:27:36 PM »
I rode to a work event with a person I know superficially. Holy crap.

-She's maybe 25, single, no kids, no pets. DRIVES A GIANT SUV.
-Talked about how much she loves this one burrito place because it's "soooo cheap". It's $8-10 for a burrito.
-(not anti-mustachian, I just couldn't believe it) "What are they building there?" "That's an expansion for the homeless shelter." "Oh, weird, it looks like actual living space." WHAT DO YOU THINK A HOMELESS SHELTER IS!?!?!?!

MgoSam

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13020 on: April 13, 2016, 12:32:38 PM »

-Talked about how much she loves this one burrito place because it's "soooo cheap". It's $8-10 for a burrito.

Yikes. I don't think $8 is patently expensive for a great burrito, that's generally how much I'll spend for a burrito bowl at Chipotle when I don't want to cook at home, but there's no way I would consider it cheap. There's a few locations of Zantigos in Minnesota, it's a fast food place like Taco Bell...if Taco Bell actually made things from scratch, and I love going there every once in a while (back when I lived a mile away, I was there more times than is healthy). It's around $3 for a bean-cheese burrito that has the perfect amount of food for me. I don't think it is all that costly, but I would never refer to it as cheap.

Iron Mike Sharpe

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13021 on: April 13, 2016, 12:58:51 PM »

-Talked about how much she loves this one burrito place because it's "soooo cheap". It's $8-10 for a burrito.

Yikes. I don't think $8 is patently expensive for a great burrito, that's generally how much I'll spend for a burrito bowl at Chipotle when I don't want to cook at home, but there's no way I would consider it cheap. There's a few locations of Zantigos in Minnesota, it's a fast food place like Taco Bell...if Taco Bell actually made things from scratch, and I love going there every once in a while (back when I lived a mile away, I was there more times than is healthy). It's around $3 for a bean-cheese burrito that has the perfect amount of food for me. I don't think it is all that costly, but I would never refer to it as cheap.

I heard about Zantigo being opened up again by relatives of the previous owners.  Too bad it is MN only. Would love to have a Zantigo in STL.  Too bad Pepsi shut the chain down when it purchased KFC back in the 80's since they already owned Taco Bell.

sparkytheop

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13022 on: April 13, 2016, 02:05:39 PM »
Got another little bit from my workplace today. I had a co-worker discuss some shopping he doing for watches and he noticed a certain watch that costed $100,000 and wondered incredulously who would pay that much for a watch ("Must be a very nice watch").

I then told him about some other expensive items like a handbag that costs $10,000 and he then told me that another co-worker paid $2000 for a handbag! I was shocked that someone I know could be that wasteful (note this is not the same co-worker I mentioned earlier that was down to her last 3 dollars).

Wow.

The most I've paid for a purse was 180$ (at the exchange rate of the time), and it was high-quality thick leather that was big enough to slide a macbook in (I didn't want to carry purse + briefcase + book + lunch - everything can fit in one bag, please). I've worn it, so far, every day for 8 years, and, with a 10$ repair bill recently, it should last at least that long again... and it still looks nice enough that 3 of my colleagues have stopped me to ask where I got my purse, and was it recently, because they're looking for something nice and like mine.

I can understand paying more for quality (hell, I certainly did, and no 30$ cheap faux-leather purse would still be looking good after 8 years of non-careful wear and tear), but 2k on a bag is not quality, it's idiocy.

Kitsune, where did you get that kind of bag? I would love to have one of my own.

On a trip to Italy, so you're not gonna find them in stores!

But the brand is I Medici, and I just found the exact bag I have on their website: http://www.imedicibags.com/handbags/i-medici-borsa-leather-shopping-large-tote-bag.html (and the price has seriously gone up in 8 years...)

Definitely my kind of bag! But ooof, that price...

Well, at the time, it was almost 100$ less, and I still considered it an unreasonable splurge, but I don't buy "souvenir items" on trips: I save my money for one useful item that'll remind me of the trip, usually something that's cheaper where I'm going than at home (woven cotton scarves in Mexico, leather and pearls in Italy, foods or cooking gear specific to the region, etc). So: that was my justification  at the time.

But it's working out to under 25$/year to meet all my bag needs, looks great, and survives everything (drop it in mud? Rinse let dry, it's fine). Honestly: if it gave out in 5 years, I'd replace it with another of the same, rather than try to find a leather bag under 100$ that might last that long (hahahaha the quality of clothes these days is saaaaaad).

Is there any info on the bag as to what kind of leather? (Ie: Full grain, top, "genuine leather"...)  I've been waiting for years to find just the right bag, and I love the look of this one.

Kitsune

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13023 on: April 14, 2016, 06:58:37 AM »
Got another little bit from my workplace today. I had a co-worker discuss some shopping he doing for watches and he noticed a certain watch that costed $100,000 and wondered incredulously who would pay that much for a watch ("Must be a very nice watch").

I then told him about some other expensive items like a handbag that costs $10,000 and he then told me that another co-worker paid $2000 for a handbag! I was shocked that someone I know could be that wasteful (note this is not the same co-worker I mentioned earlier that was down to her last 3 dollars).

Wow.

The most I've paid for a purse was 180$ (at the exchange rate of the time), and it was high-quality thick leather that was big enough to slide a macbook in (I didn't want to carry purse + briefcase + book + lunch - everything can fit in one bag, please). I've worn it, so far, every day for 8 years, and, with a 10$ repair bill recently, it should last at least that long again... and it still looks nice enough that 3 of my colleagues have stopped me to ask where I got my purse, and was it recently, because they're looking for something nice and like mine.

I can understand paying more for quality (hell, I certainly did, and no 30$ cheap faux-leather purse would still be looking good after 8 years of non-careful wear and tear), but 2k on a bag is not quality, it's idiocy.

Kitsune, where did you get that kind of bag? I would love to have one of my own.

On a trip to Italy, so you're not gonna find them in stores!

But the brand is I Medici, and I just found the exact bag I have on their website: http://www.imedicibags.com/handbags/i-medici-borsa-leather-shopping-large-tote-bag.html (and the price has seriously gone up in 8 years...)

Definitely my kind of bag! But ooof, that price...

Well, at the time, it was almost 100$ less, and I still considered it an unreasonable splurge, but I don't buy "souvenir items" on trips: I save my money for one useful item that'll remind me of the trip, usually something that's cheaper where I'm going than at home (woven cotton scarves in Mexico, leather and pearls in Italy, foods or cooking gear specific to the region, etc). So: that was my justification  at the time.

But it's working out to under 25$/year to meet all my bag needs, looks great, and survives everything (drop it in mud? Rinse let dry, it's fine). Honestly: if it gave out in 5 years, I'd replace it with another of the same, rather than try to find a leather bag under 100$ that might last that long (hahahaha the quality of clothes these days is saaaaaad).

Is there any info on the bag as to what kind of leather? (Ie: Full grain, top, "genuine leather"...)  I've been waiting for years to find just the right bag, and I love the look of this one.

Given how it's worn, I'd say it's full grain... but the information isn't on the website.

I have 2 of their bags. One I got as a gift when I was 14, and the other I bought myself when I was 24. I am now 32, and those are the ONLY bags I've ever carried. Both still look impeccable, get compliments, and I could probably sell them for a tidy sum. My husband has their messenger bag (which, dear god, was half the price 8 years ago!), and he's worn it every day... one 20$ repair bill in that time, and it still looks impeccable too. The only downside is that, if you get any of the dyed bags, the dye does leech off for the first little bit if the bag gets wet (so... don't get caught in the rain and then let it rub over your hip while wearing white clothes).

Expensive? Absolutely, OMFG. But worth it.

mtn

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13024 on: April 14, 2016, 08:39:07 AM »
Got another little bit from my workplace today. I had a co-worker discuss some shopping he doing for watches and he noticed a certain watch that costed $100,000 and wondered incredulously who would pay that much for a watch ("Must be a very nice watch").

I then told him about some other expensive items like a handbag that costs $10,000 and he then told me that another co-worker paid $2000 for a handbag! I was shocked that someone I know could be that wasteful (note this is not the same co-worker I mentioned earlier that was down to her last 3 dollars).

Wow.

The most I've paid for a purse was 180$ (at the exchange rate of the time), and it was high-quality thick leather that was big enough to slide a macbook in (I didn't want to carry purse + briefcase + book + lunch - everything can fit in one bag, please). I've worn it, so far, every day for 8 years, and, with a 10$ repair bill recently, it should last at least that long again... and it still looks nice enough that 3 of my colleagues have stopped me to ask where I got my purse, and was it recently, because they're looking for something nice and like mine.

I can understand paying more for quality (hell, I certainly did, and no 30$ cheap faux-leather purse would still be looking good after 8 years of non-careful wear and tear), but 2k on a bag is not quality, it's idiocy.

Kitsune, where did you get that kind of bag? I would love to have one of my own.

On a trip to Italy, so you're not gonna find them in stores!

But the brand is I Medici, and I just found the exact bag I have on their website: http://www.imedicibags.com/handbags/i-medici-borsa-leather-shopping-large-tote-bag.html (and the price has seriously gone up in 8 years...)

Definitely my kind of bag! But ooof, that price...

Well, at the time, it was almost 100$ less, and I still considered it an unreasonable splurge, but I don't buy "souvenir items" on trips: I save my money for one useful item that'll remind me of the trip, usually something that's cheaper where I'm going than at home (woven cotton scarves in Mexico, leather and pearls in Italy, foods or cooking gear specific to the region, etc). So: that was my justification  at the time.

But it's working out to under 25$/year to meet all my bag needs, looks great, and survives everything (drop it in mud? Rinse let dry, it's fine). Honestly: if it gave out in 5 years, I'd replace it with another of the same, rather than try to find a leather bag under 100$ that might last that long (hahahaha the quality of clothes these days is saaaaaad).

Is there any info on the bag as to what kind of leather? (Ie: Full grain, top, "genuine leather"...)  I've been waiting for years to find just the right bag, and I love the look of this one.

Given how it's worn, I'd say it's full grain... but the information isn't on the website.

I have 2 of their bags. One I got as a gift when I was 14, and the other I bought myself when I was 24. I am now 32, and those are the ONLY bags I've ever carried. Both still look impeccable, get compliments, and I could probably sell them for a tidy sum. My husband has their messenger bag (which, dear god, was half the price 8 years ago!), and he's worn it every day... one 20$ repair bill in that time, and it still looks impeccable too. The only downside is that, if you get any of the dyed bags, the dye does leech off for the first little bit if the bag gets wet (so... don't get caught in the rain and then let it rub over your hip while wearing white clothes).

Expensive? Absolutely, OMFG. But worth it.

It can probably be a mostly accurate generalization that when leather is the main component of a product, it is worth paying a very high premium for quality.

That doesn't mean that you can't get the same quality for a lower price, necessarily, just that my $300 (mens) boots and dress shoes outlast my $150 boots and dress shoes by about 10 years, and those examples of $150 footwear outlast the $60 footwear by about 3 years.

Kitsune

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13025 on: April 14, 2016, 09:53:38 AM »
Only kind of antimustachian, but gets on my nerves something crazy: people who call for meetings/phone calls/discussions instead of making a decision.

I have one such meeting I'm trying to avoid at 1pm this afternoon. It's scheduled to be half an hour. It's a SIMPLE CALL. There's an issue, there are two options, I have a preference for one but I'd be fine with the other, and it's her responsibility. MAKE. THE. CALL.

Between our salaries and overhead, if we were expensing this, the meeting would cost the company over 150$. We should be doing billable things. Do we need to discuss this? I'm on board. MAKE A DECISION. If you can't, tell me, and I'll make the decision. But for all that's good and holy, stop calling useless and aggravating and expensive meetings to outsource your decision-making!!!

MgoSam

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13026 on: April 14, 2016, 10:44:46 AM »
Meetings for things like that are simply so that whoever needing to make the decision can avoid any responsibility.

I @#$# hate meetings, especially as my company's principal owner will call them to ask for suggestions and we all know he has his mind made up but wants our "input." It's a complete joke because he'll ignore all of us and if it fails he'll either say that we supported him or didn't stop him. So I've taken to just making many of these decisions on my own without his direct input. I do this by listening to what he's looking for along with what our salesmen and employees need and just go ahead and will make a decision. This enables us to get results WAY faster than if we spent two hours in a meeting and then did more analysis. To date, none of my decisions in this regard have been wrong.

LennStar

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13027 on: April 14, 2016, 11:40:01 AM »
try googling "responsibility diffusion" and have fun! Not quite the same, but very similar.

Inaya

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13028 on: April 14, 2016, 01:12:17 PM »
I need to rant. It's about work, so it's related! But, ugh, there is a special place in hell for people who put their conference calls on speaker. Just don't do it! If you need your hands, get a head set. Literally all you need to do is ask your admin assistant. They stockpile them! I've seen it!

Okay back on topic. We have a classifieds section on our intranet. Somebody is attempting to sell a wedding dress+veil+sparkly headband for $1500 total, and specifies cash only. Gown was $2,250.00, veil was $460.00, and the head piece was around $250. The kicker? In her own words on the ad, "Gown was never used for its intended purpose." Whoa... all that money just down the drain, even if she does manage to sell it.


My dress was about $500 including alterations, and I felt like I was spending a fortune. (I'm actually a little ashamed to admit on this forum that I spend that much.)

Paul der Krake

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13029 on: April 14, 2016, 01:26:29 PM »
I need to rant. It's about work, so it's related! But, ugh, there is a special place in hell for people who put their conference calls on speaker. Just don't do it! If you need your hands, get a head set. Literally all you need to do is ask your admin assistant. They stockpile them! I've seen it!
Why is nobody calling them out on this?

onlykelsey

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13030 on: April 14, 2016, 01:29:54 PM »
I need to rant. It's about work, so it's related! But, ugh, there is a special place in hell for people who put their conference calls on speaker. Just don't do it! If you need your hands, get a head set. Literally all you need to do is ask your admin assistant. They stockpile them! I've seen it!

Okay back on topic. We have a classifieds section on our intranet. Somebody is attempting to sell a wedding dress+veil+sparkly headband for $1500 total, and specifies cash only. Gown was $2,250.00, veil was $460.00, and the head piece was around $250. The kicker? In her own words on the ad, "Gown was never used for its intended purpose." Whoa... all that money just down the drain, even if she does manage to sell it.


My dress was about $500 including alterations, and I felt like I was spending a fortune. (I'm actually a little ashamed to admit on this forum that I spend that much.)

I spent $900 plus alterations.  Pre-MMM, but whoops!  Honestly, I don't feel that bad about it.  I actually am donating it this month, just have to get it cleaned.  Also on my dime.  I am never going to be the paragon of low-cost efficiency that MMM is, but that's okay. 

Inaya

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13031 on: April 14, 2016, 01:45:29 PM »
I need to rant. It's about work, so it's related! But, ugh, there is a special place in hell for people who put their conference calls on speaker. Just don't do it! If you need your hands, get a head set. Literally all you need to do is ask your admin assistant. They stockpile them! I've seen it!

Okay back on topic. We have a classifieds section on our intranet. Somebody is attempting to sell a wedding dress+veil+sparkly headband for $1500 total, and specifies cash only. Gown was $2,250.00, veil was $460.00, and the head piece was around $250. The kicker? In her own words on the ad, "Gown was never used for its intended purpose." Whoa... all that money just down the drain, even if she does manage to sell it.

My dress was about $500 including alterations, and I felt like I was spending a fortune. (I'm actually a little ashamed to admit on this forum that I spend that much.)

I spent $900 plus alterations.  Pre-MMM, but whoops!  Honestly, I don't feel that bad about it.  I actually am donating it this month, just have to get it cleaned.  Also on my dime.  I am never going to be the paragon of low-cost efficiency that MMM is, but that's okay.

I wanted to donate mine, but the only place interested also wanted me to give them a $200 check for the privilege. Yeah, no. So it sits in my closet until I decide what to do with it. It'll either end up in a Goodwill somewhere or get converted to something more practical. Men (and suit-wearing women) have it easy. Hubs got a good deal on a nice suit ($400+alterations, marked down from $750), and he'll probably be able to use that thing his entire adult life.

Geostache

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13032 on: April 14, 2016, 01:55:29 PM »
I need to rant. It's about work, so it's related! But, ugh, there is a special place in hell for people who put their conference calls on speaker. Just don't do it! If you need your hands, get a head set. Literally all you need to do is ask your admin assistant. They stockpile them! I've seen it!
Why is nobody calling them out on this?

I have one better. In my hall sits a group of folks all working on the same project. They will each sit in their own office, ON THE SAME TELECON, with their phones on speaker. There are three of them, and there's at most two offices between their doors.

On the antimustachian side of things, the people responsible for ordering products for my group automatically go and purchase something on the credit card, rather than search the extensive inventory of recycled products (read: office furniture, paper shredders, space heaters, etc) that are available to us for free first. SMH.

TheGrimSqueaker

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13033 on: April 14, 2016, 02:44:17 PM »
I need to rant. It's about work, so it's related! But, ugh, there is a special place in hell for people who put their conference calls on speaker. Just don't do it! If you need your hands, get a head set. Literally all you need to do is ask your admin assistant. They stockpile them! I've seen it!

Okay back on topic. We have a classifieds section on our intranet. Somebody is attempting to sell a wedding dress+veil+sparkly headband for $1500 total, and specifies cash only. Gown was $2,250.00, veil was $460.00, and the head piece was around $250. The kicker? In her own words on the ad, "Gown was never used for its intended purpose." Whoa... all that money just down the drain, even if she does manage to sell it.


My dress was about $500 including alterations, and I felt like I was spending a fortune. (I'm actually a little ashamed to admit on this forum that I spend that much.)

So it's not technically an unused gown, and anyone considering buying it should probably ask what it was used for.

zolotiyeruki

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13034 on: April 14, 2016, 03:02:40 PM »

I have one better. In my hall sits a group of folks all working on the same project. They will each sit in their own office, ON THE SAME TELECON, with their phones on speaker. There are three of them, and there's at most two offices between their doors.
In my experience, the reason for that may be so they can multitask while on the conference call, without being rude to other people in the same room.  That doesn't mean that their other tasks are productive, just that they're doing something else while on the call.

Seppia

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Overheard at Work
« Reply #13035 on: April 14, 2016, 03:23:08 PM »
Big meetings and conference calls are the most inefficient things that happen in an office.
Very often the way to try not taking responsibility for something.
Large meetings should only be informative, i.e. information has to be downloaded to many people at the same time.
But there's a reason why company structures are pyramid shaped, so there's one guy/gal at the top who can independently make the decision.

Being able to make the call can be awesome (better salary, you get most of the credit if it goes well even if it was one of your subordinates suggestion to begin with) and awful at the same time  (shit hits the fan: it's your fault and you lose the job), but that's the whole point of being a manager.

MgoSam

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13036 on: April 14, 2016, 03:33:49 PM »
That reminds me, anyone here have any recommendations for a good head set? I would like to get a couple for me and a few people in the office. It'll be so much easier to just have one and have both hands free for typing the customer's order.

QueenAlice

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13037 on: April 14, 2016, 07:52:21 PM »
That reminds me, anyone here have any recommendations for a good head set? I would like to get a couple for me and a few people in the office. It'll be so much easier to just have one and have both hands free for typing the customer's order.

I second this foam.

Pooperman

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13038 on: April 15, 2016, 02:10:37 AM »
That reminds me, anyone here have any recommendations for a good head set? I would like to get a couple for me and a few people in the office. It'll be so much easier to just have one and have both hands free for typing the customer's order.

I second this foam.

USB or the headset jack variety?

merula

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13039 on: April 15, 2016, 08:30:22 AM »
That reminds me, anyone here have any recommendations for a good head set? I would like to get a couple for me and a few people in the office. It'll be so much easier to just have one and have both hands free for typing the customer's order.

I have had a Plantronics CS55 bluetooth headset that plugs into my phone for 6? years, and it's been awesome. An admin ordered it for me after I admired a coworker's, though, so I seriously have no idea what it costs.

Orvell

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13040 on: April 15, 2016, 08:55:10 AM »
That reminds me, anyone here have any recommendations for a good head set? I would like to get a couple for me and a few people in the office. It'll be so much easier to just have one and have both hands free for typing the customer's order.

I have had a Plantronics CS55 bluetooth headset that plugs into my phone for 6? years, and it's been awesome. An admin ordered it for me after I admired a coworker's, though, so I seriously have no idea what it costs.

Plantronics CS  Voyager Legend is the set I have at work. Might be similar or the same as merula's. It's pretty amazing. I didn't order it myself (IT did) but I imagine it was some $$. It's Bluetooth and lets me wander from the front desk all around our office with a call. A+

merula

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13041 on: April 15, 2016, 08:57:39 AM »
I have had a Plantronics CS55 bluetooth headset that plugs into my phone for 6? years, and it's been awesome. An admin ordered it for me after I admired a coworker's, though, so I seriously have no idea what it costs.

Plantronics CS  Voyager Legend is the set I have at work. Might be similar or the same as merula's. It's pretty amazing. I didn't order it myself (IT did) but I imagine it was some $$. It's Bluetooth and lets me wander from the front desk all around our office with a call. A+

Yeah, that's the fancy-pants version of mine that some other people around the office have. Allegedly it has a bigger range for wandering, but I think that's anecdotal. I can go to the water fountain or coworkers' desks without issue, so the range is sufficient for my needs.

But it does definitely look nicer.

randymarsh

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13042 on: April 15, 2016, 07:55:02 PM »
The wireless Plantronics headsets are easily $150. The fancier models are $200-$300.

MgoSam

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13043 on: April 15, 2016, 09:22:54 PM »
Thanks everyone!

Tjat

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13044 on: April 16, 2016, 05:12:17 AM »
Another pan handler story. In my commuter train station, much of the platform is underground. There's a guy who goes from person to person with a well rehearsed woe is me lie about needing $17 for fare. He doesn't bother me except when he corners a woman who's sitting by herself on a bench or something. While not a big guy, he stands over them making it difficult for them to get away. If I can, I get real real close to this encounter and Just stand there until he moves on.

Orvell

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13045 on: April 16, 2016, 06:09:38 AM »
The wireless Plantronics headsets are easily $150. The fancier models are $200-$300.
*Nods*
I would believe that. They're pretty swank. But they work well, and it's a company expense.

gaja

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13046 on: April 16, 2016, 07:21:40 AM »
Not un-mustachian in the traditional sense, but gawd, I gotta rant.

Director-level person: "My employees aren't doing *thing* unless I'm on their case all the time, so I can't take a day off because I have to supervise, why aren't they doing this, etc, etc, *whine*" (Note: her employees are ALL highly-paid and highly-trained professionals; we're not running a call center)

Me: "So, you tell them it's part of their job, and that their performance in the next 3 weeks is what guarantees that they will keep HAVING jobs, and then you follow through on that. Haven't you done that??"

Director: "No, they're not gonna like that."

YOU'RE THEIR SUPERVISOR. IT IS YOUR JOB TO SET STANDARDS, ENFORCE THEM, AND ENSURE TEAM SUCCESS. THAT IS LITERALLY YOUR JOB. WHY ARE YOU NOT DOING IT.

The cynic in me says that if a group of people systematically don't do an activity at work, it means that they don't find value in said activity.  Which means it either isn't valuable, or the value hasn't been properly explained to them.

In some cases people will only understand the value of an activity when it is described as "must be performed in order to keep your job."

If the task was so idiotic that my boss had to threathen to fire me to get me to do it, I would probably just quit. Luckily I have a boss that treats me like an intelligent human being, and trusts me to use my best judgment. In return, I will do all the stupid stuff that we agree is necessary to keep the wheels turning and the big bosses happy.

Kitsune

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13047 on: April 16, 2016, 11:34:14 AM »
Not un-mustachian in the traditional sense, but gawd, I gotta rant.

Director-level person: "My employees aren't doing *thing* unless I'm on their case all the time, so I can't take a day off because I have to supervise, why aren't they doing this, etc, etc, *whine*" (Note: her employees are ALL highly-paid and highly-trained professionals; we're not running a call center)

Me: "So, you tell them it's part of their job, and that their performance in the next 3 weeks is what guarantees that they will keep HAVING jobs, and then you follow through on that. Haven't you done that??"

Director: "No, they're not gonna like that."

YOU'RE THEIR SUPERVISOR. IT IS YOUR JOB TO SET STANDARDS, ENFORCE THEM, AND ENSURE TEAM SUCCESS. THAT IS LITERALLY YOUR JOB. WHY ARE YOU NOT DOING IT.

The cynic in me says that if a group of people systematically don't do an activity at work, it means that they don't find value in said activity.  Which means it either isn't valuable, or the value hasn't been properly explained to them.

In some cases people will only understand the value of an activity when it is described as "must be performed in order to keep your job."

If the task was so idiotic that my boss had to threathen to fire me to get me to do it, I would probably just quit. Luckily I have a boss that treats me like an intelligent human being, and trusts me to use my best judgment. In return, I will do all the stupid stuff that we agree is necessary to keep the wheels turning and the big bosses happy.

In most cases, I'd agree with you.

In this case, the company is having cash flow problems, and we'd all like to keep having jobs.

The thing in question is boring, tedious, and the part of their job they like least, and I 100% get that... But it's also the thing that generates the quickest cash flow to solve the short term problem. And the work they enjoy doing? Is not available for the next month (contracts not starting till then).

So... Task might be idiotic, but it will make the money that will pay your pay check. Or you might as well go home and not do it, since if it's not done there will be no money to pay you anyway.

But they're still whining and complaining, and 2/5 aren't doing it. It's a great demonstration as to their ability to be responsible and mature people who can prioritize workload based on importance, yeah... I get that they don't like it, but ffs people.

nnls

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13048 on: April 18, 2016, 01:15:30 AM »
A guy at work who I know would be earning over $150k just mentioned he had consolidated all his credit cards and personal loans into his mortgage. These loans amounted to $50k.

But he hasnt cancelled his credit cards cause he isn't sure if he might want a jetski or something come summer. He also happily admits to being bad with money and guessing he will rack up debt again and need to refinance and consolidate hi debt again in 2 years.

iris lily

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13049 on: April 18, 2016, 07:30:45 AM »
I am indifferent to handbags, but the I Medici one owned by previous poster is classic, and even I dont consider that a whole lot of money if you have to look nice for your job and you have to carry computer and other stuff in it.

Im surprised that the lining holds up that long , though, with daily use.

This bag looks nice because it is a classic style, clean lines. Also the pp's words of wisdm about dyes is useful.

The current societal obsession with big ass buckles all over the place is silly. Keep your classic bags and let the sheeple pay $300, $400, $500+ for things that are dated within 5 years.
« Last Edit: April 18, 2016, 07:32:41 AM by iris lily »