A study in opposing attitudes
Discussion
I had a splendid little tutorial on this subject today. I needed to get two pieces of A4 laminated and someone suggested the local library.
The young man behind the counter looked up attentively as I approached the desk. I enquired whether they had a laminator. 'We do' he said, 'But it's not for public use'. Then he looked at my folder. 'How much is there?' 'Just two pieces of A4' say I. 'Let me check' he said and disappeared for a couple of minutes. In that time his lady assistant, who was talking to another customer, looked at me and said 'We don't do laminating for the public'. 'Oh' says I, engaging her with half my brain while the other half is fairly sure the chap is going to come back and do exactly that. 'That's a pity, you could sell the service and make some money for the library'. No effect. She got a folder out and mentioned a place about five miles away. 'But that's a 10 mile round trip in a car' I say. I'm lining up something about pollution but just then the chap returns and says 'That'll be fine, I'll put the machine on'. Victory! He takes my folder and disappears.
I saunter nonchalantly over to the books and try to blend in, feeling a bit like Kirk Douglas in The Heroes of Telemark. I reacquaint myself with 'James and the Giant Peach' and after a while the the man returns. He hands over the laminated pages and asks nicely for 50p to cover the cost of the sheets. I happily give him £2. I've got my laminating, the library's made £1.50 profit and the man gets my award for helpfulness and initiative.
I think this is a perfect little example of a 'We Can't' versus 'We Can'. Only £2 was involved, but that's not important. I walked home thinking that if more people shared his attitude the country would work a lot better.
The young man behind the counter looked up attentively as I approached the desk. I enquired whether they had a laminator. 'We do' he said, 'But it's not for public use'. Then he looked at my folder. 'How much is there?' 'Just two pieces of A4' say I. 'Let me check' he said and disappeared for a couple of minutes. In that time his lady assistant, who was talking to another customer, looked at me and said 'We don't do laminating for the public'. 'Oh' says I, engaging her with half my brain while the other half is fairly sure the chap is going to come back and do exactly that. 'That's a pity, you could sell the service and make some money for the library'. No effect. She got a folder out and mentioned a place about five miles away. 'But that's a 10 mile round trip in a car' I say. I'm lining up something about pollution but just then the chap returns and says 'That'll be fine, I'll put the machine on'. Victory! He takes my folder and disappears.
I saunter nonchalantly over to the books and try to blend in, feeling a bit like Kirk Douglas in The Heroes of Telemark. I reacquaint myself with 'James and the Giant Peach' and after a while the the man returns. He hands over the laminated pages and asks nicely for 50p to cover the cost of the sheets. I happily give him £2. I've got my laminating, the library's made £1.50 profit and the man gets my award for helpfulness and initiative.
I think this is a perfect little example of a 'We Can't' versus 'We Can'. Only £2 was involved, but that's not important. I walked home thinking that if more people shared his attitude the country would work a lot better.
Prime example of public sector running uneconomically.
They really need to switch to a private sector survival instinct to avoid extinction. Unfortunately too many of the employee's are power hungry the rules are the rules type wallopers unable to engage any type of business activity.
They really need to switch to a private sector survival instinct to avoid extinction. Unfortunately too many of the employee's are power hungry the rules are the rules type wallopers unable to engage any type of business activity.
I come across this all the time
People print stuff off leave it on printer.
Scoot over to it on their chair
Moan about the system we use but won’t put a ticket in to replace it.
I think it’s cos I’m the oldest in the office I see the generational change
I needed a new chair.
8 pages google doc form to fill in.
Printer jams or runs out of paper nobody wants to know
Had a five minute discussion about picking a box up the other day it was literally a mile down the road
Went and got it in my car.
I’m slow on the uptake of new ideas so I’m not perfect
But the next gen.
Honestly I think we will have a problem in years to come
Lots of unskilled people. Foreign and also home grown
Nobody has any tools or washed their car.
I had to go round to one lads house to change his car battery for him.
People print stuff off leave it on printer.
Scoot over to it on their chair
Moan about the system we use but won’t put a ticket in to replace it.
I think it’s cos I’m the oldest in the office I see the generational change
I needed a new chair.
8 pages google doc form to fill in.
Printer jams or runs out of paper nobody wants to know
Had a five minute discussion about picking a box up the other day it was literally a mile down the road
Went and got it in my car.
I’m slow on the uptake of new ideas so I’m not perfect
But the next gen.
Honestly I think we will have a problem in years to come
Lots of unskilled people. Foreign and also home grown
Nobody has any tools or washed their car.
I had to go round to one lads house to change his car battery for him.
Geoffcapes said:
As my missus says "you don't ask, you don't get".
Sadly the lack of common sense, or even doing something to help someone out is sadly lacking in society as a whole these days.
Several years ago, when Wilko were still trading, popped in and bought several items - paid with a £20 note.Sadly the lack of common sense, or even doing something to help someone out is sadly lacking in society as a whole these days.
Cashier checked the note to ensure it wasn't a fake - all good, change given to me.
At that point, I remembered I needed some stamps so asked for a booklet, cashier rang it up and I gave her a £5 note which was in my hand as it was from the change she had just given me.
She proceeded to check the note to ensure it wasn't fake - incredulous, I politely said that she had literally just given me that note - meaning, that if it was a fake it was down to them, not me.
Got a blank look back and a 'it's company policy to check all notes' comment - clearly, she didn't understand my point and was just following 'orders'.
Is this an example of a lack of common sense or just plain stupidity?
SpeedBash said:
Got a blank look back and a 'it's company policy to check all notes' comment - clearly, she didn't understand my point and was just following 'orders'.
Is this an example of a lack of common sense or just plain stupidity?
You might have been a mystery shopper. One of our daughters had a Saturday job in WHSmith and they were supposed to ask people who bought greetings cards if they wanted a stamp - even though they often didn't have them. Is this an example of a lack of common sense or just plain stupidity?
SpeedBash said:
Is this an example of a lack of common sense or just plain stupidity?
It's an example of someone who's not worked as a cashier and who, while a fine & upstanding member of society themselves, can't fathom there are plenty of ne'er-do-wells who will happily use sleight of hand and distraction techniques to swap notes during a transaction.SpeedBash said:
Several years ago, when Wilko were still trading, popped in and bought several items - paid with a £20 note.
Cashier checked the note to ensure it wasn't a fake - all good, change given to me.
At that point, I remembered I needed some stamps so asked for a booklet, cashier rang it up and I gave her a £5 note which was in my hand as it was from the change she had just given me.
She proceeded to check the note to ensure it wasn't fake - incredulous, I politely said that she had literally just given me that note - meaning, that if it was a fake it was down to them, not me.
Got a blank look back and a 'it's company policy to check all notes' comment - clearly, she didn't understand my point and was just following 'orders'.
Is this an example of a lack of common sense or just plain stupidity?
Reminds me of the SpongeBob episode 'bubblestand'.Cashier checked the note to ensure it wasn't a fake - all good, change given to me.
At that point, I remembered I needed some stamps so asked for a booklet, cashier rang it up and I gave her a £5 note which was in my hand as it was from the change she had just given me.
She proceeded to check the note to ensure it wasn't fake - incredulous, I politely said that she had literally just given me that note - meaning, that if it was a fake it was down to them, not me.
Got a blank look back and a 'it's company policy to check all notes' comment - clearly, she didn't understand my point and was just following 'orders'.
Is this an example of a lack of common sense or just plain stupidity?
SpongeBob sets up a stall charging people a quarter to blow a bubble, Patrick turns up, but hasn't got any money, so asks SpongeBob if he could borrow a quarter. SpongeBob lends him a quarter, then gives it to SpongeBob to blow a bubble. SpongeBob bites the quarter to check it's real.
Sheepshanks said:
dirky dirk said:
Had a five minute discussion about picking a box up the other day it was literally a mile down the road
Went and got it in my car.
Trust you have business cover, including carriage of goods, on your insurance?Went and got it in my car.
SpeedBash said:
Several years ago, when Wilko were still trading, popped in and bought several items - paid with a £20 note.
Cashier checked the note to ensure it wasn't a fake - all good, change given to me.
At that point, I remembered I needed some stamps so asked for a booklet, cashier rang it up and I gave her a £5 note which was in my hand as it was from the change she had just given me.
She proceeded to check the note to ensure it wasn't fake - incredulous, I politely said that she had literally just given me that note - meaning, that if it was a fake it was down to them, not me.
Got a blank look back and a 'it's company policy to check all notes' comment - clearly, she didn't understand my point and was just following 'orders'.
Is this an example of a lack of common sense or just plain stupidity?
Similar ish, buy something and it's £5 10p. Give them £10 and 10p only for them to look confused for a short while then give you a handful of change!Cashier checked the note to ensure it wasn't a fake - all good, change given to me.
At that point, I remembered I needed some stamps so asked for a booklet, cashier rang it up and I gave her a £5 note which was in my hand as it was from the change she had just given me.
She proceeded to check the note to ensure it wasn't fake - incredulous, I politely said that she had literally just given me that note - meaning, that if it was a fake it was down to them, not me.
Got a blank look back and a 'it's company policy to check all notes' comment - clearly, she didn't understand my point and was just following 'orders'.
Is this an example of a lack of common sense or just plain stupidity?
TX.
Terminator X said:
SpeedBash said:
Several years ago, when Wilko were still trading, popped in and bought several items - paid with a £20 note.
Cashier checked the note to ensure it wasn't a fake - all good, change given to me.
At that point, I remembered I needed some stamps so asked for a booklet, cashier rang it up and I gave her a £5 note which was in my hand as it was from the change she had just given me.
She proceeded to check the note to ensure it wasn't fake - incredulous, I politely said that she had literally just given me that note - meaning, that if it was a fake it was down to them, not me.
Got a blank look back and a 'it's company policy to check all notes' comment - clearly, she didn't understand my point and was just following 'orders'.
Is this an example of a lack of common sense or just plain stupidity?
Similar ish, buy something and it's £5 10p. Give them £10 and 10p only for them to look confused for a short while then give you a handful of change!Cashier checked the note to ensure it wasn't a fake - all good, change given to me.
At that point, I remembered I needed some stamps so asked for a booklet, cashier rang it up and I gave her a £5 note which was in my hand as it was from the change she had just given me.
She proceeded to check the note to ensure it wasn't fake - incredulous, I politely said that she had literally just given me that note - meaning, that if it was a fake it was down to them, not me.
Got a blank look back and a 'it's company policy to check all notes' comment - clearly, she didn't understand my point and was just following 'orders'.
Is this an example of a lack of common sense or just plain stupidity?
TX.
I didn't have the will to explain it to her!
bigandclever said:
It's an example of someone who's not worked as a cashier and who, while a fine & upstanding member of society themselves, can't fathom there are plenty of ne'er-do-wells who will happily use sleight of hand and distraction techniques to swap notes during a transaction.
TBH, this had never occurred to me and is a very good point. 
At one time I would have said some of it comes down to organisations and management not realising that their staff are capable of making judgements and able to adapt and react appropriately. This needs acceptance on both sides that sometimes decisions can result which aren't ideal but with the correct culture is a learning opportunity Therefore the staff in a strict regime just stop thinking as they will get rebuked for the slightest deviation. Eg Waterstones bookseller disciplined for not offering the offer of the week, a chick-lit paperback to a university professor who had just picked up 3 specially ordered heavyweight academic tomes.
At one time I would have said that, but today I wonder as some supposedly highly trained and educated staff just show the most amazing idiocy. GenZ looking at you here in particular.
At one time I would have said that, but today I wonder as some supposedly highly trained and educated staff just show the most amazing idiocy. GenZ looking at you here in particular.
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