So trivial, yet it really ticks you off.

[V.C. Brunswick]

Why we can’t find anything good at thrift stores anymore. I could care less about many of the brands but note the whole categories!

View attachment 652102

— Alpaca
— Band Concert T Shirts
— Cashmere (100%)
— Down Fill
— Fur
— Leather
— Made in (USA, France, Germany, Norway)
— Military
— New with Tags (Retail price $100+)
— Sports Jerseys
— Quilts (Handmade)
— Vintage (Pre 1997)
— Wool (100% only)
— Native Western Wear

When the Salvation Army store by my house opened 15 years ago I picked up a leather jacket for ten bucks. Those days are long gone. I also used to look for military stuff and had noticed that they too had long since disappeared. They don’t even put them out for Halloween anymore.

And here I’m surprised that anything makes it on to the shelves except cheap vases that came with the Mothers Day flowers and leftover T-shirts from some local event. I found these on a subreddit I belong to called ThriftGrift.

 

[Turnip]

Good Night.

 

[GHT]

 

[tonyb]

Dissatisfaction is at the heart of almost all innovation.

Sure, there’s always “good enough” or “it’ll do,” but those are acknowledgements that it could be better.

 

[Benny Holiday]

So I went to pay a phone bill the other day. I was on the computer so I thought I'd just pay it from there. When I logged into my phone company account, I was told there had to be a 'two-step veriifcation process' to prove that it was me. I needed to go to the app on my phone and press an icon. I was thinking, why did I bother, I should've just gone to the app.

But then, the app wanted to verify me via my account on the computer! For $#@^ sake! Really? truly we are living in the Twilight Zone. It ended up taking me ten minutes to pay a bill that should've taken me thirty seconds to do. So much for convenience.

 

[Monte.C]

So I went to pay a phone bill the other day. I was on the computer so I thought I'd just pay it from there. When I logged into my phone company account, I was told there had to be a 'two-step veriifcation process' to prove that it was me. I needed to go to the app on my phone and press an icon. I was thinking, why did I bother, I should've just gone to the app.

But then, the app wanted to verify me via my account on the computer! For $#@^ sake! Really? truly we are living in the Twilight Zone. It ended up taking me ten minutes to pay a bill that should've taken me thirty seconds to do. So much for convenience.

No. Way.
Now if for some reason I have to call my bank, they push really strongly for me to ok the use of their voice recognition system. No way. The other day when I finally got a nice young lady on the phone, before the call ended she suggested I do this (I'm sure it's just part of her job). I told her no way. Voice recognition sounds too close to facial recognition, and that sounds too much like China and the Big Brother-surveillance-nanny state. I still like to buy a coffee with cash, even though the baristas get snotty about it.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Never forget, when the technology's free, you are the product.

 

[tonyb]

So I went to pay a phone bill the other day. I was on the computer so I thought I'd just pay it from there. When I logged into my phone company account, I was told there had to be a 'two-step veriifcation process' to prove that it was me. I needed to go to the app on my phone and press an icon. I was thinking, why did I bother, I should've just gone to the app.

But then, the app wanted to verify me via my account on the computer! For $#@^ sake! Really? truly we are living in the Twilight Zone. It ended up taking me ten minutes to pay a bill that should've taken me thirty seconds to do. So much for convenience.

I had a similar experience just this day. It pains me to recount the details, so I’ll spare myself. But know that you aren’t the only one frustrated by this stuff. It’s truly all for the convenience of the business and not the customer.

 

[LizzieMaine]

In the same way that "human resources" policies are for the protection of the company, not the worker.

 

[GHT]

Never forget, when the technology's free, you are the product.

And a very valuable product. Cash is anonymous, but any other payment method is not. You and your purchase go onto a profile. Others are doing much the same, so now your profiles with A, B, & C can be bought and added to the existing profile, so that your profile is now huge and very valuable.
Lizzie is right, you are the product.

 

[GHT]

So I went to pay a phone bill the other day. I was on the computer so I thought I'd just pay it from there. When I logged into my phone company account, I was told there had to be a 'two-step veriifcation process' to prove that it was me. I needed to go to the app on my phone and press an icon. I was thinking, why did I bother, I should've just gone to the app.

But then, the app wanted to verify me via my account on the computer! For $#@^ sake! Really? truly we are living in the Twilight Zone. It ended up taking me ten minutes to pay a bill that should've taken me thirty seconds to do. So much for convenience.

I'm impressed that you persevered Benny, the experience that you eloquently describe seems to be my lot with internet exchanges. Your: "For $#@^ sake!" so resonated, I could almost hear my previous blast of obscenities of frustration at whatever hoops that I was expected to jump through!

 

[Trenchfriend]

First time in my life, that a medical office forgot to write my appointment down in their schedule. But blessing in disguise, it's in my smalltown, fifteen minutes by feet. Got a new appointment next week.

 

[Monte.C]

Never forget, when the technology's free, you are the product.

And a very valuable product. Cash is anonymous, but any other payment method is not. You and your purchase go onto a profile. Others are doing much the same, so now your profiles with A, B, & C can be bought and added to the existing profile, so that your profile is now huge and very valuable.
Lizzie is right, you are the product.

I'm still trying to figure this out.
It used to be - "Hey, not enough cash on hand? Use this plastic! It's more convenient and you can borrow what you need, short term." And loads of people floated a balance for a bit and paid outrageous interest, and that's the obvious use for the credit card - to collect your interest payments.

But now when I use plastic it runs through my bank, auto-pay directly from my checking or savings. It's effortless and I'm guaranteed to never pay interest. So why would they want me to use plastic?? They give me "cash back". This means it costs the bank for me to use plastic. I'm honestly believing it's all part of the grander plan to go cashless. To wean us off of paper money. And that's ultimately all about control of the population.

 

[Monte.C]

First time in my life, that a medical office forgot to write my appointment down in their schedule. But blessing in disguise, it's in my smalltown, fifteen minutes by feet. Got a new appointment next week.

Just another excuse to take a 15 minute walk in your favorite jacket.

 

[Zombie_61]

So I went to pay a phone bill the other day. I was on the computer so I thought I'd just pay it from there. When I logged into my phone company account, I was told there had to be a 'two-step veriifcation process' to prove that it was me. I needed to go to the app on my phone and press an icon. I was thinking, why did I bother, I should've just gone to the app.

But then, the app wanted to verify me via my account on the computer! For $#@^ sake! Really? truly we are living in the Twilight Zone. It ended up taking me ten minutes to pay a bill that should've taken me thirty seconds to do. So much for convenience.

All of these so-called "conveniences" are only disguised as making our lives easier; they're actually for making the "lives" of companies and corporations easier by forcing us, the customers, to do their jobs for them.

 

[Monte.C]

All of these so-called "conveniences" are only disguised as making our lives easier; they're actually for making the "lives" of companies and corporations easier by forcing us, the customers, to do their jobs for them.

Exactly. They sell us "convenience," but it's not really about convenience. There are ulterior motives.
NY Transit has been pushing everyone for a while to swipe their way into the system with their phone or watch instead of the plastic subway pass. They've been advertising the hell out of this on the subway for a long time. The ads say it's easier & more convenient. It is not. They say you save money after so many rides across a week's time. This is false. Compared to a weekly or monthly pass you don't save a penny.
It's hard to categorize these as outright lies. It's all about misdirection and inflated enthusiasm and promises of convenience. They're just trying really hard to go cashless. They also maintain the card machines much more poorly and less frequently than they used to. They are not working toward the convenience of the people, they're controlling the behavior of the people.

 

[Benny Holiday]

It's of some comfort to know I'm not the only one dealing with this nonsense!

 

[Monte.C]

It's of some comfort to know I'm not the only one dealing with this nonsense!

There it is. The top of my "yet it really ticks you off" list.
NONSENSE.
Closely followed by ignorance.

 

[Trenchfriend]

I used the word "actually" wrong a couple of times, here. Sorry, my Loungers!

 

[Trenchfriend]

The digital bubble creates interesting new jobs.
Radio interview with a "counselor for digital violence", which counsels women's shelters and so on.

Oh man, where humanity went. Ladies, what's wrong with you??
Just dump your stupid-a.. idiot phone! We still have simple old GSM-mobile phones available..