I went to Banana Republic to purchase a pair of pants and brought them up to the cashier. After signing the sales receipt, the cashier looked at my signature and then looked at my card. He then proceeded to rip off a strip of blank register tape. He handed me the blank paper and said, “Could you sign this for me please?” “What for?” I…
And my credit card number is…
Lets face it. Your credit card number is never truly safe unless you never use your card. Every day, there are opportunities for your credit card number to get into the wrong hands. I’ve spoken to friends who have never shopped online. “Is shopping online safe and have you ever shopped online?” they ask. They seem to have “heard” from some unknown source that shopping…
The Subway incident
Occasionally I’ll head over to Subway to buy a sandwich for lunch. On this particular day, the line was longer than normal. The people ahead of me were all together and one of them had a sheet of paper with additional orders from back in their office. After ordering one of the sandwiches, the Subway sandwich assembler informed them that they were out of the…
Don’t drop film!
In the days before digital photography, we used film. To develop the film, we brought it to a camera store where an envelope would be filled out and the film would be dropped in. That evening, or a day later (or even in just an hour), your prints would return. That’s how this story begins. My father owns a camera store and a customer came…
The Noodle vs. The Cash Register
There are many times when a person seems willing to help, but then is unable to because “the computer won’t let me do it that way.” Such was the case when visiting a local takeout. I wanted to purchase two orders of their “Salmon and Shrimp Curry Noodles” but without the salmon or shrimp. Nowhere on the menu could I purchase only curry noodles. The…
The inseparable couple
Working in tech support for a company exposes me to many instances of ineptitude. Some make me roll my eyes, others make me laugh out loud. My first encounter was also my most memorable and to this date, my favorite story. The setup: This story dates back to around the year 2000. I’m on the phone with an elderly man who called in for support…