I love the rave section in my paper. It’s the first section I read, but sometimes a rant isn’t a bad thing. So, let’s rant, but me first. Reading the headline in the NYT times The Restaurant QR-Code Menu Is Being Shown the Door – The New York Times. My first thoughts were no shit, and what has happened to customer service. Yes, I am aware this idea came out of the pandemic, and there it should have stayed. The second time I encountered one I asked for a real menu, and when I was informed they didn’t exist, my party and I left the restaurant. If we wanted to order food by looking at our phones, we would have ordered uber eats. Having a menu is a part of the dining out experience. Plus, most of our phones are super gross, and dining out is a way to unplug. This trend also makes me think customer service is a dying industry. We are not only forced to use our phones as menus, but many stores now have self-check. This leaves us to be the cashier and the bagger while paying higher prices, and many wonder why the retail and dining industries are dying. Here are a few rant clippings and thought this would be a great time to share them.
RANT to the Pier 55 coffee shop team who saw customers lined up for the scheduled 8 a.m. opening recently and did not inform them of the late 9 a.m. opening until an arriving employee was let in at 8:20 and one of the customers asked. At least put a sign on the door.
RANT to the big-box home improvement store in Bothell that touts celebrating veterans with a discount on their purchases, then excludes those who do not have a smartphone, even when they’re registered with the store as a vet. To require that you buy a smartphone to be “thanked” is discriminatory. Not everyone wants or needs a smartphone. The “old” system was fairer and worked well for the veteran customer. Shame on you!
RANT to the folks that put signs advertising their garage sales but do not include dates. I’ve been on many wild goose chases only to discover the sign was left up from a previous sale. And a second rant to those folks who don’t remove those signs after their sales.
RANT to product packaging that requires one pair of scissors, two or three alternative sharp instruments, several four-letter words, and eight hours to open.
RANT to the self-involved among us who insist on walking down the middle of sidewalks phone scrolling, never looking up and expecting everyone else to move aside for them. The posts from your friends cannot possibly be important enough to warrant constant monitoring. Remember you live among others.
RANT to all the news anchors who say “Feb-you-ary” instead of saying it correctly as “Feb-brew-ary.” These folks are supposed to be role models for our language.
RANT to the people who sit their bag/briefcase/anything in a chair to claim the chair for their use? A chair is for butts, not anything else! Put the bag on the floor!
RANT on the restaurant billing system that calculates the “suggested tip” on the total, which includes sales tax. No one should be paying a tip on sales tax. Yes, on a per transaction basis, it’s a small amount. But, it is illegal and, over time, accumulates to substantial amount. And for the industry as a whole, it’s a significant amount that’s illegally extracted from the consumers.
RANT to my health insurance company. They wanted roughly $270 for one asthma inhaler if I placed the order with their online pharmacy. I found an online service offering drug prescription discounts and was able to purchase the same inhaler for $80 WITHOUT using my insurance drug coverage. More proof that something is very wrong with health care in this country.
What’s your rant?. Just let it out . You’ll feel better getting it out and I will feel better knowing I am not alone.
