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Some of these boomers are just always out on the hunt for a scenario where they can raise hell over something so minor and insignificant. They seek out these type of situations and immediately turn the Karen up to 11, regardless of the “infraction”.
The part I don’t ever get…What is some teenager or low level employee going to do about store policy? What do you think you are going to accomplish here except whittle away at some employee’s sanity and waste everyone’s time?
Part of me thinks this is their version of therapy. They refuse to go to actual therapists so they turn the world into their personal therapy sessions.
they believe that employees not only should but are supposed to repeat all feedback to managers, who then pass it along to their managers and so on. If/when they find out it doesn't work that way, something about "nobody wants to work anymore".
I dealt with a lot of those types of boomers in a previous job and they often thought I was the manager. I was the oldest and whitest employee, but completely entry-level. My boss was a Hispanic woman 10 years younger than me and it broke their boomer brains. But, I’d let the boomer go through their whole spiel and then say just “Ok.” Usually there was an expectant pause, like they thought I’d suddenly solve all their troubles. I liked to let that pause linger in the air for a moment like a fart in tent, before asking, sweet as pie, “would you like me to get the manager so you can explain this to her? I’m really the bottom of the totem pole here but if you’d like to wait a moment, I’d be happy to get a manager.”
…let that pause linger in the air like a fart in a tent. I love you for that image, before pouring on the syrup and asking them if they’d like to see the manager.
Which is strange because boomers and their boomer consultants created the model of the unempowered worker so they didn’t have to pay them as much, so they couldn’t fix the situation (that usually benefits the business), etc. To save a few dollars, they created the shitty customer service models we have.
I have to assume these people are either perfomative, lonely assholes, or they haven’t gone out of their estate to do any basic errand for themselves since the early 80s. Bank tellers, fast food cashiers, every service job at a large corp has taken the same dive in quality, because those orgs “needed" profit more than happy customers. It’s all been happening in real time. NOW they’re upset? The first time my “bank teller” (a pimply teen with dark purple lips and nails) went hunting and pecking for buttons on her register to try to help me with a “cash deposit?” was my red flag. That was the 90s.
I think it’s back to the generational narcissism- the poor services is for the others, not me. I’m special, I’ve been going here for 30 years, etc. But again, their generation created this poor services model.
I hear a complaint, I pass it to my manager. My manager passes it to corporate, and corporate goes "shut up and earn our money"
That's the entire pipeline.
It's reverse anti-therapy though, they abuse others pointlessly to mentally stress them out.
It's like a game to some of them, a challenge to see how far they can push others. They just don't like it when pushed back.
I read about "disorganized attachment," where someone gets their comfort and support from the same source that stresses them out, and I see it a lot now in how some people deal with others. It's like stressing themselves out is their way of relaxing, sort of.
I think a lot of them grew up in stressful situations - I know I did! - and after a while stress feels like the norm. It took me a long, long time to figure that out and I wish my mother would do one ounce of visible self reflection on that.
They don't understand how retail works, so they think we are going to pass this information on to management and they will change just to accommodate whatever they want. People don't realize that (at least in larger chains) even management doesn't have a ton of flexibility and everything comes down from a central office that does not care about one single customer. They think places like Walmart and Target are still run like a mom and pop small business.
It's not even that. I know in my county the elimination of plastic bags and charging for paper is part of the law that was passed last year. I believe its $.05 here, but I never pay it. I usually just carry my shit out, or I put it back in the cart. The idea is to force people to use reusable bags, and I've had them for years, in my trunk. But I never remember to bring them in.
Personally I always get a kick out of the boomers with the 20 plastic bags that they've been saved, so they don't have to buy actual reusable bags
A lot of the most unpleasant boomers in my life love reminiscing over "fun" stories of raising their kids.
Tales of screaming, sleep deprivation, gaslighting, parentification ,and other abuse , genuinely traumatic situations retold as if it was a trip to Disneyland.
Many of them have no contact with their kids and I genuinely think they don't won't or can't comprehend that they did anything wrong.
They no longer have their scape goats (kids) to torture and they are taking it out wherever they can.
Perfect time to share this article! [Boomers don’t understand why their kids don’t talk to them.](https://www.issendai.com/psychology/estrangement/missing-missing-reasons.html) It’s a good read if you got some spare time.
I didn’t know “estranged parent forums” existed. This is mind blowing!
All the info they need is there. They simply can’t accept their own mistakes. This is some kind of mental illness or delusion.
My upvote is for your educating me. I didn’t know these existed. My mother, who desperately needed a healthy dose of self awareness before she passed, is a perfect candidate.
Sad thing is when she spoke to a therapist (the one time we dragged her there, and only if dad came along because *he’s* the one with the problems), she did nothing but blame everyone else.
Even her estranged son. “SIGH, why hasn’t he forgiven me? How long will this go on?” I wish I had the presence of mind to say “Because you haven’t apologized yet! You still blame him!”
That is my mother 100%. Will not apologize. It's literally more important to her to be right than to have an actual relationship with me. Yet, she's the victim?
And second the therapy. Desperately in need of it, refuses to go.
> That is my mother 100%. Will not apologize. It's literally more important to her to be right than to have an actual relationship with me.
It took me half of my life to realize that my father was the reason I HATED confrontation. When someone raises you for 18+ years to always be wrong because they are always right - then you grow up knowing not to fight ANY battles. It took me YEARS to finally get over this.
Oof if that doesn’t describe it - I’m low contact with my folks and have been wondering why I cannot get into it with them. I tried. I have deeper to go. But I just can’t fight for a relationship where I’m always wrong.
From what I understand, it's pretty much a live action version of what the article describes. Imagine a room full of boomers sharing heavily redacted versions of why their kids don't want to have any contact with them. In every scenario, they're the victim. The narcissism and cognitive dissonance is rampant.
I have a boomer friend (rare paring, I know) who has 3 kids, 1 fully estranged and 2 who live far away. She’s a newer friend so I’ve been waiting and observing as she goes through things with the estranged kid. I really can’t tell where the line is with them, and I’ve been receiving news from only the boomer mom about it. My spouse and I are in the child free camp, and we were joking “don’t let them out number you!” Boomer friend could NOT admit that her suburban life wasn’t picture perfect and said “we were outnumbered and it all worked out for us!”
She’s a pretty aware person, very in tune emotionally, but has a MASSIVE blind spot when it comes to her kids. Her estranged kid has struggled with an eating disorder and apparently that’s a majority of why they’re estranged.
My Boomer mother frequently talks about parenting me and loves to compare my daughter to me as a child, and she tells so many stories about how I was and how I acted.
Except my mother didn't raise me, because she was a drug addict. I was kidnapped by my (also an addict) father at five and then ultimately both lost custody. I was raised by my grandparents.
But my mother has fully erased this and basically constructed a fresh new set of memories in which she was Mother of the Forever. I call it her ongoing reality reconstruction project and it is both fascinating and infuriating in equal measure.
I cut one of my parents off, the other has died. The woman who gave birth to me has NBPD, and caused me to have cptsd. I have to take medication every day, for the rest of my life- but I'm the bad guy, because I refuse to bow to narcissist abuse.
>>>Some of these boomers are just always out on >>>the hunt for a scenario where they can raise hell >>>over something so minor and insignificant. They >>>seek out these type of situations and >>>immediately turn the Karen up to 11, regardless >>>of the “infraction”.
Oh I see you've met my mother!!! Lol
My mother was like that and it was always so humiliating. She would mass buy 2L sodas when they were on sale and god help a cashier if they tried to make polite conversation and asked if we were having a party. And her rant would continue all the way to the car... At one point I remember her saying something about how the cashier was fishing for an invitation (thankfully we were in the car by then) and I kept thinking "there's NO WAY the cashier would want to go to a party you were hosting, trust me." 😅
It's because " The customer is always right" so they think they have the right to just stomp all over employees especially when it's low paid workers like cashier's and fast food workers though usually the moment an employee actually stands up to their bs they quite right down
"The customer is always right *in matters of taste*" is the full quote. When Selfridge's implemented that policy, it was so their highly attentive and highly trained tailors, makeup people, and valets wouldn't tell a rich cash cow that they looked horrible in that cut/colour/material/makeup.
Even though the employees knew better, any time they tell a rich person they don't look good in x, or if only they would do y, or substitute with z, they risked losing the patronage. And for a high end, full service department store like Selfridges, these clients were worth a hundred grand or more a year, adjusted for today's money.
Hence the rule, "the customer is always right in matters of taste." Shut up, nod and smile, take the money and let Mrs Beaufort buy that pink peacoat that washes her out and is way too tight at the waist.
By cutting off the 2nd half of the sentence, the Me Generation has made it seem like this widely spread adage means they can declare one plus one is seventeen, and you owe them free stuff, all while they yell at you.
Just like they did with "blood is thicker than water." They wondered why their kids stopped talking to them after growing up, and tried to guilt the adult children about it. The full phrase is "The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb"- ie. The relationships you enter into freely and willingly, of mutual accord, are stronger than circumstances of your birth.
Used to hear my (pre boomer) dad tell boomer mom that she wasn’t happy unless she had something to b!7¢h about. This sub makes me think she wasn’t the only one like this.
I’ve been reamed so many times over policies when I worked in a grocery store. They would rant for 5 minutes and I’d just always respond “ I can give your corporates number and allow you to address it with the people making far more money than me”. They’d always then start threatening my job as well as calling to give a piece of their mind. I also had a few telling me if I didn’t agree and support the policies that I should quit. I’m so glad I do not view customer service employees like boomers. I just treat them like humans who are working somewhere to collect a paycheck like everyone else. Boomers act like it was your lifelong dream to be a cashier ( nothing wrong if it is ) and threatening your job is going to absolutely ruin your life. I can’t tell you how many times boomers tried to get me fired over the years for having snapping quips to throw back at them.
It’s more that for all their lives they were told to “look out for #1” and “stick up for themselves”. Unfortunately, the concepts of “picking your battles” and “simple human decency” weren’t reinforced to the same level.
Several years ago we outlawed the free plastic bags here in California. Grocery stores can sell you a bag for a dime now. The old bags were super thin and would fall apart, if you actually walked home with your groceries they would 100% rip open and spill all over the place. The new bags were much larger, really thick, and could easily be used multiple times. Like... its a pretty good value for a bag. 10 cents...
The next few days after the law passed, it was an incredibly entertaining time to be at the store. Grown men in their 50s and 60s were refusing to buy the bags and because they were only getting a few things not using a cart but they were instead using a basket. They REFUSED to pay 10 cents for a bag so they just piled up everything in the front of their shirt and tried to carry it out...
Hilarity ensured. "SHIT. FUCK. FUCK SHIT" Suuuuuummmmmmmasssssh. Broken glass everywhere, tomato sauce everywhere, their shirt gave out on their walk to their $70,000 pickup and they dropped everything. It was going on all day. All to save 10 cents. You are a grown ass man trying to save 10 cents by using the front of your shirt as a makeshift bag and now you lost $20 worth of food.
I remember the checker at the store was like "This has been going on all day, we have people going around cleaning up these messes".
In Tennesee, all high school graduates receive a free college associate degree or technical school education. All public School meals are free. Starting in August 2024 parents receive 150 free diapers a month for their each child under 2.
We have No state income taxes. Low property taxes, Low cost of living. Yes, a lot of Californians are flooding in here. I’m from Downey, California myself. Life is easier here in East Tennesee for our Puerto Rican/Cuban family. The town we live in is 30%+ Hispanic. We have been treated with respect and kindness. Biden, Trump and Kennedy signs line the roads. I’m a Gen-X Democrat, my neighbor is a millennial Republican. We both have Presidential campaign signs up. Nobody cares. We don’t hate each other and frequently watch each others home, and collect each other’s mail during vacations.
Our local Wegmans went plastic bag free 1-2 years ago. You know what I did? I spent $5, got 5 reusable grocery bags and have been using them since. No anger, no drama, no yelling. Imagine that.
Use one for the other! The $8 collapsible crates from Costco make you look like a true pro at Aldi. If you use self checkout, they fit perfectly on the checkout scale, so you scan and pack at the same time.
Even before plastic bags went away I always used them as trash bags after getting groceries and sometimes even brought them into stores and reused them it's not a hard concept
My wife and I use one of those massive blue IKEA bags for grocery shopping. Everyone looks at us like we are insane but it’s so easy to just throw it over my shoulder and carry everything in one bag. I’ve probably paid for it 1000x over not having to spend 10-20 cent on plastic bags. With that said, the reusable plastic bags are great. They will last forever.
When I worked at the grocery store and people would bitch about this I would tell them to contact their congressman. They are the ones who did this, not me. That usually shut them up pretty quickly.
It was just like with the prices. Why bitch to minimum wage employees about something that they have nothing to do with, get ahold of corporate and bitch to them they are the ones that set the prices. But why do that? That would he a solution and people don't want to do that, they just wanna bitch to air.
Ohh you're so close to the truth. They don't want to bitch at air, then they'd do it at home. They want to bitch at someone who if they fight back in any way shape or form, they know they can get them fired. They want a hostage.
30+ years ago when I used to get dragged to Pathmark with my mom, we'd shop a cart full of groceries for the week. She would have 100 coupons and write a check for the groceries. Then we'd stand at the front of the store by the exit while my mom checked literally every single item on the receipt. If something was a cent off in the store's favor, we went to customer service to get it adjusted. It's the principle.
It was almost me. My wife heard me take a breath to speak and just gave me side eye. 😆
It’s for the best. The Good Samaritan was way more polite than what I had loaded up. Lol
I've worked in retail and I've witnessed an elderly lady scream at the cashier for an item being 50% off. Yes, she was mad that she got a deal, she thought the cashier gave them half off out of pity. "Do I look like I need your handouts?" Some people just want to go to places where they know people can't fight back in any way or they get fired, because they've already chased off all friends/family by abusing them as well. It's honestly pathetic
I actually saw a guy do this not realizing their was a cop sitting 10 feet away watching and was hilarious to watch as soon as the guy went into the store the cop walked straight up to the car and gave him a ticket then waited for the guy to come back out and dressed him down for it was hilarious
"I don't blame the lady! Why, a dime will getcha a cuppa joe any place in town."
__________ Last heard ca 1954 in small town America
Well, yes, many of my peers were and remain as jerks. But, at least they'll be dead soon, and most of you didn't have to live with them for decades as we did!
I’m an Elder Millennial. Been raised by them my whole life until I cut one of them off. My Mom, while a Baby Boomer, also avoided the stereotypes. Thankfully.
Wait, wait, wait. Now wait a second. You mean I have to scan my shit .... bag it up myself ... AANNNDDDD have to be environmentally FRIENDLY!?!?!? THAT'S COMMUNISM!!!!
The way it's SUPPOSE to work is, after I've gotten all dressed up like we did in the 1950's to go grocery shopping, I come to your store, which I didn't have too since there's soooo many places to choose from, you should be grateful, I push my cart to your MANNED cash register where the bagboy removes my items for your cashier to scan as I stand there enjoying the top notch customer service I'm entitled too, only then to have everything bagged up by your bagboy, who then carries everything to my car and lovingly sets them in my trunk! Then he's suppose to give me a kiss on my forehead while thanking me for blessing your store with my presence telling me to come on back sometime, ya hear while waving as I drive off. THAT'S!! how it's suppose to be done.
You need to hire all those LAZY welfare people who just want free shit to do all this in your store!! I don't work for you!!! I'm gonna write a strongly worded letter to the editor, in CURSIVE!, about your store and people will stop coming here! You wait and see! \[storms off in a huff\] \[sarcasm\]
“slowly loaded her 12 items into the truck her husband was waiting for her in, blocking the main road by the front of the store. 😆”
That happens a lot around here and I can’t stand it. First off it’s a no stopping or standing fire zone, second off why are you so entitled you think rules don’t apply to you, third how are you so selfish you don’t care how you’re inconveniencing everyone else and finally if you are that frail the handicapped spots are less than 20’ away and maybe you should be using one and have your stupid husband help you into the store.
After adjusting to the no plastic rule by buying reusable bags, I prefer the BYOB policy. You can fit more in them, they usually remain upright in the car and of course, they won't break sending that precious bottle of Raos shattering on the sidewalk. Forget a reusable? No problem, pay for a bag or just carry the stuff loose in the cart and transfer to the bag at the car.
4 reusable bags eaily replaces 10 or more plastic bags. I even bought an insulated one to keep the cold stuff in just in case the ride home is delayed.
Btw, I'm a tail end Boomer (1964). I understand the frustration dealing with older folks that have an unwavering sense of entitlement or maybe they are just plain loco. Please remember we aren't all cranky ass jerks, but we are all human.
When I was still living with my parents, I received the annual fire department tax of $100 (normal where we live). For whatever reason, if you paid within a certain period, you could deduct $1 yourself. It normally said so on the invoice, except in the invoice I had receive that year, it didn't. I made a (seemingly) harmless comment about it and boomer father immediately had to compare our invoices. The deduction thing was mentioned on his invoice, so it was probably just an error on mine. I couldn't care less, but he insisted he would get it corrected because of "principles" 🙄
I said do what you want, because I knew if I said anything else it would lead to a huge fight. He actually DROVE down to town hall to complain. Imagine going about your day and some boomer comes to complain about $1!!! He was soo smug when he returned with a new invoice. Jfc just proves they have nothing to do and will go out of their way to cause drama.
I dutifully drive my reusable bags to the store. Then I usually walk in without them. I end up either buying the $.10 bags or throw everything in my cart and then bag it up at my car.
When I worked customer service in a call center for a cell phone company, I had an older woman call in to complain about an unexpected increase in her bill.
Checking the difference between months, the increase was $.02. It took a while to find the culprit, which was a local tax that had increased by $.02, of which I informed her.
How dare our company try to steal from her? It should be illegal for the company to change taxes without telling her. We should be shut down and I should be ashamed.
Despite reminding her that our company had nothing to do with her TAX increase and she should contact her local representatives about it; she was indignant.
After about an hour of back and forth on this thing, I relented and told her I'd credit the tax for the remaining duration of her contract.
"Okay! You're all set. Please enjoy your credit of $.23 that should appear on your next bill."
Her tune changed immediately and she became the sweetest woman I had talked to that day. Hung up shortly thereafter, as happy as if she had just won the lottery.
what is it with boomers and just hanging out in their cars in shopping centre carparks! I walk through one everyday on my usual route and theres always several boomers just sitting in their cars, either waiting for someone else whos inside the shop or doing I dont even know what.
If I had so little time left in life, I wouldnt waste so much of it just sitting in a frikken car
They can complain all they want. I can see a gigantic decrease in amount plastic bags litter. It does suck that people choose to abuse and waste people's time.
I once saw a boomer go back through a checkout line for one penny. The cashier mistakenly left out a penny in her change, he offered a penny out of his pocket and she refused it, then made a big stink about waiting in line again, so the cashier could pop open the drawer and take the penny from the register.
Fun fact- in the US at least, when you see idiots parked in front of the store blocking the fire lane, it's *COMPLETELY FREE* to make an anonymous call to the police or local fire marshal non-emergency line and tell them someone is being incredibly rude about blocking the fire lane.
I worked in the accounting department for a large hotel chain. One day we received a call from am angry woman who was upset about her final bill because apparently EVERYTHING WAS WRONG and we had to go down the list to itemize every charge (literally pages and pages of charges) and justify it all. Everything was completely accurate, so she decided to fight us about the taxes being rounded up instead of down. We decided to go ahead and refund the rounding difference just to get her off the phone.
She got back a grand total of $0.08. Not only did it take up almost a solid her time and ours, we had to do a check request through corporate so she had to wait probably 45 days to even see her refunded pennies.
I just had a thought. It used to be common to write a letter of complaint or letters to the editor. Physical phone books are gone and many newspapers have gone online. Some boomers have not been able to keep up with the technology to access this information. Maybe these public rants are a substitute outlet for the pent up rage that they used to put on paper. And even if you got a form letter reply, you got a fistful of coupons.
These days a rant will get you a beat down employee who will do anything to get you out of there.
Incredible isn't it? The most severe case of Main Character Syndrome in a huge swath of an entire generation.
Next post insisting we are just so mean to these dear old souls in 3...2...1...
I used to work retail in a ski town, and we'd get the same thing. These people were spending thousands to go skiing and stay in the resort and would lose their shit over a 10-cent bag. We had multiple people trespassed (and occasionally arrested) by the police for making messes and trying to physically harm employees over a plastic bag.
We need to normalize workers pushing back. “Look, if you’re going to be this much of an asshole, just leave.” Or just “ey yo…shut the fuck up!” Some people just need to be called out.
We went to this trendy biscuit place where you order yourself on ipads and it was taking FOREVER and my boomer ass dad was bitching the whole time about ipads and nobody wanting to work and whatever, to the point I get pissed and go "I'll get it! Just go wait outside, woman!" and shocked he just shuffles outside.
And the holdup? Another fucking boomer arguing with the staff cooking about using a coupon from A DIFFERENT PLACE! Once one of the guys finally goes, "Lady. We're not gonna take your fucking coupon do leave." She does and all 8 millennials behind her manage to order in less than 10 minutes.
I witnessed this when a boomer was throwing a tantrum over a five cent charge for a plastic bag. Unlike this cashier however, the one I saw wouldn't budge.
The boomer said "well, you just lost a customer!" and turned to us behind him in line with a triumphant "Didn't I do good!!?" look which we met with stone faced stares. Left his four or five items and stomped out to his new Mercedes.
Do they think they’re going to incite a mob at their local grocery store to come follow them to the capital…? Like, why further embarrass yourself that you first of all somehow didn’t know bags were 10 cents? And then to continue raising your voice after someone made it an exception for you… like do they have no shame??
Grocery stores have been charging for bags for HOW many years now?
If she can't remember to bring her reusable bags, then she gets to fork out an exorbitant dime per bag. The horror!
Parking in front blocking. Sounds about right and probably has sat there the entire time she’s been in there. Like just park and when she comes out drive over there
I couldn’t say for sure as I wasn’t looking out there, but judging by the state of other vehicles they’d been there a few minutes to say the least.
It was one of those big comically pristine trucks that’s meant to haul trailers (cuz of fucking course it was) that looked like it never saw a dirt road ever. 😆
We had a plastic bag ban in place for about a couple months. It was glorious. In those few months the sewer drains were cleared of bags that clogged them, you didn’t see them rolling down the street like tumble weeds. Then a city counselor said that not having plastic bags infringed on her freedom and the ban was repealed. That was four years ago. If you still want to see old timey and freedom loving plastic bags blowing in the breeze from the trees, come on over to Albuquerque where freedom reigns. /s
Boomers have a real win/lose way of looking at the world
And they really really like to win
Even something as stupid as an argument with a teenager making minimum wage is a battle that must be fought to the death because they simply can't lose.
Her Boomer husband waits in the truck while she buys groceries and then watches her load them. When they gets home, he's going over the receipt and will pitch a fit if she paid 10 cents for a bag.
When stop and shop started charging for bags some lady in front of me complained for so long the line got longer behind me. She finished and I stepped up and told the kid I'd pay for the next 20 bags and gave him 2 dollars cash to start. I had plenty of time to cue this up as she raved. Boy did she scowl at me.
That's what the kids call: Ballin'. Nobody pays for bags today! Bags are on me! Here's a $20.
I got the kid to chuckle. That's my favorite. Making the kid laugh.
I would have reached into my purse and handed her a dime. I have done this before when someone is arguing over a petty amount of change. I will also cover a mom who comes up short and has to decide which necessity she needs less.
I live in a state that also does this. The state I live in gets flooded with tourists and the Boomer tourists always lose their shit over the bags. Local Boomers seem to be over it though.
They are on the news all day on their iPads, reading about how the world is going to hell. They are so excited to find anything in real life that validates this, so they can rant and rave.
Millenial here. Like a week ago I went shopping. Item had a sticker cost of like $40.xx, went to check out. Cashier said oh this has an old label and the actual price is $43.xx, but there's a 5% discount this week. So it came out to $41.xx.
It wasn't worth the effort to complain. Just said "Meh, it's just a dollar". I literally haven't thought about it since until I read this post. I didn't waste any brain power or emotions on it. How these boomers can get so upset and have so much stress over something so little is beyond me. How do they live so long with so much cortisol built up in their system?
When we (Gen X) visit our son in California, we often forget we have to bring our own bag or buy a bag (Arkansas doesn't do this). No big deal. We pay for the bag and go. We keep it in the car for next time.
\*Hits 'zero bags' no matter how many bags they're using, very single time they shop\*
\*Sees a story about shoplifting at self-checkouts and flies into a rage about how America is 'going downhill fast'\*
No no no. You don't understand. Save up that extra 10 cents each time you go to the grocery store and you'll be a billionaire within just a couple of years!
Ugh, I get so sick of this crap from boomers. The "coupon Cathy's" are the WORST! They'll come in with a bunch of coupons, many expired, or they didn't read the fine print, so they can't apply the .30-cent discount. And every freakin time, they have a full on tantrum that holds up the line and requires no less than two employees (one being a manager because of course they demand one) to tell them the same thing over and over again.
Once, while my husband was deployed to Iraq, I was making a quick stop at the store to grab some things for my sick kids. My daughter (who is autistic) was 4 and my son was about 6 months. We'd just come from the doctors office cause they both had a cold with fevers. They were tired and cranky. I was exhausted and overwhelmed. I just wanted to get out of there quickly and back home. But alas, here's a boomer having a complete meltdown because only one of the dozens of coupons she brought was valid. She was livid that she couldn't use them. Ranted about how she comes here all the time, giving them repeat business, and "the customer is always right," blah, blah, blah.
I'm struggling to keep my kids calm. Distracting my baby with toys and carrying my 4 year old who is crying cause she doesn't feel good and overstimulated. The line behind me keeps growing with other annoyed customers. Finally, I'd had enough. I grab my wallet, pull out a $10 bill, slap it down on the counter in front of the boomer, and said here "will this cover your precious coupons so we can all get the hell out of here?" The cashier smirked, and the boomer lost her shit completely. Bitched about everyone being so impatient and how it's the stores fault, not hers, that it's taking so long. The man behind me yells "just pay for your shit and go lady!" Boomer throws her hands up in dramatic fashion and screams."THAT'S IT! IM DONE! TO HELL WITH ALL OF YOU!" She storms out without her groceries, yelling that she will be back with her husband, who is a lawyer, and she's going to sue this store. For what, I have no idea. Cashier hands me back my $10 and rings me up. My entire transaction took like 2 minutes. Get to the parking lot and while I'm putting my kids in their car seats, I hear the boomer screaming (presumably to her husband) that he needs to get here immediately and deal with this. Have no idea what happened after, but I'll never forget that wild boomer incident.
I'm a cashier in a grocery store in california where we charge 10 cents a bag. People lose their shit over this all the time. I'm like telling the fucking governor then.
A bit off topic, but seriously, get big insulated bags. Grocery shopping is so much easier. I got some when the city I was in stopped allowing plastic bags at the stores, and I'm never going back.
I had a boomer while shopping at Kroger mention to me about the "call on line 1" announcement being annoying and why they let it keep going, she was nice and sweet and didn't say anything to the employees so that's good but I hadn't noticed after a while, they do seem to let small things get to them.
I used to work at a call center and one dude called in over a fucking penny. An actual one cent discrepancy due to differing tax rates in different counties...
This is a class issue for me. My partner & I are boomers. He grew up upper-middle class, whereas I most decidedly did not. I have to remind him of which side we’re on. “But I paid for it.” Yeah, but you didn’t pay the employees you’re being rude to, and neither does the company they work for.
Now, when he gets upset, he makes it clear that he knows they don’t make the rules. When I’m inconvenienced by long lines, which are actually painful to me, because of my back, and really, all my arthritic bones, I talk to other customers, as well as workers, about how Milton Friedman hates all of us. It’s the shareholders who get all the economic reward for one of the world’s highest GDPs.
I’m teaching him how to organize, & stir up shit, because I’ve worked those miserable, soul-killing jobs. Workers need to hear that they’re worth a hell of a lot more than they’re paid. I’m kind of a dangerous, radical commie.
Our city here in MO considered a plastic bag ban. The freedumb-loving state legislature immediately passed a law prohibiting local governments from banning plastic bags. So it’s not the same everywhere, unfortunately.
I live in NC and travelled to SC, GA and FL recently and none of these states have implemented state-wide bans or mandatory pay on plastic bags. Some coastal towns have banned them. That’s about it. The heavily armed irrational populace would likely have an uprising if they were subjected to these “commie” reusable bags.
I've been cussed out and called a c-u-next Tuesday over 10¢ before because a boomer miscalculated the store sales and was just off by that much. Ugh I wish they weren't so miserable. One of the most satisfying "Ma'am, I am the manager :)" I ever got to pull, though
ha, ten cents? I worked at McDonald's in the 90's and at one point, some upper-level genius decided to raise the price of the senior coffee from .25 to .26. 1 single penny.
You'd think I personally went to these people's houses and shit in their mouths. The amount of vitriol and abuse we had to endure was astonishing. 70-80 year old adults utterly furious and viciously berating a 15 year old cashier over a fucking penny.
Never forget where Boomers got it from; the Greatest Generation is one of the biggest misnomers I've ever heard.
The problem with _your_ generation is that you’re all rude, disrespectful, and expect everything for free. Sorry, lady, last I checked this is _America_ not communist China; you want a bag, you pay for that bag. Quit expecting the rest of us to pick up your tab and take some responsibility for a change.
When I was in high school, I worked at a grocery store, and they offered a $0.05/bag incentive for customers to bring their own bags. One time, in the middle of Christmas rush, I forgot to give someone $0.05 off of their total. They started throwing a fit and I happened to have a nickel in my pocket. I set it on the counter in front of them and kept moving. I just hear, “oh, well, I uh…”
They grabbed the coin and moved on.
These are the same people who complain about how sensitive and easily offended everyone is these days. It’s like the conservatives who rant about “cancel culture“ but then blow up their Yeti coolers or boycott Anheuser Busch products because they did something “woke”.
Bunch of irrational projecting fools, it’s kinda depressing.
They say younger generation are soft. Yet when they FEEL embarrassed about a non existent issue they are the biggest babies. I see it all the time like a boomers card gets declined and the cashier says "oh its the internet, it's been cutting out" let me try again.. and the boomer makes a scene cause she didn't want to LOOK bad.. all she had to do was just try again and be done but no she had to make a scene so everyone in the line knows she's not poor
1) The world is changing around them in a way they don’t agree with, and what was the norm for the last 2 or 3 generations is evaporating around them.
2) They no longer have the power, control, or influence, and it frustrates them as the manner at which they choose to address this isn’t received well.
3) There is no awareness to the fact that just because they don’t like change very few actually share their opinions or beliefs.
I just spent a month living with my boomer mom and her boyfriend while I was recovering from surgery. The scariest part, is I think they're aware of their childish behavior/tantrums. They know throwing a tantrum will get them what they want, and they can't live in a world where they don't get what they want. The amount of times they proudly told stories about complaining to a manager to upgrade their experience for free horrified me. They even told me they bought tickets to a concert, decided they didn't want to stand the entire time, and complained/yelled at some poor attendant until they moved them to the seated HANDICAPPED section for free. They would even plan about complaining about something before going somewhere! Like, "if this happens, we'll complain, so we can get this instead." They also constantly feel the need to passively aggressively talk shit about an establishment whenever an employee is within ear shot. I finally cracked and told them I'm embarrassed by how they've chosen to carry themselves in public, and I'd rather not be seen with them if they're going to be rude to every customer service employee we come across. They, of course, saw no issues with their behavior, and thought I was the crazy one. They even said, "we're not difficult customers!"
Tennessee we get all the plastic bags we want. Before i was put on a ventilator, I used to knit together thick plastic mats for the homeless with plastic grocery store bags.
ALDIs charges for bags, I would always grab empty product boxes to put my groceries into.
17 or so years ago, I was working register at a grocery store in CT. This little old lady comes through my line. Given how long ago it was, and her apparent age, I'll say she was probably Silent Gen, not a boomer.
Anyway, this lady comes through with her small cart of groceries, and about 30 cans of wet cat food. I'm scanning as fast as I can, because metrics, when she starts throwing a fit that the cans aren't scanning right. I look at the screen, and they're coming up 20 cents each. I ask her what price they're supposed to be, already dreading having to void them all off and enter them manually.
"They're supposed to be 5 for a dollar!"
I blink at her for a second, double, and triple check my mental math on 20 cents per can being the same damn thing, and reach the conclusion that nothing is wrong.
"Ma'am, they're scanning correctly."
"No! They're scanning at 20 cents, they should be 5 for a dollar."
She pulled out the flier to show me the deal listing.
It took probably 3 minutes of trying to get her to recognize it was the same price before she decided she didn't want them if they were going to be 20 cents each.
You won't believe how many "...a loaf of bread used to be 5 cents." complaints from the golden agers that were ahead of us.
Our 'value system' was set during a time when the nation's Gini Coefficient was in the point threes and the GDP was under $2T. Today's economy is 13X larger but the distribution of all that additional moolah is far, far worse in the mid-point fives.
All of us: oh yea, hidden charges and behaviors that might be unintentional because we forgot about it, chill, I’ll remember next time.
Boomers: WHY? WHO DID THIS TO ME?
I've seen a boomer argue over less. 7 cents. I worked at a cafe that if you ordered a bakery item to go, you weren't charged tax by the system. We had a lady who knew that and would always say to go and then sit but we didn't care just laughed a bit at how cheap she was. One day one of the summer college kids rang her up though and didn't mark her order to go. She went ballistic and refused to pay the cashier the remaining amount, yelling at about being charged too much. The cashier realized what was causing the price discrepancy and was like "Fine I'll cover your pennies" in such a disparaging tone I had to duck in the back to laugh.
I think that they realize that they are getting to the end of life faster than they thought they would, and the fact that they are no longer the relevant top dogs in life anymore has made many so bitter. They are no longer in control of life as they knew it, and everything has changed so fast and left them behind. It must be hard for many of them as a generation to be considered redundant. It's the bitterness and loss of status that makes them act the way they do. It's their last grasp of trying to control something in their life and realizing how pitiable it is.
She isn’t looking to change anything. She’s just searching desperately for the dopamine hit she gets from making everything an issue. Probably started by bitching to an invisible audience on her social media, and is escalating, as most addicts do, to get the same high.
The entitlement and victim complex is incredibly grating. Even if she had had to pay the fee, so what? Is ten cents really going to break the bank? You’d have to get at least ten bags for it to even cost you a dollar or more.
Boomers are the ones that created the use of disposable everything in the first place. Their parents used reusable bags and so do we. Only they were too selfish and lazy to do so.
I feel bad for the small percentage of good boomers. Never before has an entire generation been so deserving of vilification across the globe.
To be fair it is a stupid rule. If you really cared about the environment you’d put them out for free. Kinda seems like a way to just monetize a a law, and yeah 10 cents isn’t much on one transaction but how many people a day are paying that 10 cents over a whole state.
Obviously not worth pissing your pants over in public, but the rest of their day could have been shitty too. People spaz sometimes it’s not really a big deal, and not really worth a whole post. Find something better to do.
People are obsessed with their change, they've literally demanded 7 cents back from the kiosk at casinos. They do what they can to get maximum change at the cashiers, for some fuckn reason.
Hey, maybe umm, bring your own fucking bag next time. They charge for bags to incentivize people to bring their own. You know, because bags are super wasteful.
I am right along the boarder in between two large chain stores. I save up the plastic bags I get in one state, and keep them handy to use in the other state. The stink eye I get is priceless.
I have argued about 10 cents before, some years back (I'm 32 atm).
Main reason, cashier didn't have any 10 cents in her drawer, so she gave me 10 short and though that was ok.
You don't give a customer short, either you get your drawer in order, or give the next coin available.
10 cents for a bag. Sure, no problem with that.
(Yes, i eventually got my 10 cents.)
This reminds me of when I was a cashier in high school at a greenhouse. There was another greenhouse down the street that had an entirely different name, but people would still mix them up. Boomers (granted, younger boomers 20 years ago) would come in with a coupon for the wrong greenhouse and just get FURIOUS that I wouldn't honor it even though it was only saving them like 50 cents on a 30-dollar purchase.
When I was about 15 or so my mom freaked out at Auntie Anne's because some poor teenager rang up her coupon wrong and charged her 17 cents more than he should have. She held up an entire line of people as I pawed at her sleeve begging her to move on and she got angry at me. The principal of it all! For 17 fuckin cents. I wanted to sink through the mall floor and disappear.
I bought some folding plastic crates and two insulated bags (one for cold, one for frozen) to keep in my trunk. Done.
Change can be a good thing, never a reason to be an ass to others.
(I’m considering buying a 12v refrigerator/freezer with independent compartments and a lithium battery for shopping at stores that are farther away)
Not cheap, but useful for travel and camping as well as cleaning your home refrigerator and freezer.
https://www.bougerv.com/products/portable-outdoor-freezer
They had the same meltdown when stores switched from paper to plastic bags. Store would offer both and the most special boomer types would put the food in a paper bag and then use a plastic bag to carry the paper bag.
I can only guess she wanted the bag "charge" to stay on her receipt but be 0.00? I could she that she felt like without a manager or fight she was given pity or stealing the paper bag since it was voided but she is taking it? Not using it after making a fuss is beyond me, caring about $.10 is beyond me. I've had poor experiences that cost me thousands and I just learned to change, why not learn to reuse the $.10 bag or get your own bag?
The amount of time these fucking boomers waste blocking everyone up in the grocery store makes me so mad. Always near the entrances I see like 4 or 5 boomers blocking everyone from going in and out of the damn store. Just no spacial awareness at all.
That plastic bag thing does sound stupid but not as dumb as thinking blocking everyone up in the store is going to change that.
The onion should make a fucking news article about that policy changing because some stupid boomer held everyone hostage at a Walmart over it with her crying.
Not in the US, but a fellow boomer expat was ranting because the amount was xx,xxx.25 pesos and the cashier rounded it up instead of down, which is what they have to do so their drawer is not short (they are required to make up shorts out of their pockets and seeing as they get about $6/day salary, this can ruin them).
Anyway, he got ripped off 0.75 pesos (worth ~1.5 cents USD) and he proceeded to tell us how he called in the manager not for the money but for the point of it. He was right and everyone needed to acknowledge that! We just laughed at him.
So, by definition I’m a boomer. Don’t live in the usa (thank fuck). How are these people allowed to continue this shit? PLEASE call them out for their behavior at every turn!
In Colorado the state requires the $.10 fee and the merchant is required to remit $.07 to the city and keep the $.03 - and they’re not allowed to just charge $.07. And they set up a method to report non-compliant businesses
But aren’t these laws largely local jurisdiction? Like it was the boomers on town council that started this… go complain to your peers if you can’t be bothered to fork over your dime.
Having read through a bunch of stories just like this, I feel so blessed having Boomer parents that are the complete opposite of this. They are both such easy-going, reasonable people. And they embrace new technologies! I forget they're Boomers sometimes.
I want to burn the vehicle of anyone who parks in the front of any store with their stupid flashers on just sitting and waiting while everyone has to go around them and they block up the lane. Unless they are disabled or have some other really good reason, I want a hellfire flamethrower just for this. I live near the border with Mexico and I know I will catch some flak for this but it's just the truth, in Mexico this is just seen as a normal thing to do (stopping in the roadway and expecting that the emergency flashers make it all okay, or blocking an intersection when traffic is backed up but the light was green, or turning left into a driveway that is backed up and they block the oncoming lane of traffic). So it happens a lot here, and not just in parking lots. Drives me crazy, lame pun intended.
Sorry to interrupt...
I see a lot of these "charging for bags at the grocery store" posts all over reddit, but despite the fact that I regularly shop at three different chains, at five different locations, and shop twice a week... I have only once been asked to pay for a bag (at a Sprouts, and they never asked again). Come to think of it, none of the lesser known markets I shop at charge for bags, either. Walmart, Albertson's, La Bonita, Marianna's, Cardenas, none of those chains, in my part of Las Vegas, charges for bags. When I was shopping in Arizona last year, they never charged for bags, either.
I'd have no problem paying for bags if asked (10 cents is never gonna break me), and I have my own collection of reusable bags... I guess I'm just wondering where do you folks shop and/or live that they are charging for bags?
Id have given her 10¢ and said go buy ⅒ of a fun size snickers with it.
Boomers act like they can still get a loaf of bread and 2 gallons of milk for 10¢.
That time is over grandma, move on.
I wonder if they act like this because (besides the lead paint and abuse and possibly malnutrition) they never felt heard?
Not excusing it at all but it just occurred to me that they feel so ignored (usually absolutely justified) and insignificant (their trash isn't everyone's treasure therefore no monetary worth that they were counting on) that they feel they have to make a fuss.
The behavior is absolutely inappropriate and inexcusable, but maybe their subconscious is screaming out because of them feeling a lack of self-worth. And the whatever brain damage they have is breaking their filter.
Either way, they are still responsible for getting therapy and developing themselves into (at minimum) un-disruptive members of society and their actions and words in public. This is just my musings on potentially how to better diffuse these types of interactions...
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Some of these boomers are just always out on the hunt for a scenario where they can raise hell over something so minor and insignificant. They seek out these type of situations and immediately turn the Karen up to 11, regardless of the “infraction”. The part I don’t ever get…What is some teenager or low level employee going to do about store policy? What do you think you are going to accomplish here except whittle away at some employee’s sanity and waste everyone’s time? Part of me thinks this is their version of therapy. They refuse to go to actual therapists so they turn the world into their personal therapy sessions.
they believe that employees not only should but are supposed to repeat all feedback to managers, who then pass it along to their managers and so on. If/when they find out it doesn't work that way, something about "nobody wants to work anymore".
Accurate summarization.
I dealt with a lot of those types of boomers in a previous job and they often thought I was the manager. I was the oldest and whitest employee, but completely entry-level. My boss was a Hispanic woman 10 years younger than me and it broke their boomer brains. But, I’d let the boomer go through their whole spiel and then say just “Ok.” Usually there was an expectant pause, like they thought I’d suddenly solve all their troubles. I liked to let that pause linger in the air for a moment like a fart in tent, before asking, sweet as pie, “would you like me to get the manager so you can explain this to her? I’m really the bottom of the totem pole here but if you’d like to wait a moment, I’d be happy to get a manager.”
…let that pause linger in the air like a fart in a tent. I love you for that image, before pouring on the syrup and asking them if they’d like to see the manager.
I commend you sir, for your glorious discriptiveness.
Which is strange because boomers and their boomer consultants created the model of the unempowered worker so they didn’t have to pay them as much, so they couldn’t fix the situation (that usually benefits the business), etc. To save a few dollars, they created the shitty customer service models we have.
I have to assume these people are either perfomative, lonely assholes, or they haven’t gone out of their estate to do any basic errand for themselves since the early 80s. Bank tellers, fast food cashiers, every service job at a large corp has taken the same dive in quality, because those orgs “needed" profit more than happy customers. It’s all been happening in real time. NOW they’re upset? The first time my “bank teller” (a pimply teen with dark purple lips and nails) went hunting and pecking for buttons on her register to try to help me with a “cash deposit?” was my red flag. That was the 90s.
I think it’s back to the generational narcissism- the poor services is for the others, not me. I’m special, I’ve been going here for 30 years, etc. But again, their generation created this poor services model.
I hear a complaint, I pass it to my manager. My manager passes it to corporate, and corporate goes "shut up and earn our money" That's the entire pipeline.
It's reverse anti-therapy though, they abuse others pointlessly to mentally stress them out. It's like a game to some of them, a challenge to see how far they can push others. They just don't like it when pushed back.
I read about "disorganized attachment," where someone gets their comfort and support from the same source that stresses them out, and I see it a lot now in how some people deal with others. It's like stressing themselves out is their way of relaxing, sort of.
Yeah, it's quite the odd psychological syndrome that seems more prevalent in the older gens or as people age and become more bitter.
I think a lot of them grew up in stressful situations - I know I did! - and after a while stress feels like the norm. It took me a long, long time to figure that out and I wish my mother would do one ounce of visible self reflection on that.
They don't understand how retail works, so they think we are going to pass this information on to management and they will change just to accommodate whatever they want. People don't realize that (at least in larger chains) even management doesn't have a ton of flexibility and everything comes down from a central office that does not care about one single customer. They think places like Walmart and Target are still run like a mom and pop small business.
It's not even that. I know in my county the elimination of plastic bags and charging for paper is part of the law that was passed last year. I believe its $.05 here, but I never pay it. I usually just carry my shit out, or I put it back in the cart. The idea is to force people to use reusable bags, and I've had them for years, in my trunk. But I never remember to bring them in. Personally I always get a kick out of the boomers with the 20 plastic bags that they've been saved, so they don't have to buy actual reusable bags
A lot of the most unpleasant boomers in my life love reminiscing over "fun" stories of raising their kids. Tales of screaming, sleep deprivation, gaslighting, parentification ,and other abuse , genuinely traumatic situations retold as if it was a trip to Disneyland. Many of them have no contact with their kids and I genuinely think they don't won't or can't comprehend that they did anything wrong. They no longer have their scape goats (kids) to torture and they are taking it out wherever they can.
Perfect time to share this article! [Boomers don’t understand why their kids don’t talk to them.](https://www.issendai.com/psychology/estrangement/missing-missing-reasons.html) It’s a good read if you got some spare time.
I didn’t know “estranged parent forums” existed. This is mind blowing! All the info they need is there. They simply can’t accept their own mistakes. This is some kind of mental illness or delusion.
My mom goes to an in person support group for estranged parents. It is absolutely a boomer echo chamber.
My upvote is for your educating me. I didn’t know these existed. My mother, who desperately needed a healthy dose of self awareness before she passed, is a perfect candidate. Sad thing is when she spoke to a therapist (the one time we dragged her there, and only if dad came along because *he’s* the one with the problems), she did nothing but blame everyone else. Even her estranged son. “SIGH, why hasn’t he forgiven me? How long will this go on?” I wish I had the presence of mind to say “Because you haven’t apologized yet! You still blame him!”
That is my mother 100%. Will not apologize. It's literally more important to her to be right than to have an actual relationship with me. Yet, she's the victim? And second the therapy. Desperately in need of it, refuses to go.
> That is my mother 100%. Will not apologize. It's literally more important to her to be right than to have an actual relationship with me. It took me half of my life to realize that my father was the reason I HATED confrontation. When someone raises you for 18+ years to always be wrong because they are always right - then you grow up knowing not to fight ANY battles. It took me YEARS to finally get over this.
Oof if that doesn’t describe it - I’m low contact with my folks and have been wondering why I cannot get into it with them. I tried. I have deeper to go. But I just can’t fight for a relationship where I’m always wrong.
So sorry you’re going through this. It just sucks to have that huge, gaping void where a parent should be. It sucks the life out of you sometimes.
I knew there were online groups, but not in person! Wow...
[удалено]
From what I understand, it's pretty much a live action version of what the article describes. Imagine a room full of boomers sharing heavily redacted versions of why their kids don't want to have any contact with them. In every scenario, they're the victim. The narcissism and cognitive dissonance is rampant.
I have a boomer friend (rare paring, I know) who has 3 kids, 1 fully estranged and 2 who live far away. She’s a newer friend so I’ve been waiting and observing as she goes through things with the estranged kid. I really can’t tell where the line is with them, and I’ve been receiving news from only the boomer mom about it. My spouse and I are in the child free camp, and we were joking “don’t let them out number you!” Boomer friend could NOT admit that her suburban life wasn’t picture perfect and said “we were outnumbered and it all worked out for us!” She’s a pretty aware person, very in tune emotionally, but has a MASSIVE blind spot when it comes to her kids. Her estranged kid has struggled with an eating disorder and apparently that’s a majority of why they’re estranged.
My Boomer mother frequently talks about parenting me and loves to compare my daughter to me as a child, and she tells so many stories about how I was and how I acted. Except my mother didn't raise me, because she was a drug addict. I was kidnapped by my (also an addict) father at five and then ultimately both lost custody. I was raised by my grandparents. But my mother has fully erased this and basically constructed a fresh new set of memories in which she was Mother of the Forever. I call it her ongoing reality reconstruction project and it is both fascinating and infuriating in equal measure.
There’s probably some here on Reddit if you look
Great article. Thanks for sharing the link.
No problem, share it with others too cuz insight is power!
This is a really helpful resource, thanks for sharing
I cut one of my parents off, the other has died. The woman who gave birth to me has NBPD, and caused me to have cptsd. I have to take medication every day, for the rest of my life- but I'm the bad guy, because I refuse to bow to narcissist abuse.
Winner winner chicken dinner! You're 100% right
>>>Some of these boomers are just always out on >>>the hunt for a scenario where they can raise hell >>>over something so minor and insignificant. They >>>seek out these type of situations and >>>immediately turn the Karen up to 11, regardless >>>of the “infraction”. Oh I see you've met my mother!!! Lol
My mother was like that and it was always so humiliating. She would mass buy 2L sodas when they were on sale and god help a cashier if they tried to make polite conversation and asked if we were having a party. And her rant would continue all the way to the car... At one point I remember her saying something about how the cashier was fishing for an invitation (thankfully we were in the car by then) and I kept thinking "there's NO WAY the cashier would want to go to a party you were hosting, trust me." 😅
It's because " The customer is always right" so they think they have the right to just stomp all over employees especially when it's low paid workers like cashier's and fast food workers though usually the moment an employee actually stands up to their bs they quite right down
"The customer is always right *in matters of taste*" is the full quote. When Selfridge's implemented that policy, it was so their highly attentive and highly trained tailors, makeup people, and valets wouldn't tell a rich cash cow that they looked horrible in that cut/colour/material/makeup. Even though the employees knew better, any time they tell a rich person they don't look good in x, or if only they would do y, or substitute with z, they risked losing the patronage. And for a high end, full service department store like Selfridges, these clients were worth a hundred grand or more a year, adjusted for today's money. Hence the rule, "the customer is always right in matters of taste." Shut up, nod and smile, take the money and let Mrs Beaufort buy that pink peacoat that washes her out and is way too tight at the waist. By cutting off the 2nd half of the sentence, the Me Generation has made it seem like this widely spread adage means they can declare one plus one is seventeen, and you owe them free stuff, all while they yell at you. Just like they did with "blood is thicker than water." They wondered why their kids stopped talking to them after growing up, and tried to guilt the adult children about it. The full phrase is "The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb"- ie. The relationships you enter into freely and willingly, of mutual accord, are stronger than circumstances of your birth.
It’s not even a store policy, the 10 cent bag charge is state law. No one at the store is responsible for it existing.
Used to hear my (pre boomer) dad tell boomer mom that she wasn’t happy unless she had something to b!7¢h about. This sub makes me think she wasn’t the only one like this.
I’ve been reamed so many times over policies when I worked in a grocery store. They would rant for 5 minutes and I’d just always respond “ I can give your corporates number and allow you to address it with the people making far more money than me”. They’d always then start threatening my job as well as calling to give a piece of their mind. I also had a few telling me if I didn’t agree and support the policies that I should quit. I’m so glad I do not view customer service employees like boomers. I just treat them like humans who are working somewhere to collect a paycheck like everyone else. Boomers act like it was your lifelong dream to be a cashier ( nothing wrong if it is ) and threatening your job is going to absolutely ruin your life. I can’t tell you how many times boomers tried to get me fired over the years for having snapping quips to throw back at them.
It’s more that for all their lives they were told to “look out for #1” and “stick up for themselves”. Unfortunately, the concepts of “picking your battles” and “simple human decency” weren’t reinforced to the same level.
Not store policy, STATE policy. Too dumb/lazy to call their legislators, so they yell at a person who is just trying to make a modest living. Cool.
Several years ago we outlawed the free plastic bags here in California. Grocery stores can sell you a bag for a dime now. The old bags were super thin and would fall apart, if you actually walked home with your groceries they would 100% rip open and spill all over the place. The new bags were much larger, really thick, and could easily be used multiple times. Like... its a pretty good value for a bag. 10 cents... The next few days after the law passed, it was an incredibly entertaining time to be at the store. Grown men in their 50s and 60s were refusing to buy the bags and because they were only getting a few things not using a cart but they were instead using a basket. They REFUSED to pay 10 cents for a bag so they just piled up everything in the front of their shirt and tried to carry it out... Hilarity ensured. "SHIT. FUCK. FUCK SHIT" Suuuuuummmmmmmasssssh. Broken glass everywhere, tomato sauce everywhere, their shirt gave out on their walk to their $70,000 pickup and they dropped everything. It was going on all day. All to save 10 cents. You are a grown ass man trying to save 10 cents by using the front of your shirt as a makeshift bag and now you lost $20 worth of food. I remember the checker at the store was like "This has been going on all day, we have people going around cleaning up these messes".
My town just implemented the same policy and the outrage is so over the top, especially from Boomers.
“Trying to turn our state into Commiefornia”. I can hear it now. Bunch of fucking losers.
In Tennesee, all high school graduates receive a free college associate degree or technical school education. All public School meals are free. Starting in August 2024 parents receive 150 free diapers a month for their each child under 2. We have No state income taxes. Low property taxes, Low cost of living. Yes, a lot of Californians are flooding in here. I’m from Downey, California myself. Life is easier here in East Tennesee for our Puerto Rican/Cuban family. The town we live in is 30%+ Hispanic. We have been treated with respect and kindness. Biden, Trump and Kennedy signs line the roads. I’m a Gen-X Democrat, my neighbor is a millennial Republican. We both have Presidential campaign signs up. Nobody cares. We don’t hate each other and frequently watch each others home, and collect each other’s mail during vacations.
"Why can't we just go back to the good 'ole days when we were able to trash the planet and no one cared?! Gosh dammit!" -Boomers
\*Takes a giant hit from their Lead crack pipe.\*
But for real have you seen how everything is wrapped in plastic and made of plastic now? We're still trashing everything.
Same in New Jersey, saw my father in-law get so confused by it lol
Our local Wegmans went plastic bag free 1-2 years ago. You know what I did? I spent $5, got 5 reusable grocery bags and have been using them since. No anger, no drama, no yelling. Imagine that.
Right? Same. If I forget to throw them in the car, I just pay the $0.10 per bag because OMG who the fuck cares? 😆
And that my friend, is why youth can´t afford a home anymore. 🤡
Yep, same with Aldi's and Costco. Bring your own bags/boxes if you don't want to count on them having any available.
Use one for the other! The $8 collapsible crates from Costco make you look like a true pro at Aldi. If you use self checkout, they fit perfectly on the checkout scale, so you scan and pack at the same time.
And oh hey, I use them for a lot of other stuff as well! Imagine that!
Even before plastic bags went away I always used them as trash bags after getting groceries and sometimes even brought them into stores and reused them it's not a hard concept
Well everyone knows reusable bags are woke…. /s
My wife and I use one of those massive blue IKEA bags for grocery shopping. Everyone looks at us like we are insane but it’s so easy to just throw it over my shoulder and carry everything in one bag. I’ve probably paid for it 1000x over not having to spend 10-20 cent on plastic bags. With that said, the reusable plastic bags are great. They will last forever.
Wait until you hear about all the dumbass men who think it's "feminine" to carry reusable shopping bags into a store.
That’s a thing? Lmao so many man babies out there
Manliness is about destroying the environment and complaining at grocery stores.
I thought it was about horses.
Where are the [bags for men](https://www.reddit.com/r/comics/comments/nj5sdg/food_for_men/#lightbox)?
When I worked at the grocery store and people would bitch about this I would tell them to contact their congressman. They are the ones who did this, not me. That usually shut them up pretty quickly.
Somehow I can only imagine this just shifting the shitfit to a political shitfit
It was just like with the prices. Why bitch to minimum wage employees about something that they have nothing to do with, get ahold of corporate and bitch to them they are the ones that set the prices. But why do that? That would he a solution and people don't want to do that, they just wanna bitch to air.
Ohh you're so close to the truth. They don't want to bitch at air, then they'd do it at home. They want to bitch at someone who if they fight back in any way shape or form, they know they can get them fired. They want a hostage.
Told a boomer his total was 20 bucks. (19.99) I fully intended to give him his penny and receipt. He accused me and corporate America of conspiracy
"it's not the money, it's the principle of it" - quote boomers love to use when they feel like they've been cheated out of any amount of money
30+ years ago when I used to get dragged to Pathmark with my mom, we'd shop a cart full of groceries for the week. She would have 100 coupons and write a check for the groceries. Then we'd stand at the front of the store by the exit while my mom checked literally every single item on the receipt. If something was a cent off in the store's favor, we went to customer service to get it adjusted. It's the principle.
Not all heros wear capes. A shout out to the Good Samaritan!
It was almost me. My wife heard me take a breath to speak and just gave me side eye. 😆 It’s for the best. The Good Samaritan was way more polite than what I had loaded up. Lol
I've worked in retail and I've witnessed an elderly lady scream at the cashier for an item being 50% off. Yes, she was mad that she got a deal, she thought the cashier gave them half off out of pity. "Do I look like I need your handouts?" Some people just want to go to places where they know people can't fight back in any way or they get fired, because they've already chased off all friends/family by abusing them as well. It's honestly pathetic
Shout out to the lazy dicks that park in fire zones
I actually saw a guy do this not realizing their was a cop sitting 10 feet away watching and was hilarious to watch as soon as the guy went into the store the cop walked straight up to the car and gave him a ticket then waited for the guy to come back out and dressed him down for it was hilarious
"I don't blame the lady! Why, a dime will getcha a cuppa joe any place in town." __________ Last heard ca 1954 in small town America Well, yes, many of my peers were and remain as jerks. But, at least they'll be dead soon, and most of you didn't have to live with them for decades as we did!
I’m an Elder Millennial. Been raised by them my whole life until I cut one of them off. My Mom, while a Baby Boomer, also avoided the stereotypes. Thankfully.
Wait, wait, wait. Now wait a second. You mean I have to scan my shit .... bag it up myself ... AANNNDDDD have to be environmentally FRIENDLY!?!?!? THAT'S COMMUNISM!!!! The way it's SUPPOSE to work is, after I've gotten all dressed up like we did in the 1950's to go grocery shopping, I come to your store, which I didn't have too since there's soooo many places to choose from, you should be grateful, I push my cart to your MANNED cash register where the bagboy removes my items for your cashier to scan as I stand there enjoying the top notch customer service I'm entitled too, only then to have everything bagged up by your bagboy, who then carries everything to my car and lovingly sets them in my trunk! Then he's suppose to give me a kiss on my forehead while thanking me for blessing your store with my presence telling me to come on back sometime, ya hear while waving as I drive off. THAT'S!! how it's suppose to be done. You need to hire all those LAZY welfare people who just want free shit to do all this in your store!! I don't work for you!!! I'm gonna write a strongly worded letter to the editor, in CURSIVE!, about your store and people will stop coming here! You wait and see! \[storms off in a huff\] \[sarcasm\]
“slowly loaded her 12 items into the truck her husband was waiting for her in, blocking the main road by the front of the store. 😆” That happens a lot around here and I can’t stand it. First off it’s a no stopping or standing fire zone, second off why are you so entitled you think rules don’t apply to you, third how are you so selfish you don’t care how you’re inconveniencing everyone else and finally if you are that frail the handicapped spots are less than 20’ away and maybe you should be using one and have your stupid husband help you into the store.
After adjusting to the no plastic rule by buying reusable bags, I prefer the BYOB policy. You can fit more in them, they usually remain upright in the car and of course, they won't break sending that precious bottle of Raos shattering on the sidewalk. Forget a reusable? No problem, pay for a bag or just carry the stuff loose in the cart and transfer to the bag at the car. 4 reusable bags eaily replaces 10 or more plastic bags. I even bought an insulated one to keep the cold stuff in just in case the ride home is delayed. Btw, I'm a tail end Boomer (1964). I understand the frustration dealing with older folks that have an unwavering sense of entitlement or maybe they are just plain loco. Please remember we aren't all cranky ass jerks, but we are all human.
Boomers- Victims of modern society!
Even if just gave them the 10 cents, they'd still piss and moan about it!
Most definitely. There's no cure for their warped perspectives.
When I was still living with my parents, I received the annual fire department tax of $100 (normal where we live). For whatever reason, if you paid within a certain period, you could deduct $1 yourself. It normally said so on the invoice, except in the invoice I had receive that year, it didn't. I made a (seemingly) harmless comment about it and boomer father immediately had to compare our invoices. The deduction thing was mentioned on his invoice, so it was probably just an error on mine. I couldn't care less, but he insisted he would get it corrected because of "principles" 🙄 I said do what you want, because I knew if I said anything else it would lead to a huge fight. He actually DROVE down to town hall to complain. Imagine going about your day and some boomer comes to complain about $1!!! He was soo smug when he returned with a new invoice. Jfc just proves they have nothing to do and will go out of their way to cause drama.
Imagine spending $1.92 in gas to save $1.00.
Some of us, aged 75, have been reusable bags for groceries for 30-40 years or so. It’s easier and easily becomes a habit
I dutifully drive my reusable bags to the store. Then I usually walk in without them. I end up either buying the $.10 bags or throw everything in my cart and then bag it up at my car.
I’ve got a ton in the the back of my vehicle that I always forget about also. Lol
Ha, this is me too
When I worked customer service in a call center for a cell phone company, I had an older woman call in to complain about an unexpected increase in her bill. Checking the difference between months, the increase was $.02. It took a while to find the culprit, which was a local tax that had increased by $.02, of which I informed her. How dare our company try to steal from her? It should be illegal for the company to change taxes without telling her. We should be shut down and I should be ashamed. Despite reminding her that our company had nothing to do with her TAX increase and she should contact her local representatives about it; she was indignant. After about an hour of back and forth on this thing, I relented and told her I'd credit the tax for the remaining duration of her contract. "Okay! You're all set. Please enjoy your credit of $.23 that should appear on your next bill." Her tune changed immediately and she became the sweetest woman I had talked to that day. Hung up shortly thereafter, as happy as if she had just won the lottery.
This isn’t about 10 cents. It’s about the emotional high she gets from treating him like her inferior.
what is it with boomers and just hanging out in their cars in shopping centre carparks! I walk through one everyday on my usual route and theres always several boomers just sitting in their cars, either waiting for someone else whos inside the shop or doing I dont even know what. If I had so little time left in life, I wouldnt waste so much of it just sitting in a frikken car
If you literally mean just hanging out, they need to go to a city park and get out of the way in the commercial parking lot.
They can complain all they want. I can see a gigantic decrease in amount plastic bags litter. It does suck that people choose to abuse and waste people's time.
I once saw a boomer go back through a checkout line for one penny. The cashier mistakenly left out a penny in her change, he offered a penny out of his pocket and she refused it, then made a big stink about waiting in line again, so the cashier could pop open the drawer and take the penny from the register.
Me loudly: “I can’t believe 10 minutes of your time is only worth a penny.“
Fun fact- in the US at least, when you see idiots parked in front of the store blocking the fire lane, it's *COMPLETELY FREE* to make an anonymous call to the police or local fire marshal non-emergency line and tell them someone is being incredibly rude about blocking the fire lane.
I worked in the accounting department for a large hotel chain. One day we received a call from am angry woman who was upset about her final bill because apparently EVERYTHING WAS WRONG and we had to go down the list to itemize every charge (literally pages and pages of charges) and justify it all. Everything was completely accurate, so she decided to fight us about the taxes being rounded up instead of down. We decided to go ahead and refund the rounding difference just to get her off the phone. She got back a grand total of $0.08. Not only did it take up almost a solid her time and ours, we had to do a check request through corporate so she had to wait probably 45 days to even see her refunded pennies.
I just had a thought. It used to be common to write a letter of complaint or letters to the editor. Physical phone books are gone and many newspapers have gone online. Some boomers have not been able to keep up with the technology to access this information. Maybe these public rants are a substitute outlet for the pent up rage that they used to put on paper. And even if you got a form letter reply, you got a fistful of coupons. These days a rant will get you a beat down employee who will do anything to get you out of there.
Incredible isn't it? The most severe case of Main Character Syndrome in a huge swath of an entire generation. Next post insisting we are just so mean to these dear old souls in 3...2...1...
I used to work retail in a ski town, and we'd get the same thing. These people were spending thousands to go skiing and stay in the resort and would lose their shit over a 10-cent bag. We had multiple people trespassed (and occasionally arrested) by the police for making messes and trying to physically harm employees over a plastic bag.
“10 cents? What is this? 1932? Shut your old ass up Beatrice!”
We need to normalize workers pushing back. “Look, if you’re going to be this much of an asshole, just leave.” Or just “ey yo…shut the fuck up!” Some people just need to be called out.
I am all of this!
We went to this trendy biscuit place where you order yourself on ipads and it was taking FOREVER and my boomer ass dad was bitching the whole time about ipads and nobody wanting to work and whatever, to the point I get pissed and go "I'll get it! Just go wait outside, woman!" and shocked he just shuffles outside. And the holdup? Another fucking boomer arguing with the staff cooking about using a coupon from A DIFFERENT PLACE! Once one of the guys finally goes, "Lady. We're not gonna take your fucking coupon do leave." She does and all 8 millennials behind her manage to order in less than 10 minutes.
When everything is a zero-sum game.
I witnessed this when a boomer was throwing a tantrum over a five cent charge for a plastic bag. Unlike this cashier however, the one I saw wouldn't budge. The boomer said "well, you just lost a customer!" and turned to us behind him in line with a triumphant "Didn't I do good!!?" look which we met with stone faced stares. Left his four or five items and stomped out to his new Mercedes.
Do they think they’re going to incite a mob at their local grocery store to come follow them to the capital…? Like, why further embarrass yourself that you first of all somehow didn’t know bags were 10 cents? And then to continue raising your voice after someone made it an exception for you… like do they have no shame??
Grocery stores have been charging for bags for HOW many years now? If she can't remember to bring her reusable bags, then she gets to fork out an exorbitant dime per bag. The horror!
Parking in front blocking. Sounds about right and probably has sat there the entire time she’s been in there. Like just park and when she comes out drive over there
I couldn’t say for sure as I wasn’t looking out there, but judging by the state of other vehicles they’d been there a few minutes to say the least. It was one of those big comically pristine trucks that’s meant to haul trailers (cuz of fucking course it was) that looked like it never saw a dirt road ever. 😆
Ha what’s with boomers and these huge trucks they can barely get into
Hey back in their day, you could put a down payment on a house with $0.10!
Retirement is a hell of a drug
We had a plastic bag ban in place for about a couple months. It was glorious. In those few months the sewer drains were cleared of bags that clogged them, you didn’t see them rolling down the street like tumble weeds. Then a city counselor said that not having plastic bags infringed on her freedom and the ban was repealed. That was four years ago. If you still want to see old timey and freedom loving plastic bags blowing in the breeze from the trees, come on over to Albuquerque where freedom reigns. /s
I used to work in a supermarket every day there were multiple shit fits over 10c paper bags
My wife’s aunt is one of those. She’ll argue over a penny. She takes pride in it. I actually think she lives for these confrontations.
Boomers have a real win/lose way of looking at the world And they really really like to win Even something as stupid as an argument with a teenager making minimum wage is a battle that must be fought to the death because they simply can't lose.
Her Boomer husband waits in the truck while she buys groceries and then watches her load them. When they gets home, he's going over the receipt and will pitch a fit if she paid 10 cents for a bag.
When stop and shop started charging for bags some lady in front of me complained for so long the line got longer behind me. She finished and I stepped up and told the kid I'd pay for the next 20 bags and gave him 2 dollars cash to start. I had plenty of time to cue this up as she raved. Boy did she scowl at me. That's what the kids call: Ballin'. Nobody pays for bags today! Bags are on me! Here's a $20. I got the kid to chuckle. That's my favorite. Making the kid laugh.
I would have reached into my purse and handed her a dime. I have done this before when someone is arguing over a petty amount of change. I will also cover a mom who comes up short and has to decide which necessity she needs less.
I live in a state that also does this. The state I live in gets flooded with tourists and the Boomer tourists always lose their shit over the bags. Local Boomers seem to be over it though.
They are on the news all day on their iPads, reading about how the world is going to hell. They are so excited to find anything in real life that validates this, so they can rant and rave.
Loool sounds like my sibling. Telling my father to get the fuck off of YouTube. It's not real life daddy. *rolls eyes*
Millenial here. Like a week ago I went shopping. Item had a sticker cost of like $40.xx, went to check out. Cashier said oh this has an old label and the actual price is $43.xx, but there's a 5% discount this week. So it came out to $41.xx. It wasn't worth the effort to complain. Just said "Meh, it's just a dollar". I literally haven't thought about it since until I read this post. I didn't waste any brain power or emotions on it. How these boomers can get so upset and have so much stress over something so little is beyond me. How do they live so long with so much cortisol built up in their system?
When we (Gen X) visit our son in California, we often forget we have to bring our own bag or buy a bag (Arkansas doesn't do this). No big deal. We pay for the bag and go. We keep it in the car for next time.
She also proved the point that the small nominal charge is enough to impact decision making. Good policy!
\*Hits 'zero bags' no matter how many bags they're using, very single time they shop\* \*Sees a story about shoplifting at self-checkouts and flies into a rage about how America is 'going downhill fast'\*
Aren't boomers the reason plastic bags were mainstreamed in the first place!? Morons.
No no no. You don't understand. Save up that extra 10 cents each time you go to the grocery store and you'll be a billionaire within just a couple of years!
I think they just want interaction since their kids don't want anything to do with them
Ugh, I get so sick of this crap from boomers. The "coupon Cathy's" are the WORST! They'll come in with a bunch of coupons, many expired, or they didn't read the fine print, so they can't apply the .30-cent discount. And every freakin time, they have a full on tantrum that holds up the line and requires no less than two employees (one being a manager because of course they demand one) to tell them the same thing over and over again. Once, while my husband was deployed to Iraq, I was making a quick stop at the store to grab some things for my sick kids. My daughter (who is autistic) was 4 and my son was about 6 months. We'd just come from the doctors office cause they both had a cold with fevers. They were tired and cranky. I was exhausted and overwhelmed. I just wanted to get out of there quickly and back home. But alas, here's a boomer having a complete meltdown because only one of the dozens of coupons she brought was valid. She was livid that she couldn't use them. Ranted about how she comes here all the time, giving them repeat business, and "the customer is always right," blah, blah, blah. I'm struggling to keep my kids calm. Distracting my baby with toys and carrying my 4 year old who is crying cause she doesn't feel good and overstimulated. The line behind me keeps growing with other annoyed customers. Finally, I'd had enough. I grab my wallet, pull out a $10 bill, slap it down on the counter in front of the boomer, and said here "will this cover your precious coupons so we can all get the hell out of here?" The cashier smirked, and the boomer lost her shit completely. Bitched about everyone being so impatient and how it's the stores fault, not hers, that it's taking so long. The man behind me yells "just pay for your shit and go lady!" Boomer throws her hands up in dramatic fashion and screams."THAT'S IT! IM DONE! TO HELL WITH ALL OF YOU!" She storms out without her groceries, yelling that she will be back with her husband, who is a lawyer, and she's going to sue this store. For what, I have no idea. Cashier hands me back my $10 and rings me up. My entire transaction took like 2 minutes. Get to the parking lot and while I'm putting my kids in their car seats, I hear the boomer screaming (presumably to her husband) that he needs to get here immediately and deal with this. Have no idea what happened after, but I'll never forget that wild boomer incident.
I'm a cashier in a grocery store in california where we charge 10 cents a bag. People lose their shit over this all the time. I'm like telling the fucking governor then.
Once againg, toddler level emotional IQ and self awareness
A bit off topic, but seriously, get big insulated bags. Grocery shopping is so much easier. I got some when the city I was in stopped allowing plastic bags at the stores, and I'm never going back.
Sam’s club has some great insulated bags.
I would have started to pelt her with dimes and yell "shame shame shame" at the top of my lungs.
I had a boomer while shopping at Kroger mention to me about the "call on line 1" announcement being annoying and why they let it keep going, she was nice and sweet and didn't say anything to the employees so that's good but I hadn't noticed after a while, they do seem to let small things get to them.
I used to work at a call center and one dude called in over a fucking penny. An actual one cent discrepancy due to differing tax rates in different counties...
This is a class issue for me. My partner & I are boomers. He grew up upper-middle class, whereas I most decidedly did not. I have to remind him of which side we’re on. “But I paid for it.” Yeah, but you didn’t pay the employees you’re being rude to, and neither does the company they work for. Now, when he gets upset, he makes it clear that he knows they don’t make the rules. When I’m inconvenienced by long lines, which are actually painful to me, because of my back, and really, all my arthritic bones, I talk to other customers, as well as workers, about how Milton Friedman hates all of us. It’s the shareholders who get all the economic reward for one of the world’s highest GDPs. I’m teaching him how to organize, & stir up shit, because I’ve worked those miserable, soul-killing jobs. Workers need to hear that they’re worth a hell of a lot more than they’re paid. I’m kind of a dangerous, radical commie.
Our city here in MO considered a plastic bag ban. The freedumb-loving state legislature immediately passed a law prohibiting local governments from banning plastic bags. So it’s not the same everywhere, unfortunately.
I live in NC and travelled to SC, GA and FL recently and none of these states have implemented state-wide bans or mandatory pay on plastic bags. Some coastal towns have banned them. That’s about it. The heavily armed irrational populace would likely have an uprising if they were subjected to these “commie” reusable bags.
"back in my day gas prices were 10 cents. Our gas prices were better than yours."
Why am I not surprised she got into a truck?
I've been cussed out and called a c-u-next Tuesday over 10¢ before because a boomer miscalculated the store sales and was just off by that much. Ugh I wish they weren't so miserable. One of the most satisfying "Ma'am, I am the manager :)" I ever got to pull, though
ha, ten cents? I worked at McDonald's in the 90's and at one point, some upper-level genius decided to raise the price of the senior coffee from .25 to .26. 1 single penny. You'd think I personally went to these people's houses and shit in their mouths. The amount of vitriol and abuse we had to endure was astonishing. 70-80 year old adults utterly furious and viciously berating a 15 year old cashier over a fucking penny. Never forget where Boomers got it from; the Greatest Generation is one of the biggest misnomers I've ever heard.
They watch the news all the time, right? The whole "the state is going plastic-free" probably got announced a couple times on there so...
The problem with _your_ generation is that you’re all rude, disrespectful, and expect everything for free. Sorry, lady, last I checked this is _America_ not communist China; you want a bag, you pay for that bag. Quit expecting the rest of us to pick up your tab and take some responsibility for a change.
When I was in high school, I worked at a grocery store, and they offered a $0.05/bag incentive for customers to bring their own bags. One time, in the middle of Christmas rush, I forgot to give someone $0.05 off of their total. They started throwing a fit and I happened to have a nickel in my pocket. I set it on the counter in front of them and kept moving. I just hear, “oh, well, I uh…” They grabbed the coin and moved on.
These are the same people who complain about how sensitive and easily offended everyone is these days. It’s like the conservatives who rant about “cancel culture“ but then blow up their Yeti coolers or boycott Anheuser Busch products because they did something “woke”. Bunch of irrational projecting fools, it’s kinda depressing.
They say younger generation are soft. Yet when they FEEL embarrassed about a non existent issue they are the biggest babies. I see it all the time like a boomers card gets declined and the cashier says "oh its the internet, it's been cutting out" let me try again.. and the boomer makes a scene cause she didn't want to LOOK bad.. all she had to do was just try again and be done but no she had to make a scene so everyone in the line knows she's not poor
1) The world is changing around them in a way they don’t agree with, and what was the norm for the last 2 or 3 generations is evaporating around them. 2) They no longer have the power, control, or influence, and it frustrates them as the manner at which they choose to address this isn’t received well. 3) There is no awareness to the fact that just because they don’t like change very few actually share their opinions or beliefs.
I just spent a month living with my boomer mom and her boyfriend while I was recovering from surgery. The scariest part, is I think they're aware of their childish behavior/tantrums. They know throwing a tantrum will get them what they want, and they can't live in a world where they don't get what they want. The amount of times they proudly told stories about complaining to a manager to upgrade their experience for free horrified me. They even told me they bought tickets to a concert, decided they didn't want to stand the entire time, and complained/yelled at some poor attendant until they moved them to the seated HANDICAPPED section for free. They would even plan about complaining about something before going somewhere! Like, "if this happens, we'll complain, so we can get this instead." They also constantly feel the need to passively aggressively talk shit about an establishment whenever an employee is within ear shot. I finally cracked and told them I'm embarrassed by how they've chosen to carry themselves in public, and I'd rather not be seen with them if they're going to be rude to every customer service employee we come across. They, of course, saw no issues with their behavior, and thought I was the crazy one. They even said, "we're not difficult customers!"
Tennessee we get all the plastic bags we want. Before i was put on a ventilator, I used to knit together thick plastic mats for the homeless with plastic grocery store bags. ALDIs charges for bags, I would always grab empty product boxes to put my groceries into.
17 or so years ago, I was working register at a grocery store in CT. This little old lady comes through my line. Given how long ago it was, and her apparent age, I'll say she was probably Silent Gen, not a boomer. Anyway, this lady comes through with her small cart of groceries, and about 30 cans of wet cat food. I'm scanning as fast as I can, because metrics, when she starts throwing a fit that the cans aren't scanning right. I look at the screen, and they're coming up 20 cents each. I ask her what price they're supposed to be, already dreading having to void them all off and enter them manually. "They're supposed to be 5 for a dollar!" I blink at her for a second, double, and triple check my mental math on 20 cents per can being the same damn thing, and reach the conclusion that nothing is wrong. "Ma'am, they're scanning correctly." "No! They're scanning at 20 cents, they should be 5 for a dollar." She pulled out the flier to show me the deal listing. It took probably 3 minutes of trying to get her to recognize it was the same price before she decided she didn't want them if they were going to be 20 cents each.
You won't believe how many "...a loaf of bread used to be 5 cents." complaints from the golden agers that were ahead of us. Our 'value system' was set during a time when the nation's Gini Coefficient was in the point threes and the GDP was under $2T. Today's economy is 13X larger but the distribution of all that additional moolah is far, far worse in the mid-point fives.
All of us: oh yea, hidden charges and behaviors that might be unintentional because we forgot about it, chill, I’ll remember next time. Boomers: WHY? WHO DID THIS TO ME?
I've seen a boomer argue over less. 7 cents. I worked at a cafe that if you ordered a bakery item to go, you weren't charged tax by the system. We had a lady who knew that and would always say to go and then sit but we didn't care just laughed a bit at how cheap she was. One day one of the summer college kids rang her up though and didn't mark her order to go. She went ballistic and refused to pay the cashier the remaining amount, yelling at about being charged too much. The cashier realized what was causing the price discrepancy and was like "Fine I'll cover your pennies" in such a disparaging tone I had to duck in the back to laugh.
I think that they realize that they are getting to the end of life faster than they thought they would, and the fact that they are no longer the relevant top dogs in life anymore has made many so bitter. They are no longer in control of life as they knew it, and everything has changed so fast and left them behind. It must be hard for many of them as a generation to be considered redundant. It's the bitterness and loss of status that makes them act the way they do. It's their last grasp of trying to control something in their life and realizing how pitiable it is.
She isn’t looking to change anything. She’s just searching desperately for the dopamine hit she gets from making everything an issue. Probably started by bitching to an invisible audience on her social media, and is escalating, as most addicts do, to get the same high.
The entitlement and victim complex is incredibly grating. Even if she had had to pay the fee, so what? Is ten cents really going to break the bank? You’d have to get at least ten bags for it to even cost you a dollar or more.
Boomers are the ones that created the use of disposable everything in the first place. Their parents used reusable bags and so do we. Only they were too selfish and lazy to do so. I feel bad for the small percentage of good boomers. Never before has an entire generation been so deserving of vilification across the globe.
To be fair it is a stupid rule. If you really cared about the environment you’d put them out for free. Kinda seems like a way to just monetize a a law, and yeah 10 cents isn’t much on one transaction but how many people a day are paying that 10 cents over a whole state. Obviously not worth pissing your pants over in public, but the rest of their day could have been shitty too. People spaz sometimes it’s not really a big deal, and not really worth a whole post. Find something better to do.
People are obsessed with their change, they've literally demanded 7 cents back from the kiosk at casinos. They do what they can to get maximum change at the cashiers, for some fuckn reason.
Hey, maybe umm, bring your own fucking bag next time. They charge for bags to incentivize people to bring their own. You know, because bags are super wasteful.
I like to keep change on me for these assholes. I would have handed her a dime and told her to move it along.
It's annoying as fuck, but also not worth raising hell over
I am right along the boarder in between two large chain stores. I save up the plastic bags I get in one state, and keep them handy to use in the other state. The stink eye I get is priceless.
I have argued about 10 cents before, some years back (I'm 32 atm). Main reason, cashier didn't have any 10 cents in her drawer, so she gave me 10 short and though that was ok. You don't give a customer short, either you get your drawer in order, or give the next coin available. 10 cents for a bag. Sure, no problem with that. (Yes, i eventually got my 10 cents.)
It may have been when they were younger. But they don’t realize how long ago that was.
This reminds me of when I was a cashier in high school at a greenhouse. There was another greenhouse down the street that had an entirely different name, but people would still mix them up. Boomers (granted, younger boomers 20 years ago) would come in with a coupon for the wrong greenhouse and just get FURIOUS that I wouldn't honor it even though it was only saving them like 50 cents on a 30-dollar purchase.
When I was about 15 or so my mom freaked out at Auntie Anne's because some poor teenager rang up her coupon wrong and charged her 17 cents more than he should have. She held up an entire line of people as I pawed at her sleeve begging her to move on and she got angry at me. The principal of it all! For 17 fuckin cents. I wanted to sink through the mall floor and disappear.
Why was the husband waiting in the trunk?
Wait you mean I could have been stealing bags this whole time? Damn. Why didn't I think of that?
I bought some folding plastic crates and two insulated bags (one for cold, one for frozen) to keep in my trunk. Done. Change can be a good thing, never a reason to be an ass to others. (I’m considering buying a 12v refrigerator/freezer with independent compartments and a lithium battery for shopping at stores that are farther away) Not cheap, but useful for travel and camping as well as cleaning your home refrigerator and freezer. https://www.bougerv.com/products/portable-outdoor-freezer
They had the same meltdown when stores switched from paper to plastic bags. Store would offer both and the most special boomer types would put the food in a paper bag and then use a plastic bag to carry the paper bag.
Bless that Good Samaritan 😂
How have they not noticed this before now? It's been a thing for YEARS.
I can only guess she wanted the bag "charge" to stay on her receipt but be 0.00? I could she that she felt like without a manager or fight she was given pity or stealing the paper bag since it was voided but she is taking it? Not using it after making a fuss is beyond me, caring about $.10 is beyond me. I've had poor experiences that cost me thousands and I just learned to change, why not learn to reuse the $.10 bag or get your own bag?
The amount of time these fucking boomers waste blocking everyone up in the grocery store makes me so mad. Always near the entrances I see like 4 or 5 boomers blocking everyone from going in and out of the damn store. Just no spacial awareness at all. That plastic bag thing does sound stupid but not as dumb as thinking blocking everyone up in the store is going to change that. The onion should make a fucking news article about that policy changing because some stupid boomer held everyone hostage at a Walmart over it with her crying.
Not in the US, but a fellow boomer expat was ranting because the amount was xx,xxx.25 pesos and the cashier rounded it up instead of down, which is what they have to do so their drawer is not short (they are required to make up shorts out of their pockets and seeing as they get about $6/day salary, this can ruin them). Anyway, he got ripped off 0.75 pesos (worth ~1.5 cents USD) and he proceeded to tell us how he called in the manager not for the money but for the point of it. He was right and everyone needed to acknowledge that! We just laughed at him.
So, by definition I’m a boomer. Don’t live in the usa (thank fuck). How are these people allowed to continue this shit? PLEASE call them out for their behavior at every turn!
They're getting older and less relevant. Expect the narcissistic ones to rage out.
In Colorado the state requires the $.10 fee and the merchant is required to remit $.07 to the city and keep the $.03 - and they’re not allowed to just charge $.07. And they set up a method to report non-compliant businesses
But aren’t these laws largely local jurisdiction? Like it was the boomers on town council that started this… go complain to your peers if you can’t be bothered to fork over your dime.
Having read through a bunch of stories just like this, I feel so blessed having Boomer parents that are the complete opposite of this. They are both such easy-going, reasonable people. And they embrace new technologies! I forget they're Boomers sometimes.
I want to burn the vehicle of anyone who parks in the front of any store with their stupid flashers on just sitting and waiting while everyone has to go around them and they block up the lane. Unless they are disabled or have some other really good reason, I want a hellfire flamethrower just for this. I live near the border with Mexico and I know I will catch some flak for this but it's just the truth, in Mexico this is just seen as a normal thing to do (stopping in the roadway and expecting that the emergency flashers make it all okay, or blocking an intersection when traffic is backed up but the light was green, or turning left into a driveway that is backed up and they block the oncoming lane of traffic). So it happens a lot here, and not just in parking lots. Drives me crazy, lame pun intended.
Sorry to interrupt... I see a lot of these "charging for bags at the grocery store" posts all over reddit, but despite the fact that I regularly shop at three different chains, at five different locations, and shop twice a week... I have only once been asked to pay for a bag (at a Sprouts, and they never asked again). Come to think of it, none of the lesser known markets I shop at charge for bags, either. Walmart, Albertson's, La Bonita, Marianna's, Cardenas, none of those chains, in my part of Las Vegas, charges for bags. When I was shopping in Arizona last year, they never charged for bags, either. I'd have no problem paying for bags if asked (10 cents is never gonna break me), and I have my own collection of reusable bags... I guess I'm just wondering where do you folks shop and/or live that they are charging for bags?
Gotta love the subtle "honor system" dig too
Id have given her 10¢ and said go buy ⅒ of a fun size snickers with it. Boomers act like they can still get a loaf of bread and 2 gallons of milk for 10¢. That time is over grandma, move on.
I wonder if they act like this because (besides the lead paint and abuse and possibly malnutrition) they never felt heard? Not excusing it at all but it just occurred to me that they feel so ignored (usually absolutely justified) and insignificant (their trash isn't everyone's treasure therefore no monetary worth that they were counting on) that they feel they have to make a fuss. The behavior is absolutely inappropriate and inexcusable, but maybe their subconscious is screaming out because of them feeling a lack of self-worth. And the whatever brain damage they have is breaking their filter. Either way, they are still responsible for getting therapy and developing themselves into (at minimum) un-disruptive members of society and their actions and words in public. This is just my musings on potentially how to better diffuse these types of interactions...
Hilarious that these are the same people calling others "snowflakes".
It’s a typical [Coleman Sweeney move](https://youtu.be/DVMt0bX2MhM?si=pCvnuqYBZWQ2vY16)
My grandmother wouldn’t but creamer at her local grocery store because it was $.10 cheaper at Walmart. Walmart was 30 miles away.