A bit back I was doing some plumbing.
I bought some 15mm copper and some other bits and pieces and I asked for
a valve.
'A valve', said the guy, me, 'yes a 15mm valve'.
I was having a bit of a brain fart and couldn't remember exactly what I
needed to ask for, he was staring at me blankly so I said 'for shutting
the water off'. He stared at me blankly, I added, 'a valve, for stopping
the flow of water'.
'Your terminology is blowing me away' he said.
Me, 'two bits of pipe, valve between them for turning the water off',
him, 'oh, an isolator. (note the omission of the word valve).

More recently I bought some wall units from a local timber place.
I was using them as base units so the worktop I was buying needed
cutting in half lengthways, I asked if they could do it for me and the
fella said, almost gleefully I thought, that they couldn't. I thought I
was being my usual cynical self but I detected another hint of
cheerfulness when I was putting them in the car and he asked where I was
going to take them to get them cut. I told him not to worry, i'd manage.

This week I am in the electrical suppliers. I need a type C breaker, he
asks what sort of breakers I currently have, I tell him, he says he has
type B breakers but can't get C types the same as the ones I have.
I come away empty handed and do a bit of research and find that most
breakers are the same size and shape and will sit happily with each other.
So I go back and buy a couple of breakers and ask if he has any busbar.
Not for that CU he says.
So I leave with no busbar but then i'm thinking that if the breakers are
the same dimensions then surely the busbar is the same. So I go back and
he admits he has none and doesn't keep it.

Do people get a buzz out of being unhelpful?

R D S wrote:


Do people get a buzz out of being unhelpful?
yes.

"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
R D S wrote:


Do people get a buzz out of being unhelpful?
yes.

Sadly a lot of people seem to get a buzz out of other peoples misfortune.
Often found in folk who lead fairly mundane lives.

Mike

In message , R D S
writes
A bit back I was doing some plumbing.
I bought some 15mm copper and some other bits and pieces and I asked
for a valve.
'A valve', said the guy, me, 'yes a 15mm valve'.
I was having a bit of a brain fart and couldn't remember exactly what I
needed to ask for, he was staring at me blankly so I said 'for shutting
the water off'. He stared at me blankly, I added, 'a valve, for
stopping the flow of water'.
'Your terminology is blowing me away' he said.
Me, 'two bits of pipe, valve between them for turning the water off',
him, 'oh, an isolator. (note the omission of the word valve).

More recently I bought some wall units from a local timber place.
I was using them as base units so the worktop I was buying needed
cutting in half lengthways, I asked if they could do it for me and the
fella said, almost gleefully I thought, that they couldn't. I thought I
was being my usual cynical self but I detected another hint of
cheerfulness when I was putting them in the car and he asked where I
was going to take them to get them cut. I told him not to worry, i'd manage.

This week I am in the electrical suppliers. I need a type C breaker, he
asks what sort of breakers I currently have, I tell him, he says he has
type B breakers but can't get C types the same as the ones I have.
I come away empty handed and do a bit of research and find that most
breakers are the same size and shape and will sit happily with each
other.
So I go back and buy a couple of breakers and ask if he has any busbar.
Not for that CU he says.
So I leave with no busbar but then i'm thinking that if the breakers
are the same dimensions then surely the busbar is the same. So I go
back and he admits he has none and doesn't keep it.

Do people get a buzz out of being unhelpful?


You have to ask yourself

"Is it me or the rest of the world?"


--
geoff

On Thu, 24 Nov 2011 18:06:03 +0000, R D S wrote:

Do people get a buzz out of being unhelpful?

Don't attribute to malice things that can be adequately explained
by stupidity.

E.g. Burgers sold in packs of 4, burger buns sold in packs of 6.

But yes, most shop assistants have nothing to gain from being
helpful. It means nothing to them whether you buy anything or
not.

On Nov 24, 6:06*pm, R D S wrote:

Do people get a buzz out of being unhelpful?

In several companies that I've worked for, the bods behind the stores
counters all seem to have the same unhelpful pedantic ******* gene.

As someone elsewhere once commented, their credo seems to be "It's
called 'Stores' because we store stuff. If we were meant to issue it,
it would be called 'Issues'..."

--
Halmyre

On 24/11/2011 22:46, root wrote:
On Thu, 24 Nov 2011 18:06:03 +0000, R D S wrote:

Do people get a buzz out of being unhelpful?

Don't attribute to malice things that can be adequately explained
by stupidity.

Sounds to me like the OP is a victim of
DIYer-at-a-trade-supplier-syndrome. Would have made a good Two Ronnies
sketch:

DIYer: "I'd like a length of wood please"
Supplier "Eh? Haven't got any of those."
DIYer: "But the sign says you're a timber yard!"
Supplier: "Oh, right you mean timber... "
DIYer: "OK, do you have any lengths of TIMBER, three inches wide by two
inches thick?"
Supplier: "ooh, no"
DIYer: "Well what's this then?"
Supplier: "Oh, you mean toobithree..."

"Halmyre" wrote in message
...

On Nov 24, 6:06 pm, R D S wrote:

Do people get a buzz out of being unhelpful?

In several companies that I've worked for, the bods behind the stores
counters all seem to have the same unhelpful pedantic ******* gene.

As someone elsewhere once commented, their credo seems to be "It's
called 'Stores' because we store stuff. If we were meant to issue it,
it would be called 'Issues'..."

--
Halmyre

--
Having moved from 'the big smoke' into rural East Sussex, I find that local
suppliers including those that are big chains are in fact very helpful in
comparison to where we were. They have the time to discuss and in several
case suggest an alternative supplier if they couldn't help. It really is a
refreshing change.

AWEM

Maybe life is so boring, winding up the odd person is a highlight of their
day.

On the other hand, maybe he is videoing it and it will appear on the web..
Brian

--
Brian Gaff -
Note:- In order to reduce spam, any email without 'Brian Gaff'
in the display name may be lost.
Blind user, so no pictures please!
"R D S" wrote in message
...
A bit back I was doing some plumbing.
I bought some 15mm copper and some other bits and pieces and I asked for a
valve.
'A valve', said the guy, me, 'yes a 15mm valve'.
I was having a bit of a brain fart and couldn't remember exactly what I
needed to ask for, he was staring at me blankly so I said 'for shutting
the water off'. He stared at me blankly, I added, 'a valve, for stopping
the flow of water'.
'Your terminology is blowing me away' he said.
Me, 'two bits of pipe, valve between them for turning the water off', him,
'oh, an isolator. (note the omission of the word valve).

More recently I bought some wall units from a local timber place.
I was using them as base units so the worktop I was buying needed cutting
in half lengthways, I asked if they could do it for me and the fella said,
almost gleefully I thought, that they couldn't. I thought I was being my
usual cynical self but I detected another hint of cheerfulness when I was
putting them in the car and he asked where I was going to take them to get
them cut. I told him not to worry, i'd manage.

This week I am in the electrical suppliers. I need a type C breaker, he
asks what sort of breakers I currently have, I tell him, he says he has
type B breakers but can't get C types the same as the ones I have.
I come away empty handed and do a bit of research and find that most
breakers are the same size and shape and will sit happily with each other.
So I go back and buy a couple of breakers and ask if he has any busbar.
Not for that CU he says.
So I leave with no busbar but then i'm thinking that if the breakers are
the same dimensions then surely the busbar is the same. So I go back and
he admits he has none and doesn't keep it.

Do people get a buzz out of being unhelpful?

root wrote:


But yes, most shop assistants have nothing to gain from being
helpful. It means nothing to them whether you buy anything or
not.

Which sums up the core problem of why this country is crap. When I came out
of uni in 1990 (recession) and had to take a job in the Jobcentre (well,
*they* were busy): it was quite possibly the most boring job I have ever had
but it did not stop me from taking pride in the work. I used to get a kick
out of making sure the job ads on the boards were up to date, arranged in
order and tallied with the daily computer listing.

Sad, I know - but that's me. If I have to do something, I like to do it
nicely - an atribute that is sadly lacking in a great many places.

--
Tim Watts

Halmyre wrote:

On Nov 24, 6:06 pm, R D S wrote:

Do people get a buzz out of being unhelpful?

In several companies that I've worked for, the bods behind the stores
counters all seem to have the same unhelpful pedantic ******* gene.

As someone elsewhere once commented, their credo seems to be "It's
called 'Stores' because we store stuff. If we were meant to issue it,
it would be called 'Issues'..."


Storemen do seem to delight in running their own fiefdom. Whilst they could
do that and be helpful ("no one runs a stores like I do, we have everything
you need produced in 20 seconds") a few seem to delight in taking the
approach of "bow before your master, pleb, because to need something of me
and I need nothing from you"...



--
Tim Watts

On 24/11/11 22:35, geoff wrote:


You have to ask yourself

"Is it me or the rest of the world?"

It's definitely them.

In article , Tim Watts
scribeth thus
Halmyre wrote:

On Nov 24, 6:06 pm, R D S wrote:

Do people get a buzz out of being unhelpful?

In several companies that I've worked for, the bods behind the stores
counters all seem to have the same unhelpful pedantic ******* gene.

As someone elsewhere once commented, their credo seems to be "It's
called 'Stores' because we store stuff. If we were meant to issue it,
it would be called 'Issues'..."


Storemen do seem to delight in running their own fiefdom. Whilst they could
do that and be helpful ("no one runs a stores like I do, we have everything
you need produced in 20 seconds") a few seem to delight in taking the
approach of "bow before your master, pleb, because to need something of me
and I need nothing from you"...




Its a certain mindset and breed just like the traffic wardens around
here. Would any normal person -want- to do that job?.

It appears that they have no shortage of applicants;!....
--
Tony Sayer

Owain wrote:
On Nov 25, 9:16 am, Tim Watts wrote:
Storemen do seem to delight in running their own fiefdom.

As do a certain class of railway employee.

"Does this train go through X?"

"Ar."

passenger runs for train

mutters "Don't stop there though."

Owain


'Does this train stop at Waterloo?'
'There will be a **** of a bang if it doesn't'

On 25/11/11 07:27, Halmyre wrote:
On Nov 24, 6:06 pm, R D wrote:

Do people get a buzz out of being unhelpful?

In several companies that I've worked for, the bods behind the stores
counters all seem to have the same unhelpful pedantic ******* gene.

Howdens,
'Can I have 2 of your cheapest base units'
After a Spanish style inquisition about
size/thickness/finish/colour/doors/handles, I tell the guy that whatever
was cheap and in stock would be perfect as I was just looking for the
simplest way of holding up a piece of worktop.
There's easier ways of holding worktop up he says looking at me like i'm
a thick **** and tells me the best way is to screw a piece of timber to
the wall and use some legs.
It's not going against the wall. Can I just have a couple of base units
please?

On Nov 25, 8:26*am, "Andrew Mawson"
wrote:

Having moved from 'the big smoke' into rural East Sussex, I find that local
suppliers including those that are big chains are in fact very helpful in
comparison to where we were.
[...] It really is a refreshing change.

Found exactly the same moving from Bristol to Wiltshire. I was was
half expecting it with the local/small suppliers, but there was also a
marked difference in staff attititudes even in the likes of B&Q,
Wickes, etc.

Mathew

On Fri, 25 Nov 2011 12:17:19 +0000, tony sayer wrote:

In article , Tim Watts
scribeth thus
Halmyre wrote:

On Nov 24, 6:06 pm, R D S wrote:

Do people get a buzz out of being unhelpful?

In several companies that I've worked for, the bods behind the stores
counters all seem to have the same unhelpful pedantic ******* gene.

As someone elsewhere once commented, their credo seems to be "It's
called 'Stores' because we store stuff. If we were meant to issue it,
it would be called 'Issues'..."


Storemen do seem to delight in running their own fiefdom. Whilst they could
do that and be helpful ("no one runs a stores like I do, we have everything
you need produced in 20 seconds") a few seem to delight in taking the
approach of "bow before your master, pleb, because to need something of me
and I need nothing from you"...




Its a certain mindset and breed just like the traffic wardens around
here. Would any normal person -want- to do that job?.

It appears that they have no shortage of applicants;!....

They're the sort - along with other petty officials - that would become
'secret police' under other circumstances/in another country.
--
Peter.
The gods will stay away
whilst religions hold sway

On Nov 24, 6:06*pm, R D S wrote:
A bit back I was doing some plumbing.
I bought some 15mm copper and some other bits and pieces and I asked for
a valve.
'A valve', said the guy, me, 'yes a 15mm valve'.
I was having a bit of a brain fart and couldn't remember exactly what I
needed to ask for, he was staring at me blankly so I said 'for shutting
the water off'. He stared at me blankly, I added, 'a valve, for stopping
the flow of water'.
'Your terminology is blowing me away' he said.
Me, 'two bits of pipe, valve between them for turning the water off',
him, 'oh, an isolator. (note the omission of the word valve).

More recently I bought some wall units from a local timber place.
I was using them as base units so the worktop I was buying needed
cutting in half lengthways, I asked if they could do it for me and the
fella said, almost gleefully I thought, that they couldn't. I thought I
was being my usual cynical self but I detected another hint of
cheerfulness when I was putting them in the car and he asked where I was
going to take them to get them cut. I told him not to worry, i'd manage.

This week I am in the electrical suppliers. I need a type C breaker, he
asks what sort of breakers I currently have, I tell him, he says he has
type B breakers but can't get C types the same as the ones I have.
I come away empty handed and do a bit of research and find that most
breakers are the same size and shape and will sit happily with each other..
So I go back and buy a couple of breakers and ask if he has any busbar.
Not for that CU he says.
So I leave with no busbar but then i'm thinking that if the breakers are
the same dimensions then surely the busbar is the same. So I go back and
he admits he has none and doesn't keep it.

Do people get a buzz out of being unhelpful?

I was up in York helping my son fit a dish washer. We needed a valve
so went to the little ironmongers round the corner.
Do you have a valve? He rummages through the many drawers that these
small shops have.
Yes I have a valve but its my last one, I don't think I can let you
have it!!

On Nov 25, 8:02*am, Lobster wrote:
DIYer: "I'd like a length of wood please"
Supplier "Eh? Haven't got any of those."
DIYer: "But the sign says you're a timber yard!"
Supplier: "Oh, right you mean timber... "
DIYer: "OK, do you have any lengths of TIMBER, three inches wide by two
inches thick?"
Supplier: "ooh, no"
DIYer: "Well what's this then?"
Supplier: "Oh, you mean toobithree..."

Me: "Do you have anything short and thicker than these two?".
Supplier: "No".
Me: "Well look in the mirror tomorrow morning".

Supplier: "Our staff have the right not to be insulted".
Me: "So you will not be going home to your mother tonight then?".

On 25/11/2011 08:26, Andrew Mawson wrote:
--
Having moved from 'the big smoke' into rural East Sussex, I find that
local suppliers including those that are big chains are in fact very
helpful in comparison to where we were. They have the time to discuss
and in several case suggest an alternative supplier if they couldn't
help. It really is a refreshing change.

AWEM

--
Having moved from 'the big smoke' into rural East Sussex, I find that
local suppliers including those that are big chains are in fact very
helpful in comparison to where we were. They have the time to discuss
and in several case suggest an alternative supplier if they couldn't
help. It really is a refreshing change.

AWEM

I don't know whether it's Windows Live Mail which is responsible but
your replies are appearing as a signature (i.e. after the -- ). This
greys them out and makes them easy to miss.

Does Live Mail not have a reply button?

Another Dave

On 25/11/2011 16:05, Another Dave wrote:
On 25/11/2011 08:26, Andrew Mawson wrote:
--
Having moved from 'the big smoke' into rural East Sussex, I find that
local suppliers including those that are big chains are in fact very
helpful in comparison to where we were. They have the time to discuss
and in several case suggest an alternative supplier if they couldn't
help. It really is a refreshing change.

AWEM


Bugger. Now you've made me grey out myself

Another Dave

"Another Dave" wrote in message ...

On 25/11/2011 16:05, Another Dave wrote:
On 25/11/2011 08:26, Andrew Mawson wrote:
--
Having moved from 'the big smoke' into rural East Sussex, I find that
local suppliers including those that are big chains are in fact very
helpful in comparison to where we were. They have the time to discuss
and in several case suggest an alternative supplier if they couldn't
help. It really is a refreshing change.

AWEM


Bugger. Now you've made me grey out myself

Another Dave

--

Well yes, that's how I'm replying!!!!!! They are not greyed out when I read
my replies ???????odd?????

AWEM

On 25/11/2011 17:24, Andrew Mawson wrote:
"Another Dave" wrote in message ...

On 25/11/2011 16:05, Another Dave wrote:
On 25/11/2011 08:26, Andrew Mawson wrote:
--
Having moved from 'the big smoke' into rural East Sussex, I find that
local suppliers including those that are big chains are in fact very
helpful in comparison to where we were. They have the time to discuss
and in several case suggest an alternative supplier if they couldn't
help. It really is a refreshing change.

AWEM


Bugger. Now you've made me grey out myself

Another Dave

Just thought I would reply to AWEM's message but Thunderbird stripped
that content out as a signature. ;-)

--
Roger Chapman

On Fri, 25 Nov 2011 17:24:03 -0000, Andrew Mawson wrote:

"Another Dave" wrote in message ...

On 25/11/2011 16:05, Another Dave wrote:
On 25/11/2011 08:26, Andrew Mawson wrote:
--
Having moved from 'the big smoke' into rural East Sussex, I find that
local suppliers including those that are big chains are in fact very
helpful in comparison to where we were. They have the time to discuss
and in several case suggest an alternative supplier if they couldn't
help. It really is a refreshing change.

AWEM


Bugger. Now you've made me grey out myself

Another Dave

I think the point is you are replying after the '--' so its stripped out as
a signature by many newsreaders
--
(º€¢.¸(¨*€¢.¸ ¸.€¢*¨)¸.€¢Âº)
.€¢Â°€¢. Nik .€¢Â°€¢.
(¸.€¢Âº(¸.€¢Â¨* *¨€¢.¸)º€¢.¸)

In article ,
says...

On Fri, 25 Nov 2011 12:17:19 +0000, tony sayer wrote:

In article , Tim Watts
scribeth thus
Halmyre wrote:

On Nov 24, 6:06 pm, R D S wrote:

Do people get a buzz out of being unhelpful?

In several companies that I've worked for, the bods behind the stores
counters all seem to have the same unhelpful pedantic ******* gene.

As someone elsewhere once commented, their credo seems to be "It's
called 'Stores' because we store stuff. If we were meant to issue it,
it would be called 'Issues'..."


Storemen do seem to delight in running their own fiefdom. Whilst they could
do that and be helpful ("no one runs a stores like I do, we have everything
you need produced in 20 seconds") a few seem to delight in taking the
approach of "bow before your master, pleb, because to need something of me
and I need nothing from you"...




Its a certain mindset and breed just like the traffic wardens around
here. Would any normal person -want- to do that job?.

It appears that they have no shortage of applicants;!....

They're the sort - along with other petty officials - that would become
'secret police' under other circumstances/in another country.

I would suggest that they are the sort who need to pay their mortgage,
gas, leccy etc., etc., etc and aren't to proud to do such a job in order
to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table.

"Ghostrecon" wrote in message
news

On Fri, 25 Nov 2011 17:24:03 -0000, Andrew Mawson wrote:

"Another Dave" wrote in message ...

On 25/11/2011 16:05, Another Dave wrote:
On 25/11/2011 08:26, Andrew Mawson wrote:
--
Having moved from 'the big smoke' into rural East Sussex, I find that
local suppliers including those that are big chains are in fact very
helpful in comparison to where we were. They have the time to discuss
and in several case suggest an alternative supplier if they couldn't
help. It really is a refreshing change.

AWEM


Bugger. Now you've made me grey out myself

Another Dave

I think the point is you are replying after the '--' so its stripped out as
a signature by many newsreaders

OK Is this better? Windows Live Mail is far from ideal, and I'm having to
run WLMQuotefix for each reply to sort the lack of quote '' appendages. It
puts a silly phase in - something like 'I promise to quote correctly in
future' which I cut out, but I hadn't realised that the '--' was also
inserted by WLMQuotefix !!!!

AWEM

On 25/11/2011 17:24, Andrew Mawson wrote:
"Another Dave" wrote in message ...

On 25/11/2011 16:05, Another Dave wrote:
On 25/11/2011 08:26, Andrew Mawson wrote:
--
Having moved from 'the big smoke' into rural East Sussex, I find that
local suppliers including those that are big chains are in fact very
helpful in comparison to where we were. They have the time to discuss
and in several case suggest an alternative supplier if they couldn't
help. It really is a refreshing change.

AWEM


Bugger. Now you've made me grey out myself

Another Dave

You reply was greyed out & doesn't appear in this post.

--
Dave - The Medway Handyman www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

chudford wrote:
I was up in York helping my son fit a dish washer. We needed a valve
so went to the little ironmongers round the corner.
Do you have a valve? He rummages through the many drawers that these
small shops have.
Yes I have a valve but its my last one, I don't think I can let you
have it!!

We have a shop like that... they would rummage about a bit, produce a 1970s
shoebox and say "triode or pentode?".

Radio 4 is also played constantly at the pain threshold... this shop's
almost an institution (in a good way, not in the lunatic asylum sense).

Theo

Pete wrote:
In article ,
says...

On Fri, 25 Nov 2011 12:17:19 +0000, tony sayer wrote:

In article , Tim Watts
scribeth thus
Halmyre wrote:

On Nov 24, 6:06 pm, R D S wrote:

Do people get a buzz out of being unhelpful?

In several companies that I've worked for, the bods behind the
stores counters all seem to have the same unhelpful pedantic
******* gene.

As someone elsewhere once commented, their credo seems to be "It's
called 'Stores' because we store stuff. If we were meant to issue
it, it would be called 'Issues'..."


Storemen do seem to delight in running their own fiefdom. Whilst
they could do that and be helpful ("no one runs a stores like I
do, we have everything you need produced in 20 seconds") a few
seem to delight in taking the approach of "bow before your master,
pleb, because to need something of me and I need nothing from
you"...




Its a certain mindset and breed just like the traffic wardens around
here. Would any normal person -want- to do that job?.

It appears that they have no shortage of applicants;!....

They're the sort - along with other petty officials - that would
become 'secret police' under other circumstances/in another country.

I would suggest that they are the sort who need to pay their mortgage,
gas, leccy etc., etc., etc and aren't to proud to do such a job in
order to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table.

Traffic wardens are only doing their job.





Mind you it's a ****s job and only a **** will do it.

--
Adam

* Sometimes I like to lay in my neighbours garden and pretend to be a
carrot *

On 25/11/2011 18:34, Andrew Mawson wrote:
"Ghostrecon" wrote in message
news

On Fri, 25 Nov 2011 17:24:03 -0000, Andrew Mawson wrote:

"Another Dave" wrote in message ...

I think the point is you are replying after the '--' so its stripped
out as
a signature by many newsreaders

OK Is this better? Windows Live Mail is far from ideal, and I'm having
to run WLMQuotefix for each reply to sort the lack of quote ''
appendages. It puts a silly phase in - something like 'I promise to
quote correctly in future' which I cut out, but I hadn't realised that
the '--' was also inserted by WLMQuotefix !!!!

Yes that's much better

In article ,
Pete wrote:

Its a certain mindset and breed just like the traffic wardens around
here. Would any normal person -want- to do that job?.

It appears that they have no shortage of applicants;!....

They're the sort - along with other petty officials - that would become
'secret police' under other circumstances/in another country.

I would suggest that they are the sort who need to pay their mortgage,
gas, leccy etc., etc., etc and aren't to proud to do such a job in order
to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table.

Well said Pete. Notwithstanding the fact that some *do* enjoy it, I
think that that sort are balanced, in my experience, by the ones who are
prepared to be reasonable, allow latitude, and are merciful, if the
target-pursuing boss isn't looking. (I live outside the big city,
mind).


And let's not forget that the people who moan most about traffic wardens
are usually the kind of tosser who parks his car/van/goods vehicle on
double yellows "just for two minutes" and asserts that *he* (or she) is
a special case to whom double yellows shouldn't apply.


As for the OP's "cheerfully unhelpful" suppliers: Yes, I've met these
people, but often I find that their cheerfulness is the only way they
have left, for dealing with the ***** management* above them, who have
established policies in the teeth of the shop-floor staff who had
protested long and hard that if they implemented the proposed policy,
they wouldn't be able to do the job properly .... "ah, *screw* the
customer!"[1] is frequently the attitude of such managements.

John

[1] "because *I*'m trying to run a business here, and besides: it's
*you* that deals with the customers, not me, so *you* can take the ****
that this will stir up, peasant! You're paid to do what you're told!"

On Fri, 25 Nov 2011 18:34:18 -0000, Andrew Mawson wrote:

"Ghostrecon" wrote in message
news

On Fri, 25 Nov 2011 17:24:03 -0000, Andrew Mawson wrote:

"Another Dave" wrote in message ...

On 25/11/2011 16:05, Another Dave wrote:
On 25/11/2011 08:26, Andrew Mawson wrote:
--
Having moved from 'the big smoke' into rural East Sussex, I find that
local suppliers including those that are big chains are in fact very
helpful in comparison to where we were. They have the time to discuss
and in several case suggest an alternative supplier if they couldn't
help. It really is a refreshing change.

AWEM


Bugger. Now you've made me grey out myself

Another Dave

I think the point is you are replying after the '--' so its stripped out as
a signature by many newsreaders

OK Is this better?

AWEM

yes much thank - you
--
(º€¢.¸(¨*€¢.¸ ¸.€¢*¨)¸.€¢Âº)
.€¢Â°€¢. Nik .€¢Â°€¢.
(¸.€¢Âº(¸.€¢Â¨* *¨€¢.¸)º€¢.¸)

On 25/11/11 07:27, Halmyre wrote:
On Nov 24, 6:06 pm, R D S wrote:

Do people get a buzz out of being unhelpful?

In several companies that I've worked for, the bods behind the stores
counters all seem to have the same unhelpful pedantic ******* gene.

As someone elsewhere once commented, their credo seems to be "It's
called 'Stores' because we store stuff. If we were meant to issue it,
it would be called 'Issues'..."

'Issues' aka 'bugs', so if you got something out of them it wouldn't work



--
Halmyre


--
djc

In article , Theo Markettos
scribeth thus
chudford wrote:
I was up in York helping my son fit a dish washer. We needed a valve
so went to the little ironmongers round the corner.
Do you have a valve? He rummages through the many drawers that these
small shops have.
Yes I have a valve but its my last one, I don't think I can let you
have it!!

We have a shop like that... they would rummage about a bit, produce a 1970s
shoebox and say "triode or pentode?".

Radio 4 is also played constantly at the pain threshold... this shop's
almost an institution (in a good way, not in the lunatic asylum sense).

Theo

Ye speake of H Gee at 94 Mill road Cambridge!. Truly an institution
ought to have a listed order on it..

http://g.co/maps/hpuq6

Been a customer there since umm .. 1959 odd;?....

--
Tony Sayer

On Fri, 25 Nov 2011 21:29:51 +0000, tony sayer wrote:

In article , Theo Markettos
scribeth thus
chudford wrote:
I was up in York helping my son fit a dish washer. We needed a valve
so went to the little ironmongers round the corner. Do you have a
valve? He rummages through the many drawers that these small shops
have.
Yes I have a valve but its my last one, I don't think I can let you
have it!!

We have a shop like that... they would rummage about a bit, produce a
1970s shoebox and say "triode or pentode?".

Radio 4 is also played constantly at the pain threshold... this shop's
almost an institution (in a good way, not in the lunatic asylum sense).

Theo

Ye speake of H Gee at 94 Mill road Cambridge!. Truly an institution
ought to have a listed order on it..

http://g.co/maps/hpuq6

Been a customer there since umm .. 1959 odd;?....

Oh, and that timber place in Strood, Medway...really weird.



--
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK:
http://www.mirrorservice.org

*lightning protection* - a w_tom conductor

In message , tony sayer
writes
In article , Theo Markettos
scribeth thus
chudford wrote:
I was up in York helping my son fit a dish washer. We needed a valve
so went to the little ironmongers round the corner.
Do you have a valve? He rummages through the many drawers that these
small shops have.
Yes I have a valve but its my last one, I don't think I can let you
have it!!

We have a shop like that... they would rummage about a bit, produce a 1970s
shoebox and say "triode or pentode?".

Radio 4 is also played constantly at the pain threshold... this shop's
almost an institution (in a good way, not in the lunatic asylum sense).

Theo

Ye speake of H Gee at 94 Mill road Cambridge!. Truly an institution
ought to have a listed order on it..

http://g.co/maps/hpuq6

Been a customer there since umm .. 1959 odd;?....

I am about to scrap some *ex. working order* Marconi moisture meters.

I think they used a 90V HT battery and a stack of PP9s for the heaters.

The operation must be something like a Wheatstone bridge with the ground
cereal forming the unknown resistance.

Free to good home:-)


--
Tim Lamb

On 25/11/2011 09:16, Tim Watts wrote:
Halmyre wrote:

On Nov 24, 6:06 pm, R D wrote:

Do people get a buzz out of being unhelpful?

In several companies that I've worked for, the bods behind the stores
counters all seem to have the same unhelpful pedantic ******* gene.

As someone elsewhere once commented, their credo seems to be "It's
called 'Stores' because we store stuff. If we were meant to issue it,
it would be called 'Issues'..."


Storemen do seem to delight in running their own fiefdom. Whilst they could
do that and be helpful ("no one runs a stores like I do, we have everything
you need produced in 20 seconds") a few seem to delight in taking the
approach of "bow before your master, pleb, because to need something of me
and I need nothing from you"...

In my first "proper" job as an Engineer, I was loaned to the Test
Department for a couple of periods adding up to 12 months, testing very
large industrial compressors. Because the TD often started early and/or
finished late or worked weekends and multi-million pound items were
hanging around that couldn't be delayed, we were permitted to "raid" the
stores whenever we wanted and we had direct access from our area,
bypassing their gates and fence - they absoltely hated us!!!!

SteveW

On Fri, 25 Nov 2011 18:19:05 -0000, Pete wrote:

They're the sort - along with other petty officials - that would become
'secret police' under other circumstances/in another country.

I would suggest that they are the sort who need to pay their mortgage,
gas, leccy etc., etc., etc and aren't to proud to do such a job in order
to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table.

Understood; but there's one job I would have to be starving before I
would take it - that of bailiff. I know there are some decent ones
around, but to be thought of as one of the ******s would really put me
off the work. In short, there are too many arseholes in that job.
Having seen the dire straits many people end up in, often through no
real fault of their own, the idea of heaping more debt upon them
through 'collection fees' and then taking their possessions to pay the
inflated sum just sickens me.

In message
,
Halmyre writes
On Nov 24, 6:06*pm, R D S wrote:

Do people get a buzz out of being unhelpful?

In several companies that I've worked for, the bods behind the stores
counters all seem to have the same unhelpful pedantic ******* gene.

As someone elsewhere once commented, their credo seems to be "It's
called 'Stores' because we store stuff. If we were meant to issue it,
it would be called 'Issues'..."

Did he get sent to see the psychiatrist because he had ... stores?


--
geoff

In message , Andrew Mawson
writes
"Halmyre" wrote in message
...

On Nov 24, 6:06 pm, R D S wrote:

Do people get a buzz out of being unhelpful?

In several companies that I've worked for, the bods behind the stores
counters all seem to have the same unhelpful pedantic ******* gene.

As someone elsewhere once commented, their credo seems to be "It's
called 'Stores' because we store stuff. If we were meant to issue it,
it would be called 'Issues'..."

--
Halmyre



Copied and pasted"


Having moved from 'the big smoke' into rural East Sussex, I find that
local suppliers including those that are big chains are in fact very
helpful in comparison to where we were. They have the time to discuss
and in several case suggest an alternative supplier if they couldn't
help. It really is a refreshing change.


Have you ever thought of being cheerfully helpful and putting your
message ABOVE your sig sep?


--
geoff