Amusing vignettes from last week's trip
Dec. 10th, 2002 06:57 pmThe first would involve Dunkin Donut's. So, Monday night, I ventured out of my hotel looking for rastaurantage. I was, in theory, looking for a sushi place I'd seen advertised, but also trying to get some idea of the lay of the land, since this would be my stomping ground for the next three nights. I went the wrong way down Valencia, and drove for a while, and a while more. Didn't see anything too interesting, so went and made a real effort to find the sushi place.
However, in my travels, I spotted a Dunkin Donuts. (Cue the angelic chorus!), and decided I would go back the next morning on my way to the paper - I could get some coffee, and some breakfast. But more importantly coffee. After all, there was both a McDonald's and a Burger King within view of my hotel room for breakfast food. So, Tuesday morning, I find the Dunkin's again, walk in and order my usual. "Ham, Egg and Cheese on a plain bagel, Med. Iced coffee, skim milk & sugar, please".
So chickie goes and makes my sandwich, and it looks fine. Then I watch as she grabs the coffee cup, fills it with ice, and then grabs the coffee pot off the burner, and pours steaming hot coffee into the cup, then adds the sugar and milk. She brings the coffee back over to the counter where I am staring, dumbfounded and speechless at the coffee desecration which has just occurred. Note that there is still steam rising from the cup at this point and says "Oh, gee, do you want some more ice? It looks like it's still a little hot". I nod, for lack of anything better to say - I mean really, I don't want to tell this girl how to do her job, after all. And then, walk sadly back out to my car with my still lukewarm, completely watered down coffee. At least the sandwich wasn't too bad.
The second is from the Cincinatti airport. I had an unusually long layover in the airport, and to kill time, I wander into the Body Shop that's near my gate, since I need hand lotion anyway. I go in, and I start checking out the various things, trying on a couple of different lotions, smelling things, you know, the usual.
This salesguy (older guy, hippie-ish looking) walks up to my, asking me to try the Hemp Body Butter, and telling me how great it is. I say no thanks, and he persists, telling me how everyone who tries it loves it. Finally, I say yes, and try some. As I suspected, it's far too greasy for my taste, but he swears it soaks in, and "because it has such a small molecule" it'll last all day long through multiple washing. I say thanks and move away from the guy.
I'm looking at the other hemp oil products, particularly one marketed as a hand lotion. I try that, hoping it'll be less greasy, and guy is right there again, telling me that it's not as good, because it doesn't have as much hemp oil in it. I quote, "It's the second or third ingredient in that. Hemp is the first one in this", as he brandishes the Body Butter at me again. Thanks guy, I got it. I start to walk away from him, and he asks if I want to try the hemp facial moisturizer. Ummmm, NO. Thanks.
I move off to another part of the store, and hear him accost other customers. I find a different lotion that I like, and take it up to the register, where the same guy is no waiting to ring me up (Yes, there were other sales folks in the store. Just my luck, I guess.) He babbles at me for another 5 minutes about how much better the hemp product is, and am I sure I don't want to get that instead, and on and on and on. Someone needs to tell this man that he's only supposed to sell this stuff, not try to smoke it in the back room.
However, in my travels, I spotted a Dunkin Donuts. (Cue the angelic chorus!), and decided I would go back the next morning on my way to the paper - I could get some coffee, and some breakfast. But more importantly coffee. After all, there was both a McDonald's and a Burger King within view of my hotel room for breakfast food. So, Tuesday morning, I find the Dunkin's again, walk in and order my usual. "Ham, Egg and Cheese on a plain bagel, Med. Iced coffee, skim milk & sugar, please".
So chickie goes and makes my sandwich, and it looks fine. Then I watch as she grabs the coffee cup, fills it with ice, and then grabs the coffee pot off the burner, and pours steaming hot coffee into the cup, then adds the sugar and milk. She brings the coffee back over to the counter where I am staring, dumbfounded and speechless at the coffee desecration which has just occurred. Note that there is still steam rising from the cup at this point and says "Oh, gee, do you want some more ice? It looks like it's still a little hot". I nod, for lack of anything better to say - I mean really, I don't want to tell this girl how to do her job, after all. And then, walk sadly back out to my car with my still lukewarm, completely watered down coffee. At least the sandwich wasn't too bad.
The second is from the Cincinatti airport. I had an unusually long layover in the airport, and to kill time, I wander into the Body Shop that's near my gate, since I need hand lotion anyway. I go in, and I start checking out the various things, trying on a couple of different lotions, smelling things, you know, the usual.
This salesguy (older guy, hippie-ish looking) walks up to my, asking me to try the Hemp Body Butter, and telling me how great it is. I say no thanks, and he persists, telling me how everyone who tries it loves it. Finally, I say yes, and try some. As I suspected, it's far too greasy for my taste, but he swears it soaks in, and "because it has such a small molecule" it'll last all day long through multiple washing. I say thanks and move away from the guy.
I'm looking at the other hemp oil products, particularly one marketed as a hand lotion. I try that, hoping it'll be less greasy, and guy is right there again, telling me that it's not as good, because it doesn't have as much hemp oil in it. I quote, "It's the second or third ingredient in that. Hemp is the first one in this", as he brandishes the Body Butter at me again. Thanks guy, I got it. I start to walk away from him, and he asks if I want to try the hemp facial moisturizer. Ummmm, NO. Thanks.
I move off to another part of the store, and hear him accost other customers. I find a different lotion that I like, and take it up to the register, where the same guy is no waiting to ring me up (Yes, there were other sales folks in the store. Just my luck, I guess.) He babbles at me for another 5 minutes about how much better the hemp product is, and am I sure I don't want to get that instead, and on and on and on. Someone needs to tell this man that he's only supposed to sell this stuff, not try to smoke it in the back room.