I've come into contact with some strange people lately. Some good examples:
1. Today, in the Giant Tiger, a guy came up to me in the aisle and said, "Since you're here, there are steak tenderloin (holds up so I can see his steak tenderloin) for only $3.97."
"Oh yeah? That's a pretty good price."
"They're loads of them. They're in the freezer just over there."
"Oh, great, thanks!"
Now, this is fine. Except they have been that price for months. And they don't look very good. And I don't have a barbeque anyway. But really, who goes up to strangers in a grocery store and tries to get them deals? Strange.
2. When I was leaving Superstore, I saw a lady who was there with a young girl and a man who was presumably her husband. They were leaving with a fairly full cart. But then they stopped at the bin where you can drop stuff off for the food bank, and she discretely grabbed some things out of it.
Aren't you supposed to go to the food bank for that? I think when you take food you didn't pay for out of a store, they call that stealing. Mind you, I did that (sort of) a couple weeks ago. I got some food at Harvey's and they accidentally put fries in my bag. I thought it was strange when they asked me if I wanted ketchup for my chicken, but I said yes anyway. Then I realized I had fries. I figured they wouldn't take them back, so I just gave them to the homeless people outside. Same idea, I suppose. But read on, the next one is better.
3. I was in the back seat of a car driving on the highway yesterday, and we stopped at a gas station to fill up. I took a few extra seconds to get out because I was stuck behind stupid reverse doors that can only open from the outside. When I got out, I saw the guy who had been driving our car, a Tempo employee, and another customer in a seriously heated conversation. I wasn't too sure at this point what was going on, but the big Tempo guy was about to walk away, then turned around and told the other customer that, "If you say one more thing, I'm going to punch you in the face." Hmm. That's not good customer service. I guess he had thrown the other customer up against the gas pump when the driver of my car ran over there and told him to stop it and pulled him off the guy. Turns out Tempo had put gas in his diesel engine and he got a wee bit upset. Understandable. Tempo employees throwing people up against gas pumps...not so much.
4. While in my truck and about to leave the Earl's parking lot in Edmonton, I was approached by a sad-looking and disheveled girl of about 18 years old or so. She knocked on my window so I rolled it down, and this was her story (which she told me all in about 6 seconds):
"Hi, my mom and me and my little sister are here, my mom had to be here for a court case today and we're from Calgary and my little sister is not feeling very well, see that's my mom standing across the street over there, and she was here for a court case today and she forgot her bank card and now we have no gas so could you maybe give us like $40 for gas or something so we can get home?"
(Holy crap) "Uh..what? You're here for a court case and ran out of gas?"
"Yeah our van is parked over on that street there and my mom forgot her bank card, and we can't get back to Calgary and we were just here for a day for a court case, and my little sister is in the van. That's my mom over there."
(Hmmm) "Ok, you're out of gas and want to get back to Calgary."
"Yeah and I'm wondering if you could give me like $40 or something so we could get back home with my sister because we're just here for the day and my mom forgot her bank card."
(Strange, but I would like to help) "Ok, where exactly is your van? I will meet you there and call AMA and they can bring us some gas."
"...Uh...uh...I was just wondering if you could give me $40 for gas because my mom forgot her bank card and we were just here for the day and my little sister..."
(Uh-huh) "Ok, I get it, but if you meet me over at your van there I will call AMA and they will bring some gas. Ok? Go get your mom and meet me there."
".....ok, it's just over there I will meet you there."
So she starts running over to her mom, across the street. I drive past her and her mom, and they aren't going anywhere. I go to exactly where she said her white van was, just around the corner. There's no white van. Big surprise. I wait 5 minutes, carry on home.
Friggin strange people.
Monday, August 08, 2005
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10 comments:
You aren't the only one the crazies follow... Hey, I wonder if your steak guy is the same old guy who tried to pick me up in the produce aisle at SaveOn by showing me the great deal he got on juice. He followed me around for like 5 minutes trying to convince me how great this juice was, showing me the vitamin content (I guess he figured I was health conscious). Creepy. Then there is the guy on the number 3 bus every morning who has told me he enjoys listening to my conversations... even creepier! Maybe we are just approachable and they are lonely??
Weirdness. Those are some good stories though, Snider. That chick probably wanted $40 for some crack rock. I hear that's what the kids are into these days.
didnt I warn you to stay away from the crazies??? It seems like it IS wearing off on you....I hear you did something pretty crazy this weekend....
Hey Beth, I think we must just be attractive and fit, that's why people are coming up to us and offering health-conscious products. Oh wait, he was showing me steak. I don't think that's overly health conscious. But, close enough.
I think you are probably right, Jeff, she wanted some sort of drugs or drug-related paraphanelia. Besides, who tells someone that they had to travel here for a court case when they want to seem legit? "We were just here for my mom's trafficking charge and now we need 'gas' money." Right.
Yes, I drove a lot of hours this weekend to go camping. If you call THAT crazy, then I'm crazy.
I commend you, Rachel, on being able to do that kind of work. I hate everyone, regardless of their level of insanity.
I hate Jeff.
Yup, there are a lot of crazies out there. I had a guy give me a sob storey about being at a hospital all night (working) and then going to his vehicle to find someone had siphoned the gas from his tank. I wish I'd thought of your ama thing. He was wearing a suit to try and sell his storey, but I was pretty sure from the poo stains and the 40 in his pocket that he was lying. I gave him $10 anyways. I'm sure he needed it more than me.
hahaha good point Matt... although he must not have seen the box of pizza pops that were covered up by my fruits and vegetables. Buses are arguably one of the worst places for "crazies" because you can't even get up and just walk away...
Rachel, you definitely get the most crazies. But you're a nurse, you knew that would happen.
Don't doctors get poo stains on their suits at work? No? And they don't drink on the job? I guess maybe that dude wasn't a doctor.
I haven't taken the bus is a while, but I remember one time there was a guy on the LRT sitting in a pool of his own piss, passed out. When the security guy told him he had taken the entire route so he had to get out, he told him he had to go to the next stop. So at the next stop, he stood up, soaked pants and all, and walked off. Strange. But I guess, what else can you do when you've already peed yourself?
Kyle do you even KNOW how to spell? Your Freudian slips reveal your man love for one Joel STOREY.
That's the end of my STORY.
I was gonna let it slide, but you did it twice. So I didn't.
Dammit. I hate you Jeff.
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