Mumble Report post Posted June 12, 2009 I would be interested to know if others of you - NT, ASD or other experience this - I'm just trying to work out if it's me being pedantic just cos I'm a pain in the neck, autistic pedantic (if there is such a thing), perfectionist, annoying, annoyed... Two things have irritated me this week that I think I should hardly notice, let alone continually think about - I was wondering how they do/would affect others: 1. The dry-cleaners I go past on the bus has a special offer on for dry cleaning shirts. They've put up a sign which says: Special offer, this week only, 10 shirts dry-cleaned for only £19.99* *usual price, 5 shirts dry-cleaned for £9.99 Now I know it's only a penny cheaper to ask them to do them in two bundles of five under their usual price scheme rather than take up the special offer but there's something about it that's intensely irritating - very difficult to describe, almost a stress type feeling inside whenever I go past and see the mistake. 2. When I used the self checkout in a popular high street supermarket this week the mechanism had obviously gone wonky and it registered every 10p coin I put in as a 20p coin - it meant I was still trying to fill it with 10p coins when it was spouting at me, "Thank you for shopping, please take your items, Thank you for shopping, please take your items" (I'm sure that voice gets more irritated each time it says it!! ). Part of me was on automatic, put the money in mode which I think threw me partly, but I should have just though 'weyhey' and saved my pennies for chocolate - but my mind gets worried instead -does anyone else experience this? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NobbyNobbs Report post Posted June 12, 2009 in a big supermarket yesterday i saw a sign saying 'now for less' and announcing that in january 2009 teabags had cost £1.88 and that now they were £2.00... i got so worked up about it i had to take the sign off the shelf and give it to a very bemused till person who was worried i wanted a refund of 12p. she didn't understand i didn't care about the money, it wasn't an overcharge, the sign was just wrong! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mumble Report post Posted June 12, 2009 in a big supermarket yesterday i saw a sign saying 'now for less' and announcing that in january 2009 teabags had cost £1.88 and that now they were £2.00... i got so worked up about it i had to take the sign off the shelf and give it to a very bemused till person who was worried i wanted a refund of 12p. she didn't understand i didn't care about the money, it wasn't an overcharge, the sign was just wrong! That's exactly the sort of thing that really grates with me - and yes, it's not about the money at all, it's about something being plain wrong. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mum of 3 Report post Posted June 12, 2009 Don't even get me started on the errant apostrophe!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sooze2 Report post Posted June 12, 2009 With the till getting the money wrong I would have felt anxious too because even though I would have ended up saving money I would have been scared that the security guard at the exit would somehow just "know" that something had gone wrong and announce very loudly that I haddn't paid enough money and try to "do me" for stealing the extras. I would have ended up standing around for a while thinking about what to do and then telling a member of staff that the machine was going wrong to avoid any unintentional theft on my part. I am annoyingly honest. The dry cleaning sign would really annoy me in a very big way and I would probably need to go into the shop after passing it a few times and point out their mistake. So I'm with you on both counts. I'm not really sure what I am, NT, ASD or other - I'm probably a bit of all as I am seen as excentric by people even though I think I am perfectly normal and they are just weird for thinking I am different! Usually if things just aren't right especially the sign for the special offer for dry cleaning which is not a special offer but a ploy to get people into the shop I would say something to protect others and I ALWAYS annoy people in the process. xxx Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pearl Report post Posted June 12, 2009 It's the incorrect use of "less" and "fewer" that really grates on me. I'd buy a Brita water filter just because they got the grammar correct! (less chlorine, fewer impurities) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mum of 3 Report post Posted June 12, 2009 It's the incorrect use of "less" and "fewer" that really grates on me. I'd buy a Brita water filter just because they got the grammar correct! (less chlorine, fewer impurities) Oh Pearl, me too!...it really gets me into trouble though, because I just can't stop myself correcting people on this one, and they get really annoyed about it! Especially at work... Especially my 'orrible boss... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ian stuart-hamilton Report post Posted June 13, 2009 People with ASD do tend to notice details more and when those details are wrong, it can be more irksome. But I don't think this is unique to ASD nor is it applicable to everyone with ASD; it's just commoner, that's all. Don't start me either on the subject of punctuation and the less/fewer distinction. I want to scream when I see the '10 items or less' sign at my local supermarket checkout. The trouble is that having seen it once, my eye is drawn to it every time I return and every time I feel peeved. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mumble Report post Posted June 13, 2009 Don't start me either on the subject of punctuation and the less/fewer distinction. I want to scream when I see the '10 items or less' sign at my local supermarket checkout. The trouble is that having seen it once, my eye is drawn to it every time I return and every time I feel peeved. Now which is more annoying: the incorrect signage or the buffoons who can't count the items in their baskets (or rather think they can get away with taking a trolley of 40+items to the express checkout)? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
baddad Report post Posted June 13, 2009 I'd call you a bunch of nit-picking pedants if it wasn't for the fear you'd then start moaning about American versus British English pronunciation Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kathryn Report post Posted June 13, 2009 Ooh yes, count me in the "less and fewer" club - even the BBC have been heard to get this wrong. Also get wound up by the widespread misuse of apostrophes - especially the confusion between it's and its - so annoying! I don't have AS - just a liking for accurate English. Some might call me a pedant - I don't care- as long as they spell it correctly. K x Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smiley1590 Report post Posted June 13, 2009 i get annoyed and frustrated over things not working in frustration for order , perfection in every which way possible! and like to predict everything and even why they going wrong need for routine causes anx i think it is AS linked that my personal opinion though! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pearl Report post Posted June 13, 2009 Ooh yes, count me in the "less and fewer" club - even the BBC have been heard to get this wrong. Also get wound up by the widespread misuse of apostrophes - especially the confusion between it's and its - so annoying! I don't have AS - just a liking for accurate English. Some might call me a pedant - I don't care- as long as they spell it correctly. K x I'd never call you a peasant Kathryn, you are far too genteel for that Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest featherways Report post Posted June 14, 2009 You actually use those self-service machines? Haven't got the courage to do that yet. Yup, being someone with Asperger syndrome, my brain spends its whole time playing "spot the mistake". Great for some things, not good for everyday life or social interaction Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mumble Report post Posted June 14, 2009 You actually use those self-service machines? Haven't got the courage to do that yet. I actually prefer them to the 'human' tills. They work on a very simple principle: it weighs everything on the basket side and ensures that each thing you pick up to scan off that side is replaced with something of an equal weight on the bagging side. They only tend to go wrong with people who try to do more than one item at once, pick things up without bagging, put the rest of their shopping from other shops/let their kids sit on the bagging side so the weights don't match . The only real flaws I can see are that they don't cope with very light items and there's no built in way of it knowing that you are over 18 so each restricted product has to be verified by a human. Yup, being someone with Asperger syndrome, my brain spends its whole time playing "spot the mistake". Great for some things, not good for everyday life or social interaction Yep, great skill if we could control it or just ignore wrong things when really they don't matter. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
something_different Report post Posted June 14, 2009 You actually use those self-service machines? Haven't got the courage to do that yet. Yup, being someone with Asperger syndrome, my brain spends its whole time playing "spot the mistake". Great for some things, not good for everyday life or social interaction I also prefer the self service checkouts. I don't particularly like the supermarket with the orange sign, as it seems they always try to 'chat' to customers at the till. ooh cat food do you have a cat? i feel like saying no, i just thought i would buy it to see what it tastes like! ooh chocolate are you having a party? thats a good deal isn't it, they make a comment on everything that is scanned through, its so annoying! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BusyLizzie100 Report post Posted June 14, 2009 Well, maybe I've got the perfect job then... I'm a copy editor, so I'm paid to look out for all those mistakes... heaven! Only problem is, I can't help taking my work home for me and I'm constantly noticing signs with misplaced apostrophes and tutting at menus and all of those things already mentioned!!! Glad to know I'm not the only one Lizzie x Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bid Report post Posted June 14, 2009 I find myself answering back to the auto-tills... Bid Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
something_different Report post Posted June 14, 2009 lol bid, Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ian stuart-hamilton Report post Posted June 14, 2009 You actually use those self-service machines? Haven't got the courage to do that yet Does anyone else find the relentlessly cheerful voices on those automated machines irritating? There's something about 'scan next item please' being spoken as if it's the happiest thing that's ever happened to the speaker that grates on the nerves after a while (as in, after hearing it once). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mumble Report post Posted June 14, 2009 'scan next item please' The question is, who, upon having scanned one item, stands there with the rest of their items in their basket thinking, 'well what do I do now?' Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ian stuart-hamilton Report post Posted June 14, 2009 The question is, who, upon having scanned one item, stands there with the rest of their items in their basket thinking, 'well what do I do now?' Alas, some folks have to be told what to do next. E.g. the man I saw at IKEA who had bought a wardrobe. When last I saw him in the car park, he was still working out how he could get it onto his bicycle. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Danr Report post Posted June 21, 2009 last year somerfield had included toothbrushes in a multibuy offer - i think it was 2 for £2 - but they were only 80p; each... your/you're and there/their/they're are the ones that really bug me Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pookie170 Report post Posted June 21, 2009 Aye, well, canny scots lass that I am, I couldn't help but stand, bemused in a certain supermarket today as I perused the crackers for littleys' lunchbox..... You could, for 75 pence, buy the smaller packet (which I'd rather do, as we don't normally get through the bigger one without the crackers going soft) but the bigger packet was only one pence dearer! WHY????? What the heck is the point in that? It's still niggling at me, you know! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
