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I have always enjoyed going to Applebee’s. My wife and daughter also love it, so it’s often one of our first choices when we dine out.
However, I’m not sure I can support their most recent endeavor. Our local Applebee’s has implemented a new policy. You can now borrow a portable DVD player and DVD from them upon your arrival. And you can watch the movie at your table before, during or after your meal.
I was on the Applebee’s web site earlier trying to determine if this was a nationwide promotion, but it doesn’t seem like it is.
There are a number of reasons why I disagree with this promotion! For starters, it encourages the social decline that we’re already seeing due to cell phones, blackberries and texting. People already don’t talk. We don’t need to give them another reason; especially when they’re in a restaurant.
Second, it’s a distraction. If your table has a movie playing, it might be too loud or it might be a movie I like. Either way, it might disrupt my meal. If my table has a movie playing, you might feel the same way.
Not too mention - I would think that Applebee’s wants to bring customers in, serve them and get them out of there as efficiently as they can - so new customers can be seated. But now people will take their time, so they or their kids can watch the movie. Or they might even stick around longer after they’re done eating, so they can finish their movie.
I just think it’s a terrible business decision. And I can’t think of any reason why they’re doing it, other than to make people more comfortable while they wait. But if that’s the case, offer short movie clips or 25-minute long TV shows on DVD. My daughter wanted to watch High School Musical when my mother-in-law took her there the other day. That’s a two-hour movie. And I doubt she would have been happy if we had to turn it off before it was over.
So am I overreacting or missing the good part of this idea?
I went to Wal-Mart on Friday night at approximately 10:15 p.m. My wife had forgotten that she needed a flash drive for Saturday morning…
Based on my visit, I’ve decided to plead with all of humanity to implement the following new rules.
- Don’t shop at Wal-Mart.
- If you must shop at Wal-Mart, do not do so after 10 p.m. on a Friday night.
I’m not a huge Wal-Mart fan as you all know. But one is literally minutes from our house. So needless to say, we do end up there on occasion.
I’ve blogged countless times about the way their way their organization is run. We’ve discussed their operations, the rude greeters and their customer service policies.
Here’s a quick rundown of Friday night’s visit:
- Flash drives were locked up, so I had to wait in the Electronics’ line.
- Waited for 20 minutes while a male cashier carried on a conversation and flirted with a female customer.
- I complain to Manager walking by and ask her to unlock flash drives for me. She says, “I’m only responsible for cash” and walks away.
- I get to the register; the employee apologizes and tells me he is now on break.
- Employee senses my displeasure and tells me he’ll get the flash drive even though he’s on break.
- Employee says flash drives shouldn’t be locked up, but Manager did it even though it’s contract to policy.
- I observe about 100 different variations of white-trash and hooligan-gathering throughout the store.
Happy Sunday. Enjoy the Pro Bowl tonight!
The details for this post have been building up for quite some time. I had hoped to publish it in a few months, however the story is too entertaining not to mention now.
Unfortunately, Mrs. Constant Complainer was recently involved in a car accident. She is OK, but was pretty banged up at the time. And as it turns out, that was only the beginning of our problems.
Regarding the actual accident, a guy wasn’t paying attention while pulling out of a parking lot and plowed into her. Although he tried his best to state that he was the victim, ultimately the police determined that it was his fault and cited him.
Continue reading Insurance Woes
Hello everyone. I’m back. I’ve appreciated all of your e-mails over the last few weeks. I’m sorry that I fell off of the blogging wagon. I’ve just been very busy, but am diligently trying to get caught up.
And oh man, do I have some great posts in the queue. They are going to take you back to my blogging roots and show you why I decided to start The Constant Complainer in the first place - outright complaints about moronic behavior and injustices. Enjoy and I look forward to being more active both on here and with all of the blogs I visit moving forward.
P.S. For any of you American Idol fans out there, I thought both Katy Perry and Avril Lavigne embarrassed themselves tonight. Even though they are famous, they clearly have no idea what it actually takes to discover new talent. But I guess that’s what you get from a “Guest Judge.”
Yes, it’s the return of “Cell Phone Shots.” It has been MIA for way too long.
First, we have “Burger King Guy.” Check out his belt. That’s awesome! LOL. And it’s probably not within the employee dress code policy either. And yes, before you ask, I literally stood there and just took the picture while standing in line. I have no shame when it comes to finding good material for this blog.
Now, our second picture, “Icicle House,” truly is a complaint. I took this picture in my neighborhood. How can someone let their icicles get so out of control? Seriously, the owner of this house is going to have one major gutter problem before too long. Idiot!
Continue reading Cell Phone Shots – Volume IX
This news story is from Ohio.com. Believe it or not, I actually don’t know what to say about it. LOL. Wow! Poor guy…
I know it’s rare for me to publish more than one post in an evening, but it does happen on occasion. So don’t forget to read one post down and vote on this week’s “Moron of the Week Award” nominations.
Anyway, I was talking to a friend of mine the other day and she inspired this post. She is 42 years old and recently divorced. And she was joking about how impossible dating seems after years of marriage and now having three children. I asked her to elaborate and told her that I felt a blog coming on…
She said that one of the most interesting things about being divorced is all of the advice she is receiving from her friends. But their advice is causing her to think twice. One friend told her to create an online profile on Cougar Life - a web site which identifies itself as “the premier online dating service that pairs women in their prime with younger men and ends the double standard.” Another friend told her to “date as many men as possible.” Yet another friend told her that she cannot fall for the first guy she meets. And others have given her advice on everything from where to go to meet men, who she should be dating and what she should be doing with them. LOL. Wow!
But her feeling is that she is a responsible mother who has children. And children may get attached to someone she dates, so she purposely wants to be careful and selective with her relationships. But everywhere she turns, her friends are telling her that she basically needs to go wild. I don’t understand that. It reminds me of my buddy whose wife told him that she regretted not sleeping around more in college. He was like, “Thanks for the information, but you’re married with kids now.” And he’s right. What can he do about her regrets now?
I can’t imagine dating at my age, so I certainly understand her predicament. And I totally agree with her rationale to be conscious with her dating decisions. My only advice - don’t date anyone you meet in a bar. I have never believed that meeting anyone while intoxicated will result in a meaningful relationship. That’s just my opinion because the bar scene, drunken behavior, binge-drinking and stupid sexcapades drive me crazy - always have.
So should my friend ignore her instincts and just date anyone who has a breath in their body or is her gut leading her in the right direction? She will be anxiously awaiting your responses.
I’d like to nominate several people for our “Moron of the Week Award.”
Gilbert Arenas was recently suspended by the Washington Wizards for allegedly storing guns in his locker at the Verizon Center. He also allegedly pulled a gun during a standoff with teammate Javaris Crittenton. Multiple sources suggest that the issue at hand was a gambling debt. There’s a surprise…
Jayson Williams, who used to play for the New Jersey Nets, was arrested on suspicion of DWI following an automobile accident where he is also believed to have fractured his neck. However, this is not Williams’ first run-in with the law. TMZ said it best when they pointed out that “you might remember Williams as the guy who accidentally killed his driver back in 2002 with a shotgun.”
And let’s not forget Jason Green and Melissa Jackson, The EMT’s who, according to The Associated Press, were “on a coffee break” and “failed to help a dying pregnant woman” in New York. They “told workers” at an eatery “to call 911, then left when they were asked to help the woman.”
Who do you think should win this week’s award?
Happy New Year! Here at The Constant Complainer, in addition to my own posts, readers can submit Guest Posts on topics they’d like to complain about. Tall Elf is back and submitted the below-Guest Post. His complaint is texting while driving and the overuse of blackberries. A great complaint! Enjoy and without further adieu, here’s Tall Elf…
I understand the value of a blackberry. And I understand that if your company provides one to you to stay connected to your job and to be at their beck-and-call, that it is an important part of your identity. To those of you that are required and reimbursed by work to carry the wonderful piece of fruit, I commend your dedication. I myself instruct my employees to leave work at work, and home at home; if you have a bad day at work, don’t take it out on your family, and if you are having a difficult time at home, hey, why not use work as a temporary escape from reality and get down to business. But I understand that sometimes these things overlap, and it is unavoidable.
I however am a tax payer. And my taxes are paid to a state that I do not live in, but where I work. I live in a rural area where cell service is spotty, but on my way to and from work, I frequent an urban section of side streets where I see my tax dollars hard at work (sarcastically of course). If I do not have a blackberry myself, why would I want to see someone that is benefiting from my tax dollars walking in the street texting/checking email, while pushing a stroller? That is right. The other day I was on my way home and an observed a woman pushing a stroller through the middle of a 5-point intersection while texting/emailing in the street. I would like to know what was so important that she had to do that in the middle of the intersection. Not even looking because I guess that the crosswalk was her ticket to not be wary of her surroundings. Once she hit the curb, she put the phone away and continued on her way. If someone had hit her, I am sure that the newspaper would have read, “Mother and child struck by vehicle.” Not, “Woman texting walks out in front of car.”
Continue reading Blackberry Mania
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