"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck)
06/26/2019 at 09:05 • Filed to: None
1
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"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck)
06/26/2019 at 09:05 • Filed to: None | 1
| 26 |
Every morning, I go through the same ritual. Park, walk to the kiosk, pay, walk to the rental car/truck/whatever, put the receipt on the dash, grab my things, and walk to the office. The attendant and I usually have a little chat about the weather or some other thing equally banal. This morning was different. It was interrupted by a little Soul. More specifically, an entitled woman driving a Soul.
It’s not uncommon for people to temporarily park at the kiosk to take care of their parking fees, but this lady takes it to the next level. She hands her credit card over to the attendant so he can take care of her business while she sits comfortably in her Soul. Since I was walking over to the kiosk at the same time, the attendant and I had something new to talk about!
I said I didn’t know that this was part of their services. He shrugged and told me that she does this every day. I asked him how much she tipped. He just smiled, shrugged, and said, “nothing.”
That kinda pissed me off. If you’re disabled and need some extra assistance, I understand. But if you’re just lazy like she is (I checked - no handicap sticker or plates), you damn well better tip somebody for providing an extra service for you. Why does she do it? It’s so she doesn’t have to walk all the way across the parking lot.
I took this pic from the lane next to the kiosk - the place she was parked a moment before.
She just saved herself 300 feet of walking, or just getting her lazy butt out of the seat and walking ten steps to the kiosk.
Lady, you suck.
Arrivederci
> TheRealBicycleBuck
06/26/2019 at 09:10 |
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Maybe she thinks that’s how it works? Has anyone told her otherwise? Around here, parking works one of two ways:
+ Get ticket, park, pay at exit
+ Pay kiosk/attendant
on your way in
I can’t think of a single lot around here where you park, walk to the kiosk and pay then go about your business. Then again, I don’t frequent too many pay lots.
pip bip - choose Corrour
> TheRealBicycleBuck
06/26/2019 at 09:11 |
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some people think they’re special though
TysMagic
> TheRealBicycleBuck
06/26/2019 at 09:11 |
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why is the kiosk not replaced by an app yet?
functionoverfashion
> TheRealBicycleBuck
06/26/2019 at 09:21 |
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At my kids’ pediatrician, one of their office people is similarly entitled. She parks in the closest spot to the door, all the time no matter what. In a place where stressed out parents are coming in with potentially sick kids, she’s decided that walking 100 feet is too much to ask of her so that the dozens of families who come and go throughout the day are guaranteed to have to walk a little farther than she does.
We are able-bodied and I am fine walking a distance to a building from my car. But it’s the principle of the thing. Employees of ANY business should park in the back of whatever lot, or at least not in THE prime spots. Let alone, one where your clients are already stressed out and/or very small, possibly being carried by their parents.
She also doesn’t answer the phone until 8:33, takes lunch at 11:57 , and returns to answering the phones at 1:03. Fortunately, the doctors there are fantastic.
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TheRealBicycleBuck
> Arrivederci
06/26/2019 at 09:27 |
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Many of the garages in the area use one of those two models, but what I’m describing is pretty common in the South. It may be because there are multiple entrances and they don’t want to back up traffic on the streets while people are in line. Most of the garages I’ve used have recessed entrances so ticket-takers aren’t blocking the street.
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TheRealBicycleBuck
> TysMagic
06/26/2019 at 09:29 |
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There is an app available. Many of the users at this lot are one-time users because it’s near the courthouse, the tax offices, etc. Imagine what a pain it would be to have to download an app just to park one time. Even worse, there are still lots of people without smart phones.
boredalways
> functionoverfashion
06/26/2019 at 09:30 |
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If the doctors are fantastic, then you need to go to them directly and tell them that one of their employees is bringing the rest of them down by their selfishness.
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boredalways
> TheRealBicycleBuck
06/26/2019 at 09:35 |
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I think this lady is a prime candidate for a flat tire
E90M3
> TheRealBicycleBuck
06/26/2019 at 09:43 |
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Even worse, there are still lots of people without smart phones.
I feel like that’s a pretty small minority now. Not saying that we should exclude them, but it is a reason a lot of things are going to app only. It does seem there is a penalty for not adopting technology at times.
HoustonRunner
> TheRealBicycleBuck
06/26/2019 at 10:09 |
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Is that downtown Houston? I think I know that lot. In fact I'll probably walk right by tomorrow morning to go to the tax office and officially transfer the title of the E28 to me!
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TheRealBicycleBuck
> E90M3
06/26/2019 at 10:25 |
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Over 25% of the U.S. population aren’t using smartphones, if the statistics are correct ( https://www.statista.com/statistics/201183/forecast-of-smartphone-penetration-in-the-us/ ).
Every day there are people still paying for their parking in cash. I see their outrage when they discover the kiosks don’t give change.
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E90M3
> TheRealBicycleBuck
06/26/2019 at 10:28 |
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That’s behind a paywall, but I could believe that. I would also assume that most people without smartphones are either old or poor. That would skew my personal sample size a little.
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TheRealBicycleBuck
> HoustonRunner
06/26/2019 at 10:28 |
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It is! This is where I’ve been working for nearly two years. We’re about to be relocated out of our space here. With so many government buildings being repaired after Harvey, space is a premium, even if your business is doing disaster recovery work for the government.
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TheRealBicycleBuck
> boredalways
06/26/2019 at 10:29 |
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That won’t teach her anything. She’ll just ask the attendant to fix it and won’t give him a tip.
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HoustonRunner
> TheRealBicycleBuck
06/26/2019 at 10:31 |
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That comment on space is interesting given the amount of construction downtown. My company is in the Pennzoil building, but I’m a consultant so I’m mostly at a client site in the Woodlands now.
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TheRealBicycleBuck
> E90M3
06/26/2019 at 10:34 |
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I guess the first visit was free. It didn’t block me on my first access, but it did when I tried to open a second tab to the site.
Taxes and court hit every population, although they may affect the low-income population disproportionately and I may be seeing more of them at this lot because of it.
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TheRealBicycleBuck
> HoustonRunner
06/26/2019 at 10:42 |
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Perhaps it’s more of a problem for the government buildings. I know that several are closed or at reduced capacity because of damage from Harvey.
The Pennzoil building is about four blocks from where I’m working! I work as a consultant too, so we’re the first to be cleared out to make space for government employees. No real loss here - we’ve been stuck at conference room tables in a converted storage room. It’s strange to think I’m looking forward to getting back to a cubicle.
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HoustonRunner
> TheRealBicycleBuck
06/26/2019 at 10:47 |
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Definitely done the conference room table thing many times. I’m at an oil major now, so safety including ergonomics is a big deal. That translates to having a real desk, monitors, etc. Which is nice as I get on in years.
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HoustonRunner
> TheRealBicycleBuck
06/26/2019 at 10:47 |
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Definitely done the conference room table thing many times. I’m at an oil major now, so safety including ergonomics is a big deal. That translates to having a real desk, monitors, etc. Which is nice as I get on in years.
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TheRealBicycleBuck
> HoustonRunner
06/26/2019 at 11:06 |
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I have a makeshift standing desk - t wo HP EliteDisplay boxes strategically stacked on the table. If I want to use one of those monitors, I have sit in a 1950's era conference room chair. I don’t have a way to safely elevate the monitor for standing-desk use.
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boredalways
> TheRealBicycleBuck
06/26/2019 at 13:11 |
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No one said you only have to it once....
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TheRealBicycleBuck
> boredalways
06/26/2019 at 13:40 |
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And each time it will result in another job for the attendant without any additional pay.
Maybe it would be a better idea to confront her.
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HoustonRunner
> TheRealBicycleBuck
06/27/2019 at 10:07 |
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At the tax office now, looks like the police are all over your parking lot... maybe someone got tired of the woman's antics.
SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media
> TheRealBicycleBuck
06/27/2019 at 10:15 |
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You have a parking attendant? We just have a boom gate and a ticket machine.
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TheRealBicycleBuck
> HoustonRunner
06/27/2019 at 10:47 |
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There are a lot of homeless people in the area and there’s some kind of dust-up about once a week. With the Jury Assembly building offline, jurors are gathering at the admin building. They need extra police to escort them down the street to the courts, so all of the precincts have officers on rotating duty. Those guys are always itching for a fight. When one of the homeless people get a little out of line, they are swarmed by the precinct officers who don’t have anything better to do while waiting for the jurors.
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TheRealBicycleBuck
> SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media
06/27/2019 at 10:48 |
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Depends on the lot - some have attendants, some don’t.