Are We Turning Into Robots?

newforest

newforest

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Mar 15, 2008
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:D Discussion thread.

I live in a village, I shop in xx named shop as I have done for xx years. EVERY transaction they ask if I have a store card! For god sake no! You know I dont!
Its not just them its Superdrug, New Look. I realise you get trained to offer services but its driving me nuts to the point I wont use my village xx shop anymore.
I switch adverts to mute as its just about loans, charities and online bloody bingo!
I am doing an advertising and society course so my attention is drawn to the sheer volume we are bombarded with, from emails, phone calls, newspapers, internet and sadly even people coming here to stuff it down our throats.
So over to you.;)
 
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Does my head in! The amount of tat I get through the post, although we're all supposed to be online these days. I stick it straight in the recyling bin but the waste annoys me. Still, from a government's POV, the endless pursuit of mindless consumerism keeps the electorate as quiet and controlled as if you'd drugged them with tranquillisers.
 
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Well. As it happens I had an horrendous time getting car insurance last week. To say I was stressed would be an understatement. They kept me on the phone for almost TWO HOURS trying to sell me additional policies. I couldn't cut them off either as I had paid a deposit and wanted to set direct debit payments up, plus I was in a panic and needed to get something sorted asap. After you've spent half an hour initially giving all your details it ain't that easy to begin all over again (and they know this!). It was just horrible. I was almost in tears of rage and frustration and it didn't end there. Oh no. They sent me a confirmation by email and said to send them my no claims bonus details which I did (electronically). All that happened was they sent repeated emails back saying it was no good. Then the penny dropped: they wanted to get me back on the phone to try and stuff me with add ons and more policies. I refused and got a bit assertive - which resulted in them finally recognising my ncb details and outlining what other info they really needed. Scamsters. They operate just above the law I should think and if anyone wants to know who they are so they can avoid - pm me.
I only went with them cos they were cheap and boy do I regret it. Hate to imagine what will happen if I ever need to claim.
Sorry, that's a long rant! I hate hard sell and I get sacked off with the amount of sh*te that rolls into my milk churn (don't have a post box or letter box here). Only the other day there must have been ten leaflets of utter tat. There should be a law against it! Don't mind if I've signed up for it but this is just junk.
 
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Sadly, money makes the world go round, and it's just all about businesses trying to compete for our attention. It's a shame, and having worked in an environment where I had to teach selling skills, I know the pressure that is on folk and am very polite with them but it still doesn't persuade me!
 
They were pleasant and melodious - but it all gets very frustrating when you're short on time and explain that, and still they carry on....argh.....its traumatised me for life!
 
I can understand a company selling a product, its when they diversify into other products.
The Post Office doesn't just sell stamps and send parcels. Tesco isn't just food, that's my gripe.
The vet doesn't sell bread and milk does it ;)
 
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It the whole "training" thing that pees me off mightily, unless you have been "trained" to do something basic these days you are considered unable to carry out the most basic tasks requiring nothing more than common sense.

Trouble is they are "training" folk into train tracks that they shall never err from.
 
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If it makes you feel any better Trewsers - it's probably not just sales orientated (I'm not saying there's no sale angle there), but financially regulated industries like insurance have to offer the customer every single blinking upgrade/downgrade they offer. The law has recently changed to, which emphasises the need to tell the customer everything they might ever need to know in a month of blue Sunday's, even more. If they don't, then the financial sanctions/fine are potentially so high.

If it's any consolation, I've only recently left the insurance industry and it was as much of a nightmare for the company/customer service agent as it was the customer!
 
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One of our shops-big national name has done a revamp/change round to be in keeping with its other stores.
Now you have to walk the whole length of the shop in order to turn at the bottom. They have blocked the two gaps. If it had started out like that I wouldn't have an issue.
I feel its pressuring you into buying/looking and since I shop to buy what I want I feel myself wanting to poke the people who keep stopping. :rolleyes: Especially on a short lunch break.
 
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Newforest is the pitts too when you know where everything is in your store. Then you go in to just grab a few things and they
have re-arranged the place. I really hate that- like you I want to get in and out with what I wanted.

I guess another pet peeve I have are the grocery stores that want to dry to do it all. When i want to go to the grocery store for carrots
I am not looking to buy a tv or lawn furniture! It's not like they had better prices on that stuff!
 
horseandgoatmom said:
There was a study that no matter how you ordered your coffee at the "drive thru" some crazy high % of people
get regular.
Click to expand...

I had never heard of a coffee shop "drive thru" until around a month ago when i spotted that Costa coffee had opened one up near meadow hall shopping centre (its on the outskirts of Sheffield) . I am not sure if it will take off for 2 reasons - first because its situated in a random spot. Its directly opposite the exit from meadowhall. Great you would think but no - the exit is a one way system which means you have to travel a little way, then go back round the roundabout and then back down on the opposite side of the road.

2nd reason - i cant imagine that many people will be beyond desperate for a cup of coffee if they have just left the shopping centre.
 
OMG they are all over here. I't seems you can't drive 5 feet and not run across another one.

The access does seem to be nasty to that one. Some that we have here are really put in bad places too- one up in town is on a postage
stamp piece of property and totally blocks traffic on the road with people trying to get into the place...

LOL yes you would think they would grab the coffee in the mall ~!
 
The other annoying thing currently is every other advert on TV from charities, just wanting two pounds a month.
If I signed up for every one, I worked out it would cost me £40 a month.
Now I am not anti giving-but-I am aware that money doesn't get through to who it should, it also gets invested for the next crisis, plus Oxfam has been around for years and if they still haven't sorted water in 40years, something is wrong. Sorry.
 
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So many charity waste so much money. One of my pet peeves is after an emergency people burned out or something.
Lots of people could come up with clothes furniture etc to help out but they only want money.
Another pet peeve is when they wanted you to sign up thru work oh gee its so easy they say "it can come right out of your pay check" to give and hand you the cards to make you feel guilty.
I am also totally not against giving but I want it to be my choice since its my money!
They never had anything horse related~in their choices.
I knew someone that went to school with the kids of the head of a very major charity . They lived in a gigantic mansion and even the kids
had brand new very expensive cars.
How much donation money went there to that big big salary.
 
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