Lessons in English

**Ian Gills** · 09-29-2011, 11:04 AM

If you guys ever go to England, I guess you had better learn some English.

So here goes.

A SHOPPING TROLLEY

**Ian Gills** · 09-29-2011, 11:05 AM

A LIFT

**ballvalve** · 09-29-2011, 11:10 AM

Where is the coin slot on your trolley? Tell the Americans about that system.

**Ian Gills** · 09-29-2011, 11:46 AM

Thanks Ballvalve.

There was, and perhaps still is, a problem in England where instead of carrying one's shopping home, people would just take their shopping home in the trolley and then never return it. Consequently, shopping trolleys were often found dumped. More often than not in rivers. To stop this, many supermarkets now require people to put cash in a coin slot in the trolley in order to use it, which is refunded when the trolley is returned to the supermarket (much like the system you have for luggage carts at US airports).

This is not needed in American supermarkets. It is not needed in American supermarkets because unlike in England it is not physically possible to walk to the shop. Sidewalks simply disappear. Consequently there are no coin slots but there is lots of American-made global warming from all those Americans having to drive to get their groceries.

You only really get why the world is warming up when you come to America. All those cars. All those people unwilling to walk or take the bus. All those people thinking they are entitled to drive.

Except Jimbo.

**BobL43** · 09-29-2011, 12:21 PM

Originally Posted by Ian Gills

Thanks Ballvalve.

There was, and perhaps still is, a problem in England where instead of carrying one's shopping home, people would just take their shopping home in the trolley and then never return it. Consequently, shopping trolleys were often found dumped. More often than not in rivers. To stop this, many supermarkets now require people to put cash in a coin slot in the trolley in order to use it, which is refunded when the trolley is returned to the supermarket (much like the system you have for luggage carts at US airports).

This is not needed in American supermarkets. It is not needed in American supermarkets because unlike in England it is not physically possible to walk to the shop. Sidewalks simply disappear. Consequently there are no coin slots but there is lots of American-made global warming from all those Americans having to drive to get their groceries.

You only really get why the world is warming up when you come to America. All those cars. All those people unwilling to walk or take the bus. All those people thinking they are entitled to drive.

Except Jimbo.

Yeah, thats what happens with a big sprawling country. A little crowded country is MUCH better. The illegals keep coming here because it's so bad here and it it costs them so much for their free medical treatment, which is so, so much worse than the shitholes they come from.

**Ian Gills** · 09-29-2011, 02:21 PM

I am not sure what that has got to do with the price of fish Bob.

But illegals certainly don't come to America for the medical treatment! Or the pensions! Or the handouts!

(There aren't any).

Immigrants come here to earn a salary, which they promptly send home.

I doubt many of them retire in the States either.

The incomes in America are pretty good. But the public services leave a lot to be desired.

Which is why most of the bridges are in a state of disrepair. Being caught in traffic on an American interstate is terrifying.

You get to see the crumbling pillars up close!

I have come to the sad conclusion that America's high incomes are being subsidized by a society and a country that is falling apart due to excessively low taxes and inadequate spending. American jobs are being propped up by unsustainable cheap gas, without which the country would grind to a halt.

America in ten years will be a very different place. I hope it will still be here.

The one thing that always shines through is its innovation. But this will be a tall order.

**LOTW** · 09-30-2011, 07:39 AM

Originally Posted by Ian Gills

Thanks Ballvalve.

There was, and perhaps still is, a problem in England where instead of carrying one's shopping home, people would just take their shopping home in the trolley and then never return it. Consequently, shopping trolleys were often found dumped. More often than not in rivers. To stop this, many supermarkets now require people to put cash in a coin slot in the trolley in order to use it, which is refunded when the trolley is returned to the supermarket (much like the system you have for luggage carts at US airports).

This is not needed in American supermarkets. It is not needed in American supermarkets because unlike in England it is not physically possible to walk to the shop. Sidewalks simply disappear. Consequently there are no coin slots but there is lots of American-made global warming from all those Americans having to drive to get their groceries.

You only really get why the world is warming up when you come to America. All those cars. All those people unwilling to walk or take the bus. All those people thinking they are entitled to drive.

Except Jimbo.

Here the best (and cheapest) local grocery stores employ clean cut, articulate high school students to reload one's trolley after the groceries are paid for, push the trolley to the customer's vehicle, unload the groceries into the car, and then return the cart to the store. They will also carry groceries to the local bus stop for people who arrive by bus. All very civilized, and it is a pleasure to see young kids (14+) develop good communication skills and a work ethic. These stores are closed on Sundays, so Ian may have an issue with that. But this practice is certainly one of the reasons I shop there.

**LLigetfa** · 09-30-2011, 08:03 AM

Our local grocery still offers a carry-out service albeit one then has to wait for the bag boy to be paged. We generally decline the offer but the wife sometimes takes advantage of it if heavy items are involved and I'm not with her. I don't care to pay ransom to get a cart as I never carry coins in my pocket so if I can find an abandoned cart, I'm happy and I repay the favor by leaving the unshacked cart for the next person even if I had to make change to ransom a cart.

I have the same attitude toward self-serve gas, going out of my way to find full service. Unfortunately, full service gas bars are getting fewer and farther in between and I find myself pumping my own more often. It's not that pumping my own gas is beneath me, but rather that I'm taking food out of someone's mouth so that gas stations can make more profit.

It seems that many people no longer give tips as we often get a surprised reaction when we tip someone. Has tips become a form of charity that is insulting? When we eat out at a restaurant, we don't tip the owner if/when given personal service because that could be insulting but we do tip the staff.

**LLigetfa** · 09-29-2011, 03:49 PM

Originally Posted by ballvalve

Where is the coin slot on your trolley? Tell the Americans about that system.

We have coin slots in Canada. It's not to keep people from taking them home, it's simply to get people to return the carts to the corral rather than leave them about in the parking lot. They don't want to pay a bag boy to gather up the carts.

We still abandon the carts in the parking lot and leave the quarter in the slot so someone else can use the cart without paying ransom.

Nobody walks to the store around here. Everyone drives and they mostly drive 4x4 pickups or SUVs.

**Ian Gills** · 09-29-2011, 04:33 PM

They leave the coin in the slot for the next person?

Canadians are nice. Whatever way you cut the cake.

And I do like it here Bob. But there's no harm in wanting a couple of bridges fixed is there?

You don't have to like everything about something to still like it.

It's like steak. Sometimes it's a cooked a little bit over done but I still eat it.

America's like that.

But you're clearly in heaven here. And that's great to hear.

**Cookie** · 09-30-2011, 01:07 AM

I wonder how many people are standing in the unemployment line due to those people who are in our country illegally.

**BobL43** · 09-30-2011, 07:51 AM

Originally Posted by Ian Gills

They leave the coin in the slot for the next person?

Canadians are nice. Whatever way you cut the cake.

And I do like it here Bob. But there's no harm in wanting a couple of bridges fixed is there?

You don't have to like everything about something to still like it.

It's like steak. Sometimes it's a cooked a little bit over done but I still eat it.

America's like that.

But you're clearly in heaven here. And that's great to hear.

Look Ian, the US as far as I am concerned, although not perfect, is the best place in the world to live except for Hawaii. Oh wait, that is the US. All you want to do is have MORE taxes collected from the working people and give it away to the lazy. I already have 1/3 of my wages taken by taxes and pay 8.62% sales tax on most everything I buy, plus pay $8K/year real estate tax. There is only so much to give before its just not worth working anymore and become 'one of them". I'm not ready or willing for that to happen. I think you actually would prefer the entire world to go back to the Medieval days and have us all be serfs and peons, letting the royalty give us what we might or might not need (their choice). Kind of like a bee colony. What would you be; oh! the beloved tax collector for the royalty