respublica

Self Check-out lanes

Quite often I come across posts from people who are angry about the growing number of stores with self check-out lanes. They are very emphatic about "never using them". Sometimes the reason is their concern about people losing jobs because of this or, they just hate bagging their own things and the process is confusing.

Frankly, I like those lanes and never use any other way of checking out in any store that has them. The lines are shorter and I never have an overflowing cart of things anyway. When I do, say at Thanksgiving, I go to a lane with a checker. Many  days our local Schnucks has a long line of carts stretching halfway down the front of the store for people checkers. Why wait.

But there are issues with checker lanes as well. A couple of weeks ago the local Schnucks had the self check out lanes closed and I had to use the checker lane. This is fine, the workers are usually very friendly. But what frustrates me is how little they will put in each plastic bag. Sometimes only one thing. The paper bags seem almost non-existent at our store and if seen have to be asked for. Why is this? Other Schnucks' have paper bags even at the self check area.

So much more can be put in paper bags and actually, baggers could put a lot more in plastic bags as well. Why they don't is beyond me. I've come home with endless plastic bags of things during those times. Doing it myself, I get a lot more items in each bag.

The problem at some places which have gone to self check, there often isn't enough room to put things until we're finished.

 

Big or small carts?

Whenever I go to the grocery store or to Walmart, I always take the small cart. The big carts are just to big for me, too high, too wide. But Walmart never, or rarely, has the small carts at the entrance door. So I trudge over to the cart corral almost to Home Depot and bring get a small cart. Why is this? The grocery stores always have both sizes at the front of their stores.

I'm guessing it's an unwritten Walmart policy to force us to use the big cart so we will buy more things. Nature abhors a vacuum and so do grocery carts. That's my guess anyway.

This may work

Sometimes those silly "thoughts" people post turn out to be humorous with a bit of wishful truth. This one I saw yesterday is one of those.

There is a belief among behavioral scientists that going through a doorway makes us forget why we went there.

Hot Dog!

Dale came across the Oscar Mayor Wiener mobile yesterday at a car wash. It's a humorous sight and he took a picture. There is no way we could figure that vehicle could fit into the car wash system, but there must have been an outdoor cleaning set-up. Men with hoses, scouring down the hot dog.

Some days it's the little things that make me laugh

Saw this. I especially got a kick out of the Q block.  Click to enlarge to see better.

 

Who would do this?

Some mornings the strangest things pop up on the news. Mondays seem to be the oddest for some reason. And today comes information on what besides dishes you can put in your dishwasher.

Some are sensible like the knobs from your stove, refrigerator shelves and the glass plate in the microwave.

But then comes the crazy.

Hubcaps

Fip-flops

Baseball caps

Hairy hair brushes

Bathroom soap dishes

Dog Toys

Gardening tools

Computer Keyboard!!!!

Seriously? If anyone puts a hubcap in their dishwasher I'd like to know how that works. Also the keyboard.

 

2 Almost impossible cleaning hints

This must be the day of the week many people consider cleaning more heavily than mere dusting and sweeping because I came across any number of articles on what we should clean but don't. The first I noticed was the advice to clean under the back part of the toilet seat. This requires taking off the seat or it won't be possible. The picture accompanying the article showed a really gross section which we never see. I went into our bathroom and looked at the seat. It is attached with wing nuts on either side of the back. It looked as though it would be easy to undo, but almost impossible to put back on. All toilets have their backs against a wall and sides near a wall or sink. We can take off wing nuts without looking but not put them back. The contortion needed to do this is more than I am willing to try. But, now I'm bothered by not having that section clean so who knows, I may try.

The second article dealt with how to weed easier especially if you are old and get pretty stiff fast. That's me. They recommend the Fiskars Delux Stand-up Weeder.

• Long shaft eliminates sore knees from kneeling and back ache from bending and stooping
• Four serrated, stainless steel claws firmly grab weeds and roots for permanent removal

Years ago we had something like this but I was quickly bored by the time it took to pull up one weed at a time, take it off the weeder and go to another weed. I don't know may weeds which aren't crowded together, not stand alone. Grabbing a bunch at the same time is easier in the long run. Then go in and put an ice pack against your back.

Bathrooms- The one thing everyone still needed

During the months of the pandemic shut-down I'd bet there had to be times when we all had to be somewhere. And being somewhere for any length of time meant a need for a rest room. Mostly they were closed in public places or were places we just did not want to go near. So we calculated the time we'd have to be gone from home in order to not have to use them. This may sound over the top, but it has been part of our mindset. People who were able to comfortably use public restrooms have my respect, but I was not one of them.

Which brings me to this post on Facebook this morning. Someone wrote about a place he returned to after it had been closed (not a restaurant) and found that the bathroom was gone. He said, "Warning to Illinois folks coming here—stop somewhere else first.

Glad to know I was not the only one worrying about bathrooms in one way or other.

Coca Cola what can't it do

This seems kind of gross, but it is what it is. There is a belief out there in house keeping country that using Coca Cola to clean you toilet is amazing. I just wonder if they use the regular, every day Coke, or the Mexican Coke. I would not waste Mexican Coke on my toilet.

But, here goes. Some believe this is amazing.

"Simply pour some Coke around the rims of your toilet and watch it fill up with all that carbonated fizz. Then, let it sit overnight, Today advises. When you go back in the morning, give the toilet a good flush to wash the fizz away and you will see the Coke also washed away the dirt and grime in your toilet bowl".

I don't know if Dr. Pepper or Pepsi would work the same because Coke is the Real Thing.

 

What we're missing here in the Metro East

It's surprising to me that there are some very popular stores found on the St. Louis side of the Metro area, but not here on the Illinois side. I mean, we over here shop and like the same things people like over in Missouri. So why are these stores avoiding us?

Costco. Everyone around here wants a Costco. Surely that company sees how people pack the Sam's Clubs in Edwardsville and O'Fallon. A Costco would be very profitable.

Whole Foods. I mean why not?

World Market. That company left O'Fallon some time back but we miss it and there are some things very great to buy in that store. So we drive out to the Brentwood Promenade.

I was happy when Total Wine and More went to Fairview Heights. I'd gone to the one in Brentwood often when living over there. They have so much more wine, spirits, beer, selections than anyone and I hope they make it.

We can't get Jeni's ice cream here on the Illinois side. Truth be known, though, it's even hard to find in St. Louis. It's sold in Straub's and Whole Foods but so worth the effort to get it. Just the best.