So yesterday I had to make a quick pit stop at Kroger and saw something that made my mouth drop. Let me try my best to paint a picture of what I witnessed for you...

Quick backstory: In my neighborhood there's what I would consider a nice Kroger and a not-so-nice Kroger. That not-so-nice Kroger is surrounded by a whole lot of apartment buildings, which in turn has brought in a lot of riff-raff with the new voucher system. Lotta white trash heroin addicts and things of the sort. There's been old people mugged there, a person was murdered just across the street about a year ago. All in all, it's not a great scene. As a result, even though that Kroger is a little closer, I now make my way up to the nicer Kroger. But hey, if you like going into store where people just eat off the shelves, where you find frozen pizzas stuffed into the toothpaste aisle, because they can't be bothered to return it to the freezer, where people in scooters outnumber people with carts, then this might be your type of place.

Anyways, I had already done all of my grocery shopping for the week and realized I forgot to buy paper towels, so I decide to make my way into the not-so-nice Kroger for the first time in awhile. It was, um, interesting.

I see all of what your normally expect in a fine establishment like this one: Carts filled with Mt. Dew, people loudly talking on their phones, handi-fat scooters as far as the eye can see. No big deal. I've been there before, it just another day in the neighborhood. And then it happens....

As I'm first walking in and going down the aisle I hear some pretty loud music. So loud that initially thought it was the overhead PA elevator bs they play. But it sounded weird because I wasn't getting that whole overhead, 360 effect from it. Then I kinda thought that maybe their PA is screwed up or something, and some speakers aren't working. And then I notice the actual music. Let's just say it wasn't something I would expect normally here at a Kroger.

So I'm sitting there wondering what the hell is that. The store was kind of dead, and I thought maybe some employees were screwing around or something. Or maybe it's some weird product demo. But whatever it is it's pretty freaking loud. Like loud enough you could hear it from aisles and aisles over.

I go about my shopping and the music gets louder and quieter as I move around. And finally, when I'm approaching the checkout line I realize I'm getting closer and closer to the source. The big reveal. What do I see (drumroll)....

Some freakin guy had brought one of the portable blue tooth speakers in, had it propped up in the child's seat, and was streaming his music from his phone to it. Blaring it. You know the speakers I'm talking about, the one's people use on their deck or porch, or garage, they look like a cylinder or a tube, kind of like Mike Brady's plans that dumb ass Jan lost at King's Island? Here let me just post a picture so we're all on the same page:



I'm not even sure what to say at this point. I really don't have the words. This guy had to make a legitimate plan when he left the house that he needed this thing for his grocery shopping. Like, he stopped, thought "Nah, headphones won't work, let me grab this portable speaker, and lug it up to Kroger. Wtf? He props that thing up in his cart, syncs his phone to it, cranks the ***** up, and just proceeds to go around the store shopping, like everyone wants to listen to this crap. Not that he would be any less offensive, but he wasn't even with anybody. It wasn't a group of people clowning around or anything like that. It's one guy, by himself, just jamming out to some tunes.

I don't know who I was more mad at, the guy or Kroger for not telling him to turn that shit off. It was unbelievable. I hope someone got a kick out of this and got a chuckle. It was too good not to share.

There's a guy at a McDonald's I go to for breakfast sometimes (hate McDonald's, but I don't cook in the morning). He always sits in the middle of the dining area streaming shows on his phone. No headphones, volume up. Not sure what he watches, but it's comedies with a laughtrack. Like Friends or something.

(09-27-2016, 12:16 AM)Wes Mantooth Wrote: So yesterday I had to make a quick pit stop at Kroger and saw something that made my mouth drop. Let me try my best to paint a picture of what I witnessed for you...

Quick backstory: In my neighborhood there's what I would consider a nice Kroger and a not-so-nice Kroger. That not-so-nice Kroger is surrounded by a whole lot of apartment buildings, which in turn has brought in a lot of riff-raff with the new voucher system. Lotta white trash heroin addicts and things of the sort. There's been old people mugged there, a person was murdered just across the street about a year ago. All in all, it's not a great scene. As a result, even though that Kroger is a little closer, I now make my way up to the nicer Kroger. But hey, if you like going into store where people just eat off the shelves, where you find frozen pizzas stuffed into the toothpaste aisle, because they can't be bothered to return it to the freezer, where people in scooters outnumber people with carts, then this might be your type of place.

Anyways, I had already done all of my grocery shopping for the week and realized I forgot to buy paper towels, so I decide to make my way into the not-so-nice Kroger for the first time in awhile. It was, um, interesting.

I see all of what your normally expect in a fine establishment like this one: Carts filled with Mt. Dew, people loudly talking on their phones, handi-fat scooters as far as the eye can see. No big deal. I've been there before, it just another day in the neighborhood. And then it happens....

As I'm first walking in and going down the aisle I hear some pretty loud music. So loud that initially thought it was the overhead PA elevator bs they play. But it sounded weird because I wasn't getting that whole overhead, 360 effect from it. Then I kinda thought that maybe their PA is screwed up or something, and some speakers aren't working. And then I notice the actual music. Let's just say it wasn't something I would expect normally here at a Kroger.

So I'm sitting there wondering what the hell is that. The store was kind of dead, and I thought maybe some employees were screwing around or something. Or maybe it's some weird product demo. But whatever it is it's pretty freaking loud. Like loud enough you could hear it from aisles and aisles over.

I go about my shopping and the music gets louder and quieter as I move around. And finally, when I'm approaching the checkout line I realize I'm getting closer and closer to the source. The big reveal. What do I see (drumroll)....

Some freakin guy had brought one of the portable blue tooth speakers in, had it propped up in the child's seat, and was streaming his music from his phone to it. Blaring it. You know the speakers I'm talking about, the one's people use on their deck or porch, or garage, they look like a cylinder or a tube, kind of like Mike Brady's plans that dumb ass Jan lost at King's Island? Here let me just post a picture so we're all on the same page:



I'm not even sure what to say at this point. I really don't have the words. This muthafucker had to make a legitimate plan when he left the house that he needed this thing for his grocery shopping. Like, he stopped, thought "Nah, headphones won't work, let me grab this portable speaker, and lug it up to Kroger. Wtf? He props that thing up in his cart, syncs his phone to it, cranks the ***** up, and just proceeds to go around the store shopping, like everyone wants to listen to this crap. Not that he would be any less offensive, but he wasn't even with anybody. It wasn't a group of people clowning around or anything like that. It's one guy, by himself, just jamming out to some tunes.

I don't know who I was more mad at, the guy or Kroger for not telling him to turn that shit off. It was unbelievable. I hope someone got a kick out of this and got a chuckle. It was too good not to share.

I see at least 5 of these people a week, either here in Calgary or when I was in Toronto.

It's VERY common. And I have never lived in a cruddy area. It's just the times, that's all...

wes, didnt you post about kids walking around listening to music on their phones recently? this had to have you at your boiling point.

i was told to calm down in the self service line the other day when i asked a guy if he was going to wait in line like everyone else. something about grocery stores has me on high alert.

Wes, life is better with your own personal soundtrack. Try it.

Wait...you think people who live in apartments are riff raff? I can't buy a house because I never buried myself in debt. It's not my fault the system is broken as shit.

(09-27-2016, 02:33 PM)BigPapaKain Wrote: Wait...you think people who live in apartments are riff raff? I can't buy a house because I never buried myself in debt. It's not my fault the system is broken as shit.

Not at all. I apologize if I worded that in a way that suggested that.

I personally lived in an apartment from the age of 14 until I was 27. First with my mom, then on my own.  If I could go back I wouldn't have bought my house and I'd still be living in an apartment.

I speaking specifically about some of the pepole who live in these apartments. What I meant by there being a lot of them, is there's not only ones with tons of units but there's just a lot of different complexes in general.  When the housing vouchers replaced section 8 a lot of the units were filled by a lot of trash.  What used to be hardworking people, many times single or older, has now been replaced by those sucking off the government teet. It completely ruined the entire neighborhood.

(09-27-2016, 03:17 PM)Wes Mantooth Wrote: Not at all. I apologize if I worded that in a way that suggested that.

I personally lived in an apartment from the age of 14 until I was 27. First with my mom, then on my own.  If I could go back I wouldn't have bought my house and I'd still be living in an apartment.

I speaking specifically about some of the pepole who live in these apartments. What I meant by there being a lot of them, is there's not only ones with tons of units but there's just a lot of different complexes in general.  When the housing vouchers replaced section 8 a lot of the units were filled by a lot of trash.  What used to be hardworking people, many times single or older, has now been replaced by those sucking off the government teet. It completely ruined the entire neighborhood.

Sorry - coming off a bad week and I'm a bit testy.

I lived in some apartments like the ones you're describing. It was nice enough - right up until the city came in and opened all the empty units and we saw our own building's dirty underbelly as left by some of the previous tenants.

Seriously I wish I had my old SD card to show you - the units looked like they had been burned ffrom the inside. It was black mold. Needless to say the more respectable residents filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of everyone. The owner promptly fled the country back to his native land (Romania I believe).

If you Google Riviera Maia apartments Toledo, you might be able to find some photos. It was bad.

(09-27-2016, 12:52 PM)Vas Deferens Wrote: wes, didnt you post about kids walking around listening to music on their phones recently?  this had to have you at your boiling point.

i was told to calm down in the self service line the other day when i asked a guy if he was going to wait in line like everyone else.  something about grocery stores has me on high alert.

I did.  I always shake my head when someone is standing in line, or in the library, or the post office, or wherever, just listening to their music.  The best are the people who you see walking down the street and it looks like they're making a music video.  Just rapping at the top of the lungs, walking by people, not caring at all who they're bothering.

In this case I couldn't even get mad.  Dumbfounded would be a more accurate to description to describe by reaction.  It's my nature to try to understand or make sense of things and in this case I couldn't even attempt to that.  Is he doing it to purposely antagonize people, is he maybe mentally handicapped, is it for attention, etc?  I can't make any sense of it anymore other than to say some people are living on completely different planets than the one I'm on.  Their reality is something I can even begin to understand.

How the hell do you cut in front of someone and then tell them to calm down when calling you out for it?  What a piece of human garbage.  Literal trash.

(09-27-2016, 03:33 PM)BigPapaKain Wrote: Sorry - coming off a bad week and I'm a bit testy.

I lived in some apartments like the ones you're describing. It was nice enough - right up until the city came in and opened all the empty units and we saw our own building's dirty underbelly as left by some of the previous tenants.

Seriously I wish I had my old SD card to show you - the units looked like they had been burned ffrom the inside. It was black mold. Needless to say the more respectable residents filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of everyone. The owner promptly fled the country back to his native land (Romania I believe).

If you Google Riviera Maia apartments Toledo, you might be able to find some photos. It was bad.

Yeah, here it go bad pretty quick.  Within 10 years that entire side of the neighborhood was completely destroyed.  Luckily I'm in the next neighborhood over, but I'm in that area all of the time.  It's rough.  There's visible prostitution at night, there's needles all around, the community park is nowhere you want to be unless there is a big event, an 90 year man was beaten unconscious near the Walgreens, elderly woman being attack for their purse.  My buddy was actually parked in that Kroger, just sitting in his spot, when a woman hit his car.  She didn't stop, just stuck her head out the window and yelled "It's fine aint nothing wrong with your car!" and drove off.  The list goes on and on.

I don't want to get into a huge thing about subsidized housing, but it wrecked that community.  What you used to individual landlords, now are slumlords who bought up blocks of housing and rent out to people using vouchers.  They know they're getting their check every month, and they do minimal repairs.  It's a gold mine for them.  Meanwhile all of the homeowners that surround this one big strip of apartments (there's about a mile full of building coming up into their neighborhood) have had their home values plummet.  It's really sad.

I did google your apartments that you were in.  I'm sorry you got caught up in that mess.  That's awful.

(09-27-2016, 04:21 PM)Wes Mantooth Wrote: I did.  I always shake my head when someone is standing in line, or in the library, or the post office, or wherever, just listening to their music.  The best are the people who you see walking down the street and it looks like they're making a music video.  Just rapping at the top of the lungs, walking by people, not caring at all who they're bothering.

In this case I couldn't even get mad.  Dumbfounded would be a more accurate to description to describe by reaction.  It's my nature to try to understand or make sense of things and in this case I couldn't even attempt to that.  Is he doing it to purposely antagonize people, is he maybe mentally handicapped, is it for attention, etc?  I can't make any sense of it anymore other than to say some people are living on completely different planets than the one I'm on.  Their reality is something I can even begin to understand.

So true.  Not sure if its completely different upbringings or what, but people do some things I would never even consider out of basic respect for others in public spaces.

Quote:How the hell do you cut in front of someone and then tell them to calm down when calling you out for it?  What a piece of human garbage.  Literal trash.

Best part was it was actually someone else that was just walking by who said it to me.  The guy I called out said, 'No, not cutting, just keeping out of peoples way'  Complete bullshit, but my point was taken by him.  Bottom line was I wasn't going to let the dude swoop in front of the old lady right behind me.  Some other turd walking by must not have liked my tone or something and went with 'calm down, bud'.  At which point I said, 'My apologies, I was unaware this guy had a security detail with him. But sounds like he's got the protocol now. Carry on, bud.'  

I was just glad I didn't engage with the calm patrol further as I would have in my younger years.  

This reminds me of when I have to listen to the shitty gangster rap flavor of the week bumping (incredibly loud) out of a car parked at the pump with NOBODY in it. I don't have any kids but if I did and they were forced to hear about skeet on clapping asses I would short-circuit.

Being irked by this goes beyond just being the "get off my lawn" guy.

Eff that guy at Kroger. May he experience some kind of personal anguish in the near future.

(09-27-2016, 12:16 AM)Wes Mantooth Wrote: So yesterday I had to make a quick pit stop at Kroger and saw something that made my mouth drop. Let me try my best to paint a picture of what I witnessed for you...

Quick backstory:  In my neighborhood there's what I would consider a nice Kroger and a not-so-nice Kroger.  That not-so-nice Kroger is surrounded by a whole lot of apartment buildings, which in turn has brought in a lot of riff-raff with the new voucher system.  Lotta white trash heroin addicts and things of the sort.  There's been old people mugged there, a person was murdered just across the street about a year ago.  All in all, it's not a great scene.  As a result, even though that Kroger is a little closer, I now make my way up to the nicer Kroger.  But hey, if you like going into store where people just eat off the shelves, where you find frozen pizzas stuffed into the toothpaste aisle, because they can't be bothered to return it to the freezer, where people in scooters outnumber people with carts, then this might be your type of place.

Anyways, I had already done all of my grocery shopping for the week and realized I forgot to buy paper towels, so I decide to make my way into the not-so-nice Kroger for the first time in awhile.  It was, um, interesting.

I see all of what your normally expect in a fine establishment like this one: Carts filled with Mt. Dew, people loudly talking on their phones, handi-fat scooters as far as the eye can see.  No big deal.  I've been there before, it just another day in the neighborhood.  And then it happens....

As I'm first walking in and going down the aisle I hear some pretty loud music.  So loud that initially thought it was the overhead PA elevator bs they play.  But it sounded weird because I wasn't getting that whole overhead, 360 effect from it.  Then I kinda thought that maybe their PA is screwed up or something, and some speakers aren't working.  And then I notice the actual music.  Let's just say it wasn't something I would expect normally here at a Kroger.

So I'm sitting there wondering what the hell is that.  The store was kind of dead, and I thought maybe some employees were screwing around or something.  Or maybe it's some weird product demo.  But whatever it is it's pretty freaking loud. Like loud enough you could hear it from aisles and aisles over.

I go about my shopping and the music gets louder and quieter as I move around.  And finally, when I'm approaching the checkout line I realize I'm getting closer and closer to the source.  The big reveal.  What do I see (drumroll)....

Some freakin guy had brought one of the portable blue tooth speakers in, had it propped up in the child's seat, and was streaming his music from his phone to it.  Blaring it.  You know the speakers I'm talking about, the one's people use on their deck or porch, or garage, they look like a cylinder or a tube, kind of like Mike Brady's plans that dumb ass Jan lost at King's Island?  Here let me just post a picture so we're all on the same page:



I'm not even sure what to say at this point.  I really don't have the words.  This guy had to make a legitimate plan when he left the house that he needed this thing for his grocery shopping.  Like, he stopped, thought "Nah, headphones won't work, let me grab this portable speaker, and lug it up to Kroger.  Wtf? He props that thing up in his cart, syncs his phone to it, cranks the ***** up, and just proceeds to go around the store shopping, like everyone wants to listen to this crap.  Not that he would be any less offensive, but he wasn't even with anybody.  It wasn't a group of people clowning around or anything like that.  It's one guy, by himself, just jamming out to some tunes.

I don't know who I was more mad at, the guy or Kroger for not telling him to turn that shit off.  It was unbelievable.  I hope someone got a kick out of this and got a chuckle.  It was too good not to share.  

Why would something like this make you so mad?

How were you damaged by this music?

When  you are in public people around you are allowed to laugh talk or listen to music.  Unless it is actually interfering with something you are doing you need to pull that big stick out of your ass and stop letting it upset you

Shoulda taken it out of his cart and chucked it down the aisle as hard as you could....

Or followed right behind him repeatedly screaming the lyrics to Christopher Cross' Sailing on top of your lungs...



I think I like that approach better!

(09-27-2016, 10:17 PM)fredtoast Wrote: Why would something like this make you so mad?

How were you damaged by this music?

When  you are in public people around you are allowed to laugh talk or listen to music.  Unless it is actually interfering with something you are doing you need to pull that big stick out of your ass and stop letting it upset you

What? So mad? Damaged? I shared what I thought was a funny story. Not 3 posts before yours I even said it left me more dumbfounded than angry.  And if you can't see the difference between talking and laughing, and propping up a portable bluetooth speaker in your grocery cart, blaring it for an entire 20k sq ft store to hear then you're living on another planet.

The fact you follow people around looking for argurements is something I really think you need to think about why it is exactly you do it. You're a smart guy, you can't be this dense.  It's clear you have an agenda, and that's to look for or create conflicts.

There is no stick in my ass. The man was blaring vulgar music for the whole store to hear. And the fact it was vulgar is really besides the point, but only adds to lack of civility. I don't want to hear that any more than he probably wants to hear my music.  And last I checked he wasn't the store DJ. I would think, for most rational human beings, that they would realize it is beyond rude to subject others to your listening choice while they're trying to do their grocery shopping.

I can't believe I'm even explaining this. I mean, wtf?

(09-27-2016, 10:45 PM)Wes Mantooth Wrote: What?  So mad? Damage? I shared what I thought was funny story. Not 3 posts before yours I even said it left me more dumbfounded than angry.  And if you can't see the difference between talking and laughing, and propping up a portable bluetooth speaker in your grocery cart, blaring it for an entire 20k sqft store then you're living on another planet.

The fact you follow people around looking for arguements is something I really think you need to think. You're a smart guy, you can't be this dense.  It's clear you have an agenda, and that's to look for or create argurements. 

There is no stick my ass. The man was blaing vulgar music for the whole store to hear.  I don't want to hear that any more than he probably wants to hear my music.  And last I checked he wasn't the store DJ.

I can't believe I'm even explaining this. I mean, wtf

I'll be mad for you. Straight to hell with that guy.

(09-27-2016, 10:45 PM)Wes Mantooth Wrote: What?  So mad? Damage? I shared what I thought was funny story. Not 3 posts before yours I even said it left me more dumbfounded than angry.

(09-27-2016, 12:16 AM)Wes Mantooth Wrote: I don't know who I was more mad at, the guy or Kroger for not telling him to turn that shit off.  It was unbelievable. 

(09-27-2016, 10:57 PM)StoneTheCrow Wrote: I'll be mad for you. Straight to hell with that guy.

Haha, thanks!  Yeah, it was definitely an experience.  I just can't believe no one from the store said anything to the guy.

(09-27-2016, 11:15 PM)fredtoast Wrote:

Whatever, man.  You're just making yourself look foolish.  Everyone knows it.

You'll take any side of an argument solely for the sake of having one.  Maybe next time I start a thread about how I really like a certain pizza you can tell me all the reasons it's terrible.  Or if I talk about an Ipod you can remind how superior the Zune was. Give me, no, give us all a break.