"I know something that you don't know..."

[Marmalady]

The store wherein I toil is going to be closed not only on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, but also New Year's Day. Naturally, there are some shoppers who are not altogether pleased about this. One of them buttonholed me as I was trying to deal with the aftermath of a broken bottle of white rum, and started on about how unfair it was that we weren't going to have to be at work all day on the off chance that she might need to pop in for five minutes.
(I'm not even store staff, I'm a contractor, so I'm the last person to have any say in the matter anyway, but they see a vaguely shop-looking uniform and off they go.)

And as she was droning on and on, I noticed it. And I thought, should I say something?

And she went on and on, and I thought, maybe I should say something....

And finally she finished her whinge, and went on her way, and I returned to my task.... still having said nothing to her about the good sized (not HUGE, but reasonable) spider that had been leisurely making its way down the front of her fleece before slipping into the pocket and presumably getting nice and comfy within.

Still, I expect she found out soon enough

[Dreamstalker]

I have a mild dislike of spiders in my immediate vicinity, but I would have paid to see that (and her reaction, hopefully far outside the store so she couldn't claim somebody planted it).

[nutraxfornerves]

Miss Manners (US etiquette columnist) once fielded a question from someone who had been unable to figure out the proper thing to do when the guy sitting next to you at a dinner party has a spider dangling behind his ear while spinning a web.

[notalwaysright]

I tend not to tell people if there's a spider near them. Why? Because most of the time, if I DO tell them, they lose their mind and start shrieking. Or start flailing about, probably whacking me or knocking something over. It's just better to keep my mouth shut. Okay, if I think it's poisonous, or if it's going into their food or something I'll tell them. But if it's just on their coat, I'll swipe it off and if they ask what it was, I'll say it's lint.

[Marmalady]

To be honest, I'm more worried about what happened to the spider if and when she discovered it.

[Monterey Jack]

A few months back, I was helping a nice lady to her car, and noticed a bee landing on the back of her shirt. I calmly informed her of the fact, and she stiffened up slightly as I gently brushed the bee off with a store flyer I happened to be holding, and he went off on his merry way.

[MoonCat]

I would've been across the store from her with .0005 seconds of noticing it, so she'd have probably huffed about my being rude.

[Pixelated]

I would've been across the store from her with .0005 seconds of noticing it, so she'd have probably huffed about my being rude.

Alas, that likely would've been me as well. A few months ago it wasn't until I had walked in the door that I realized a decent-sized spider was leisurely descending from my arm -- I guess I had walked through its web as I came up the porch steps.

I did a frenzied herky-jerk version of the Chicken Dance across the living room, trying to dislodge it. And THEN I had to figure out where it'd gone. And THEN I sucked it up with the vacuum cleaner ... and threw the vacuum cleaner out onto the front porch for the night.

Arachnophobic? Me?

[Marmalady]

I am the official spider catcher both at home and at work (although if I find one at home, I leave it where it is unless it's somewhere inconvenient (e.g. the kitchen sink or the bath).

I always offer to let everyone else have a closer look before I deposit the spider outside, but nobody ever takes me up on the offer

[jedimaster91]

There is a decently sized spider living (outside) above my living room window. We have an understanding. As long as it stays outside and eats the bugs, we're cool. Inside my house is another story.

The spider's name is Lloth. I say hello if I see it out, but now that it's winter and cold, I haven't seen it for a bit.

[Pixelated]

There is a decently sized spider living (outside) above my living room window. We have an understanding. As long as it stays outside and eats the bugs, we're cool. Inside my house is another story.

The spider's name is Lloth. I say hello if I see it out, but now that it's winter and cold, I haven't seen it for a bit.

That's pretty much my philosophy too: stay outside, and I will leave you strictly alone. Come into my house and you're dead. (Although I've had a couple of really REALLY small spiders indoors, that I couldn't be bothered to kill.)

My brother advises me that they have quite short life spans, so Lloth has probably gone to spider heaven.

[Seanette]

I feel the same about creepy-crawlies in general. Stay out of my territory and I won't bother you. Just go about your extra-legged short life.

Come into my territory and you go SQUISH.

[dakhur]

I have a very large Huntsman living in the roof-space, who comes down into the flat late at night and wanders around the walls, ceiling. I named her Harriet, and she eats all the bugs who might be hanging around because of lights, etc.

Plus the 2 geckos that also come out at night, and take care of any other bugs and larger bugs that might have come in via open doors after the heat of the day.

Thanks to all them, I've never had to use bug spray or baits, so I consider them well worth it.

[notalwaysright]

Sometimes a daddy long legs will appear on the ceiling of the bathroom, in the corner. I leave it alone, and it eats bugs and other spiders. My policy that I leave spiders alone as long as they aren't the ones that run around fast, or look poisonous. If so, I catch it in a cup and put it outside. I grew up in an old fashion style log cabin (not the new "faux" log houses that are basically regular houses), there's no way to get rid of all the spiders, so you just get used to them. We also got bats and birds occasionally.