"I'm going to leave!"

[bhskittykatt]

This is from Hubby's workplace. Hubby is a security guard at a gated community.

Sucky Guest (SG) came up to the gate. SG was the boyfriend of a woman who lived in the community, though apparently not a good one since he wasn't on her permanent guest list and she was calling him in daily. (You can call in a guest to be put on the temporary daily list [ie pizza delivery guys], and you can put frequent guests on the permanent list [ie family, homecare workers, etc].)

SG came up to the gate. He wasn't on the list for that day, because his girlfriend had merely forgotten to call him in. Hubs denied him entry and told him he would have to call the girlfriend and ask her to call the gatehouse to approve his entry. SG did not have his cell phone. Hubs, in his generosity, allowed him the use of the phone in the guardhouse.

SG: "I don't have her number. Can you look it up for me?"
Hubs: "Technically yes, but I can't give it to you."
SG: "Aww, c'mon!"

They went back and forth for a bit, with SG getting more and more agitated.

Then SG said the most threatening sentence ever: </sarcasm>

SG: "Well, if you won't do anything for me, I'm going to leave!"

We've all heard that sentence before in retail settings and such, but just think about it in this context for a bit. I'll wait for the stupidity to sink in...

Hubs said there was nothing he could do. SG dramatically threw up his hands and exclaimed "Fine! I'm leaving!" and left.

[sms001]

SG: "Well, if you won't do anything for me, I'm going to leave!"

Yes. That's how it works.

For once a SC who (however unwittingly) gets it right.

[AccountingDrone]

How the hell does a "boyfriend" not have his girlfriends phone number? Even if not in a phone, scribbled on paper in the wallet?

[icmedia]

I'm thinking of this movie:



http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097790/

[Sandiercy]

It is funny how "customers" seem to think that we might possibly care that they are leaving/buying their product somewhere else.

[ADeMartino]

How the hell does a "boyfriend" not have his girlfriends phone number? Even if not in a phone, scribbled on paper in the wallet?

I can forgive this; I know a LOT of people who only keep track of phone numbers by adding the contact to their list via a dialed-in call. For several months, I had no idea what MY home phone was because it had been ages since I'd dialed it (I'd always call her cell, or if I had to dial the house, dial it from contacts).

SG: "Well, if you won't do anything for me, I'm going to leave!"

"Hey, you catch on pretty quick. Have a nice day, buh-BYEEEEEEEEE!"

[taxguykarl]

I can forgive this; I know a LOT of people who only keep track of phone numbers by adding the contact to their list via a dialed-in call.

Many of my tax custys have to look up their own phone numbers for just that reason.

[MoonCat]

Yes, he was depriving you of the stellar glory of his company....

Ack, I can't even say that without laughing...

[Jay 2K Winger]

"I'm going to leave!"
"Don't let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya."

[Sheldonrs]

How the hell does a "boyfriend" not have his girlfriends phone number? Even if not in a phone, scribbled on paper in the wallet?

He forgot to print out the ad from Craigslist.

:-)

[Sapphire Silk]

How the hell does a "boyfriend" not have his girlfriends phone number? Even if not in a phone, scribbled on paper in the wallet?

A pyschologist friend of mine uses phone numbers to assess mental status. He had one kid tell him his home phone number was "7."

He didn't understand when asked for the rest of the numbers. It was just 7.

as in 7 on his speed dial, that his mother set up for him (this was a teenager). He had no idea what his actual phone number was.

And honestly, beyond my own number, and my best friend's number, I don't know a lot of numbers either. Smartphones are a wonderful thing.

[MadMike]

And honestly, beyond my own number, and my best friend's number, I don't know a lot of numbers either. Smartphones are a wonderful thing.

I used to be great at remembering phone numbers. I could tell you every phone number I've had in the last 25 years. But as soon as cell phones started having address books, I kind of got lazy. I couldn't tell you my best friend's number, and I've known her for many years. But it's in my phone.

[sms001]

I used to be great at remembering phone numbers.

Ditto all that. Besides the contacts list though, there's the fact that a large proportion of people I call are necessarily ten digit numbers. Most friends I had in my youth were seven, and probably the bulk of those were only four, really, as we lived in the same prefix area. Ten is a lot harder to memorize than four (for me. )

Mandatory xkcd:

[Grendus]

Ditto all that. Besides the contacts list though, there's the fact that a large proportion of people I call are necessarily ten digit numbers. Most friends I had in my youth were seven, and probably the bulk of those were only four, really, as we lived in the same prefix area. Ten is a lot harder to memorize than four (for me. )

There's a very solid reason why phone numbers are a 3 digit area code and a 7 digit phone number. On average, humans have 7 places in short term memory. Your average person can remember a 7 digit phone number. They'll start getting confused at 8. They figured a 3 digit area code wouldn't be problematic since that's usually the same for 90% of the phone numbers a person would need to know anyways.

[ADeMartino]

I wish they'd go back to the old alphanumeric phone numbers, which were very easy to remember.

Slipping into 'old coot' mode here - and this is mostly for the benefit of the younger members of the forum, though today it is essentially just trivia.

Decades ago, phone numbers used to have a format that started with a two-letter prefix like MI, ES, etc. They'd often be remembered (and spoken) as MIchigan or ESsex, and the two-letter prefix would correspond to numbers (MI, for example, would be 64. and ES would be 37). So you'd have numbers like MI-5211 or ES-5369 (Spoken MIchigan 5211 or ESsex 5369).

Rural areas would often have simplified numbers with only a three-digit suffix. Witness Junior Samples' "BR-549" on the old HEE HAW teevee show.

Long-distance calls would usually be placed with the operator's assistance, prior to the advent of actual area codes.

This, incidentally, was the original reason you have alpha characters on your phone's keypad, though at the time, phones had rotary dials. While most phone numbers eventually became purely numeric, the alphanumeric format actually did continue into the 1980s, even as phone numbers gained a 7th digit due to the introduction of 'direct dialing', area codes, and touch-tone.

Incidentally, MI-5211 was semi-famous because of a television show in the 1950s. Bonus points if anyone can tell me which show.