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Careful when flicking your butts.

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  • Careful when flicking your butts.

    Sorry for the thread title. I just had to lead people into it.


    Story comes to mind from a couple of years ago actually. Working near the front, sweeping up some dirt from the bags of dirt we sell, when a customer who is smoking approaches and begins to walk in the door.

    Before he gets in, however, he flicks his smoldering cigarette butt away, not looking where it lands. As luck would have it, (Or ... unluck ... whatever.) the butt lands in the back of a pickup truck (Though it was black, and looked fairly new.) and that looks like the end of it. Guy walks inside, I shake my head in pity, and the sweeping goes on.


    Several minutes later, I finish sweeping, and go back inside to attend to the desk I frequent to relieve the Hardware guy of his frustrations with the local fools who don't know what a hammer looks like. It is about when I reach the desk, that I hear over the employee personal radios that there's a pickup outside that's on fire. Not having anything to do at the time, I grab a fire extinguisher box (We sell them.) and rush up front in case they need one. They already had one up front, so they didn't need the one I brought up.

    I see a customer rushing outside and fretting about outside of the pickup, looking for something to put it out with. Manager is already rushing outside with the extinguisher that was up there. Customer thanks and grabs it and uses it on the pickup.

    I see the original customer who threw the butt looking on, as if completely indifferent, like he's watching a light show. Paid for his stuff and casually left, even walking right by the pickup as the pickup's owner swore up a storm and the strong smell of smoke entered the store.
    SC: "Are you new or something?"
    Me: "Yes. Your planet is very backwards I hope you realize."

  • #2
    Um, I do have to ask: Why didn't you rat out the guy that set fire to the other customer's truck?

    ^-.-^
    Faith is about what you do. It's about aspiring to be better and nobler and kinder than you are. It's about making sacrifices for the good of others. - Dresden

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    • #3
      Right then and there? Because stuff has a habit of turning on me. "No good deed goes unpunished" is particularly powerful of a phrase in the life given to me, and I didn't want to take that opportunity to find out if I was invulnerable to bullets.

      Besides, the store has a security camera pointed to that precise area. Best to let the camera do its work after I'd informed the manager.
      SC: "Are you new or something?"
      Me: "Yes. Your planet is very backwards I hope you realize."

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      • #4
        People and cigarette butts. Grrr.
        A lion however, will only devour your corpse, whereas an SC is not sated until they have destroyed your soul. (Quote per infinitemonkies)

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        • #5
          Saw something similar back when I lived in California. Dude in the car ahead of me flicks butt out of the car, lands in dry grass on the side of the road, instant fire.

          I stopped to try and beat the fire out with a blanket, as did a couple other passersby.

          Don't know if the dude actually saw the fire he started. But come on: California in summer! What do you think is going to happen when you fling smoldering cigarettes out of your car? Why do you think they put ashtrays in cars, anyway?
          They say that God only gives us what we can handle. Apparently, God thinks I'm a bad ass.

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          • #6
            Quoth ShadowTiger View Post
            Because stuff has a habit of turning on me. "No good deed goes unpunished" is particularly powerful of a phrase in the life given to me, and I didn't want to take that opportunity to find out if I was invulnerable to bullets.
            Fair enough.

            I'm of the temperament that I would have chewed the smoker out immediately, fished the butt out of the back of the truck and confronted him with it. I've done similar before and am rather likely to do the same again.

            ^-.-^
            Faith is about what you do. It's about aspiring to be better and nobler and kinder than you are. It's about making sacrifices for the good of others. - Dresden

            Comment


            • #7
              Quoth Panacea View Post
              Why do you think they put ashtrays in cars, anyway?
              And do what, dirty my nice car up? sheesh. some people...</sarcasm> It's always annoyed me when people do that. Used to see that in West Texas in summer too. Noone that I've ever seen has started a fire, but all during summer next to the freeway there'd be tons of big black spots where fires were started and put out before they got too bad.
              Coworker: Distro of choice?
              Me: Gentoo.
              Coworker: Ahh. A Masochist. I thought so.

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              • #8
                The cigarette butt throwers are one of my pet peeves. It seems like everybody that smokes has to do it. Michigan is not your f'ing ashtray people. And these are probably the people that yell the loudest about smokers' rights.

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                • #9
                  My mother and aunt are life-long smokers, and they'll be the first to ride someone's ass about not picking up after themselves.

                  ^-.-^
                  Faith is about what you do. It's about aspiring to be better and nobler and kinder than you are. It's about making sacrifices for the good of others. - Dresden

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    I know this is off-topic, but when I first glanced at the thread title I read "careful when licking your butts"
                    Don't wanna; not gonna.

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                    • #11
                      my mum looooves ranting about when my brother was a baby, someone actually flicked their ash into his stroller. she's all but convinced that it's why he's so allergic to cigarette smoke
                      If you want to be happy, be. ~Leo Tolstoy

                      i'm on fb and xbox live; pm me if ya wanna be "friends"
                      ^_^

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                      • #12
                        The worst ones were the ones who would flick their butts near the gas station I worked at. We had to call the fire dept. one time because someone set the lanscape smoldering.

                        And another time, the same landscaping (it was like a little tree and some flowers and such near the corner by a crosswalk) someone set a small fire with their cigarette, luckily a customer noticed and grabbed a big cup of water (one of those giant slurpee cups) and put it out. I went out to make sure it was okay, and she had completely soaked the ground thankfully.

                        I don't know where people's brains go when they are smoking near a gas station. It's just a BAD idea.
                        “Bad taste creates many more millionaires than good taste.”

                        -Charles Bukowski

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                        • #13
                          Quoth Green_Fairy View Post
                          my mum looooves ranting about when my brother was a baby, someone actually flicked their ash into his stroller. she's all but convinced that it's why he's so allergic to cigarette smoke
                          I've had that happen with BOTH my kids & once a lit butt bounced off the pushchair just missing my son! Those times I wasn't quick enough to say anything as I was too distracted making sure the kids were ok,

                          Later had a smartly dressed woman just toss her butt behind her as she was walking.. it hit my leg... If I'd have had the pushchair in front of me it would have been in there burning a child. The following occurred:

                          Me: Excuse me? Taps on shoulder... Excuse me?
                          Ignorant woman: Turns round with smile on face... Yes?
                          Me: (in loud voice) You may want to watch where you throw cigarette ends, that one you just lobbed without a second thought hit me. If I'd have had my child in the pushchair in front of me, you would have been talking to the police right now!
                          IW: Instant cat butt face & stomps off with bright red face looking firmly at the ground

                          I tell you, I was shaking I was soooo annoyed!
                          Arp happens!

                          Just when I was getting used to yesterday, along came today.

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                          • #14
                            People set fire to the mulch in our gardens all the time! Even though ever entrance has an ashtray, people just throw them left, right and sideways. FWOMP! Instant 3-foot smoldering patch when it's dry.
                            "If anyone wants this old box containing the broken bits of my former faith in humanity, I'll take your best offer now. You may be able to salvage a few of em' for parts..... " - Quote by Argabarga

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                            • #15
                              I'm a long time smoker and I have zero tolerance for "dirty" smokers....the ones who throw cigg butts out car windows and all over the ground and in people's yards.
                              You really need to see a neurologist. - Wagegoth

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