Best Reasons for Exchanges?

[Merriweather]

And one day... my Mum and I went to a flea market once in a while to get rid of stuff we didn't need any more. My Gran threw a broom after us, bristles first. My Mum and I looked at her, thinking 'she was quite sane even seconds ago...' Grans's explanation: It's a way to "sweep" the merchandise out of the house, ensuring good sales, but it has to be bristles first! Uh yeah, well I don't remember if it worked or not.

I never heard that one before. Maybe I'll try that before our next garage sale in a couple of weeks - can't hurt, and we can use all the help we can get

[BeeMused]

I never heard that one before. Maybe I'll try that before our next garage sale in a couple of weeks - can't hurt, and we can use all the help we can get

Noone seems to have heard about it, still, it's one of the funnier superstitions.

Perhaps you can use the broom to ward off SCs.

[Zaiida]

And one day... my Mum and I went to a flea market once in a while to get rid of stuff we didn't need any more. My Gran threw a broom after us, bristles first. My Mum and I looked at her, thinking 'she was quite sane even seconds ago...' Grans's explanation: It's a way to "sweep" the merchandise out of the house, ensuring good sales, but it has to be bristles first! Uh yeah, well I don't remember if it worked or not.

Sounds like my grandma. When she threw the broom one of my aunts, a teenager at the time, went ape thinking G'm was calling he a witch and giving her something to fly off on. She'd also forget to check behind her when throwing salt over her shoulder and kept salting her kids.

[Pixilated]

I get people all the time wanting me to add or subtract something from their order because their total came out to $6.66. There are people who just laugh about it, or make a comment like "wow...bad luck!" If it really makes them uncomfortable and they are willing to add something to their order to change it (or subtract), that's fine with me - I just can't change the total arbitrarily.

At least your customers were nice and non-preachy, and could laugh about the situation. One customer actually gave me a lecture about how that number was evil and our registers should have some kind of program in place to prevent it coming up.

(My husband's grandmother was like that...and when one of her grandkids got issued a social security number with 666 in it, she decided that meant he was touched by the devil. That made for fun family gatherings!)

Loved that story, and yeah, at least they were polite about it and didn't start screaming at you for bringing "The Beast" after them or something!

So who's going to tell them about the mistranslation/error in transcription of Revelation all that time ago and that the Number of the Beast is not 666 but actually (according to at least some translations) 616?

Really?? (Don't bother trying to spread the news, LOL, it's unlikely anybody will listen ...)

Yeah but watch out for 667 as well - the neighbor of the beast. Or 999 - the beast standing on it's head.

Ok, I'll go quietly now

Don't go, those are hilarious!

*snip*

I don't want to stray further into an argument about this, but my grandfather believed that it was unlucky to put shoes on a table, pass another person on the stairs, dream of a snake or open an umbrella indoors. I don't think any of that is valid, just as I think Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia is one of the silliest superstitions that has ever been invented by anyone at any time.

It's right up there with the end of the world at the end of 1999 (notice how that went) and the predicted end of the world at the end of this year.

What, you mean the world isn't going to end this year? Well, damn, guess I really do have to go back to school ...

The closest I get to old wives tales is spiders. I really don't like them and I know it's irrational (unless it's a whitetail - then fear is fair game), but I just panic for a second when I see one. But sometimes I leave black paint lying around which they could have climbed out of, so better to be safe than sorry.... right? That's rational, right.....?

*snip*

I don't get that ... is there a superstition about spiders and black paint?

Ah yes, grandmothers and superstitions! My Gran would never let me play with the salt shaker, every grain of salt mean a tear, but if you want to curse someone... take a knife and stab into the salt!
And one day... my Mum and I went to a flea market once in a while to get rid of stuff we didn't need any more. My Gran threw a broom after us, bristles first. My Mum and I looked at her, thinking 'she was quite sane even seconds ago...' Grans's explanation: It's a way to "sweep" the merchandise out of the house, ensuring good sales, but it has to be bristles first! Uh yeah, well I don't remember if it worked or not.

We'll probably have garage sales here at some point ... I'll keep that in mind. Hope somebody is standing nearby with a camera to catch the expressions on brother's and sister's faces when I hurl a broom after them as they cart stuff out to set it up ...

I'd never heard of that before, so I Googled it. Found a site with a huge list of superstitions, some of which are pretty funny. ("If you are hit by a broom, you will be arrested." Really? Me? Not the person who hit me with the broom??)

[wolfie]

I wonder if any used book stores occasionally price a book with "devil" or "hell" in the title so that (with tax) it'll come to $6.66. Or, does some sporting goods shop holding a sale price rifle ammunition so that with tax, rimmed cartridges come to $30.30 a box, and rimless to $30.06?

BTW, 667 is not the neighbour of the beast - that would be either 664 or 668 (same side of the street). As for the beast standing on its head, don't tell that one in Britain or some people hearing it would be reluctant to call emergency services.

[Merriweather]

BTW, 667 is not the neighbour of the beast - that would be either 664 or 668 (same side of the street). As for the beast standing on its head, don't tell that one in Britain or some people hearing it would be reluctant to call emergency services.

Actually, the first one did occur to me, but decided i was being too logical, glad to know someone else saw that too. As for the second one - no idea why that didn't occur to me - maybe cause I made it thru my decade there without ever having to dial it

[Cia]

My favorite credit card number ended in 666 - proof that credit cards are evil.

I had it until some jackasses stole the number and attempted to purchase camera and computer equipment to be shipped to Napa, California. The websites called for shipping address verification so they didn't get anything for their troubles.

[Carsomyr]

I don't get that ... is there a superstition about spiders and black paint?

We don't have many dangerous spiders down here - but you can easily tell by the tip of their tail. If it's white or red, don't touch it - if it's black it's pretty much safe. :P (Although when you're handling boxes from China, everything's a risk >.< )

[BeeMused]

We'll probably have garage sales here at some point ... I'll keep that in mind. Hope somebody is standing nearby with a camera to catch the expressions on brother's and sister's faces when I hurl a broom after them as they cart stuff out to set it up ...

I'd never heard of that before, so I Googled it. Found a site with a huge list of superstitions, some of which are pretty funny. ("If you are hit by a broom, you will be arrested." Really? Me? Not the person who hit me with the broom??)

We can do a scientific experiment! Merriweather plans a garage sale too!
Sadly the sales people in my firm threatened to hurl the broom back at me should I dare to do that to them! So I can't take part,

[telecom_goddess]

A city near to me has the telephone exchange of 666. At one point the phone number 666-6666 was available

The shoes on the table thing is a new one on me, hadn't heard of that before. And I have a couple of black cats, one of them tuxedo, and HE imitates a rug all the time . They are cause for tripping up for sure.

I've always hated that "knock on wood" thing and everyone I know does it...drives me crazy.

[Merriweather]

And I have a couple of black cats, one of them tuxedo, and HE imitates a rug all the time . They are cause for tripping up for sure.

Not if you have pale beige carpets And no, not my choice, they came with the house we bought, and are in good shape, so are lower on the list than a dozen other things for decorating/fixing. So our little black cat (may she rest in peace, we lost her last month) was extremely obvious. AS long as I turned on a light, anyway

I did, however, have a puppy once, she was very small, and the absolute exact shade of brown as the lino in the kitchen we had at the time. Poor thing got stepped on so much, she learned quicly to give the exact same "you stepped on me" yelp when someone got close enough that she thought they were about to step on her, as a preventitive measure

[mharbourgirl]

Heh, just remembered a couple of things. Larger grocery stores when I was a kid often had more than 12 checkouts. None of them was numbered 13. It always went 12 then 14. Used to bug the crap out of me. Same with elevators - no 13th floor.

And I have read the idea that 666 wasn't supposed to written that way - it should be calculated 6 to the 6th to the 6th - it's a really bloody big number.

[telecom_goddess]

I remember a time when buildings didn't have a 13th floor. They seem to be disregarding that since I currently work on the 13th floor .

[Lovecats]

I remember a time when buildings didn't have a 13th floor. They seem to be disregarding that since I currently work on the 13th floor .

If you think about it there's always a 13th floor. It's just not numbered that way.

[RealUnimportant]

A lot of British streets don't have a house number 13, they'll have 11a or 12a instead depending on if they're numbered odds/evens on opposite sides or sequentially. It's not universal though, a schoolfriend lived at number 13... And he was an unlucky SOB!