"but that means I have to read!"

[TheMyerWorker]

Just a quick one from yesterday:

A lady comes in with her DVD camcorder, and wants to buy some extra DVDs for it. She was pretty clueless as to how to put the disks in, we had the following exchange:

me = me
sc = sc

sc= so can you just show me how to put the disks in there?
me = its easy, all you do is open this bit, then pop them straight in like a DVD player.
sc = ohh I see, that simple eh? I just have another question for you, can you please show me how to use it?
me = no unfortunately because every single camera is different, all the settings specific to your camera is in your instruction manual.
sc = but that means I have to read!
(I just walked away)

It amazes me the laziness of some people

[BookstoreEscapee]

How do these people find their way to the store?

[Bloodsoul]

And she passed highschool how?

...or maybe I don't want to know how.

[Captain Kidd]

I've seen the studies, you don't want to know.

We have signs all over the freaking place in the computer lab. Yet three to four times a day I still have to tell people,
"Sorry, those computers require a Linux account to log onto."
"The stapler is located under the big 'stapler' sign over there."
"We close at 4 on Fridays as the signs there, there, there, and there state." (Yes there are that many signs, both sides of the door and a few other locations.)
"Yes I am the lab assistant" (While glancing significantly at the "Lab Assistant" sign hanging above my head.)

The list goes on.

[crazylegs]

I cant park here? Whilst next to them trying to get out of the back yard is a fully liveried police car with flash blue lights, strobe lights on the roof, flashing headlights and making enough noise rotating through its five different sirens to raise the dead. But apart from that nothing telling them they can't park there, oh and the double yellow lines and the three feet high words painted on the road saying KEEP CLEAR :headpalm:

[greensinestro]

Maybe she was one of those in school who only read a book when she was forced to, like those of us who had to read "To Kill A Mockingbird" or "Tom Sawyer". I know a lot of people like that, who have told me they cannot see how someone can sit for hours at a time reading something like that, including instruction manuals.

[Seshat]

I wonder if I'd get in trouble if I said 'Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't realise you were vision impaired or illiterate. I can't leave this counter, but if you would bring me the phone book over there, I'll find out which organisation supplies reading volunteers and give you their number.'

My blind friend HATES being unable to read normal script (she's fluent with braille), and loves it when I read books to her or summarise the longer ones. We're working our way through 'Women Don't Ask' and 'Guns, Germs and Steel' right now - yes, both of them. We pick one based on our mood.

[Alpha Strike]

As I'm sure happens to everyone else, I frequently get the SC who whines that they didn't know about such-and-such rule/policy/procedure/deadline because it wasn't posted "anywhere" for them.

If the customer has been a real ass-clown with me on the phone, I will use my best syrupy-sweet, polite voice and say something like: "I'm very sorry about that sir - except for the 8 different places we make that information available to you, it can be very hard to find."

Often times that will shut 'em up.

[MadRocketScientist]

"We close at 4 on Fridays as the signs there, there, there, and there state." (Yes there are that many signs, both sides of the door and a few other locations.)

The lab closes at 2300, BIG sign by the door lists the hours.

At 2245, the lab consultants announce that the lab is closing in 15 minutes, a pop-up message is sent to all the PCs to remind them of this. Process is repeated every 5 minutes until 2300.

At 2300, the lab doors are locked and the users are told that the lab PCs will ALL be rebooting at 2305, and the neither the users nor the lab staff can stop the process. All unsaved work will be lost, and the PCs will not allow a user to log back in until 0600 the next day. This last step was needed because users were easily staying until midnight, which meant my staff could not go home until they left.

[napoleana]

*sigh* I hear this from my grandmother every time she goes on vacation and wants to take pictures. (Oddly enough, she never asks me how to upload them or shows me prints. I have no idea what becomes of them.)

Gramma: Oh, I forgot how to use my camera, can you show me?
Me: Grandma, I haven't touched your camera in months. I don't remember. Do you still have the manual?
Gramma: Yes. *hunts down manual and hands it to me*
Me: I meant for you to read it.
Gramma: Oh, I don't want to do that, and you like reading so much. (Yes, because manuals and comic books are so much alike.)
Me: You're going to make me read it so I can tell you how to use it?
Gramma: I think I'll go make us some cookies...

[MrDelirious]

*sigh* I hear this from my grandmother every time she goes on vacation and wants to take pictures. (Oddly enough, she never asks me how to upload them or shows me prints. I have no idea what becomes of them.)

Gramma: Oh, I forgot how to use my camera, can you show me?
Me: Grandma, I haven't touched your camera in months. I don't remember. Do you still have the manual?
Gramma: Yes. *hunts down manual and hands it to me*
Me: I meant for you to read it.
Gramma: Oh, I don't want to do that, and you like reading so much. (Yes, because manuals and comic books are so much alike.)
Me: You're going to make me read it so I can tell you how to use it?
Gramma: I think I'll go make us some cookies...

Do it! Mmmmm...cookies.

[napoleana]

Yeah, she does it because she knows she can bribe me with food or shopping trips, but it's still kind of annoying because she's convinced she has to know everything instead of just how to turn it on and take a picture.

[Primer]

Off Topic: Napoleana, of what is your icon supposed to be? I've been trying to figure it out for months.

[smileyeagle1021]

We're working our way through 'Women Don't Ask' and 'Guns, Germs and Steel' right now - yes, both of them. We pick one based on our mood.

sorry about the but, I've read Jared Diamonds other book "Collapse" and I've been wondering about buying "Guns, Germs, and Steel" is it any good? Oh and yes, Collapse was great, I'd suggest reading it.

[Onar]

Off Topic: Napoleana, of what is your icon supposed to be? I've been trying to figure it out for months.

My eyeballs think it's a rabbit with a spiked collar. Scary XD