Dumb questions

[Slytovhand]

Funny thing, according to the show about chocolate last night, some amount of chocolate has 6mg of caffeine, the same amount found in the average cup of decaf coffee.

Is that the decaf with caffeine in it, or without?

[TryNotToBeThatOne]

I have no idea. It was one of those blurbs during a show about chocolate.
From WebMD:

Researchers purchased 10 16-ounce decaffeinated cups of drip coffee from coffee shops and restaurants and analyzed them for caffeine content.

They found all but one -- decaffeinated Folgers Instant, purchased at a Krystal fast-food restaurant -- contained caffeine. The caffeine content ranged from 8.6 milligrams to 13.9 milligrams.

That's about a tenth of the caffeine found in an 8-ounce cup of regular drip-brewed coffee, which contains about 85 milligrams of caffeine.

Pardon me, I now feel compelled to go read the rest of that article.

[Darkwish]

In defense of the less observant among us, if I'm not driving I'm not actively paying attention to everything around me, so I could easily miss the giant clock behind someone if I've just asked them for the time. Or if I don't have my glasses on (which I don't if I'm reading things - like the box for a video game) I probably can't read it at all.

So, I can see where someone might ask the time. Point me to the clock and I'll apologize for being completely unobservant.

We didn't mind people like this, it's the ones who would seem to come into the mall just to come into the store just to ask us what time it was.

The people that were obviously preoccupied/busy/etc. (especially if they were nice and polite) would get a polite answer telling them the correct time.

Only the idiots who were impolite, rude, etc. or were only there looking to find out what time it was (and should have been actively looking for a clock before pestering busy employees) got the sarcastic responses.

[Apathy]

But of course the best is the obligatory "Do you work here?" "Nope I think red aprons are cool, and I love to walk around stores and relabel product and move it."

*Shameless self promotion again*

http://www.dywhcomic.com/index.php?p=2

[Darkwish]

*Shameless self promotion again*

http://www.dywhcomic.com/index.php?p=2

Great comic by the way.

[Mark Healey]

Customer standing in front of a wall of novels all by authors whose last name starts with "A" and they are sorted alphabetically. To their right are more "A" atthors and some "B" authors.

"How are these arranged?"

I have to ask: Where, once you get below subject divisions, are books sorted by anything other than author/editor's last name?

[Ironclad Alibi]

I have to ask: Where, once you get below subject divisions, are books sorted by anything other than author/editor's last name?

You mean they aren't sorted by color?

[Primer]

Dumb question #2

The store always had a large clock on the wall behind the counter.... You can probably see where this is going...

Everyone would always come in and ask what time it was, even when they could see the clock on the wall right behind us in plain view.

A few years ago (3-4?) every single room in the college had analog clocks (the round ones with hands), except for the bathrooms and a few personal offices. Every single day, one student, in his late 20's, would come into the classroom late and ask me what time it was. I'd look at, and point at the clock and tell him. After about a week it hit me--he could not tell time! I went out and bought him an inexpensive digital watch and presented it to him the next day. You'd have thought he'd just won the lottery!

Nobody had ever caught it before that he could not tell time, and he had been working with our OSD office (Office for Students with Disabilities) for several years!

He never asked the time again, and he was never late to class again!

I would think it would be pretty obvious that they have the wrong number considering I answer the phone, "[my company's name] this is Designfox. How may I help you?"

From the other side, sometimes the clerk will pick up the phone, but start speaking before it has actually connected. I returned a call today that I had to verify that I had called the right number, as she started speaking just a little bit too soon for me to catch.

[Slytovhand]

You mean they aren't sorted by color?

No - size first, then shape, then hardback or softback, then how much the president liked it or not, then.... colour is a bit further down the list....

[smileyeagle1021]

After about a week it hit me--he could not tell time! I went out and bought him an inexpensive digital watch and presented it to him the next day. You'd have thought he'd just won the lottery!

Nobody had ever caught it before that he could not tell time, and he had been working with our OSD office (Office for Students with Disabilities) for several years!

ok, isn't that easy enough to teach though... and that does give me such confidence in your OSD office that you figured it out in less than a week and they didn't figure it out after several years.

slightly OT... but the first time I saw a digital clock that wasn't an alarm clock or on an appliance was flying from Reno to Great Falls, when we transferred at the Salt Lake Airport they had really cool digital clocks hanging in the waiting area... I thought it was the coolest thing ever that they had the easy to read clocks there for everyone to see (I was about 8, give me a break... and to think of it, I still really like the salt lake airport )

oh and stupid questions I've had
-I booked through Orbitz, you do know who they are right? (why, yes I do)
- so just what do you mean by there are no more rooms available for that night (gee, I didn't realize that was a trick statement)
- what's the rate on the $109 val pak coupon? (yes, I did have someone ask that...)

and not really a stupid question, but a stupid response to my answer

sc- stupid, but actually really nice and cool
me- I have what was at one time one of the 10 most common names in the U.S.

sc- I'm sorry, but I missed your name
me- no problem it's (really common name)
sc- oh that's a cool name, I've never heard that one before

mmkay, you must not get out much, do you.

[Sylvia727]

I have to ask: Where, once you get below subject divisions, are books sorted by anything other than author/editor's last name?

Manga (graphic novels) are arranged alphabetically by title. Same with some do-it-yourself books and "____ for Dummies" books. Other than that?

[DesignFox]

<snip>
From the other side, sometimes the clerk will pick up the phone, but start speaking before it has actually connected. I returned a call today that I had to verify that I had called the right number, as she started speaking just a little bit too soon for me to catch.

I'd understand that in my scenario if we had an automated system or something fancy with a delay. But we don't. It's a regular phone.

Although, there was a period where we were getting calls routed through a call center for satellite. We were supposed to hear a "whisper" letting us know it was a satellite call so we could answer appropriately, but half the time the damn whisper wouldn't work. So we didn't know if we were getting cut off or not...and sometimes we'd confuse the customer because they didn't know if they reached the satellite people or not! Thank god my boss stopped that crap...

[DGoddessChardonnay]

I used to carry a lighter before I was legal age to smoke. Which is part of the reason for my high school nickname of Nero. I still don't smoke & still try to keep at least of pack of matches on me at all times.

And for those who leap to conclusions, no I have never committed arson (& ChardonnayGoddess, I was not responsible for what happened at my old high school last year either )

And somehow that reminds me . . . today's stupid question brought to you by Ex-Lax - the mild laxative.

I was stocking baby needs when this young guy wanders up with a rather blank look on his face and asked "What are your hours?"

Guy looked stoned out of his gourd . . . didn't say anything else, just stared blankly.

I asked him if he could be more specific as to what hours he was referring to?

No response. Just blank stare for a few seconds.

I repeat again . . . did you want our hours of operation, department hours as he was not being very specific and I couldn't figure out what he wanted.

Again, blank stare for a few more moments, then he asked "Do you work here?"

"Yes, I work here," I answered "But I can't answer your question unless you can be more specific? What kind of hours are you inquiring about?"

Again, the vacant stare of a parking lot with legs . . . this continued for a few more seconds before he finally croaked out "Operation."

"Okay then, 7-11 p.m. every day of the week."

Again, vacant stare returned for a few seconds. Then he asked "Does that include Saturdays and Sundays?"

"Yes, they are two of the seven days of the week."

He finally wandered off over to the soft drink aisle, where I noticed him staring at the 2 ltrs about 10 minutes later.

I wouldn't be surprised at all if he's still not wandering the aisles at the store right now as I type this . . .

[Listerfiend]

This a witnessed one...

I was buying some food and whatnot for my parrots at my favorite bird store (they sell/breed parrots, food, toys, etc). and was checking out. A couple runs the place, and at the time the wife was ringing me up and chatting with me, and the husband was also at the counter doing some paperwork. The phone rang, and the husband answered it. All of a sudden his eyes got really wide, he grinned, and said, "I'm sorry, ma'am, we don't sell live crickets here." The three of us had a good laugh after that one...

[smileyeagle1021]

oh, how could I forget my favorite stupid question

me- thank you for calling (insert hotel) reservation desk, this is smilyeagle speaking, may I ask with whom I'm speaking?
now there are one of two ways this can go
1.
sc- sure, I need a room this upcoming friday (wow, that's a strange name)

or
2.
sc- yes my name is (name).
me- and how can I help you (name)?
sc- can you make a reservation for me?

umm, no I can't, i'm completely useless, we have a reservation desk but no way to make reservations... what the hell do they think the reservation desk does?