Weekly Chat Thread Jan. 14 - 20

[jesmelric]

Jan 18, 2024 23:08:47 GMT staytuned said:

I remember back when I worked at a NAPA store late 70s to mid 80s, every time someone used a credit card, you had to look through a booklet with pages of tiny print credit card numbers that were no good to make sure it wasn't there, then put the card on metal plate, put triplicate paperwork with carbon paper between, slide piece across top to make imprint of card, have customer sign and give then top or middle copy. We either gave them the carbon or tore it up in front of them because thieves would pilfer trash to steal the carbons with numbers, names and expiration dates (this was long before the 3 digit number on back of card).

Wow, that sounds like a huge ordeal! I actually didn't have a major credit card myself till I was in my 40s. First husband and I had two store cards (JC Penny and Sears) many years ago and he handled the money and screwed things up royally. We ended up with bounced checks, etc. So I was scared to get one. Now I have two: one is 1.5 pts per dollar on every purchase and one is 5 pts per dollar in certain categories quarterly. I earn cash back and pay them both in full each cycle.

We are colder again today but sunny. They are saying rain Mon-Thur with moderate temperatures (lows in the 50s and highs in the 60s) so I will take it. Poor DD in Portland has been working from home all week due to snow and then ice. I think her exact words were: I am so over it. Lol

Chap I sure hope you feel better soon. It really sucks to be sick

[val2525]

Jan 18, 2024 21:36:08 GMT labbypaws said:

I loaded up on dog food this AM. I am getting too old to hump the bags though. Loaded the cart at Costco, loaded the bags into the car, then I had to carry each bag from the car into our garage. Couldn't get the hand truck out of the garage between the generator and the snowblower so I had to carry all 6 bags by hand. (tried moving the snowblower but didn't feel like it).

Why not shop Costco.com and have it all delivered? Delivery is free with purchases of $75 or more. If you're buying bulk dog food, you'll hit that amount in no time flat.

Sunny and 50 forecast here today. Winds should die down in about 2 hours so that takes care of the wind chill. Low 40s for the weekend.

Get well soon, Chap. Stay, I hope DH gets well soon and you don't catch it.

This might be a good time to pickup an air fryer, labby.

[labbypaws]

Jan 19, 2024 16:33:59 GMT val2525 said:

Jan 18, 2024 21:36:08 GMT labbypaws said:

I loaded up on dog food this AM. I am getting too old to hump the bags though. Loaded the cart at Costco, loaded the bags into the car, then I had to carry each bag from the car into our garage. Couldn't get the hand truck out of the garage between the generator and the snowblower so I had to carry all 6 bags by hand. (tried moving the snowblower but didn't feel like it).

Why not shop Costco.com and have it all delivered? Delivery is free with purchases of $75 or more. If you're buying bulk dog food, you'll hit that amount in no time flat.

This might be a good time to pickup an air fryer, labby.

Because the delivery price is added into the online cost.  It is $34 and $38 in the store and $53 online.  

[val2525]

That's an INSANE price markup. Have you checked out the prices on Instacart? I know here, HEB items are higher if I shop HEB at the HEB website than if I shop HEB at the Instacart website.

I just noticed in the headline that it's Popcorn Day. I get the Skinny Pop with Sea Salt. It's just enough salt to taste good but low enough in sodium to not shoot my limit for the day. I melt a little unsalted ghee (or unsalted butter if I'm out of ghee). I'll have to nuke a bag today in honor of the day I used to have an air popper but it takes up room on the counter/in the cabinet and I don't eat popcorn enough to justify another one.

[staytuned]

Running through cards manually wasn't a big deal as that's how it was done everywhere. I still remember the sound of tagging guns in grocery aisles marking canned goods and boxes as everything was individually priced and manually entered by cashier. I look at it as a time we weren't in such a darned hurry and it was less stressful to shop. I chuckle now when items started being scanned, I never thought I'd get used to the constant beeping.

I sprayed Lysol everywhere this morning, wiped faucets and other places DH would have touched and can only hope I don't catch whatever he picked up. Wore a KN95 mask while we spent the evening on our computers. He has bad habit coughing or sneezing and not covering his nose and mouth. He went to work so ruling out flu.

Haven't considered Costco delivering, but good to know. I will say their self-checkout was friendlier than most cashiers I've encountered lately. Not only thanks you on screen, but artificial voice thanks you for your business.

[denise15601]

We have gotten about 5 more inches of snow. My grandson and another friend are out shoveling walks again. I wish that I had their energy.
It is supposed to warm up to the 30's - 40's next week, TG.

[val2525]

Interesting tidbits about the Prohibition era (aka, the birth of US organized crime):


Fascinating Facts About Prohibition

This one was most amusing:

Winemakers, meanwhile, began selling “wine bricks,” rectangular packages of entirely legal concentrated grape juice that could be used to make wine at home. The packaging even came with a handy “warning”: “After dissolving the brick in a gallon of water, do not place the liquid in a jug away in the cupboard for twenty days, because then it would turn into wine.”

[labbypaws]

We had to use the booklet to look up the credit card numbers. I think we had to call if it was over a certain amount. I do know we used telecheck for checks over maybe $25? Worked at Woolworths in 1979-1982 ish.

We still had a few old cash registers that were not electronic. Pushed the old buttons in for 3 dollars 30 cents 3 cents etc. then we got the electronic ones but still had to punch all the numbers in. Price tags on everything. If they raised the price we would put the new tag over the old one.

Brings back memories of the bugs in the candy. Totally sickening. They would put the gum drops, nonpereils, nuts and stuff in the glass cabinets and they would get buggy. Had nut candy bars that had bugs running through them. Ugh.

[val2525]

I remember doing all that with credit cards back then too. Checks weren't any easier - we'd have to get a life history and write it on the check when customers paid by check Technology can be a good thing, eh? I think there is a bag of popcorn calling my name. Time to quit work for the day.

[denise15601]

Jaxson and friend made $74 each today, minus what their lunch cost. He has baseball practice tomorrow, but wants to go out and shovel some more. The child is obsessed.

We just had another snow squall go through an hour ago.

He's coming here to stay overnight and loves to beat me at Uno.

[staytuned]

Oh yeah, check writing at the register. I still remember standing in line and the low collective groan when someone whipped out their checkbook to pay, which was too often back in the day. Verify address with driver's license (some stores had to have approval card), stamp the back, fill in stuff... So happy that's a rarity now.

We got around 8-10" of snow yesterday. Sun's out so looks a lot better, only it feels like 0 or below with windchill. Don't have to go anywhere so probably wait til it's a bit warmer tomorrow to clear off and shovel around my Cube so I can leave at 5am Monday a lot faster. Sooooo looking forward to 30s starting Monday and into mid-40s.

Don't know if a couple other residents saw my Temu orders and decided to try it, but first time I've seen packages for 2 other apartments in our building recently. In case you haven't checked the site lately, they've raised free shipping from $10 to $20 minimum.

[kritter]

In case you haven't checked the site lately, they've raised free shipping from $10 to $20 minimum.

The increase must not have hit my account yet because I have an order for $12.91 and my shipping is free.

[chapeaunoir]

Jan 19, 2024 0:27:18 GMT staytuned said:

Chap, if you and DH move there, you can get a metal detector and hike and treasure hunt at the same time. Sorry, forgot to say I hope you feel better asap.

DH came home and announced he was sick and it came on a couple days ago (of course, I've kissed him several times already). BIL is sick as well and took 2 days off work. Must have picked up something on the trip to KY over the weekend. I've already told DH to stay away from me and better not get me sick. Right now he's having occasional cough.

I read awhile back in London you have to get very lucky to be chosen by lottery(?) to be able to treasure hunt around the Thames, that must be a wealth of history underwater.

Oops! When we stayed in London I used to just climb down off the water stairs (Old Wapping stairs, which was the oldest part of London) after a pint at the pub right there and start padding around in the mud if the tide was out - there were always a few people there poking here and there. That was very low key, though. I found a curious little bottle one day poking around in the Thames estuary at Tilbury, which is across from Gravesend where they used to string up pirates and let them swing for posterity. 

Thanks for the good wishes! I'm still pretty sick but fortunately the DH didn't pick this up. Yesterday I managed to crawl onto the wind trainer for 30 minutes easy - if I don't keep moving I tend to stiffen up and I'm not up for being outside in the cold rain unless I have to. Bleh. 

Everybody - keep safe in all that snow and ice!

[staytuned]

Jan 20, 2024 18:08:22 GMT kritter said:

In case you haven't checked the site lately, they've raised free shipping from $10 to $20 minimum.

The increase must not have hit my account yet because I have an order for $12.91 and my shipping is free.

Should rephrase that as it's free shipping, but minimum purchase has gone from $10 to $20. 

[pyrexandpearls]

Jan 19, 2024 21:37:09 GMT labbypaws said:

We had to use the booklet to look up the credit card numbers. I think we had to call if it was over a certain amount. I do know we used telecheck for checks over maybe $25? Worked at Woolworths in 1979-1982 ish.

Telecheck still exists and its awful!! When I was in retail banking we would have customers come to the branch in a panic because telecheck rejected their check. They take that to mean there is no money in their account but in reality their algorithm denies checks for a million reasons. If you call their customer service, which is outsourced, and they stick to a script even if the answer makes ZERO sense. Probably one of the most frustrating companies I've ever had to speak to. And, fwiw, the customers were usually older, always wrote checks, and always had the funds to cover it. The algorithm is BS imo.

[jesmelric]

Jan 18, 2024 21:36:08 GMT labbypaws said:

I hope you feel better soon Chap.

I loaded up on dog food this AM. I am getting too old to hump the bags though. Loaded the cart at Costco, loaded the bags into the car, then I had to carry each bag from the car into our garage. Couldn't get the hand truck out of the garage between the generator and the snowblower so I had to carry all 6 bags by hand. (tried moving the snowblower but didn't feel like it). I could have waited but hubby was up in Bethlehem and wouldn't be home til after I left for work. Didn't want the car to smell like dog food.

(It is supposed to snow tomorrow and I abhor going to Costco on a weekend).

I don't know if you'd want to invest in it but my sister lives in a apartment and it's a bit far from where she parks to her door, so she bought a foldable wagon. It's perfect for hauling the heavy bags and easy to store in her vehicle.

[labbypaws]

Jan 21, 2024 16:10:22 GMT jesmelric said:

Jan 18, 2024 21:36:08 GMT labbypaws said:

I hope you feel better soon Chap.


(It is supposed to snow tomorrow and I abhor going to Costco on a weekend).

I don't know if you'd want to invest in it but my sister lives in a apartment and it's a bit far from where she parks to her door, so she bought a foldable wagon. It's perfect for hauling the heavy bags and easy to store in her vehicle.

i usually use a hand truck but it wouldn’t fit between the generator and the snowblower😩.