What's bugging you? ~ 2022 ~

[Jimbo]

On 3/27/2022 at 9:53 AM, zurch1818 said:

That's really weird. Why the heck do you need to interview for a job you currently hold with the same company? You are a known commodity and have effectively been interviewing the duration of your time working for that company. It just seems like a waste of time for you to go through the motions of an interview.

1. Could be corporate policy.

2. Could be a compliance issue.

3. With new management people in place, they want their own person?

4. Maybe they're just dancing with me until a prettier girl comes along.

The backstory is I was pretty much hired on the spot after a twenty-minute phone interview.  Sight unseen, no background check.  The guy they had before walked off the job the second day and the guy I was replacing was retiring in three days.

[jerichoholicninja]

On 3/28/2022 at 11:12 AM, jerichoholicninja said:

Being sick.

Had COVID in January. Was really sick for two days and then took a couple days to fully recover. Had the flu in February. Was the sickest I've been in years for about 36 hours and another few days for recovery. Right now I'm going on a week with an annoying cold. Nothing horrible really, just constant sinus pain.

So after a week of just really annoying sinus pain my cold morphed into an incredibly sore throat last night along with the sinus pain. I don't think I've ever been sick this long with no improvements. If anything, it's gotten worse.

[stoutdude04]

Sorry to hear that.  Is it possible you are suffering from long covid? A few of my medical friends have mentioned people continually being sick as possible long covid symptoms.  My buddies wife has had a cold for about 2-3 months and the doctor told her it was long covid.

[jerichoholicninja]

I was thinking maybe that too but after I got over COVID I was perfectly fine (except for when I had the flu). The cold started a good two months after having COVID. Good news is I actually feel a bit better today. Throat is still a little sore but my sinus pain seems to be gone.

Interesting thing regarding my sinuses and COVID. Every year from about November to April I have on and off horrible, almost debilitating, sinus pain. I've seen all kinds of ENT's about this and been on pills and sprays and had things shoved in my nose but nothing seems to make it better. This fall and winter had been the absolute worst. The pain was almost constant every day. When I had COVID I had the worst sinus pain of my life for a whole day. It was like an elephant was sitting on my head. But when I recovered it was gone and it didn't come back until this cold.

[Joseph Zarr]

Filing a Tax Extension:

(1) I am asking to file because I don't know how much I owe and I have many anomalies to traverse to determine what I owe

(2) You want me to guess what I owe and, then, in good faith choose to pay a sum in advance to prevent further interest?

 

Just give me a portal where I can:

(1) Pay a set amount to file an extension

(2) Fill the Form and Pay in the same place.

 

I swear...it never ceases to amaze me how cumbersome the IRS makes their process. Never.

[GAME05]

Double-dose of sleeping medicine and still didn't fall asleep. Then the back went out but I still have to come into work.

[nate82]

1 minute ago, GAME05 said:

Double-dose of sleeping medicine and still didn't fall asleep. Then the back went out but I still have to come into work.

Thankfully I am working from home today but my allergy medication is not working today.  I think I have sneezed about 30 times this morning and my eyes are so watery I probably couldn't even drive if I wanted to.  What is worse the pollen count isn't even that high today.  

[stalton]

The young kiddos at RUSD on Wednesday got fed questionable carrots and cheese slices for lunch.  I know money is tight and everyone has supply chain issues, but thats inexcusable.  

[TURBO]

Restaurant to be Named Later.

What a stupid name for a restaurant in a ball park.

Just dumb.

[young guns]

I don't normally carry cash on me, but I needed some for a field trip for my son.  I had to pick up some groceries today so thought getting some cash back would be a simple solution. Found out picknsave charges 50 cents for cash back.  I don't usually shop there, but place I normally go was out of what I needed so I dont know if this is recent or not, but still pretty annoying.

[stoutdude04]

10 hours ago, young guns said:

I don't normally carry cash on me, but I needed some for a field trip for my son.  I had to pick up some groceries today so thought getting some cash back would be a simple solution. Found out picknsave charges 50 cents for cash back.  I don't usually shop there, but place I normally go was out of what I needed so I dont know if this is recent or not, but still pretty annoying.

In turn - a lot of places around me have started charging 3.5% for using a card.

I may be wrong, but all of these convenience fees are annoying. Like getting charged a convenience fee for buying tickets online when the place only offers tickets online. 

[homer]

2 hours ago, stoutdude04 said:

In turn - a lot of places around me have started charging 3.5% for using a card.

I may be wrong, but all of these convenience fees are annoying. Like getting charged a convenience fee for buying tickets online when the place only offers tickets online. 

I've noticed this at a lot of restaurants. I wonder if it's the 3rd party delivery (e.g. Doordash) fees cutting into their revenue? Annoying. I wonder if there's a market for a 3rd party delivery company that makes it's money by putting ads or coupons in with the delivery bags? 

[stoutdude04]

20 minutes ago, homer said:

I've noticed this at a lot of restaurants. I wonder if it's the 3rd party delivery (e.g. Doordash) fees cutting into their revenue? Annoying. I wonder if there's a market for a 3rd party delivery company that makes it's money by putting ads or coupons in with the delivery bags? 

That could be the reason.  I mean...is 3.5% the end of the world? No, but I use my card for the cash back and rewards.  This basically cuts that out.

[Thurston Fluff]

3 hours ago, homer said:

I've noticed this at a lot of restaurants. I wonder if it's the 3rd party delivery (e.g. Doordash) fees cutting into their revenue? Annoying. I wonder if there's a market for a 3rd party delivery company that makes it's money by putting ads or coupons in with the delivery bags? 

I doubt it. Some 3rd party delivery services take a percentage of the restaurant's bill others just add their own charge to it. If that was a real problem they'd just go with the ones that added their own charges.

I'd guess that it has more to do with the fees associated with credit card processing. Every charge has an added fee charged to the vendor. That charge is largely dependent on volume of the place using it. Generally speaking the smaller you are the higher rate you pay. Restaurants generally have a small profit margin so it really does add up. Especially if they're really small with a higher rate. Then there are the dreaded added/hidden fees. We once discovered we were paying a monthly fee because we failed to fill out an online survey for example.

[homer]

32 minutes ago, Thurston Fluff said:

I doubt it. Some 3rd party delivery services take a percentage of the restaurant's bill others just add their own charge to it. If that was a real problem they'd just go with the ones that added their own charges.

I'd guess that it has more to do with the fees associated with credit card processing. Every charge has an added fee charged to the vendor. That charge is largely dependent on volume of the place using it. Generally speaking the smaller you are the higher rate you pay. Restaurants generally have a small profit margin so it really does add up. Especially if they're really small with a higher rate. Then there are the dreaded added/hidden fees. We once discovered we were paying a monthly fee because we failed to fill out an online survey for example.

But haven't those credit card fees always existed?

[TURBO]

3 hours ago, stoutdude04 said:

That could be the reason.  I mean...is 3.5% the end of the world? No, but I use my card for the cash back and rewards.  This basically cuts that out.

If you use your credit card a lot, 3.5% can add up to a LOT!

[jerichoholicninja]

1 hour ago, homer said:

But haven't those credit card fees always existed?

I'm pretty sure they always have but in the last 5 years or so it's become acceptable for businesses to pass those fees on to the customer. It was right after we were told for years that we should pay for everything with a card because it was more secure than a check and business didn't like dealing with cash. 

[madbad2000]

3 minutes ago, jerichoholicninja said:

I'm pretty sure they always have but in the last 5 years or so it's become acceptable for businesses to pass those fees on to the customer. It was right after we were told for years that we should pay for everything with a card because it was more secure than a check and business didn't like dealing with cash. 

Maybe I'm in the minority, but I do not agree that's its acceptable to pass them along.  I think fees are getting out of hand across the board.  I usually have cash, so if I see that sign I'll use cash for that one transaction and then very likely I won't go back.  As was mentioned earlier with ticket fees, they have gotten ridiculous for no added value.  So I just don't buy tickets unless it's a very small, unsubstitutable item.

[homer]

29 minutes ago, jerichoholicninja said:

I'm pretty sure they always have but in the last 5 years or so it's become acceptable for businesses to pass those fees on to the customer. It was right after we were told for years that we should pay for everything with a card because it was more secure than a check and business didn't like dealing with cash. 

I would think they'd just bake that 3.5% into the price of whatever it is they sell rather than display it as a separate charge.

[madbad2000]

44 minutes ago, homer said:

I would think they'd just bake that 3.5% into the price of whatever it is they sell rather than display it as a separate charge.

Agreed, makes it easier to judge overall prices and compare.  Has anyone seen this tactic?  In town we have a local developer who built a large commercial section anchored by a grocery store with a few other businesses.  Customers are being charged a 4% developer fee on every transaction which goes directly to the developer which is a private group.  I have never seen or heard about something like this which amounts to basically a private sales tax. 

[Samurai Bucky]

4 hours ago, homer said:

But haven't those credit card fees always existed?

I worked for Piggly Wiggly when they first started using Credit Card terminals way back in the mid 90's.  There were fees back then.  Fees were holding back retail (at least, grocery) from implementing credit cards.

Here is an article showing typical merchant fees today:  https://www.fool.com/the-ascent/research/average-credit-card-processing-fees-costs-america/

Visa:  1.29% + $0.05 to 2.54% + $0.10

Mastercard:  1.29% + $0.05 to 2.64% + $0.10

Discover:  1.48% + $0.05 to 2.53% + $0.10

American Express:  1.58% + $0.10 to 3.45% + $0.10

Some private schools would allow for credit card payments (beneficial if you got cash back and has a huge credit limit, I suppose).  I heard they don't allow that anymore... ?

[LouisEly]

3 hours ago, madbad2000 said:

Agreed, makes it easier to judge overall prices and compare.  Has anyone seen this tactic?  In town we have a local developer who built a large commercial section anchored by a grocery store with a few other businesses.  Customers are being charged a 4% developer fee on every transaction which goes directly to the developer which is a private group.  I have never seen or heard about something like this which amounts to basically a private sales tax. 

Where is this?

[madbad2000]

30 minutes ago, LouisEly said:

Where is this?

I live in Northern Alabama.  This is development in the Western part of Huntsville. 

[wallus]

The convenience fees thing really depends on what side of the fence you are on. For customers, "just add it to the price" makes people that pay with cash pay extra because of those that use credit cards.

For business owners, they are getting sick of paying all of the fees as they keep increasing. The rewards cards are by far the worst. I know for my family's small business, some can be 4% which is a joke.

 

[Thurston Fluff]

21 hours ago, homer said:

But haven't those credit card fees always existed?

I think they just realized there was nothing to stop them from increasing the rates. Not allowing credit cards is not an option for most places.