The speakerphone paradox

[u/NeighborhoodJust1197]

I was at the pool today when a woman started having a conversation on her phone using the speaker.

I politely asked her if she could not use the speaker and pointed to my headphones.
She said, “I don’t have headphones.”
So I said, “You can just hold the phone next to your ear.”

She looked at me with a completely blank expression and said, “I’m on speakerphone.”
I said, “Well… that’s the problem.”

Apparently, we had reached the limits of modern technology.

[u/TheMoeSzyslakExp]

I do this with my toddler around the supermarket/shopping centre carparks.

“Oh buddy look that lazy person just leaving the trolley on the footpath! Isn’t that so lazy? The trolley bay is right over there. That’s very naughty isn’t it? We’ll be good and put the trolley back, won’t we?”

I do recall one person obviously refusing to look at us and hurriedly getting into their car haha.

[u/sausagebeanburrito → u/TheMoeSzyslakExp]

One time I was at my local grocery store, and when I was walking across the parking lot to my car, I saw a woman parked behind my car put her cart directly on my driver's side rear, obviously too lazy to walk the 20 feet to the corral. However, giving the benefit of the doubt, I walked right over to it (while unlocking my car and putting my groceries inside so she knew it was mine), and walked it over to the corral (I didn't even have a cart lol). As I turn back, she pulls out of her spot and DOUBLE FIST MIDDLE FINGERS me. I busted out laughing and gave her DOUBLE FIST THUMBS UP while practically doubled over. The look on her face was priceless. She realized I didn't actually give two shits and she was the one throwing a fit over her own stupidity.

[u/CatCatCatCubed → u/sausagebeanburrito]

Which is funny because she obviously knew it was wrong. Some (very small) twinge whispered “don’t do it” which had her feeling at least a little guilty before she noticed you, which is why she overreacted. She wasn’t angry at you, she was angry at herself.

Like, I’m tempted to leave my cart somewhere fairly often, especially at this one local grocery store where I always have to park far away and it doesn’t have corrals. But I don’t, partly because it’s somewhat satisfying to return it or have someone partway offer to take it (a meeting of fate! haha), partly because the guilt would eat me alive.

(I’ve also somehow had maybe 5 times where I didn’t return a cart exactly where it should go [i.e. not connected to other carts but in a corral or corridor or something filled with carts] and got randomly called out by strangers who were apparently raring to fight about something that day but decided to pick on me vs the ?# of other people doing the same thing around me because I apparently look more bully-able. People are nuts.)

[u/Fragrant-Field-2017 → u/TheMoeSzyslakExp]

If you lock the trolleys and need a coin to unlock (which you get back when you return the cart) like in most of Europe, then everyone will start returning them. Such an easy fix!

[u/TheMoeSzyslakExp → u/Fragrant-Field-2017]

Yeah it’s half-half here in Australia. I hate the coin-lock trolleys if I’ve forgotten to bring my key, but some of the places here that don’t have them absolutely need them because people are apparently savages.