The crowd mentality...I don't get it.
 

Why do people insist on going to places like Costco, etc, right smack in the middle of the day on a weekend when they can go later in the evening on a weekday and essentially have the store to themselves?

Ever tried to each at "lunch time" at an amusement park? It's noon, we must eat now.

Why wait in line for 45 minutes to eat at the Olive Garden or Red Lobster when you can delay dinner by an hour and miss the crowd?

And Black Friday? No way!

I don't get it, maybe I'm getting cranky as I age, but I want to stay away from that crap.

Disclaimer, I never eat at Olive Garden or Red Lobster, I just see the masses waiting outside when I drive by. LOL

Yeuup....

Some have jobs and can only get away to shop on the weekends.

The rest are retarded.

I went to Turner's Outdoorsman yesterday to look at a new "spoon". You take a number when you walk in, I was '49". I look up at the "now serving" LED display, they are on "15".

People there picking up their new AR-15 or trying to buy one. Only 2 days left to buy but they were completely sold out of all AR's (even 22LR). You have to pick it up by 12/31 or you are SOL. You now own a spoon that is registered in your name that the dealer cannot deliver to you. It was a cluster F. Stay away from any gun stores until after the first.

does anybody like to go to costco / grocery shopping when its busy? I assume that mostly due to everybody's working schedule aligning.

Now black friday is a special kind of "hell no" for me

When I lived in ATL, the only time I could go to a warehouse club was on the weekends. (My commute took me far away from home.)

As for the amusement park at lunch... I have small children. They have to eat at the same time every day. Waiting 30 minutes can be the difference between a smooth trip and having to leave early because they got hungry and cranky and we're past the point of recovery.

I don't understand it either. I dread Big Box Marts during "off hours". That's after 4PM during the week and any time on the weekend. I don't see the appeal in struggling to get anywhere in the store, long waits, and frustration with idiots.

Lunch is a different story. I eat when I'm hungry, my family eats on a schedule. If only Disneyland had the All-you-can-eat family style BBQ again. Damn I miss that place. :(

This is the retirement art of crowd avoidance. Cindy & I have practiced it for years.
Welcome aboard.

Crowd mentality and feeding frenzy are very real. If you have ever worked in retail or food service you plan for it. Remember the rush over the introduction of the Porsche GT4? Great car but the same effect. Demand exceeds supply and prices rise.

I suffer shopping with crowds or waiting in line for anything these days. We choose our restaurants carefully to avoid crowds and usually plan travel for off-season. The grocery store is our own personal shopping experience at 8am.

I had to go to Costco AND Wal-Mart yesterday, but got to Costco right when they opened, so it wasn't bad. Had to do it, got a house full of people starting tomorrow.

This is what really chaps my ass. Mine is the red padlock.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1482175854.jpg

When I got there, the blue one was not there. I always choose a locker far from other occupied ones. This one was even a corner locker to reduce by 50% the chances of someone being next to me. There are probably a good 300-400 empty lockers here and this asshat picks the one next to me, guaranteeing we'll be in each other's way if changing at the same time. Why?

I always pick the same locker. I pay no attention to other locks.

I'll always choose the same locker too, if it's not near other occupied ones. But why would you want to be in a cluster of other occupied lockers and bumping up against other sweaty guys in towels? I don't get that. It's one thing if it's a Monday at 5 or 6pm when everyone is coming to the gym after work, and it's just crowded in there. But when it's not crowded, I want some space. Same thing goes for parking in a secluded spot in a largely empty lot and then coming back and some idiot is not only parked next to you, they're not even within their lines and are crowding you. What's wrong with people?

Too funny. Its just the way it is, some sort of universe rule or something. Gotta love the guys that take up the entire bench with their crap.

What is just as bad......people have closets full of clothing, and yet they shop for new clothing every year. They believe what the fashion people tell them - you will not be hip and cool if you wear last year's design. You will be hip and cool if you wear the designs from 10 years ago, because that is what this year's designs look like. I buy clothes when what I have wears out. Designer suits for men? Do they really look any different?

When I worked at the office went to lunch at 11am sharp. Found would get right in just about anywhere wanted to go. When I leave there is a line!

Typically get my groceries or to other shopping at 8pm. Almost the only one there.

This is exactly what I plan on doing upon retirement........going at 1:00 on a Tuesday afternoon to avoid the mad afterwork push in the isles, and on the streets, and parking lot. Everybody has an agenda to make things as quick as possible after work lets out, then they finally get home, and as a reward, they go out to dinner at 6:30.

If you can be an earlybird, and get there at 5:00, you'll have a shorter seating time, better food, and service, but have a long evening in front of you.

I always go to the home improvemnet store of Friday after work to get supplies for my weekend project. NEVER on Sat.

Around the holidays I do my grocery shopping after 10pm.

I might ask what anyone is doing at Olive Garden or red lobster in the first place. I mean who eats that nasty crap?

Answer: The crowd.

Rick maybe the other guy was hoping for a chance meeting...

Maybe he's lonely and wants to talk to someone.

I go grocery shopping at 5:00 am on the weekend- just a couple of other shoppers and stock crew.

Only drawbacks, but don't matter to me is no free samples and the deli isn't open.

Complaining about crowds in retail stores?

Man - you guys must be old and cranky!

If you see mirrors on his flip flops you will have your answer.

An interesting paper...

My older and sort of rough brother and I were sitting at the bar one boring Saturday afternoon at the hotel in Yale, MI. Population about 400. Place was about 1/4 full. One guy to our left stood up, calmly walked to the far right of the bar and cold-cocked the guy on the end. Out of no where. Just clobbered him on the side of the head with a beer bottle.

I grabbed my brother by the collar and hauled our asses out of there. By the time we got to the door all heck broke loose. To this day, I have no idea why this happened. My brother was pissed that I dragged him out so quick.

If you weren't there when he changed and he wasn't there when you changed, the other guy worked it ideally and did you both a favor.

The Yale hotel. I was born at the Yale hospital! My Mom used to shop at the general store there with the creaky wood floors.


Oh yeah, I avoid crowds as much as possible, especially during the holiday season.

A calculated risk thing.
There is safety in numbers.
One of you will be likely to return early and catch that locker room thief.

But with a different situation, that same feeling of safety and security sometimes translates to cars in the left lane suddenly slowing down on a completely empty highway, to hover in someone's blind spot for miles and miles.
It creates a new hazard.
And the result tends to be the opposite of effect desired.

I avoid crowds at all cost, I start getting pissed off when I keep having to juke/sidestep with people all the time. Generally, whatever most people are doing, i'm walking the opposite direction, It think it is more of a dislike for other humans, than large crowds.

I find the same thing when I park my car in a big parking lot. I drive a nice car and I don't want it to be dented by some inconsiderate loser so I park WAAAY away from everyone to the point that my wife complains. But the running joke is that I say my car is ****box magnet because I swear every single time I park on the empty outskirts of a carpark I will come back from shopping and there will be a ****box parked right next to it.

It's weird the mentality the other driver must have. Maybe they think parking next to a nice car means theirs won't get damaged?

My entire existence now is dedicated to avoiding other humans.

The older I get - the greater the disdain.

I have developed so many strategies to out maneuver them - I should write a book!

You have to use reverse psychology....always include the "herding mentality" in your planning. They never fail to live up to it...lol....

A perfect example is the old people who can't wait to get to their doctors n the morning...I mean they have to be there first thing! So as everyone else is commuting to work or driving to a jobsite...they are clogging the hell out of the roadways and consistently driving 5 under the speed limit. Argh!

You are not alone, my friend.

Agree. I have to flip way too many peeps off for tailgating my sorry ass 65 mph.

Not joking. As I age, I am getting slower because I don't have to be there ten minutes ago. That 7:00-9:00 AM/4:30-7:00 PM highway window is no place for an old man.

One thing I don't do is tailgate.

I refuse to participate in a traffic-related activity that could be construed as one based on emotion.

I will take an alternative route...even if it means taking me longer to get to my destination....as long as I don't have to drive behind someone.

But the good news is I know the area so well I try to out fox them through strategic planning! :D

I flip up the rear view mirror and ignore in those situations.
They will just have to wait their turn.

That's racist.:D

"...if it's got a red lock, he's looking for ____."

Not that there's anything wrong with that. :p

That's not racist at all, I dislike all colors, including my own.