Kittens and things

[altariel]

What my head must clearly be full of: a chap just knocked on the door to talk about his guttering business, and whether "my husband" would be interested. Extraordinary. That hasn't happened to me in more than ten years, since the person I was trying to buy a mobile phone from talked past me and to Mr A instead. Not a sale, I think.

ETA: Thank you katlinel for the icon!

Comments

[spacefall.livejournal.com]

Cripes. Women, know your limits!

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Clearly I looked like someone who drew the line at guttering.

[muninnhuginn]

Nah, guttering ought to be entirely the province of candles.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

:-D

[the-wild-iris.livejournal.com]

Oh dear, that's awful. At least he shouldn't go too far with that sales technique.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

He probably realized he was on a loser when I laughed.

[the-wild-iris.livejournal.com]

This reminds me of one of my experiences in retail (with the roles reversed).

(Customer brings a dustbuster to the counter.)
Customer: does this have to be charged before you can use it?
Me: Well, I've never used that model, but generally they have to be charged before use.
Customer: You don't know whether it needs to be charged?
Me: I'm not entirely sure, because I don't know that model, but I would imagine that's the case.
Customer: Is there a man I can talk to?
Me: Er... *thinking: yes, there are several, but I've no reason to believe that any of them are experts on dustbusters.*
Me (more firmly): It needs to be charged before you use it.

I can't remember whether the customer actually bought it.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Extraordinary. I suppose you couldn't get away with:

Customer: Is there a man I can talk to?
You: I'm not a dating agency.

[the-wild-iris.livejournal.com]

Now I'm wishing that I'd thought of that :)

[altariel.livejournal.com]

It took me a few minutes though.

[mikekellner.livejournal.com]

Get serious....

You can't discuss a manly topic like guttering with a woman.

I really didn't mind letting the ladies vote, but a line has to be drawn somewhere.

mk

[altariel.livejournal.com]

LOL, brave man!

[hafren.livejournal.com]

Oh dear, oh dear... reminds me how mad my mumu used to get when workmen called her "love". She retaliated by addressing them as "my man", which always infuriated them...

[altariel.livejournal.com]

LOL! Brilliant.

I don't mind "love", seems friendly rather than dismissive.

[gair.livejournal.com]

It's increasingly unisex the further north you go, I think, also: I know a Holmfirth friend of mine was charmed to be addressed as 'love' (or 'lovey'?) by his (also male and extremely-non-camp) car mechanic.

[hafren.livejournal.com]

It's increasingly unisex the further north you go, I think, also:

but it's down in Cornwall that you can call someone "my lover" meaning "my friend..."

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

They called me loverrr there and it always made me laugh.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Aw, why worry your pretty little head about guttering? *rolls eyes, then gags*

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Maybe I'll get a t-shirt: "Do I LOOK like a not-bothering-with-the-guttering kind of gal?"

[glitterboy1.livejournal.com]

I didn't know there were people like that still out there. No wonder his business is guttering.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Public relations is certainly not the business for him.

[katlinel.livejournal.com]

Foolish mortal salesman! Did he not know with whom he was tangling?

I had a similar experience in a Nokia phone shop, about six years ago, when I was trying to buy a new phone, and asked what they recommended and the salesman told me to run along and come back when I knew what I wanted. I toyed with idea asking him about the Bluetooth specs of the phones he had since I was working on a Bluetooth project at the time, and knew a fair bit about them (can't recall it now, of course), but then I decided that this spotty minion wasn't worth my time.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

run along and come back when I knew what I wanted

*gapes* Absolutely unbelievable! Cheeky little bugger.

[katlinel.livejournal.com]

Quite. Although I recall thinking in stronger terms at the time.

I also once went for a interview where the interviewer (in his 30s) asked me if my husband would mind me driving an hour to work each day. I turned down the job, for that and several other reasons.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Sigh. The guy who installed the perspex dome over our shower (yes, we shower under a dome) had the gall to say that women didn't understood the principle behind condensation. I sneered at him and said, "Oh, I think I can grasp it. I have a physics degree."

I don't think it even sunk in though.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Bloody cheek of him! I'm intrigued by that dome now, I'm imagining something off the Liberator...

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

It's just a perspex square with a big dome in the centre which caps our shower so that steam condenses on it and doesn't fog up the bathroom. It works quite well too, but it's not an offence to leave it.

They'd have had geodesic ones on their showers on the Lib; lots of little hexagons.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

They'd have had geodesic ones on their showers on the Lib; lots of little hexagons.

I'm going to feel happy about that all morning!