Comedic "things you would ban": minor things that irritate you

[dangie]

It's only you being denied because you didn't get the right seat.

I never realised each seat came with its own window. Must look into that

 

[birchesgreen]

Lucky these days to have a seat with a window.

 

[py_megapixel]

Lucky these days to have a seat with a window.

Lucky these days to have a seat! (dependent on route and TOC of course)

 

[AM9]

I never realised each seat came with its own window. Must look into that

You can do that from the platform even if there is somebody sitting by it.
If the seat is bookable, book earlier; if it isn't, then it is available for any passenger to sit in.

 

[43096]

What someone might think is scenic, might not be to someone who's seen it twice a day, 5 days a week for the last 30 years.

There’s an assumption being made that the person who wants the blind down is “right”. The person who wants the blind up is just as entitled to that.

Think about where you sit

I’d suggest the person wanting the blind down does the same - like sitting on the other side of the train, which presumably would be more likely to be in shadow.

 

[Calthrop]

This particular kind of frustration is a thing which dates way back. George Behrend writes in Railway Holiday In France, of travelling in 1963 on the splendidly scenic line through the Massif Central, between Nimes and Clermont-Ferrand. He was in a DMU set with grand viewing potential; but was thwarted re same by a nearby fellow-passenger -- an extremely stylish lady who required to have the blind down, to keep the sun off her. The wretched woman did, however, leave the train at a spa town en route, where she was "taking a cure"; leaving Behrend free to adjust things for him to enjoy the scenery for the remainder of the run.

 

[al78]

The headphone wearing craze is ridiculous. A guy in front of me who was wearing headphones dropped his wallet once and I picked it up and called out to him about it. He didn't hear me because of his headphones. I ran up beside him, waving his wallet and told him he'd dropped it. He looked at me sideways, clearly didn't see the wallet I was waving at him, and increased his pace. He then got into a taxi and disappeared. I ended up having to post the wallet to him using the address I found on his driving licence. The next day whilst browsing Facebook I came across a post in one of my groups in which that very same guy was trying to find his wallet. If he hadn't have been wearing his headphones, and had actually looked at me properly rather than askance, he would have had it back the moment he dropped it!

Ah yes the absence of spatial awareness. It is like what one of my work colleagues says about pedestrians in London. Instead of looking before crossing the road, they walk into the road with their head down and then look, jumping out of their skin if there happens to be a vehicle which they would have seen if they had reversed order of operations.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

People with so much time on their hands they keep repeating themselves. One Arriva would do.

I think the repetition makes a good point, Arriva (in my neck of the woods at least) are pretty awful.

 

[Acey]

Those annoying plastic bags that many sweets etc are in that are a pain to open and when you do manage it then they inevitably split down the side

 

[AM9]

Those annoying plastic bags that many sweets etc are in that are a pain to open and when you do manage it then they inevitably split down the side

Also used for apples, runner beans, and radishes.

 

[32475]

Toilet paper where the inner and outer two-ply sheets are really badly out of line with each other!

 

[Sun Chariot]

Toilet paper where the inner and outer two-ply sheets are really badly out of line with each other!

I'd ban 2-ply toilet paper, full stop. Nothing worse than getting a finger of fudge in the worst possible way...

 

[D6130]

I'd ban 2-ply toilet paper, full stop. Nothing worse than getting a finger of fudge in the worst possible way...

It's just enough to give your kids a treat! (Slight overlap with the annoying adverts thread there, for those who are not old enough to remember it!).

 

[AM9]

Toilet paper where the inner and outer two-ply sheets are really badly out of line with each other!

That's caused by the outer ply being unwound one more turn than the other. To fix it, just do the same again with the outer ply, and the perforations should then line up. Then the single ply part which probably comprises two or three sheets can be removed and folded for use as a two ply sheet.
That is more complicated to describe than actually doing it in practice.

 

[32475]

It's just enough to give your kids a treat! (Slight overlap with the annoying adverts thread there, for those who are not old enough to remember it!).

I never had that problem with Izal toilet paper which my landlady supplied in my student digs in the early 80’s. Don’t know if it’s still available but it was like attending to your rear area with tracing paper

 

[AM9]

I never had that problem with Izal toilet paper which my landlady supplied in my student digs in the early 80’s. Don’t know if it’s still available but it was like attending to your rear area with tracing paper

I remember that tracing paper was expensive in the '50s and toilet tissue would sometimes be used in lieu (as well as in the loo ), - from a pack that hadn't been opened for its prime purpose of course. Not as good as real tracing paper, but OK to keep kids happy when tracing things.

 

[dangie]

I never had that problem with Izal toilet paper which my landlady supplied in my student digs in the early 80’s. Don’t know if it’s still available but it was like attending to your rear area with tracing paper

Rough side & shiny side. Scrape & polish

 

[AM9]

Rough side & shiny side. Scrape & polish

Yes, Izal or Bronco.

 

[D6130]

Yes, Izal or Bronco.

Was it Bronco....or Bonco?

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Definitely Bronco...


Pic of roll of 'Bronco' paper. The Photo credit: Science Museum.

 

[D6130]

Definitely Bronco...

View attachment 155740
Pic of roll of 'Bronco' paper. The Photo credit: Science Museum.

Fair enough.....my ageing memory must be on a roll!

 

[Sun Chariot]

Was it Bronco....or Bonco?

On some late night trains, I suspect bonko went on in the carriage toilets.....

 

[westv]

Not seen many, but signs in shops saying"cash please. We paid £xxx last week in card fees"
It just makes me think they must have quite a lot of money coming in.

 

[AM9]

Not seen many, but signs in shops saying"cash please. We paid £xxx last week in card fees"
It just makes me think they must have quite a lot of money coming in.

Not necessarily. The hairdresser that I go to says that card charges per month are the equivalent to giving three free haircuts, (c. £75). That's how much cash goes to the banks on transactions alone.

 

[westv]

Not necessarily. The hairdresser that I go to says that card charges per month are the equivalent to giving three free haircuts, (c. £75). That's how much cash goes to the banks on transactions alone.

At around 1% (I think) that means they get in £7,500 per month for card payments..

Edit: I think debit cards are something like 0.25% to 0.35%

 

[Gloster]

The increasingly trivial items that fill up ‘news’ sites. Do we really want to know that some TV presenter/minor soap actor/footballer’s wag has had their bathroom ‘made over’/got a new hairstyle/going to be a grandparent? I can just put up with it if there is something new or original, but most is just the inconsequential routine of daily life.

 

[Mr. SW]

The increasingly trivial items that fill up ‘news’ sites. Do we really want to know that some TV presenter/minor soap actor/footballer’s wag has had their bathroom ‘made over’/got a new hairstyle/going to be a grandparent? I can just put up with it if there is something new or original, but most is just the inconsequential routine of daily life.

What? And miss out on this?

So informative.

I collect these. I have more.

 

[Busaholic]

At around 1% (I think) that means they get in £7,500 per month for card payments..

Edit: I think debit cards are something like 0.25% to 0.35%

Much more likely that their charges for rental etc form a large proportion - I was being charged £35 per month by my bank fifteen years ago, and could only dream of 1%.

 

[AM9]

Much more likely that their charges for rental etc form a large proportion - I was being charged £35 per month by my bank fifteen years ago, and could only dream of 1%.

Yes, big bank customers can demand minimal charges for card use, but a small trader will be hit with whatever the bank fancies it can get away with. The 1% charge is only for debit cards, if a credit card is presented, there is also the card bank's charge which typically can be 3% (eve 5% for AMEX). Scale those up to rates charged on small traders and it can seriously dent the viability of the business.

 

[westv]

Yes, big bank customers can demand minimal charges for card use, but a small trader will be hit with whatever the bank fancies it can get away with. The 1% charge is only for debit cards, if a credit card is presented, there is also the card bank's charge which typically can be 3% (eve 5% for AMEX). Scale those up to rates charged on small traders and it can seriously dent the viability of the business.

Then why not say "debit cards only" or some such thing. Debit cards are more popular anyway.

Much more likely that their charges for rental etc form a large proportion - I was being charged £35 per month by my bank fifteen years ago, and could only dream of 1%.

Rental? The card machine?
£35 for card transactions? How much turnover per month did you have? Sorry if that's too nosey though!