Things that have been ruined by other people doing them to

[sunfloweryy]

Was thinking this today when driving to work and taking one of my little shortcuts to beat the traffic. Only bloody everyone knows the shortcuts now so it doesn’t work! Damn them!

Anyone else care to share things that were great until other people got involved?

My lovely, quiet allotment plot. We’ve got a large, busy & noisy family and lot going on at home all the time and it was my only little quiet place for a bit of breathing space and peace on my own. Now some bloke has got the plot right next to mine and is constantly shouting over to me, coming to interrogate me about what I’m doing/planting/growing and has his radio on sooo loudly. He’s been there literally every time I’ve gone down recently and it’s really spoiling it for me :(

The Waitrose quick check thing. Amazing to begin with but now everyone does it, back to waiting in line again...

@NameChange84 my DD has Coeliac Disease so I buy a lot of gluten free stuff and "normal" food as well. I hang around supermarkets trying to get bargains on the overpriced GF cakes etc! While I accept its annoying for you I reckon the more people buy GF food the more companies will make and the more options will increase. I do get annoyed with people choosing GF food as part of a healthy eating fad though. It's not healthier for the majority of people and it can give the wrong image of CD being part of that "lifestyle" or "wellness" scene. When it's a bloody serious pita.

theshapejaper I really hate to do this to you but - my local Waitrose - one of the biggest in London - doesn’t have this (just checked). They did introduce something similar round 4 years ago before dropping it. Looks great.
I’ll now check which branches nearby do offer this. See you in the queue?

Chicken thighs.

They were considered practically offal, stashed over with the chicken necks and pack o’ giblets for my whole life. Cost nothing. Everyone knew dazzling white breast fillets were the thing.

Then the bloody TV chefs told everyone that breasts were dry and flavourless, and the darker denser thigh was the thing. Now the price is truly gobsmacking and all my favourite recipes sit idle. Grrrrrr.

In all fairness, when someone has been clearing out all the yellow stickered gluten free stuff for themselves and I’ve seen that everything else in their trolley is gluten containing I’ve often asked if they would mind leaving me something as I can’t eat anything except the free from stuff and I’ve never once had them turn around and say that they or their relatives can’t eat gluten either. They usually say something along the lines of “Oh I’m not gluten free but a bargain is a bargain haha!”.

10 years ago Aldi used to be a secret, not any longer ☹️

Matched Betting. I have been doing it for years and years. Now suddenly everyone is on the bandwagon and there aren't as many promotions anymore.

Shocked by the GF nabbers. It wouldn’t even occur to me to take all of that!

I too buy gf food and normal so love it when it’s on offer. If I see it at crazy prices I will pick up a couple of each item as I have a friend who is coeliac and my dd although not coeliac is gluten intolerant and gets diarrhoea whenever she eats gluten.

When I moved to my current house v conveniently there was a shop at the bottom of my road, had a car park and sold most things I needed. Could always park, service was quick and always served by the same lady. Was great. Then everyone realised lidl was ok to shop in, now there is a queue to get in the car park, queues at tills, go after a certain time and looks like it has been ransacked. Rarely go there anymore it's just too hideous.

@DessertQueen

Same here I started visiting my allotment at different times over the past couple of weeks to find out when my noisy 'neighbour' wouldn't be there. To be fair he is not really a neighbour - his plot is the otherside of the site but as soon as he sees my car he appears.
So far between 12-13:00 has been the only time I have managed to get anything done without constant, well meaning, interference.

Lentils. Bastards used to be cheap

Parkrun. I used to run every week with 2 friends. My sister started coming along, is totally obsessive about her times, is constantly giving me tips on how to improve, comes with us for coffee afterwards and just talks about her running and her km splits and her progress and her fancy new high performance running gear. It's no fun at all any more. We used to talk about tv shows and books and nonsense before she showed up and ruined it.

So that's a specific person rather than lots of people, but it came straight into my head the minute I read your title.

Cavtat in Croatia, the most lovely place, first visited 1998 when Croatia was only getting popular again after the war but now, it’s busy. Tbf, it’s not changed a lot but so many more people (it’s not stopping us going back in 2020 though 😄).

And gin and tonic! I'll have to stop drinking it now its fashionable

Agree re gin - I’ve been drinking pink gin for years - now when I ask for a gin it’s like “ooh, yes it’s trendy again now isn’t it” I’m like “I’ve been drinking pink gin for 20 years! Stfu!” Also the bartender then stuffs stupid things like juniper berries in it that get stuck in the straw....grrrr

e-passports in arrivals.
I had one of the first ones years ago. Queue non-existent.
Now, it's chuffing everyone - and still half the machines don't work.

Also mulberry handbags. When I got my first one hardly anyone had them - now every other person where I live has one. Grrr.
Still love them though.

Pinterest. It’s just shit now.
People buying Lush, I get a pretty young thing asking if she wants to demonstrate (because none of the newcomers in the store these days know what the stuff is or does). No my dear, I have been smelling of Parma violets since before you were born!
The cafe at my local park where you can’t even buy a kitkat anymore because it’s full of people asking for artisan tarts.
Talking of tarts, supermarkets have RUINED pastel de Natas. They are supposed to have cinnamon on!!!

Agree 're Aldi.
Used to pop down on a Sunday. Park in the empty car park and stock up on bargains.
Now you can't get anywhere near!

Highclere Castle was ruined by Downton Abbey for us locals . No more popping in for a coffee and quick mooch around the Egyptian exhibition.

There’s a cove near where I live that has been a wee haven of respite ( it’s a touristy area ) for seals. Some knobber on a website included it in their secret spots recommendations and “insta-dicks” with no interest in the actual life or welfare of seals, flock to said location for a snap, disturbing the seals in the process naturally.

Pomegranates. Used to look forward to pomegranate season just for two - four weeks. They used to go a bit crap towards the end of the season. Then they became superfoods. Taste bloody awful all year round now, typical supermarket bland stuff. I'm not even sure exactly when the season was any more, round about October.

Pomegranates were a Halloween treat for us. So yes to October being the original season.