To think that parts of modern life are preposterous (lighthearted)

[madnessitellyou]

Not long after I bought my first car in the late 90s I realised I needed an ice scraper. I went to the local hardware-cum-poundshop-cum-Home Bargains-type place and purchased the one ice scraper they sold. It was a couple of quid and served my ice removal needs very well until twenty-odd years and several car changes later I lost it.

Given pandemic and laziness I turned to Amazon. There were pages upon pages of ice scrapers of different designs. I suddenly found myself overwhelmed and spent a good 30 minutes reading reviews of ice scrapers, agonising over which one to buy.

How is this real life? It wasn't the first time I've wasted time forensically reading reviews of fairly insignificant items.

Am I getting old, or missing the point of what the modern world brings us?

This is why I far prefer Lidl to Tesco/Asda/Sainsburys/Morrisons. If I want to buy a bag of flour or some bleach I really don't want the choice of 7 or 8 brands...it makes it exhausting!

@ICouldHaveCheckedFirst

The washing powder aisle scared me for years - why do we need so many different types? Was I using the wrong one? What are they all FOR? Then a former colleague explained most were exactly the same, made in the same factory, where he had worked. My stress over choosing evaporated immediately.

The tinned tomato aisle drives me mad, I want a tin of tomatoes, not added basil, chilli, garlic etc.

I shop in the Co-op because they have very little choice in there and I can be in and out quickly. If I stray into Tesco or Sainsburys, I get overwhelmed in the cereal aisle when all I really want is a box of porridge oats.

@ChestnutStuffing, not to hijack the lighthearted nature of the thread (LOL at sticking it to Amazon 🤣), but leaving snow on top of your car can be dangerous. Many years ago my then-boyfriend and I were driving to his parents’ in a part of the US where there had recently been a snow storm and the temperatures were hovering around freezing, so snow was melting and refreezing. We were driving on a highway (ie at speed) behind a car that was covered on top with snow. A large chunk of ice was dislodged and flew toward us and smashed the windscreen. Luckily we were ok but it could have killed us.

I find it funny how most people are actually buying into this type of behaviour. They chose to make their lives way more complicated.

My friend tried to have a discussion on shampoos a while back and detergent. Asked which one I use and why.
Shampoo - lush - smells good, makes my hair less flakey
detergent - it's the big blue box. It makes my clothes clean. Brand? no idea.
She was rambling on about how it's 56in1 and I really had no clue what she is on about. don't even care. Does it do it's original purpose. yes. then it's fine.
She did say I was weird and simplistic in my views... I asked her how she bought her phone: deliberated for months then chose. I said it took me 5 minutes to find the exact one, but newer than what broke. Easy.

I wanted to buy my son a waste paper basket in his room. He saw a crumbled like one. Searched. Had x options. Filter by lowest to highest price. Select from somewhere low middle. check delivery date. say fuck. close site. About 1 min.

open site again.
search waste paper basket. filter again, order cheapest that arrives sooner. done. 30 sec.

On the other hand: you should see me in a yarn shop! :D or boardgame shop. or book store...

I totally agree that too much choice is actually stressful. Makes a simple task such a chore.
The other week I spent hours choosing the perfect pair of swimming goggles, eventually settling on my preferred pair, taking into account price, reviews, colour, reputable brand and so on.
Only to find that after a few uses, the strap broke! all that time wasted. And now I have to find another pair, all that palaver for nothing.

TheSun "She was rambling on about how it's 56in1"

Sorry, what is 56 in 1?

I could never shop in marks & spencer because of the choice. A million different pairs of black work trouser. Too many options and I give up.

@Aweebawbee

Bit controversial given the tone of this thread, but I am mourning the lack of specialist shops. I mean actual shops where you can try things on, touch and feel before you buy (Covid alert).

I grew up in a really small town that had an actual sheet music shop. Unthinkable nowadays. You have to order from a website with limited choice and it inevitably arrives late, is lost in the post or 'sorry, out of stock'. And specialist sports equipment is a pain to source because you only find generic trainers and yoga gear chains.

I think that the choice is just an illusion. Sure, you have 101 types of ice scraper, but try to find a simple white T shirt in a specific size with no logo on it.

But having the choice is good in those shops because there are usually clear differences between products and there's a knowledgeable member of staff to help you. Not like having to decide between forty seven near identical washing powders.

[quote mommybunny]@ChestnutStuffing, not to hijack the lighthearted nature of the thread (LOL at sticking it to Amazon 🤣), but leaving snow on top of your car can be dangerous. Many years ago my then-boyfriend and I were driving to his parents’ in a part of the US where there had recently been a snow storm and the temperatures were hovering around freezing, so snow was melting and refreezing. We were driving on a highway (ie at speed) behind a car that was covered on top with snow. A large chunk of ice was dislodged and flew toward us and smashed the windscreen. Luckily we were ok but it could have killed us.[/quote]
Indeed. I try and get it off, but I was so disgusted by the whole incident that I did not want to invest in another crappy but expensive ice remover.

Luckily I now have a lower car and it's much easier to get the snow off the top.

I could never shop in marks & spencer because of the choice.

Me too. We had a giant M&S open near us a few years ago, and I hate it. I feel like Father Ted when he and Dougal got lost in the lingerie department

I agree on the ice scraper. Lost my Halford's bog standard £1 scraper, and bought some fancy ones with ergonomic handle, bigger blade etc, and they were shit. Luckily found my £1 scraper and left the fancy ones in the drive, someone took them thankfully.

Try searching for 'deodorant' on the Tesco online page. It brings up 196 items.