Anyone else just worn down by illogic?

[CountessFrog]

Examples of completely illogical ‘roolz’ everywhere - they give me ‘rule fatigue.’ I may even have reached ‘Peak Roolz.’

For example. On holiday last week I entered a shop that apparently had a one way system. It was a small shop, and because everyone was directed left on arrival, they had crowded into a narrow area in the left, thus ensuring no social distancing.

I didn’t know about the one way system, so I noticed the crowd on the left and headed to the right of the shop to browse and stay away from people. The shop assistant shouted that I wasn’t following the one way system And I needed to join the crowd in the left (I left after that).

Second example. In same small seaside town, We were there for two weeks. On our last night we went to a chippy on the seafront that we’d used three times already. They only accepted cards. They made you queue outside, allowing one customer in at a time. Fair enough.

However On this occasion they were now ‘cash only.’ I had no cash, so I asked to place my order and go to the cash point or find DH who I knew to have cash.

They refused this. When I returned with the cash, the shop was empty so I went in. But silly me, I was still breaking ‘the roolz’ Because they had another (less obvious rule) that you couldn’t go in if they were busy doing something. So she was busy battering fish, and this meant I wasn’t allowed in. Because any fule know that’s a dangerous situation.

Ice cream shop where you had to wait outside and stand behind a line when they let you in. Couldn’t see the ice cream flavours from behind the line. Was allowed to ‘step forward two paces.’ Second time I visited, whole family in the shop, primary aged children literally licking the glass counter. No objections raised

I’m totally over the roolz. Anyone else?

I’ve cancelled my NT membership, too.

There is a bank of three cash points at my local Tesco. Only the middle one is in use, the other two closed for SD measures. There is often a queue when all three are in use, do now you have a bigger queue (which is right where people walk to get in and out of the shop) and everyone with their filthy germ infested hands using the one cash point. Fair enough at first, but footfall is at normal levels now.

It had also run out of £10 notes, which is perhaps driving my annoyance more.

If I had NT membership I would not be altruistic enough to carry on paying for very little back. You cannot run a huge organisation like that on volunteer help alone. Most of whom are retirement age and vulnerable anyway. If most of the facilities within NT sites are closed, what are you paying for? A field and a portaloo?

The logic of “go back to work in an office” followed by “the second wave is coming and you’re going to die.”

Costa for shouting at my DH when he started to move a chair - not sure what you are meant to do if you have more than two kids as there are max four chairs at a table! Meanwhile, all the staff are behind the counter practically touching each other because they are so close together!

I think some customer service workers are enjoying the power of enforcing the roolz.

I've cancelled my NT membership. They've closed all of the smaller properties near us indefinitely, whilst announcing they'll be revising their business model to focus on opening for large events, film sets etc.

I went to a NT loo in a local beauty spot the other day. It was open, but it was filthy with the bin overflowing. I emailed to complain, saying if they're closing the local properties the least they can do is maintain the facilities they do have open - i've had no response.

I volunteer for two very different heritage organisations and they have both done a far better job than the NT. What they both have in common (one is highly professional, the other is basically an eccentric visionary’s house) is that they are far more visitor focused than the Trust. If your visitor experience is high enough in your mind you don’t tend to do the illogical things. My perception of the problem with the NT is that decision making is too centralised. They are probably telling the people who actually run the properties ‘you must do x’ but those people don’t feel empowered to do something different when it results in ridiculousness.
I am not that impressed by them setting up an online booking system because much smaller organisations with far less centralised IT expertise have managed it in the same time!

DH and I aren’t allowed to walk around Waitrose in a couple but M&S allow it!

We now go to Waitrose with half the shopping list each and pretend we don’t know each other. Inside is full of middle aged couples together but they don’t allow us in together.

Where is the logic?

I don't understand the rule about using disposable takeaway containers in restaurants rather than plates and cups.

Ok, it means staff don't have to wash them.. but surely if they wash them in hot soapy water, or a dishwasher, they're safe? Also I've been to one pub for food outdoors which served the food in takeaway containers but the beer in real glasses.... where's the logic? You're literally putting the glass in your mouth, but youre not licking the plates... so why the difference?

i had a full breakfast the other day served in a pizza box. That was an experience.

I wondered similar when I went to a restaurant that brought you your cutlery in individually wrapped sterile packets that you had to unwrap yourself at the table. Cutlery goes in your mouth so you want it to be clean...but so does glassware!

@ScammedOrWhat if it was good enough I might lick my plate

Went back to my local cinema last night (hurray!). You can only now go if you've pre-booked. Fair enough. DH and I both members. Online system has never allowed you to do one booking for two members, you had to do two separate bookings. Except now of course, if you book a seat it immediately blocks out the 2 seats either side of you. Aargh! So we booked one and turned up on spec for the other, therefore needing to interact with the staff - the opposite of what you're supposed to do.

I gave them feedback and got a shrug that it's a national software system so there's nothing you can do. Except that's not true as software can be reprogrammed. Have emailed head office.

DH took DD shopping yesterday. There was a sign outside Next that said no more than 32 people allowed in at any one time. But there was no-one on the door counting people in or out, so unless you went inside and started counting people how would you know?

The communal pen is my favourite of the roolz.
Arrive at a restaurant/cafe - please can you write your details here for our track and trace. Using the same pen as everyone else. It makes no sense yet has happen at least a dozen times to me over the summer.

i was in a small supermarket, till near the door, long one way system around the shop, all fine. I bought my stuff but as i went out the door i clicked that i had been overcharged. There was no one else in the shop so i went straight back to the till and was told off by staff, i had to go back to the door and go round the long way. Completely illogical as i was already at the till, so to send me back round the long way meant i was in the shop longer and more likely to touch something on the way, ridiculous.

@redroses86

The communal pen is my favourite of the roolz. Arrive at a restaurant/cafe - please can you write your details here for our track and trace. Using the same pen as everyone else. It makes no sense yet has happen at least a dozen times to me over the summer.

Yes! It’s bonkers.

Never mind the details lying on a clipboard for anyone to read.

I bought some garden furniture back in May. From an actual garden centre.

I had to travel quite a long way to the garden centre - Thirty miles or so - because the set I wanted was out of stock everywhere. I wanted to set eyes on the furniture before I bought it.

I also had to arrive really early in the morning to avoid queuing.

On the day it was due to be delivered, I had a phone call from them to say that my rattan coloured furniture had just been unpacked, and they’d made a mistake with their stock - it was white. But did I still want it?

I didn’t want it, but they refused to refund me over the phone ‘because of Covid.’

So they said I had to go back to the shop and bring my card and queue outside to get a refund, because of a mistake they made.

Because of Covid.

OP you win! That is just outright crazy, covid or no covid. They could easily check you cc over the phone matches with their paperwork. Or ..... order the right colour for you. Customer service certainly is not what it once was.

So it's you op, especially after this week.

I went to a restaurant for a meal, went to the toilet. There were arrows directing you one way pointing into the toilets but none directing you which way to get back out and to your table. So if you followed the arrows you'd be stuck in the toilets.

Saw a sign today saying "no parking due to Covid". It's a no parking zone anyway so wtf has Covid got to do with it?

My local council has today posted on social media saying that if you go to any barbecues, you must bring your own food and cutlery and ensure that they're clean. Yet it's fine for me to sit in a restaurant alongside a load of strangers and use their cutlery.

We so need ‘Cunk on Covid.’

I don't understand why Covid apparently means that my bank can now only open its branches between 10am and 2pm every weekday instead of normal banking hours.

Do they think that the virus goes to sleep between those hours and then wakes up to run riot around in there?

On the plus side, I am relieved that our local supermarkets have abandoned their one way systems, which didn't work anyway and caused bottlenecks. The outdoor queuing system at Tesco seems to have disappeared too.

@Topseyt

I don't understand why Covid apparently means that my bank can now only open its branches between 10am and 2pm every weekday instead of normal banking hours.

Do they think that the virus goes to sleep between those hours and then wakes up to run riot around in there?

On the plus side, I am relieved that our local supermarkets have abandoned their one way systems, which didn't work anyway and caused bottlenecks. The outdoor queuing system at Tesco seems to have disappeared too.

It's probably to allow for "extra cleaning" which obviously takes 6 hours per day.

I dont understand the number of businesses with reduced hours. If anything they should be increasing business hours to have fewer people in there at any one time.

It does seem like some places have changes they've always wanted to make and now can do so, using covid as an excuse.

The library here opens for 4 hours a week now, so everyone who wants to go has a small window to do so instead of being spread out. Then they moan it's busy.

Btw not due to budget cuts etc, due to covid.

I went into a little costa within another shop yesterday and the floor resembled something from an old dance game. No one had a clue which way there were suppose to be going so gave up.