The grumpy thread

[autofive]

Chuggers really boil my piss. There aren't many of them here but I did encounter some in Aberystwyth a while back. Just don't stop walking. I generally try to be at least slightly polite. Sometimes.

 

chuggers in the high street are a pain, when they start their speech I usually just say "get a proper job" and keep walking

[Cavcraft]

Chuggers?

[cort16]

Chuggers means something entirely different to me. I think I was very successfull one in my teenage years.

[John F]

Chuggers?

 

CHarity mUGGERS, Billy

[ashmicro]

Charity Muggers Billy. Those "Professional" fundraisers, usually wearing hi-vis. I'm NOT giving my bank details to anyone, even if they don't look Nigerian. I give lessons in internet security for a night class FFS. Charities need to have a look at their approach, although I have some sympathy for the Red Cross, as a number of their people got robbed when they collected cash.

[Cavcraft]

I thought he meant those really slow walking pensioners who always seem to get in your way

[vulgalour]

My response to Chuggers is to ask them for any pamphlets or website details that they can give me so that I can make my own mind up whether or not to donate when I've got time to make a considerate and informed approach to their charity. More often than not, they have no promotional information and that's an end to the matter. Telling them (truthfully) I haven't the time or spare cash to go through with donating in the street, much less the inclination, gets you nowhere. They're one of the things I don't miss from Sheffield, especially the Fargate Gauntlet.

[RedSparrow]

I like to ask what charity they are representing, then when they answer I reply ' thanks, you've made sure that I'll never give them any money in my life'. Usually leaves them stumped.

[willswitchengage]

Whenever I look at this conversation I think "I've never noticed him do anything wrong..." then realise you're not talking about the AS member Cheggers

[messerschmitt owner]

Chuggers?

like Cheggers but infinitely more annoying!

[cobblers]

Fargate Gauntlet.

 

Christ, I remember that from when I was at uni, it was a complete nightmare - there would be hoards of the bastards. It was a rare day you could go from one end to the other without being approached at least a couple of times.

 

I was usually too hungover to try and be clever, so a shake of the head and a resigned "don't waste your time" was usually enough to get rid of most of them.

[TimothyClaypole]

One reason I'll go to Meadowhall if I must, free parking and no survey takers or chuggers etc.

 

 

 

The high street is "dying" - that'll be every council's fault, parking charges and business rates etc.

[tonedepear]

One reason I'll go to Meadowhall if I must, free parking and no survey takers or chuggers etc.

 

+100

 

They knocked the Moor down without really doing anything to sort it, tried to move shops down towards the old market end of town which has no prospect of parking. Urgh. There's only Decathlon to tempt me in to town now, and at least that has a car park.

[Pete-M]

604 is more likely than not about to end its life covered in dulux in a half hour sprint around Hednesford or similar.

 

Ah well. Pisses me off that the so-called 'classic' fans have ignored it completely, but that's the way it goes. 3.5 days left on eBay and it's only been the banger lads who've called about it.

 

Still, it has to go and if that's the way it's got to be, then that's the way it's got to be. I might go and watch, take some photos.

[Volksy]

That would be such a shame. Damn you Lancia, why arn't you finished and sold

[warren t claim]

Can I just take the opportunity to inform any lady watchers of this fine forum that pissing yourself during intercourse after two and a bit bottles of Lambrini isn't actually squirting. That's defo the last time I take the Pepsi challenge.....

[fiatdaft]

My kinda gal! Pete shame,but that's life as you know there are people that will call it terrible etc,But those people will be the ones that said they would buy it and never be heard from again,typical used car timewasters !How much would be letting it go for? pm if you want.

[Guest]

Over at the LMC, and it's getting dangerously close to a wash out. I booked into a hotel because I couldn't stand the heat in 2010. Don't think there's any chance of that happening this year - although speaking to my mates who are camping, they didn't have a good night either because of the rain.

 

I had a really dodgy chicken salad last night which made me feel vile through the night. My hotel's about 30 miles from Le Mans. Lots of shite to see, lots of photos taken - I spent about 2 and a half hours poring over the Heuliez collection in the Artcurial tent. The fact that I got to sit in the only 405 coupe in existence (outside of the more batshit end of the custom car game) made my day. I would lob some photos up but I haven't got the right cable to connect it to my netbook (despite swearing blind I put it in my bag). If I'd have had 20k in Euro spare, that Peugeot would be coming home with me. I don't care if the window treatment was asymmetrical - it was a runner and had a full leather interior.

 

Is it wrong I found the Heuliez collection more interesting than the majority of the grid? Their stretched 604 was immense - I had a poke around that too.

 

There's a Wall Of Death near the DB stand, fascinating exhibits both. Very disconcerting standing in the former, seeing daylight through the planks and feeling the entire stand tremble as the bikes go round. I've always wanted to watch a Wall Of Death performance, and now I have.

 

Feeling slightly better now, so I'm going to head down soon and meet up with my mates.

[willswitchengage]

The high street is "dying" - that'll be every council's fault, parking charges and business rates etc.

 

Peak oil, suburbia, walkable cities etc. Give it a few decades and the concentrated town centre will be back as people realise out-of-town shopping centres are unsustainable.

[Cavcraft]

The rates in Chester city centre are astronomical apparantly, but the Greyhound Retail Park (about a mile from town) is even worse I'm told. When it was first knocked up the rates were the highest in Britain outside of Regent and Bond Streets in London.

 

I don't get why there's empty shops because the rate/rent is so dear. they should encourage new businesses by offering low rate rents for the first year, surely even £100 per week or month is better then naff all? They could exisiting shops happy by offering rent free weeks and months for those in credit.

[TimothyClaypole]

That would be common sense...

 

 

I did start going to the town cente when they offered free parking after 3.30/4.00pm but they stopped it saying it was too expensive... what's to pay for, it's the side of the street, idiots.

 

They are knocking down some council offices at the minute, back in the day when we were kids my dads always used to park in Barnsley on a similar cleared site as it was free but then again someone might trip over a half brick or something these days.

[Negative Creep]

Only time I ever bother going to town is to get a haircut (my Xbox saga aside). Everything else can either be bought online or from the supermarket

[rml2345]

^

That. Getting stuff is so easy nowadays that if the town centre is hard to get to, or hard to park at people won't bother. Unfortunately councils seem to be full of self serving morons who can't see past the end of their own expenses...

Ours is spending a fortune on granite slab but the drains are too small to cope with the recent rain

[Cavcraft]

Buying online is easy and often cheaper but it's a shame to see town centres, villages etc slowly winding down because of it. My father in law refuses to have anything to do with the Internet and gets everything from shops. Good on him I say, the world is slowly turning quite 'impersonal' as it is and real life conversations are gradually getting less and less as it's easier to email or text message people these days.

[sporty-shite]

Buying online is easy and often cheaper but it's a shame to see town centres, villages etc slowly winding down because of it. My father in law refuses to have anything to do with the Internet and gets everything from shops. Good on him I say, the world is slowly turning quite 'impersonal' as it is and real life conversations are gradually getting less and less as it's easier to email or text message people these days.

 

This. Problem is, the less people use local shops, the less shops there are. Leading to less people using them, and so on.... Also people's lack of imagination when shopping means that of the few town centres left, they are mostly populated by large chains, and thus look like any other town. How long is it since you went into a small shop/market, bought something and had a bit of a chat with the person who sold it to you? Just doesn't seem to happen anymore, and it's a real shame.

[HillmanImp]

I don't go into town to buy stuff these days at all. Its very rare.

 

With the self service checkouts at supermarkets before long you wont be speaking to anyone. Whenever I can I do queue up and go to a normal checkout with a person. One girl actually said to me 'The self service one is free if you want to use that' so I replied 'I am keeping you in a job love.' to which she looked at me like I was mad.....

[Cavcraft]

Absolutely and when the small shops shut the big shops reap more money and probably starting hiking prices up too, just like the big players in the fuel game did when they started that price watch caper and squeezed smaller garages out of business. I'd rather shop locally and pay a little mire than go to huge shops or out of town retail parks to be honest. When you only want one or two items it costs more in fuel or bus fares to travel anyhow.

 

I think we need to see a major drive into helping people become self employed and offering cheap rent and rates on shops, garages and workshops etc.

[Louise2cv]

With the self service checkouts at supermarkets before long you wont be speaking to anyone. Whenever I can I do queue up and go to a normal checkout with a person.

 

I do this too, unless I'm in a mega rush. It helps that I can't work the stupid things. I've had far more arguements with the selfservice checkouts than the humans working in supermarkets.

 

I don't like the tone of those machines either, esp when they pretty much say "get your receipt and get out" before you've had a chance to put your wallet away, let alone pickup all the stuff (we have to pay for carriers here so being uber tight I have perfected* the art of balancing all of the shopping on the baby instead).

 

The problem is we have all been wooed by the convienence of the supermarket. You can go to one place and get everything. Even if there were still highstreets out there that could offer the same choice (there aren't many) you'd have to spend a lot of time going shop to shop. Most people don't have that time anymore.

[Negative Creep]

If you have anything more than a few items, self service checkouts are useless if you're on your own, since you have to keep moving between scanning and bagging, Much better to go to the actual checkout, where the operator can view your selection of Pot Noodles and own brand bread, and secretly mock you for having failed so utterly at life

[Cavcraft]

Oh aye, here's another whilst we're on the subject:

 

There should be a law that says if any supermarket moves ibnto a small village or town they are not allowed to sell anything that is already catered for by another shop in that area. So for example if there's a bakers and a newsagents in the town then Tesco/Morrison/whoever can't sell bread or papers. Realise that won't help pricing bit I reckon it'd be fairer in the long run.