Do you people watch?

Ken N Tx

Ken N Tx

MALE
Location
Texas
Went supply shopping with the wife yesterday. Dropped her off at the door of the food store and parked near the door.

Watched a young lady rush to the entrance and stayed in there for a short period of time. She came out of the store carrying a step ladder!! She must be taken down her christmas tree and could not reach the angle on top!!

Another woman rushed in the store and come out with a 12 pack of toilet paper!! I wondered if her other half was waiting at home for her return!! LOL

They walk among us..
 

People fascinate me, as long as I don't have to interact with them! I'm glad I have never lived in a city high rise, I would be the guy with the telescope playing voyeur. Not for perverted reasons but simply because all the different people living all their different lives would be better than TV!
 
Yes, it is often a lot of fun.
I like to go to our Board of Directors monthly meetings. If I don't go, we can watch the meeting on TV. We have a special channel that broadcasts it.
I don't remember what subject they were talking about but at one point, one of the ladies sitting there stood up. She was wearing a bicycle helmet inside the room and said "I am well educated, I have a college degree" (pretending somehow as she was much better than her neighbors). The scene was worth it as she looked like she was mentally disturbed with her helmet on! My husband and I just cracked up! What a show!
I never saw her again, or perhaps would not been able to reconize her without the helmet on her head!
 
I enjoy people watching for a variety of reasons.

I particularly enjoy sizing up the contents of peopleā€™s grocery trolleys.

I must admit that I do have to be careful about forming opinions of people based on a tiny snapshot of their life as they pass by.

The moment those personal opinions hit the air they tend to become unfair, and often times, hurtful judgments.
 
For a long period of time I was being paid to "watch people" as a Private Investigator. In the days before the advent of affordable portable video cameras, shooting 35 mm film through a good quality lens/camera combination was how we captured what people were doing. In cases where the subject was claiming an ongoing medical disability due to a physical injury, it was very important that I describe the exact way that a person moved as they did everyday things, like getting into their car, or climbing stairs. The clients were insurance companies and they had very high standards regarding the way that the reports had to be written.
 
Grandfather taught me how to people watch. There was an old-fashioned department store. The kind with a restaurant, escalators and uniformed pretty sales girls. We rode the escalators and checked ladies shoes and hose. I still do. Nothing like all dressed up and worn heels and fuzzies on the instep.
 
I grew up in the city on a very busy avenue. People were coming and going all day. We had a front porch and you could be entertained all day. An added bonus was seeing people you knew pass by and say hello.

I now still live in the city on a more quiet street but there's a train station at the end of the cul-de-sac so we get people coming and going either as foot traffic or vehicle.

One day I watched a young man who parked perpendicular to the curb (as many at the train station end of the street do) try and back his car out after a van, parked on the opposite side of the street, made it tricky to back his large SUV out. It took about 20 minutes and a woman came out of her house to help with the operation.
 
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Aunt Bea said:
I enjoy people watching for a variety of reasons.

I particularly enjoy sizing up the contents of peopleā€™s grocery trolleys.

I must admit that I do have to be careful about forming opinions of people based on a tiny snapshot of their life as they pass by.

The moment those personal opinions hit the air they tend to become unfair, and often times, hurtful judgments.
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You triggered a memory -

It was around the mid-90s. My assistant and I had just finished doing the monthly shopping and I was helping her get our 4 carts full of groceries, hygiene products, and cleaning supplies lined up at a register.

A lady came up behind me with her cart and put her hand on her hip, looking peeved.

She pointed to me and my assistant and said, "I take it you two are together?"

I said, "Yeah, we are. Would you like to go ahead of us?"

Loud enough for everyone to hear, she said, "People shouldn't be allowed to hoard like this!" Then she looked at the checker and yelled, "I can't believe you allow this; it's not right! Look at this! It's piggish! It's selfish!" ...and she went on and on, and everybody was looking at us and getting angry, and someone said something about reporting us to a manager.

And I said, "Whoa, whoa, lady, calm down. I'm shopping for a group-home."

Still angry, she barked "A what?"

I was the director/administrator of a group-home for developmentally disabled adults. I was buying a month's worth of food and supplies for 8 residential clients and the staff...1 overnight employee, 6 rotating daytime employees, 2 housekeepers, and a visiting nurse.
 
Murrmurr said:
You triggered a memory -

It was around the mid-90s. My assistant and I had just finished doing the monthly shopping and I was helping her get our 4 carts full of groceries, hygiene products, and cleaning supplies lined up at a register.

A lady came up behind me with her cart and put her hand on her hip, looking peeved.

She pointed to me and my assistant and said, "I take it you two are together?"

I said, "Yeah, we are. Would you like to go ahead of us?"

Loud enough for everyone to hear, she said, "People shouldn't be allowed to hoard like this!" Then she looked at the checker and yelled, "I can't believe you allow this; it's not right! Look at this! It's piggish! It's selfish!" ...and she went on and on, and everybody was looking at us and getting angry, and someone said something about reporting us to a manager.

And I said, "Whoa, whoa, lady, calm down. I'm shopping for a group-home."

Still angry, she barked "A what?"

I was the director/administrator of a group-home for developmentally disabled adults. I was buying a month's worth of food and supplies for 8 residential clients and the staff...1 overnight employee, 6 rotating daytime employees, 2 housekeepers, and a visiting nurse.
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So what was the reaction once you explained yourself? Did everyone just go back to minding their own business?
 
OldFeller said:
So what was the reaction once you explained yourself? Did everyone just go back to minding their own business?
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Some of them just wanted to stay angry, and that lady still wanted to be "right", but she did look embarrassed. Or maybe confused. I don't think she knew what a group-home was, and, at that point, I wasn't in the mood to teach her.

But I'm pretty sure I gave her my business card.
 
Murrmurr said:
You triggered a memory -

It was around the mid-90s. My assistant and I had just finished doing the monthly shopping and I was helping her get our 4 carts full of groceries, hygiene products, and cleaning supplies lined up at a register.

A lady came up behind me with her cart and put her hand on her hip, looking peeved.

She pointed to me and my assistant and said, "I take it you two are together?"

I said, "Yeah, we are. Would you like to go ahead of us?"

Loud enough for everyone to hear, she said, "People shouldn't be allowed to hoard like this!" Then she looked at the checker and yelled, "I can't believe you allow this; it's not right! Look at this! It's piggish! It's selfish!" ...and she went on and on, and everybody was looking at us and getting angry, and someone said something about reporting us to a manager.

And I said, "Whoa, whoa, lady, calm down. I'm shopping for a group-home."

Still angry, she barked "A what?"

I was the director/administrator of a group-home for developmentally disabled adults. I was buying a month's worth of food and supplies for 8 residential clients and the staff...1 overnight employee, 6 rotating daytime employees, 2 housekeepers, and a visiting nurse.
Click to expand...
That reminded me of the lady who was ticked off about two firemen (in uniform, with their firetruck parked in the lot). She was complaining that they shouldn't be doing their grocery shopping while they were on duty.

Someone told her that they were buying for the station and she asked why they would be buying groceries for the station.

She didn't realize that firemen are on duty for long shifts, a couple of days at a time, and eat, sleep, shower, etc at the firehouse. When she was enlightened, she still wasn't happy.
 

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