One of my PP is people standing in the aisle visiting when I am shopping. (It must be inherited because my brother was banned from his local Wal-mart for telling a lady he was going to physically move her if she didn't move.) Also when the whole family goes grocery shopping. It only take one person, my husband has not seen the grocery aisles in years. I am on a mission when I shop and try to stay out of other people's way.

Gotta disagree with excessfroufrou about it only taking one person to go grocery shopping. There are so many variable circumstances within families that it's impossible to decide who "should" be there and who "should not." I can't imagine being so rude as to tell someone to move either. I don't understand how that's any less "selfish" than someone who is standing in your way (probably unknowingly).

People talking on the cell phone when they are shopping at Dillards. I don't even ask them if they need help if they are on the cell. Also those bluetooth phones - like it has been implanted in the head.

Just wanted to add that hey, if it's your peeve, you're certainly entitled to it. Just expressing my own thoughts on the subject above, that's all. Y'know ... $.02 and all that jazz.
;-)

Getting my ankles bumped by baby strollers when I am in a crowded place. And yes we had strollers too, but avoided crowds or if not possible we were careful not to run or bump into anyone. Also when they stop and block the way with the strollers, as if they are the only ones there, and make no attempt to make room for others.

If we avoid pet peeves about children and grammar, we'll be fine.

I always hold the door when coming out of busy places like subway, etc...
it's nice to get a nod or a thank you. I don't HAVE to hold it for you.

Monster trucks that are street legal and all jacked up. They look dangerous to themselves and others.

Grouchy drivers. Grouchy people.

Intolerance.

People with no sense of humor.

People who attack the person instead of the idea. People who take ideas that are different than theirs personal. Ideas don't have feelings.

Sounds like a few of these PP could be eliminated with a little patience. ;)

I remember when I was still writing checks and how uncomfortable I became knowing I was slowing down the process for everyone behind me. Now I try to not let it become an issue with others who write ... especially the elderly. God-willing, we'll all be there someday.

My PP is products ... or the disappearance of. You buy something on a regular basis and then all of a sudden it's no longer available.

When I want to write a check, I start it while I am in line. By the time I get waited on, all I have left to do is write in the amount.

I write checks for anything tax deductible, just to make it easier. My bank still sends my cancelled checks back to me each month.

Thankfully one of my pet peeves seems to be dying off in the age of using credit cards to pay for everything.

It never made me angry, but I could never quite understand it.

When someone is in line at the grocery store, and it has taken several minutes for the cashier to scan all of the groceries and bag them up, and after the customer has stood there the entire time do they realize that they actually have to pay for the goods that they are buying. And then they start digging around their bottomless pit of a purse(sorry, in this scenario it has always been a lady, in my experience), finally extracting their checkbook, and then SSSSSSSSSSSSloooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooowwllllyyyyyyyyyyy start writing the check out.

Are they that reluctant to part with their money? Forgot they have to pay for stuff? I've never really understood it and never had the nerve to ask. When I used to pay for things with checks, I'd have everything filled out except the amount by the time the cashier had finished ringing me up. But then again, "multi-tasking" is my middle name. :)

Hmmm, after typing this up, it occurred to me that those ladies were most likely intent on making sure the cashier rung up everything correctly.

Natal - my peeve was certainly NOT directed at the elderly. I guess, in this day of modern convenience, it's rare to see someone actually write a check LOL. That's fine, but if you must write one, don't take all day about it. I'm not the one who said they commented to the *little old lady*. You know you are going to write a check, as someone else mentioned, have it filled in other than the amount.

It's rare for my husband or I to write a check.

tina

Tina, I knew that, lol.

When I wrote checks they were filled out except for the amount, but not everyone is wired the same way.

Golddust, I didn't know banks returned checks anymore.

Hmmm, after typing this up, it occurred to me that those ladies were most likely intent on making sure the cashier rung up everything correctly.

Precisely. I know that I watch everything come up on the screen as it's scanned, as I've seen items ring up improperly before. I'm not rummaging in my purse for my check card during this time, because I'm busy watching and making sure I'm being charged correctly, as you say.

I think Natal is correct in that being patient and having empathy for that person who is causing a "peeve alarm" to sound could very well be the solution. I don't think that most people go out of their way to slow others down or inconvenience others or p*ss others off, but it's easy to jump to conclusions and to choose to view the actions of others in the most negative light possible. A little understanding and compassion goes a long way whenever I start to feel my patience slipping.

Warning: Sarcasm alert....My pet peeve is how peeved some people get at pet peeves.

"Warning: Sarcasm alert....My pet peeve is how peeved some people get at pet peeves."

I have a sneaking suspicion that's why they're usually posted.

I'm not peeved at the peeves of others. I just think some of them are pretty much a waste of valuable energy though.
;-)

LOL, like Squirrel said "not another hot topic".

I agree Jen. I am usually pretty patient and these are just *peeves* here, not necessarily something we actually react to. You are right - people don't set out to slow other down, cause problems, etc. A little consideration for others goes a long way.

Whew Natal! I didn't want you to think I ran around being not nice to the elderly! LOL

tina

Absurd warning labels.

On a packet of plain planters peanuts :ALLERGY WARNING: contains peanuts
On a gallon of milk : ALLERGY WARNING: contains milk products
On my birth control pills : Do not become pregnant while using this product.
Hair Dryer: Do not use while sleeping.

I feel the need to explain that I am not being cavalier about peanut and milk allergies and I do understand how dangerous these can be. I'm talking about the absurdity of warning people that a packet of peanuts contains......peanuts.

The little banks send checks back. I have ignored chain banks forever, choosing
the local, community banks.

Heck, my bank just went online. I gave them my DS's funky tiki bar for their celebration decor, which was a Tiki theme. I had only one requirement. They could not give it back. They were thrilled to get it, I was more thrilled to get rid of it. LOL!

My biggest PP are people driving in the left lane on the highway. Not a busy freeway in the city, but out on a highway where they could drive for a while in the right lane and if somebody slower is in front of them move out in the left lane and then back to the right lane again.

It really isn't that hard to change lanes. It is even worse when these people drive under the speed limit. They are causing a back-up of the normal traffic flow. If you are not passing stay in the right lane.

BTW for the record I drive the speed limit so it is not that I'm a speed deamon and these irritate me due to impatience. I set the cruise at the speed limit and go. What bothers me is that they often disrupt the flow and cause people that are impatient to do maneuvers that they shouldn't be doing and endangering other people. Yes their problem for doing so, but I think the other driver is responsible too.

The 2nd PP I have is also related to traffic and highway driving. Why can't people maintain their speed, but have to go between 55 and 80 in a 70. Love the ones that go 55 and I come up to them, move into the right lane and then they speed up to 80, so I move back and then they do it again.

Can ya'll tell I do a lot of driving.

I don't think that there is anything wrong with expressing a slight annoyance over trivial things. In doing so, we might learn the reason why a person does whatever it is that annoys us. It really was not until I was typing up my previous response that it occurred to me why people were waiting to write out their checks. I never would have asked one of those actual people why they were waiting to write their checks. I never said anything rude to them about it. I didn't stand around huffing and puffing and shooting hateful stares at them while I waited patiently in line behind them. I'm sure they had no idea I was wondering why they didn't have their check ready. And why should they? They had plenty of other things to be concerned about. But now I think about it differently and I doubt it will ever annoy me again. :)

Jen..LOL...I'm so with you on the fear mongering. But I will say that I'm a little unsure of what to do about the Swine Flu shot when it comes out in the fall. I was going to start a separate thread on it. And no I'm not paranoid! LOL

My PP is automated phone systems that put you in a perpetual loop.

Okay, in all fairness to me, I go to the grocery store about once a week and stock up, so my check is written long before the items are rung up! :)

I don't think that most people go out of their way to slow others down or inconvenience others or p*ss others off,

I agree. Most rude behavior stems from a lack of situational awareness - being aware of how one's actions are affecting other people. That's why I feel so strongly that people who are being inconvenienced should speak up politely when it is happening.

I just went back-to-school shopping with my kids, so this pet peeve is fresh in my memory: "Would you like to open a [Gap/Macy's/Target/Fill-in-the-blank] charge and save 10%?" Then, if you say no, they feel obliged to tell you what you would have saved if you had accepted their offer ("You could have saved $7.40 on your purchase today!"). Arggh.

Recently, I decided to re-open my Macy's and Penneys credit card. I take advantage of their savings then immediately request to make a payment. Sometimes I just go to another counter so I don't hold up the line, if there is one.

Can you say cheap?

My pet peeves...

visible bra straps. WHY???

spitting. Ugh, can barely type that.

people wearing bedroom slippers as shoes.

My pet peeve is call waiting.
I do not have call waiting . If I had teen agers I might.
If I am talking to someone I find it rude to be told to hang on while they "get that call".
I always count to 25 and if I'm still on hold I hang up.
Rudeness has become synonymous with phones of any kind.

Of any irritations I encounter in a day the cell phone is at the top of my list.
I saved the best for last.
If I am spending time with anyone I expect that time to be our time without the intrusion of
cell phones and test messaging.
Since these are my only "get wadded up peeves" I would say
I am pretty easy going about life in general.

I think it's funny when I spend $5.00 at Target and they tell me that I could have saved 50 cents if I opened a Target card.

Almost every thing that annoys me is something that I myself have done to others without really thinking about it. So, I'm going to list as my annoyance, something that I have never done to someone else, even thought I've worked at a bank, at several restaurants, and several retail stores.

I absolutely hate it, when I am getting my change back from the drugstore clerk, the drivethru guy, or the supermarket checker.......and they put my receipt in my hand, followed by my bills, followed with a hearty thank you and the loose change on top. Now, I'm supposed to get out of the way of the next person in line, while juggling coin precariously balanced on cash, with a piece of paper fluttering at the bottom. Sometimes, I just cram it in my wallet and go....(Drivethru maybe, where my change is like $1.32 or so) Sometimes I meticulously pick up the coin and put it in my zippered coin compartment, count the bills and place them in my wallet, and then, put the receipt where it belongs in my bag or in the shopping bag. I usually do this where there is substantial cash involved and I need to save the receipt. Finally, the lion's share of the time, I try to toss the coin in it's spot, and put away my cash while apologetically saying, "Just a moment, I need to put away my cash."
I hand my clients their receipt. That way, they can put it away or crumple it in their pocket. Then, I hand the coin. Ladies put it in their purse, men stuff it in their pockets. Then, I count the bills. I really don't see why it's so hard for clerks and counter people to do this. And I don't feel any sense of power while the line waits for me to put my stuff away and shoulder my purse. I only feel sorry that the clerk placed me in the position of holding up the line.

Red

When my alarm clock goes off at 5:00 am!

I also detest it when cashiers hand me the receipt with the cash on top. If it's close enough I grab the receipt first before they have time to pile change on it.

I also don't like it when a cashier holds the receipt until I sign the credit card slip first. That's insulting.

My biggest pet peeve in grocery stores are carts that are not maintained by the store. Nothing ruins the shopping experience quicker than the sound of my cart's wheels thumping down the isles...vering right the entire time.

Someone already mentioned the disappearing products. Every time I find a styling cream that I like, I never see it in stores again! I almost always meet another person in the hair products aisle having the same problem.

Another annoyance: Why is every Target laid out differently? Is it so you'll have to wander through the entire store and hopefully make more impulse purchases? Whenever I enter a different Target, I feel like I'm in bizarro world. Everything looks similar but nothing is where it should be.

I also think it is odd/silly to call a lawn mower a "tractor". When I hear people talk about "getting on the tractor" and then see them putt-putting around on their lawn mower with their knees up to their chin, I get a case of the giggles.

Karma. It came back to me today! So here I was in the grocery store. I had a LOT of stuff to get because we're having a cook-out on Tuesday with guests. Halfway through shopping I got a pain in my stomach, then I had to "go." Badly. Anyone who's had their gallbladder removed knows what I'm talking about. ;)

I get half the stuff I needed with plans to go back. At the checkout was a little old lady, who only bought a loaf of bread or something, and it took her FOREVER to pay for it. And here I am squirming. Then I had to drive 15 minutes to get home! lol

I had my check written before it was all rung up. :)

I also detest it when cashiers hand me the receipt with the cash on top. If it's close enough I grab the receipt first before they have time to pile change on it.

OK, that bugs me too. It's like I have to completely "shift" everything I'm holding, and sometimes I have to sit my package and purse back down on the counter to sort everything out before I can get going. I don't want to just cram the receipt and the cash into my wallet and have to sort it our later (usually what happens is that I wait until the contents are bulging, and then deal with it, and that's a pain). I realize the cashiers are instructed to do this in order to ensure that every customer actually receives a receipt, but don't they realize how this inevitably slows down the line?

Wearing anything pajama/slipper type out in public. I see this mainly in the grocery stores.

Any pant bottoms that drag the floor and you see how dirty they are, and then you wear them in your own house??? Gross!

I agree with udontknowme,it might be healthy to state your pet peeves here, I thought that was the topic. I unlike my brother have never been rude or even said anything to anybody visiting in the grocery aisles. However I will admit I could use more patience.

I think it's fine to say *excuse me* (nicely of course) to someone blocking a grocery aisle. I have had to do this when two people - and two carts are stopped in the aisle conversing.

tina

My pet peeve is people who aren't considerate of others.

Move to the side if you want to talk, in the grocery store, on the sidewalk, or in front of a door. Pull over to right lane if you are driving the speed limit so others can pass. Get your check ready ahead of time at the grocery store. Watch your mouth around young children. How about a smile for others. It all boils down to common courtesy.

That being said I consciously try to remind my children of these things and instill in them the need for patience regarding others. Of course this falls on a deaf ear to my DH who is irritated by all of these peeves and has no patience for any of them! He happens to think he's the only one entitled to the road,the sidewalk,etc. on any given day! He is also very courteous, but not very paitent.

Been there, Oakly! That is another of my PP's...lack of restrooms in BIG stores.

A very pregnant coworker was telling me that last night she took her 6 yo and 3 yo out school supply shopping. They were at the far end of the store, and the restrooms were near the entrance. Naturally the 3 yo had to go potty RIGHT NOW. So she's got to scoop up the 3yo, disentangle the 6 yo from his shopping for just the right folder, and haul off to the bathroom.

WHY don't they design these big stores with more than one restroom? (And speaking of Target...why does my store always seem to have the *only* ladies room out of service every time I go in there??)

Long lines
Light blue eye shadow
Lipstick over the lip line
Loud music playing in cars
Dollies
Fighting over politics
Daisy Duke shorts on middle aged women

...Jane

People who fail to use their turn signals when they are turning. Is it really THAT hard???? Or when you are behind them at a light, and after the light changes they decide to turn left, and THEN they put their signal on, and you're stuck behind them and they finally turn when the light changes yellow, and then your stuck waiting to go straight at the next light. UUUGGGHHHHHH!!!

Hmm. It's not really an issue anymore, thankfully, but as a vegetarian, I have gotten annoyed when . . .

(1) people read me the menu and point out vegetarian items. I am a vegetarian, not illiterate.
(2) people think if a restaurant serves salad, then it's a good enough vegetarian meal. I'm hungry, people! Salad alone doesn't cut it!
(3) people want to debate vegetarianism with me. I leave omnivores alone-- why do they care about my choice? In fact, I tell people (if they ask) NOT to be vegetarians, just to eat meat in moderation and/or buy free-range. IF they ask (really, it's when they tell me they feel guilty for not being a vegetarian), and never during meals.
(4) people tell me I'm not really a vegetarian because I use milk products and free-range eggs. I try to explain veganism (that I'm not one!) to them but they don't get it. Actually, this only happened once, at a WEDDING (when I was discreetly eating my veggie entree) with a total stranger. So, not something ongoing.
(5) people tell me they are vegetarians, but then order chicken, beef, whatever when we are out together. I mean, I do NOT CARE if someone is a vegetarian (I rarely discuss it), but why lie? The only reason I use a label ever is because it can be awkward when I am invited to dinner at someone's house and I haven't mentioned it.

Dollies, Jane did you mean doilies ? or did you mean small dolls ?

Okay, I have one...
Styrofoam packing peanuts!
Due to a family illness, we have been receiving all sorts of thoughtful gifts from friends & associates. Many have been shipped and the gift comes packed in those #@$%* peanuts. No matter how careful you try to be, those d*mn things escape from the package and end up somewhere else. And then they cling to your hand when you try to throw them out. They. are. driving. me. crazy.
Displaced frustration? Maybe, but they are my current pet peeve. As I type this I spy another one clinging to the glass top table......

I meant to say doilies but a room full of dolls creeps me out too. (lol) You ask Mitch. (wink!)

I noticed sooo many people had very similiar or even the same pet peeves.
Very common situations everywhere.
Only one other person mentioned the phone (threegrad).
Am I alone on this or has it already been talked to death on here and I missed it?
Linda

mitch, re: holding the door . . .that is another one of mine. I hold the door for my own children, but then I have to run after them (they are 7, 4, and 2). This has happened sooooooo many times . . .the person after my children will either continue walking through the door (assuming I am holding it for them) or parents send their children first, so I HAVE to hold it for them because I don't want to bang their children, but I don't want to lose sight of my own. I never know what to do.

I am SO thankful when someone holds the door open for us, though, esp. when I have a stroller. And I always say "thank you!" (You are right though, I don't hear it when I hold the door . . .)

My pet peeve is children who eat peanut butter honey sandwiches and midway have to "go" and then proceed to grip the seat leaving just enough residue that when mommy uses the aforementioned seat, she ends up with a cheek sticking to her thigh.

anele, I agree on your vegetarian list as well but I would also add to that a complaint about family members who insist that you need meat, you are too thin (happens to Dh, not me on that one) etc.

newdawn, agree on both, lol..

anele, I help out with strollers when I can, only takes seconds.