A Lecture from Walmart

CyclingSam

Arachnoknight
Joined
May 22, 2016
Messages
214
So, I was doing some prints at the Walmart Photo Center with my daughter. The woman behind the counter pulled the photos off the printer and approached me with a discussed face. She then asked me, "What are these?!" I confidently responded, they are some photographs that I took of our tarantulas. She then made a number of noises expressing discussed and disapproval. She then proceeded to lecture me on having such awful things in my house with my children, how it was unsafe, and how I was wasting money printing photos at the instant print when I could have used the 1 hour print (I need to spend the saved money on my children). I was nice to her and thanked her for her unsolicited advice. All the while in my head I'm thinking, I bet she thinks I'm an irresponsible teen parent (I look very young), I bet she would be shocked to know that my wife owns her own mental health practice and I have accepted a post graduate position at a law firm. "Dang irresponsible kids theses days... and their spiders! hmmmmffff!!! Don't even think of their children." By the way, this whole time my daughter is excitedly trying to tell her about all our spiders. I'll end my rant here. Anyone else get lectured by strangers?
 

Arachnomaniac19

Arachnolord
Joined
Aug 23, 2014
Messages
652
I'd be pretty POed if someone talked to me like that in front of my kids (if I had any). Most people that I talk to about Ts are fascinated with them. I guess I'm lucky!
 

CyclingSam

Arachnoknight
Joined
May 22, 2016
Messages
214
I'd be pretty POed if someone talked to me like that in front of my kids (if I had any). Most people that I talk to about Ts are fascinated with them. I guess I'm lucky!
If she was not an old lady, I would have probably reacted differently. I am honestly still very confused about the whole encounter.
 

EulersK

Arachnonomicon
Staff member
Joined
Feb 22, 2013
Messages
3,292
If she was not an old lady, I would have probably reacted differently. I am honestly still very confused about the whole encounter.
That would have made me more angry. She should be wiser than that. I commend you for how you handled the situation, because I'm sure that I would have lost my cool. I'm not sure why people think it's their job to tell you what you should be doing. You've gotten your daughter interested in a scientific hobby rather than playing with dolls, and both of her parents are educated professionals. Meanwhile, this old woman is working at a Walmart photo booth. Perhaps she shouldn't be dishing out life advice.
 

Ungoliant

Malleus Aranearum
Staff member
Joined
Mar 7, 2012
Messages
4,096
She then proceeded to lecture me on having such awful things in my house with my children, how it was unsafe, and how I was wasting money printing photos at the instant print when I could have used the 1 hour print (I need to spend the saved money on my children).
I bet she wouldn't have had anything bad to say if it were a much more expensive (and statistically more dangerous) dog.
 

Walker253

Arachnobaron
Joined
Jun 12, 2016
Messages
554
I would have asked her how she really felt. If she turned into even more of a Great Big B, I would of reminded her of her minimum wage and part time status and told her to do her job before "we" needed to talk to someone.

On the other side of the spectrum, I was at my local Container Store last week. I bought 3 Snapware containers. The lady asked me what I was going to put in them (they are always friendly and like to spur up conversation with me). I told her I keep tarantulas in them. Her response was epic. She looked me right in the eyes and said, "So you're the guy". I said that indeed I was and she must have talked to a coworker of hers. She was fearful, but fascinated by tarantulas. We talked for about 15 minutes before I had to go. It was quite fun.
 

cold blood

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jan 19, 2014
Messages
13,223
I would have loved to have seen this....I can just see your girl, all excited and proud in the face of ignorance. I'm sure she made you proud.:cigar:

Stupid people make the world a more interesting place....they always seem so confident in their lack of knowledge.:rofl:
 

CyclingSam

Arachnoknight
Joined
May 22, 2016
Messages
214
I would have loved to have seen this....I can just see your girl, all excited and proud in the face of ignorance. I'm sure she made you proud.:cigar:

Stupid people make the world a more interesting place....they always seem so confident in their lack of knowledge.:rofl:
She did indeed make me proud.
 

Chris LXXIX

ArachnoGod
Joined
Dec 25, 2014
Messages
5,845
Oh but she was just a normal old Lady, you know. The way she acted etc all normal.

Now if such a Lady in that same situation, smiling and in a gentle way would had suggested to buy a S.calceatum that would be for me the signal to escape fast as hell. Remember the first Men in Black movie, Agent J test: the dangerous alien wasn't that full of bubbles monster but the little girl with the book, acting innocent u_u
 

Moakmeister

Arachnodemon
Joined
Oct 6, 2016
Messages
741
DISCLAIMER: I don't actually hold this opinion of Walmart employees, and if anyone here works a minumum wage job, I'm not insulting you. But to this nasty woman, this would have been my reply:


"'S'cuse me, ma'am? Are you trynna give ME life advice and tell ME that I'm irresponsible? I don't know if you noticed, but you're working as a cashier for a friggin Walmart. My kids and I have a future. You don't. You messed up somewhere. You get paid $3 a week. I can find that much money on the floor of my house."
 

viper69

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 8, 2006
Messages
17,851
@CyclingSam you are a nicer guy than me! At what point would I have told her to shut her mouth before she uses up too much oxygen...right when she opened her mouth before she spoke.

People like that disgust me. It's not her business what you do. Do your job, and shut it.
 

Spidermolt

Arachnoknight
Joined
May 29, 2015
Messages
203
So, I was doing some prints at the Walmart Photo Center with my daughter. The woman behind the counter pulled the photos off the printer and approached me with a discussed face. She then asked me, "What are these?!" I confidently responded, they are some photographs that I took of our tarantulas. She then made a number of noises expressing discussed and disapproval. She then proceeded to lecture me on having such awful things in my house with my children, how it was unsafe, and how I was wasting money printing photos at the instant print when I could have used the 1 hour print (I need to spend the saved money on my children). I was nice to her and thanked her for her unsolicited advice. All the while in my head I'm thinking, I bet she thinks I'm an irresponsible teen parent (I look very young), I bet she would be shocked to know that my wife owns her own mental health practice and I have accepted a post graduate position at a law firm. "Dang irresponsible kids theses days... and their spiders! hmmmmffff!!! Don't even think of their children." By the way, this whole time my daughter is excitedly trying to tell her about all our spiders. I'll end my rant here. Anyone else get lectured by strangers?
(you stupid teen what don't you get from this?!!............ stupid IDIOT. :troll:)

LOL so Honesty I see this all the time and all you have to do is realize that most people agree on what others think of because of Peer pressure and Acceptance while anyone willing to go outside the box is a weird outcast.

Just remember that all you have to do is ignore ignorance and accept the acceptances.
 

EulersK

Arachnonomicon
Staff member
Joined
Feb 22, 2013
Messages
3,292
As someone who works retail, I approve of the responses in here :D

You all rock.
 

Jeff23

Arachnolord
Joined
Jul 27, 2016
Messages
620
I try to use Amazon instead of Walmart as much as possible. But recently the urge to search through their containers has brought me into their stores.

It is funny how people make judgement of others without knowing anything about them. When I first started this hobby, I boarded an airline flight and was starting to read The Tarantula Keeper's Guide on Kindle. One of the Flight Attendants was closing the overhead storage units and was too short to reach the one above me so I helped her out. She then saw the anatomy of a spider with labels on my android tablet and asked me if I was a scientist. I decided that I better say no since I wouldn't be able to read fast enough to quickly become one.
 

HybridReplicate

Spectrostatic
Joined
Jan 26, 2017
Messages
107
"Oh, you've got it all wrong," he said as he reached down to hoist his bag into his lap, "they're quite friendly! In fact I have one in here!" The busy body's jaw went lax, her pinched eyes gone wide and she unconsciously scampered a few steps back. Her fear was palpable, now she had no words. Happily smiling and pretending to be oblivious to her plight the young man prattled on as he started to unzip the bag, "Their venom is fatal...to insects, that is, to humans it's merely irritating and a little painful."

He finished unzipping his bag and began to reach inside as he continued to merrily chat, "did you know the fangs of Theraphosa blondi, the Goliath bird eater," quickly withdrawing his hand from just inside the bag he measured a distance between thumb and forefinger as the woman jumped and let loose a low whimper, "can be an inch and a half long? You don't need to worry, though, this one's fangs are quite a bit shorter," the young man plunged his arm into his bag up to the elbow and life suddenly flowed into the petrified woman's limbs as she emitted a high pitched keening and beat a hasty retreat.

o_O
 

Rittdk01

Arachnoknight
Joined
Oct 4, 2016
Messages
258
Adoramapix. You can print pictures from home, come in three days, and they aren't the glorified inkjets u get at the instant booth. Btw, anyway knocking the old lady for working at Walmart.....tacky. she sounds really annoying, but holding your noses up is even more so.
 

johnny quango

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
May 17, 2013
Messages
260
I had something similar only it wasn't a stranger.
I was called to the office at work when my boss learned of my hobby and was told not to expect any sympathy or support if I needed any time off over my 7 weeks paid sick leave if you get bitten,
Me being me my response was less than funny apparently (in my head it sounded funny) I calmly said if at my age I need help to administer pain killers or antihistamine tablets then I really am in trouble and for the record I'm more likely to die of boredom in a meeting with you.

I was given a conduct warning on my file for 6 months for my attitude towards my superior this was almost extended to 12 months after I stated that because he had a name badge didn't make him my superior.
Btw he got fired 18 months ago for being useless at his job whereas I'm currently in my 14th year
 

Andrea82

Arachnoemperor
Joined
Jan 12, 2016
Messages
3,686
DISCLAIMER: I don't actually hold this opinion of Walmart employees, and if anyone here works a minumum wage job, I'm not insulting you. But to this nasty woman, this would have been my reply:


"'S'cuse me, ma'am? Are you trynna give ME life advice and tell ME that I'm irresponsible? I don't know if you noticed, but you're working as a cashier for a friggin Walmart. My kids and I have a future. You don't. You messed up somewhere. You get paid $3 a week. I can find that much money on the floor of my house."
The lady gets $3 a WEEK?
I really really hope you are joking. Because if this is true, she has every right to be snappish.
Though i don't approve of her sticking her nose in other people's business, i think OP handled it politely. No need to bash the lady because she makes less money and has an undesired employment.
I would be annoyed and ticked off as well, but i would keep my reply focussed on her giving unsollicited advice, i would never stoop so low to lash out at her working in walmart.
 
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