Reverse first-world problems: What *good* thing happened to you today?

Page 65 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.

Red Squirrel

No Lifer
May 24, 2003
68,459
12,613
126
www.anyf.ca
There was some OT availability and I managed to get 3 days of OT, including Canada Day which is a stat holiday. I rarely get to work stats or get any OT since I'm 2nd last on seniority list. This is going to be a nice extra chunk of cash. Well, most of it is taxes but whatever. Should still be near an extra grand. Like $800 or so.
 

MtnMan

Diamond Member
Jul 27, 2004
8,960
8,195
136
We keep extra toilet paper rolls on the back of the toilet. Needed a fresh roll to finish the paperwork... tweaked my back reaching for it.
 

BoomerD

No Lifer
Feb 26, 2006
64,208
12,529
136
Ordered 2 pairs of boots on Prime Day. One from Amazon, one from Zappos.
The pair from Zappos were delivered in just over 36 hours.
The pair from Amazon...finally arrived today.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: Captante

Kaido

Elite Member & Kitchen Overlord
Feb 14, 2004
48,704
5,456
136
My local grocery store is beta-testing automated self-checkout:

1. You download an app, sign in, and then sign into the store's wi-fi
2. You use your smartphone camera as a scanner to log everything you put into your basket
3. You walk up to a special light-up pod by the registers (separate lane), click "pay" (app is linked to a card you picked previously), and then just...walk out

No checkout, no self-checkout, no items to scan at the end, no one to talk to, no lines to deal with. Amaaaaaaaazing!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Captante

Kaido

Elite Member & Kitchen Overlord
Feb 14, 2004
48,704
5,456
136
My local grocery store is beta-testing automated self-checkout:

1. You download an app, sign in, and then sign into the store's wi-fi
2. You use your smartphone camera as a scanner to log everything you put into your basket
3. You walk up to a special light-up pod by the registers (separate lane), click "pay" (app is linked to a card you picked previously), and then just...walk out

No checkout, no self-checkout, no items to scan at the end, no one to talk to, no lines to deal with. Amaaaaaaaazing!

I also learned a life-hack from TikTok, which is to keep a couple of plastic laundry bins in your trunk, so you can just walk your cart out straight to the parking lot, dump everything in the baskets, then easily bring your groceries in, and not have to remember bags or buy bags (my state is doing the whole "no more plastic bags & you have to pay for paper bags" thing now). Genius!
 
  • Like
Reactions: MtnMan and Captante

kn51

Senior member
Aug 16, 2012
700
120
106
We've been doing grocery pickup at Walmart. It's great and convenient, but the amount of bags they use (they'll toss a single item into a bag) is laughably bad and wasteful.
 

Red Squirrel

No Lifer
May 24, 2003
68,459
12,613
126
www.anyf.ca
My local grocery store is beta-testing automated self-checkout:

1. You download an app, sign in, and then sign into the store's wi-fi
2. You use your smartphone camera as a scanner to log everything you put into your basket
3. You walk up to a special light-up pod by the registers (separate lane), click "pay" (app is linked to a card you picked previously), and then just...walk out

No checkout, no self-checkout, no items to scan at the end, no one to talk to, no lines to deal with. Amaaaaaaaazing!

I hate that everything is moving to forcing you to install apps. I don't want to download some stupid app, that will probably also spy on me. Seems everything is going that way and soon we won't have a choice.
 

lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
57,981
8,220
126
I also learned a life-hack from TikTok, which is to keep a couple of plastic laundry bins in your trunk, so you can just walk your cart out straight to the parking lot, dump everything in the baskets, then easily bring your groceries in, and not have to remember bags or buy bags (my state is doing the whole "no more plastic bags & you have to pay for paper bags" thing now). Genius!
I do that, except I use boxes from aldi. If I don't happen to have a box with me, I just put everything in the truck loose, and get a box when I get home. Boxes are easy to come by, and are 100% post consumer recycled content ;^)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Kaido

MtnMan

Diamond Member
Jul 27, 2004
8,960
8,195
136
My local grocery store is beta-testing automated self-checkout:

1. You download an app, sign in, and then sign into the store's wi-fi
2. You use your smartphone camera as a scanner to log everything you put into your basket
3. You walk up to a special light-up pod by the registers (separate lane), click "pay" (app is linked to a card you picked previously), and then just...walk out

No checkout, no self-checkout, no items to scan at the end, no one to talk to, no lines to deal with. Amaaaaaaaazing!
Sam's has a scan-n-go app. Scan as you go, when done click check out, select payment and pay. Person at door scans QR code on your phone, just like they scan paper receipts, and you're done.

Don't have to deal with people at check out lines, specifically the other shoppers who forgot something, decides they don't want something, or don't start looking for their card/check/cash until the order is all rung up.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Kaido

MtnMan

Diamond Member
Jul 27, 2004
8,960
8,195
136
We've been doing grocery pickup at Walmart. It's great and convenient, but the amount of bags they use (they'll toss a single item into a bag) is laughably bad and wasteful.
Several local grocery chains have started curbside pickup since covid. Sam's Club also has it. I hope they keep it, it's a great service, convenient and saves a lot of time. Wal-Wart one is ok, but so much of their produce and meat just sucks.
 

Kaido

Elite Member & Kitchen Overlord
Feb 14, 2004
48,704
5,456
136
I hate that everything is moving to forcing you to install apps. I don't want to download some stupid app, that will probably also spy on me. Seems everything is going that way and soon we won't have a choice.

The app has a full history of everything I've ever bought using it, pricing, dates, times, etc. Yup. #BigBrother

Not a big deal until you realize the correlations they can make for things like breakups, stressful situations, pregnancies, miscarriages, political leanings, sports affiliations, etc. This article was from 2015: "Websites Can Probably Guess Your Identity With Three Basic Data Points"


And then this nonsense:


Some crazy points:

1. As you search Google, they're searching you
2. They know everywhere you've been every day for several years
3. They have a detailed portrait of your life & interests. All of the hours of Youtube you've watched, things you've lingered on, searches you've done, etc.

And now grocery stores are getting in on the action! The tradeoff is that I don't have to talk to anybody or even go through self-checkout, I can just use the app & yeet myself out of the store hahahhaha
 
Last edited:

ponyo

Lifer
Feb 14, 2002
19,688
2,810
126
I also learned a life-hack from TikTok, which is to keep a couple of plastic laundry bins in your trunk, so you can just walk your cart out straight to the parking lot, dump everything in the baskets, then easily bring your groceries in, and not have to remember bags or buy bags (my state is doing the whole "no more plastic bags & you have to pay for paper bags" thing now). Genius!
Laundry bins take up space and is harder to carry into the house. I keep Costco insulated shopping bag for refrigerator items and Kirkland oversized mesh shopper tote bags in my car trunk. Doesn't take up much space, way easier to carry, and can be used for picnics, parks, beach, etc.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Kaido

IronWing

No Lifer
Jul 20, 2001
70,211
28,916
136
And now grocery stores are getting in on the action! The tradeoff is that I don't have to talk to anybody or even go through self-checkout, I can just use the app & yeet myself out of the store hahahhaha
Grocery stores have been data mining for decades. That's what the "loyalty" cards are all about.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Kaido

MtnMan

Diamond Member
Jul 27, 2004
8,960
8,195
136
Grocery stores have been data mining for decades. That's what the "loyalty" cards are all about.
Yep, but it's a trade-off. Last time we did a big run to Harris Teeter I watched the total climb north of $300, but once the loyalty card was applied it dropped to $170ish. Keeping my grocery purchases private vs. $130+ savings... not a hard call.
 
  • Wow
Reactions: Kaido

Red Squirrel

No Lifer
May 24, 2003
68,459
12,613
126
www.anyf.ca
I may potentially have bought some acreage bush property after looking for a few years. Was starting to lose hope as the market is insane with people from down south buying up property here like crazy. Got a verbally accepted offer, most of the real estate documents are signed, I just need to go see it tomorrow and then it will be the thing of waiting for the owner to officially accept the offer. So I'm trying not to get my hopes up quite yet just in case he changes his mind but I'd say it's like a 95% go.

40 acres of bush land for about 43k. Goal is to build a camp, but long term goal is to live there. It's an hour from where I live so too far to keep my current job, so I'd probably want to find some kind of remote job if I lived there but I won't worry about that for now as there will be a lot of work to put into it before it's in a year round livable state.

It's close to a provincial park and there is also lot of lakes along that whole road. So while it's not a lake front property I'll have plenty of access to lakes. I will probably eventually build a pool or pond as well. Tons of potential. It's unorganized township so no need for permits or any of that BS.
 

sdifox

No Lifer
Sep 30, 2005
96,951
16,210
126
Laundry bins take up space and is harder to carry into the house. I keep Costco insulated shopping bag for refrigerator items and Kirkland oversized mesh shopper tote bags in my car trunk. Doesn't take up much space, way easier to carry, and can be used for picnics, parks, beach, etc.
I like the blue woven plastic bag from IKEA. They are large and strong. I must have a dozen of them.
 

snoopy7548

Diamond Member
Jan 1, 2005
8,126
5,151
146
I may potentially have bought some acreage bush property after looking for a few years. Was starting to lose hope as the market is insane with people from down south buying up property here like crazy. Got a verbally accepted offer, most of the real estate documents are signed, I just need to go see it tomorrow and then it will be the thing of waiting for the owner to officially accept the offer. So I'm trying not to get my hopes up quite yet just in case he changes his mind but I'd say it's like a 95% go.

40 acres of bush land for about 43k. Goal is to build a camp, but long term goal is to live there. It's an hour from where I live so too far to keep my current job, so I'd probably want to find some kind of remote job if I lived there but I won't worry about that for now as there will be a lot of work to put into it before it's in a year round livable state.

It's close to a provincial park and there is also lot of lakes along that whole road. So while it's not a lake front property I'll have plenty of access to lakes. I will probably eventually build a pool or pond as well. Tons of potential. It's unorganized township so no need for permits or any of that BS.

You should build an ATOT Camp, where we can all live together in peace and harmony.
 

Kaido

Elite Member & Kitchen Overlord
Feb 14, 2004
48,704
5,456
136
I like the blue woven plastic bag from IKEA. They are large and strong. I must have a dozen of them.

I just bought my first one the other day. It's like having a giant strong, reusable trash bag, but for carrying stuff!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Captante

highland145

Lifer
Oct 12, 2009
43,936
6,311
136
2015, new customer pays her 1st payment with a bad check. Refused to pick it up nor did she make any more payments. I turned the check over to the solicitors office. She still didn't pick it up so the judge signed a bench warrant. :D They tell me that they won't go look for her but the next time she gets stopped, she will get locked up.

1/5/2021, surprise, surprise...:D I got my check today. She had to pay a $500 pr bond, $195 in court fines, my $68 +$30 bad check charge. Would have been cheaper to pay me.