Monday, June 30, 2008

If only you'd paid attention.

The boyfriend and I went out this weekend with the hopes of finding a good camera store with a friendly salesperson to answer a few questions for us. (Little did I know boyfriend was fully ready to buy me a camera right there and then!) We drove around for a while and ended up at this place in Woodland Hills called Woodland Hills Camera & Telescopes. Looking back, it seems like they are much more a telescope place than a camera place, but hi, their name has "camera" in it, so we went in expecting to talk to someone who knew something about cameras.

Here's how our experience went: We go into the cramped store. There's a middle-aged man helping a guy at the back counter, and an old man, a teenage boy, and a middle-aged woman working in the store with several customers. I head back to back counter, where the middle-aged guy is helping a guy choose between two point and shoot cameras. Since neither of them are a Nikon or a Canon (or even an Olympus, for that matter), I start to wonder. There's a lady waiting after him, and I approach and start to look at the SLR and DSLR cameras they sell.

I make eye contact with the guy to let him know we have some questions and stand patiently for at least five to ten minutes while he helps the other two customers. The guy who is weighing his options between the point and shoots asks for a minute to think about it, and we are finally helped.

Or, should I say, not helped. This guy was a complete asshole. He was rude, he was standoffish, and most importantly, he didn't seem to give a shit about the fact that the cameras we were looking at were at least TWICE the price as the guy dilly dallying about the point and shoots.

We were ready to buy! We were ready to say, ok, wrap it up and let's go! If only he had paid attention to us, and given us the quality of service you'd think would keep a mom and pop place like that open!

I asked about the D60 and the D40X. He completely brushed of me asking about the D40X, even though he had at least four of them in boxes under the counter. I had to ask him to see the physical D60, which he did very begrudgingly. At that point, I was already put off by this guy. I was playing around with the D60 when he went back to help point and shoot guy. While he was helping him, the older man in the shop came up and asked him if anyone needed any help. He looked at us, and said NO.

What? Obviously I have questions about a Digital SLR. Point and shoot guy then need MORE time to think (I don't know about you, but this tipped me off that he wasn't quite ready to drop $400 on a camera). The dude finally paid attention to us again, and I took the opportunity to ask him about the D80, and about whether or not I could use my old Nikon lenses on the Digital SLR. He told me to forget about the D80, because Nikon was going to announce the new version in a month at the European trade shows. What if I still wanted the damn D80??? I made him give me the one he had on the shelf so I could hold it and see how I liked it anyway, but I was totally over it by then. And the lenses? He could not for the life of him give us a straight answer as to if they would work or not. No way was I going to allow Sean to spend money in this place.

We left shortly after that, totally pissed off that this guy had totally blotched the opportunity for his store to sell a camera to us.

You have to be a special kind of stupid to completely alienate two customers who are actually ready to buy a $700 camera and make them never want to go near your store again.

So, the moral of this story? Don't shop at Woodland Hills Camera & Telescopes. And also, if you ever own a company of your very own? Don't mistake a young couple as "browzers" when they very well maybe be dropping large amounts of cash in your store.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

This is what we have to deal with? Really?

I am really starting to hate the location of my office. I used to think it was kind of cool to get a taste of not-ritzy Los Angeles. Then, we had to start locking our car doors and avoid driving on certain streets because of gang violence. Then, we were put on lockdown for hours one day because there had been an officer-involved gang shooting down the block and one of the suspects had escaped into nearby apartments with an AK-47. As in the assault rifle? Yeah.

Then today, a co-worker called me when I was about 10 minutes from work to ask if I was there yet, or if I could get in. Because once again, our neighborhood had been put on lockdown while numerous law enforcement agencies were completing a sweep of the neighborhood, serving warrents and making arrests.

I don't think it's cool anymore. Now it's just a waste of my time. And a little ghetto.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

I might just start pulling out my hair.

Co-worker: Hey... I'm just going to grab this copy of (movie) so I can make you a new DVD.
me: I've already delivered it, that one is the old one with the profanities.
Co-worker: Oh... Can you get the new one back?
me: You guys should be able to pull the file off the server, right?
Co-worker: Um, yeah, I guess. I mean, it takes a little longer. (pause) Are you sure this isn't the tape?
me: Yes. I delivered the tape. That one is the old one.
Co-worker: Because that one looks exactly like the one I gave you.
me: You gave me two. One before the profanities were fixed, and one after.
Co-worker: Can I take this one and check?
me: I told you, I delivered the good version, please make the DVD off the server file.
Co-worker (lingering by my desk)
me: Look, this one says it was output on 6/4. The one I delivered was output on 6/12. Just let me know when the DVD is done, ok?

ARE YOU KIDDING ME???

It's called checking your work.

You should try it sometime!

Once again, here is something that highly irritates me. It's a lack of respect for the work you deliver. We have a department at my office that continually screws up projects. It sucks, too, because I dearly and genuinely like all of the members of this department on a personal level. But at the same time, I am constantly kicking projects back to them for fixes - a misspelled word, incorrect numbers on slate, no visible time code when there should be, or just a sloppy job overall.

And it never gets better. I should know by now by the number of times I've been burned by them that I need to personally check everything before I send anything out. But where's that time supposed to come from? And my point is that I shouldn't HAVE to do that! I should be able to rely on my departments to deliver something worthy of the standards we demand.

I really wish they would get their shit together, check their work, and have pride in their work so that the projects they deliver are correct and complete.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

You have to follow through.

I dislike it when people complain and complain and complain about things, and then never take action to change them. I will listen to you endlessly - but don't get mad at me when I tell you things are never going to change unless you follow through with some kind of action!

Don't like how your life is going? Find a way to change it!

Don't like the behavior of your employee? Tell them, and then make sure they fix it.

Don't want your child running wild all over the place? Discipline them, and follow it through.

I know it's much easier to give advice than to take it. I do. And there are times where my own behavior annoys the hell out of me for not making changes. But in the end, you're never going to be happy with a situation if you're not willing to do SOMETHING to make it better.

Monday, June 16, 2008

Did you not take English classes?

I hate that people feel that it's ok to have incorrect spelling and grammar if they are writing on the Internet! My sister is particularly guilty of this, but I run into it everywhere - including places that should know better. Now, I know that I don't have perfect grammar ALL the time, and there are many occasions where my spell check catches a few words. Typing quickly, or being in a rush, can often lead to spelling and grammar mistakes. But seriously, people? Get with it. Because someday, your lack of grammar skills is going to catch up for you.

Biggest offender:
"I" instead of "me" when describing a photo. Ex: "This is Sarah and I at the zoo." NO. It's "Sarah and ME." You wouldn't say "This is I at the zoo," so what drives you to write "I"???

1st runner up:
"Your" instead of "you're." Ex: "Your beautiful." Your beautiful what?? It's YOU ARE beautiful! Get it right!

2nd runner up:
"There," "their," and "they're." Suggestion: Take the extra two seconds it takes to make sure you're using the correct version, so that you don't look like a complete and moronic asshole.

I shake my fist at bad grammar!

Monday, June 2, 2008

National average? I think not.

AAA claims that the national average price of gasoline is $3.97. Stupid California hasn't seen gas that cheap for WEEKS.

Gas in Woodland Hills on Ventura Blvd. And yes, that is an off-brand "cheap" station. 5/28/08

Gas at my "secret" cheap station finally goes over $4.00. 5/28/08


I shake my fist at you, California gas prices!!!