"Well he was "old" and he was weird asking me that"

hi hardworkinggurl yep some day most will be old too and take umbrage at being considered not all there. Oh sure some old people become senile but that not as common as people think. I had the opposite experience in working in the library.there I was elderly with a large book cart shelving books .People would come up and hesitantly say" do you work here?" I felt like saying" why does it look like I do? " but we are taught to be polite to patrons. One did explain that she thought maybe I was "just a volunteer" well lady if I was that wealthy I would not be here at all. No I work here. we pages even pondered on the idea of getting white t shirts with the words YES I WORK HERE embroidered on 'the backs. I was stopped one day in my favorite grocery store by this handsome very British man who asked me in Kings English" Miss could you possibly tell me where the rolledoats are?" I looked at him and asked him to repeat that more slowly"rolled oats Miss." I laughed and told him aisle'five for Oatmeal" He smiled and said " you yanks, look on the package it does not say Oatmeal." and he was right it did ssy "Rolled Oats" lol lol lol. I met hime a few times after that and asked him if he remembered now where the Rolled Oats were. He even showed me his classic Rolls Royce.It was really pretty and well cared for. now I am off topic.lol.

Never off topic Mrs. Hatley because see how fun that was. I too have mistaken people for being employees and it made for laughs and further discussing of other things. So it shows that a little courtesy goes a long way.

It is fun even if it is off topic. It still goes to show that people can help each other.

You would make an excellent Wal Mart employee. I wish they would employ someone like me just to go around and help people, because I enjoy it. I know, the word old is not a bad word, but how people say it can make it sound like it is something totally wrong.

hi GardenGerty and hardworking she might not have meant anything but just was used to flinging old around. I often get asked to where things are in our local Walmart as they employ a lot of older people there. If I know where it is I will surely tell them as its nive to help someone and does not cost a penny.I try to smile too as years ago my dear hubby told me I was always looking sad so I put on a smile to show i was not sad. I kept the smile too as it warms up things here in Gold Crest and makes friends more easily.My tablemate Sandra says I have a most expressive face.help I could never hide my feelings from my son or my hubby when he was alive.

I think it has to do with how we carry ourselves, see for some odd reason I always have a smile on my face so I feel that I am very approachable. The smile on my face all the time is a funny story by the way but a habit I have had for years. lol

I tend to use the word "little" a lot when describing things. My "little head" or my "little heart" and I've been called out on it before. It's just how I talk. I never have a problem helping another person out in the store and age doesn't factor into it. This is an old discussion but just the other day a woman stopped me in the grocery store. She was in a hurry and needed to find the coffee. I had just picked some up and maybe she saw it in my cart...don't know. I directed her to the bread aisle. oh and she was not old...in her 20's.

hi sid oh my just remembered that I use old like in that big old tree or that big old cloud and never realizedit til my hubby used to tease me,. He wo uld say but what if its a little tree well then its a little old tree I said and he laughed some more. odd the habits people get into.I wo would have bought that description of hers more if she had not added weird because he was old and he w anted to b y birthday candles as' birthdays are celebrated by all ages. she is just a sour young lady in my eyes.

hi sid yes it could have been just her way of describing him too. as for asking where stuff is I have been asked many times lately and by people who I think really have shopped in that Walmart more than I had but if I knew I would point it out as it sure did not hurt me any to help someone else out. I know I have asked a few times myself where certain things were and was grateful for the other person's help myself.

hi Opal 26 thats sad when people will not give a seat to a disabled person. I used to in my younger days give my seat up to an older'person. I once gave up my seat, and I was myself disabled , to a blind man with his seeing eye dog.there were mostly young people there an not a one moved to give him a seat.An elderly man called to me and said "Maam'take my seat as I am getting off on the next block." He was even more crippled than I was. lol lol. Yes I have seen that too, and one man when I was crossing the street on a green light in the ped. cross walk yelled at me,." cant you walk any faster old lady" I yelled back, " dont you dare run that stop light" and i will be damned he did, ruffling my skirt as he came that close to me. I continued on my way to the library where I worked. I got two blocks up and there was the young man in his sports car with a cop on a motorcyle talking to him., the cop yelled at me to come over.Then he asked me" are you the elderly lady this man almost struck?" I nodded and he asked me to sign a complaint which I did gladly. so I w as fifteen minutes late to work.lol. my supervisor when I told her of the incident said"Good for the cop., are you okay:" I said I was fine but he almost hit me.

OMG! That's a terrible story, although a great ending! I am so glad that cop saw that guy and caught him! I was almost run down by a woman trying to run a red light. She just barely stopped in time to miss me by an inch! I was screaming at her and shaking like sh1t! That was way too close for me. I think she was shook up too, but not as much as me.

hi jujunme yes I have been stopped by people asking me where something was and I thought nothing of it at all, and just told them if I knew'where the item was. I was a little irritated at this person seeming to put old in there as if that alone explained why he had asked her where the birthday candles were. I think younger people are offended at the word old as it reminds them we all will age and they think that does not apply to them. lol I cannot fathom why a person gets irritated at being asked where something is?

hi danishcanadian its really a shame that someone does not stop people using old to be derogatory. somehow I think that the younger people do say things like" oh don't bother asking her, shes just an old lady" as though automaically old age makes us senior ladies stupid,or senile or in the throes of Alzheimer disease.How would younger people like it if I were to say OH never mind her, she's too young to know what the hell you are talking about? Derogatory words about too young or old are so stupid[to use and to judge people by age is disgusting.

hi AmbiePam I use senior citizen when I talk of myself or elderly when talking about some of the residents here who are even older than myself.l know some others of us here who also get sick of being called old. One lady said do not call me old as thats not my name. My name is Gracella but you can just call me Grace. I really thought the lady was a bit unkind as its not weird to want to buy birthday candles and not know where they are.What is weird is the way she reacted to his asking her where they were.Getting all hot and bothered ove a simple request. You did not have to be working in a store to have somone just ask if you knew where such and such was. Ihave had a lot of [people ask me if I knew where the cereal was or the bread. I tell them and even walk with them if necessary. lol

hi stephcjh Yes I always disliked hearing that too. Age is indeed just a number.One day at my primary care Doctors office the nurse who escorted me into the cubicle to wait for the doctor asked my age and I told her 83 at that time and she went"oh my I hope my mom will look as good as you do at that age." I was surprised and flattered too.

hi shaggin and mommyboo well I have asked people in stores where I was not familiar with where the ghings I needed were located as some employees seem to take flight when acustomer comes asking where things'are., why is there some law that says its wrong to ask anyone but a clerk? I am not ashamed to say I have asked and I have been asked and helped them locate the wanted item. I have had to ask a tall man to hand me a box of Ritz and he did not seem a bit angered over that at all., he was very kind in fact. mommyboo I am also the family shortie and my son is always having to reach things that I cannot reach too.Mommyboo i am just five ft.I wonder if we did climb a shelf would we get into serious trouble. I once did that and got a hold of the edge of this can only to find it was one of 8 in a pack and four packs came tumbling down. the tall man who had helped me earlier was there and he helped me to pick up the pile of diet cola 8 packs. other people just glared at the two of us but the tall man said" dont let it bother you, some people have no patience at all". I found ou t later when I was back at work in the library that the tall man was a Tustin undercover detective.He recognized me too and laughing he asked if I had dumped any more 8 packs on the floor.I thought to myself its good to know some police officers have a sense of humor and also are not put out at helping others, for me as I worked helping others all my life as a nurse aide and also in the library helping patrons, helping others comes naturally to me.

I'm not sure I have ever asked a random stranger where something is in the store. I purposely look for a store employee, and they wear tshirts, aprons, ties, name tags... etc. I'm willing to help someone reach something too if necessary, but usually I'm the recipient of such help unless I want to climb the shelf - I'm 5'1 lol.

hi yoyo I do love your avatar. lol yes it is their loss as we old farts as one older lady here calls herself have valuable information if they just bothered to ask. I have often helped people who could not find something as not all shoppers are familiar with my favorite Vons.Too they redid the store so we all had to relearn where most everything wasexcept the produce department was left in the same spot.

hi opinionated lady I should be shutting down but need to finish this one at least. oh my. I never am bothered by someone wanting to know where something is in the store. I help them just as I have been helped many times. I also like old people lol.

It is so not a weird question at all. I work in a store and the birhday candles are located over by the batteries. You would think they would be by the baking things but no...they are by the batteries for whatever reason. Beyond that...maybe and probably it isn't an item that he is used to looking for. It's just a question and his age really has nothing to do with it that I can tell.

hi bounce don't be as I am sure you never used it as a derogatory word just as a defining word which we all do but when she paired weird with old man I just thought why is he weird for looking for birthday cake candles ,does not an elderly person have a right to look for such a thing and why was the girl so upset over it all? maybe she is a little weird too. lol

oh catsanddogs right on yes indeed. Yes it made me angry too as s he just felt so picked on and couldn't be bothered to help anyone.I hope one day she asks an older person for help and that person says "get lost sister I canno be bothered by the likes of you." yes even my son admits he wo uld not be here had it not been for mom and he comes to see me faithfully now.Weird for buying birthday candles and I would bet he and his wife are going to bake a birthday cake for a grandchild.

hi dawn and maybe again he was not stupid because he was old and she was a touchy young woman who dislikes for any one to ask for help from her. I felt just a bit sorry for the poor soured young woman. and why say he was weird for wanting to find birthday candles? thats really sort of stupid. We older people also celebrate birthdays and we bake cakes and yeah we even put candles on them too ! gee whiz what will older people do next?.lol rant on but I am done. having problems with mylot erasing my typing almost as fast as I type it. This has soured my disposition tonight for sure, sorry but I stick up for us old people as nobody else will.

hi mommyboo yed you do make some good points there too. I can relate a bit about people always asking me when I was pushing a cart overfull of library books this question: "Do you work here?" One day I forgot and said," uh gosh they sure give me a pay check so yep I do work here. can I help you?" the person turned red and said "but aren't all the books shelved by volunteers?" I sighed, " no ma'am they sure are not., the volunteers run the book sales store and mend torn media but we are hired by the library headquarters to work here. now can I help you?" She asked me if I remembered the name of a small book, an adult book about a mouse who ran the city counsel. Well having just shelved that rather odd little book I showed her where it was and she thanked me and left. Yes if someone went on to ask favors only a store employee could do yes I would be irritated too;

hi bunnybon I thought in a way instead of the old man b eing weird because he asked where the birthday candles were, he was king of sweet as he is proably getting them for his wife and they are entertaining grandchildren with a birthday cake for one of them has a birthday.thats r eally so sweet to me. I have never been upset to have someone ask me where something was . I just helped them and went on about my business. why not help others as they have helped me?

thanks starssailover yes I am sure she was and one day I hope she gets old and has aches and pains, and gets an earful of weird old lady said to her. This young woman was unfair and his asking where the birthday candles were is not weird, People of all ages celebrate birthdays with cakes and candles. I am never upset if someone asks me where something is located in the store. I will tell them where it is and even walk them to the place if need be. We older people are sometimes more thoughtful and kinder than the younger people,. we have been helped and we like to help others too.