Three observations made at the Big Horse Safeway
Last night, I stopped at the 19th Street Safeway for a few things. This is what I observed:
1.) I know property is valuable in midtown and cramming as much stuff in a single block as possible is, uh, good, but, what’s up with the complete lack of car returns in the parking lot. Those carts have better luck getting parking spots than I do. Poor planning.
2.) Why is the bread separated into two sections back behind the booze? What’s the message here? First off, the whole placement makes a carb sandwich - you got bread loaves between booze and the bakery. But more importantly, they’ve divided the bread along one aisle under breakfast, lunch, and dinner headings. But look! A whole ‘nother bread section across the way. And an end cap of additional sourdough. Safeway, c’mon, by the time I make it to the store, I have little energy left to play “find the Franciscan Extra Long Sliced Sourdough.”
3.) On the way in to the store, I was panhandled by some dude. That doesn’t bother me. I moved here from San Francisco. I’ve mastered both the “sorry no money” with and without eye contact, as well as the quick-move pull-change-from-pocket with and without eye contact. So when guy asked if I could spare anything, I answered - completely truthfully - that I didn’t, sorry. He turned, mumbling something to the effect of “It’ll come back to you.”
Excuse me? WTF? Did you just throw down a karma threat? I wasn’t even lying! I *might* have even acquired some cash inside and caught him on the way out, but no effing way now. Now, sure, perhaps it was a fortune-cookie-esque suggestion for the future. An inducement to give next time, because that good act would come back to me. Yeah but no - I don’t think so. Bad form.
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I have to agree that the lot there isn’t well planned. Space is primo.
The panhandler, though…wow, that’s a first for that store. You must have gotten a newly begging guy (who obviously can’t take no for an answer) and that explains the attitude. Sacramento panhandlers seem to be more jumpy than the SF panhandlers…not sure why. Could be the meth.
Man, I will never forget when a(n apparently) homeless person in San Francisco admonished ME while I walked by him for chewing my gum too loud. Here’s a guy, who hasn’t bothered to discern between toilet paper and that thing on his head in, I’m guessing, several months, and he’s telling me that my behavior is socially uncouth? Only in the City, man. Only in the City.
I’m getting a LOT more offers to donate to panhandlers myself; mostly right outside of my office in downtown. ‘Tis the season?
When I lived in Minneapolis, I recall hearing a conversation on the bus in October. The guy said to his buddy–”It’s getting too COLD here, man. Time to head out to California for the winter–”
I’m getting a LOT more offers to donate to panhandlers myself; mostly right outside of my office in downtown. ‘Tis the season?
I’ve often wondered about this. I actually think that the amount of panhandling remains relatively constant — although it might get a tad higher in the winter because more people come downtown to seek shelter — but we tend to pay more attention to it as the holiday season approaches. Guilty conscience perhaps? Or just holiday stress getting the best of us?