Saturday 24 September 2011

How dumb do they think we are? - No. 1

A few weeks ago while attempting to get cash from the cash machines at Tesco in Glossop, I noticed something I hadn't seen before. In front of each "hole in the wall" is a set of painted, white footprints. I assume they are there to show us poor unfortunate people with no common sense where to stand to use the machines efficiently and sensibly.

Imagine my annoyance at having never noticed them before! Can you imagine how hard it has been for me all these years to do something as simple as getting cash out? I assume everyone else knew about these directions of where to stand. I, however, having never seen them have always had trouble retrieving my hard earned money.

Not realising the simplicity of this procedure, as I do now, I have assumed the traffic bollards marked the required distance you need to be away from the machine. The looks I have received as I have stretched out into a plank position, with my finger tips gripping the machine, desperately trying not to fall flat on my face. Only to realise I cant get my wallet out of my back pocket without risking a broken nose. (And the less I say about the time I asked a passing woman to reach into my pocket as I sweated profusely stretched between bollards and cash machine, the better. The police were very understanding I must say).

Even when I have remembered to take out my card before "falling" into the required position, it is a nightmare to push the card in the slot from between gritted teeth, then punch in the pin number with your nose!! And don't get me started on the amount of times the money has been swiped by a passer by, before I can manouvre myself to grab the cash. (Those thieves paid no regard to the clearly designated area. Or maybe they knew about the painted feet?)

Well these problems will beset me no more! It is with great satisfaction that, with the help of those clever people at Tesco, I can carefully place my feet in position over the painted guide set before me to simply extract a little cash.

It is much easier to type in my pin number from that distance. My nose can reach no problem!!

Thank you Tesco!

26 comments:

  1. It was after watching you struggle that they decided to paint the feet!

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  2. Ha Ha and welcome to the world of Blogging !

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  3. You must be right Adele. I have clearly done a great service for all!

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  4. How do you open the car door to put your feet in the required position? don't the bollards get in the way.

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  5. Thanks Pete. Just when I thought my problems were over??

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  6. You had me at 'Glossop' - I love that name.
    Rory

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  7. Thanks Rory. If i had known that just the name "Glossop" would do it, it would have been a quicker blog to write.

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  8. Welcome to blogging! RJR says you make him feel like a normal person now.

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  9. Guess that makes me a miracle worker Alex.

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  10. Hahaha
    Very funny....think I'll stalk you for a bit and see how this goes.

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  11. Yep. The thieves are the ones who painted the footprints in the first place. Genius! I want to see what you do with the little footprints they put on the floor to help you dance . . .
    And England has definitely cornered the market on cool names. Now I want to live some place called Glossop!

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  12. How about Tintwistle or Dukinfield just up the road then?

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  13. Footprints are nothing, my bank's drive-up ATMs have instructions in braille ... still trying to figure that one out.

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  14. Probably just a "make work" project. Still, it would appear that you found it helpful.
    Found you on RJR's family friendly list.

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  15. Now ther mind boggles at that one Cathy. My Uncle had conversation with his wife about an indentation on his steering wheel.They thought for a second wondering what it was for, then he said "It must be for blind drivers, so they know when the wheel is central???" And he meant it!

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  16. great to hear from you on here Delores. Thanks for the visit.

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  17. Love this post! To follow Cathy's comment, I've seen many a braille sign in an odd place and wonder how the blind would even find it in efforts to read it! Welcome to the blogging world!

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  18. Austin - once an idiot, always an idiot. :-)

    When are you coming to America again. We need to hang out.

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  19. At the Trafford Centre, (shopping mall) the disabled toilet door has a braile sign saying caution door opens outwards !!!! Think about it !

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  20. Thanks for bringing me down a level or 2 Pat. Ha ha. I promise next time I am in the states it will be to visit you! (that sounds more threatening than it was supposed to??)

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  21. Ah yes, the great British 'hole in the wall'. I got quite upset when I noticed the sign on the bank machine stated, 'free cash machine'. Well, it didn't give me any free cash.
    And yes, Glossop, I've been to that town. Not far from where I live in the town of Leek. Yes indeed, I always wanted to live in a town named after an onion.
    A very clever post and a delight to have visited your site, thanks to my friend, Delores.
    Kind regards, a confused Canadian living in England.
    Gary :)

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  22. Hahah! Welcome to the Blogosphere, a cranky machine that spits out things with no bending over. Got ref'd to you by Delores (Lawless)! Cheers!

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  23. I use a machine at my local supermarket that makes an unbelievably loud bleeping noise. I'm sure that everyone can work out my pin number by the stentorian tune it blasts out. Maybe I'm doing it all wrong.... no footprints!

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  24. What we need now is a map so people can add where locations with foot prints are? So no one has to go through the humiliation i have. Ha ha.

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