RANT: Cinemark at Seven Bridges

Normally I'm not one to just throw a complaint up on a blog for the world to see without giving a company the chance to make things right first, but my experience last night was so appalling that it must be shared.

So it's been a rough week, between the 18 inches of snow that was dumped on us in 36 hours, nearly getting sick (I barely got away with that) and dealing with the emotional strains of some family emergencies, I was in desperate need of a mid-week comedy to cheer me up.

Typically my husband and I rent movies in, either on Netflix or Redbox, but occasionally when there's a flick that looks promising we'll head out for a date night at the movie theater.

Since moving to Chicago, we've chosen Cinemark @ Seven Bridges in Woodridge, IL as our local spot. Sure, there are closer theaters but this one has a number of showings, stadium seating, clean bathrooms (yes, this is a plus) and IMAX, if you so choose. And up until last night, the customer service was satisfactory.

We went to see No Strings Attached with Ashton and Natalie. This is funny, if you're interested. Not in the typical romantic comedy kind of way either, like legit funny. We were quoting our favorite lines on the way home. It really helped take my mind off everything.

Anyway, we got in and settled as the previews were showing. As a treat, I decided to sneak out and get us some popcorn, and this is where the fun started.

*please note the implied sarcastic tone there*

Given that it was a slow evening and most people were hunkered down in their homes, ticket sales were taking place at the end of the consession counter. I've encountered this before, no big deal. BUT, when you have two people behind the counter, one just watching you wait for service while the other is selling tickets, that doesn't bode so well for someone who just wants to get her $7 bag of popcorn and get back before the movie starts.

Not only that, when the man was done selling tickets to these folks, they were not expected to get in line behind me at concessions, rather, they were helped immediately. So I waited, impatiently, while he microwaved their hot dogs for them (which, as I see it, he could have spent the time waiting for them to heat up by scooping popcorn for awaiting customers...just a thought on time management there). All the while the other woman behind the counter just stood there picking her nose. Okay, not literally, but she might as well have been, at least then she'd be doing something.

When I mentioned to him that I had been waiting in line, I was virtually ignored. So I ordered my popcorn and rushed back into the movie. Had I not had to wait nearly 10 minutes to get popcorn when there was no one else in line, I wouldn't have missed the beginning. Gee, thanks.

It never ceases to amaze me how many people in the customer service industry drag their feet and take their jobs so lightly. It's these people who hold the potential to give a company a bad name. In the end, isn't all about serving the customer? Unfortunate as it may be, I highly doubt we'll be going back there any time soon. AMC at Yorktown is looking like a better option...Clearly, the customers time and money isn't valued at Cinemark.

Ashley

Rant: Bad Mood

It's been quite a while since I've had one of those days where I'm just in a shit mood.

I guess I'm blessed with my irritation being limited to fleeting moments. It does help that my fiance has an incredible sense of humor that he uses to get me to laugh and snap out of it.

Of course, it's not even noon yet and I'm stuck at the office with this incredible bad mood that I just can't shake. What's worse is that I really don't have any good reason for it.

But it got me to thinking about crappy moods and that people, in general, allow their happiness to be affected by the behavior of others way too much.

There are so many times in life where, when you encounter someone who is in a wretched mood, their reasoning is because of something someone else did or said. Here are a few good examples:

• People you encountered were rude - customer service, those you run into during a commute, colleagues at work, the list goes on.
• Someone you trusted betrayed that trust - whether a friend spilled the beans on something you confided or a family member called you out and/or didn't support you in public, their actions directly affected your mood.
• You received non-constructive criticism.
• Or even something as simple as someone not behaving the way you had expected.

I've come to learn that expectations can lead to bad moods, because it's not uncommon that when you have high or very specific expectations of others that they're often not precisely met. This isn't at the fault of the person for whom you have these expectations though, especially if you haven't been open about what you expect. So either set expectations up front (when it's appropriate, anyhow) or learn to be a bit flexible.

Flexibility in any type of relationship, whether it's a family member, significant other, close friend or casual acquaintance, understanding that everyone is unique and goes about things in different ways can come to benefit you in the long run - if nothing else than keeping frustration at bay.

No one likes to be wrong or to not have things go their way, but if you can be a little less rigid in your daily dealings, it won't feel so much like "being wrong" or being disappointed - it'll just feel different (thanks to my yoga instructor for discussing rigidity during class last night...turn out that was pretty timely).

It all comes down to having some control over your own happiness. Have a bit of confidence in yourself and the actions you take. If you truly believe in yourself and the life you're leading, you can learn to incorporate flexibility into you outlook.

And if nothing else, you can look at the naysayers knowing that it's not you, it's them.

Anyway, this is just a bit of advice from the front lines of a bad mood. Writing has helped a little...if only I could blog all day long :)

Cheers!

-A

Rant: Vote for me!

So it's been a while. And I want to apologize for that up front. Lots has happened since we last talked...I got engaged, I moved to Chicago (with the same wonderful company) and life is busier than ever. But, I've made it a priority to start writing again, and there's a long list of items I'd like to cover.

To start, I'd like to get a rant off my chest from this morning.

So, I moved.

I live outside the city in the West Suburbs and take the Metra train in every day. What might surprise you, is that I actually really like this commute. I can catch up on things like my Google Reader, a prep my mind on the way into the office. On the way home, it gives me a bit of solo time with my iPod to wind down.

But none of this is the point.

This morning, as I'm waiting inside the train station for my express train (as it was only 39 degrees at 6:30am...brr) I was approached by two men who are running for some sort of political office. The first man interrupted my music listening, but was polite and brief. The second was an entirely different story. As I was in the middle of replying to an email, he stood over me and cleared his throat...loud enough to disrupt my jamming to 311. I took out one ear bud and pretended to listen to his drivel.

He paused as he went to hand me his little pamphlet and asked "are those yours?" pointing to the two business cards I had set beside my coffee on the bench next to me.

I nodded.

"Well then maybe I should just keep this. We don't want to litter the train station," as he proceeded to pull his stack of pamphlets close to his chest, as if I would try to thieve them so I could litter all over town.

Excuse me?

Since when is setting something down, temporarily, within arms length, next to the coffee I am currently drinking, considered littering? Is this your way of telling me that you've got some kind of green initiative too?

He was rude and condescending. I stopped what I was doing to be polite to him, and all he could do was talk to me as if I was a child. Granted, I don't look like a successful, career focused mid-20something, but that doesn't make his approach with me any more acceptable.

I stuck out my hand, grabbed his stupid pamphlet (knowing full well I would be blogging about this) and stuck my ear bud back in without another word.

Oh but the things I wanted to say. Lucky for Mr. Jim Speta my coffee hadn't kicked in yet.

There's a good chance I'm not voting anyhow, but if I were, this would completely deter me from voting for Jim Speta for Illinois State Representative District 47, even if the other candidates were terrible.

Maybe I'm being a bit harsh, but really, if you're going to approach me at 6:30am to interrupt my routine to tell me about why I should vote for you, don't you think you should at the very least have a little respect for me? I certainly do.

Note to those campaigning, we don't have to take your crap, but most of us will even though most of us won't read it. I didn't litter, nor did I throw your literature in the trash. In fact, what I will be doing momentarily is recycling it. Thanks for helping me support my green initiative, Jim Speta.

Jerk.

End rant.

I promise, my next update will be much more upbeat as I've had some great experiences I'd like to pass along to y'all. Until then...

Cheers!

-A

An inward focus

As I was listening to one of those brain-dead radio shows last week, there (inadvertently) was a rather smart message that came across.

One of the hosts was going on about how he cares about what the hosts of other shows on their network think and what they say about their show. Host #2 gave him tons of crap about that - who gives a shit what everyone else thinks. More than that, why do you care about what they DO? Who has time to worry about what other people are doing?

Good point!

At this point in time, many of us live our lives very publicly - online! Things like Facebook and Twitter and Foursquare not only let people tell others what they are up to at every moment of every day, but now they can tell others exactly where they are doing it.

Facebook has become less about connecting with others and sharing common interests and more about bragging rights.

I'll admit, after spending much time on Facebook, I'm a little jaded. I see so many people everyday with nothing better to do than bitch and moan about things they don't like and to spend time crafting the perfect status update to let everyone know, once again, just how awesome they are.

So what's to come is highly opinionated.

In this virtual age we're in, people are spending more time lurking online. I'll admit, I do it from time to time - especially with blogs. I often read and never comment, mainly because I don't have anything witty or worthwhile to say.

People are doing this with all social media channels, and I think it's sparking competition where none existed before. Status updates are used to "one up" people that are supposed to be your "friends." Photos and videos are posted to prove a point. Real life friends are turning against one another because someone hung out with the group and didn't invite someone else, and they're posting it all on Facebook just to hurt those that were left out.

Cyber-bullying!

And it's not just limited to kids. In fact, I often think that adults are more prone to this type of behavior. I won't even go into the passive-aggressive behavior that's out there. You can read my thoughts on that here.

For most of us who spend any amount of time in the online world, we've either seen or experienced this first hand.

I often hear people complain about the "lifecasters," those people who broadcast every move they make, "I'm at work," "I'm at home," "I just pooped and there was corn in it." (I can't take credit for that one...came from a much wittier friend), but you get the idea.

But I think my biggest gripe is the people out there who are just trying to be assholes.

....

Okay, so this got quite a bit off topic, let me get back.

The point was that so many people spend so much of their waking lives these days worried about what others are doing, saying and thinking (this is made easier by the social media channels noted above, and by the lifecasters who post every move they make...see it all comes together somehow), that maybe it's time to take a look inward for a change and focus on what you are doing.*

We've all been there at some point, thinking about what someone else is doing, caring what their thoughts are, but when you look at the big picture, who has time for that?

Last week I spent a little time reflecting on the things in my life, the things that are missing. I've never been the type of person to have one focus in life. I love my job, I love my family, I love skydiving, I love blogging, but any one of these things by themselves are not enough. I like to be multi-dimensional I suppose.

A big part of my life that's been missing lately is my photography - something I've been meaning to get back. So I've made a plan to get that back. And hopefully I can start sharing some fun stuff with y'all again, right here :).

But remember how I mentioned not having time enough time in the day - well that just slapped me upside the head as I continue to ramble. So I'm off to get back to my day.

Thanks for letting me rant - what's your rant of the day?

Cheers!

Ashley

*Many life lessons have recently pointed to the idea that you should embrace how you're living your life, be proud of the choices that you make and to love the life you lead - no matter what others say.

RANT: The Gap

So this week I had a not-so-great experience at (formerly) one of my favorite jean stores - The Gap.

Now I know there are a lot of blogger brand ambassadors out there for The Gap, and unofficially I considered myself one before this incident. I've had good luck with their jeans. They fit well, are durable, and have lots of different styles depending on your taste.

But this most recent trip only left a bad taste in my mouth.

This past weekend I headed out to the mall to find some replacement jeans after an accidental shrinking incident with a frequently worn pair.

After getting $4.20 for them from the little bitches at Plato's Closet - that's an entirely different story all together - I headed to the Gap where I assumed I'd still be able to find a matching pair.

And I did. They seemed to fit a little snug in the store but I assumed they'd relax out over time. So I made my purchase and headed home.

As I was getting ready to head out later that evening, I tore the tags off with excitement and donned my new denim.

After about 5 minutes I realized these were uncomfortably snug and that I would need to return them. So I took them off, folded them back up with the tags and receipt and put them back in the bag.

Let's fast forward to yesterday where, after work I headed back to the Gap to exchange. After trying on about 10 pairs of jeans I finally found ones that fit like I wanted them to. Upon my attempted return, the cashier inspects the pair I'm returning and calls a manager to the front.

They whisper to one another and speak in code, and finally the manager (who is a rude little 19 year old herself) asks "have you worn these?"

Me: "No."

Manager: "They look worn."

Me: "Well, they're not."

Manager: "Are you suuure?"

Me: "Yes. I had them on for a total of 10 minutes before realizing they didn't fit the way I wanted."

Manager: "Well, if you didn't wear them, then why are the tags off?"

Here is where I explain my excitement as I did above...

Manager: staring blankly....pause.... "are you really sure you didn't wear them?"

Oh no, you're right, I did, I'm sorry.

HELLO! Asking three times doesn't change the fact that I DID NOT WEAR THEM!

This actually went on for about 5 minutes. It was like pulling teeth trying to return a pair of jeans that I didn't wear - only to buy a more expensive pair. Oh, I didn't mention that? Yeah...

As I was leaving with the new pair of jeans she finally "let me" have, I was scolded for taking the tags off.

Manager: "Listen, next time, don't take the tags off and we won't have issues like this."

For a second I thought she was going to wag her finger at me like my 1st grade teacher used to...

Seriously?! I don't need to go to a clothing store so some chick on a power trip can talk down to me like this. Unacceptable in my world!

I hate leaving places knowing that I'm going to be writing one of these rants. Why can't customer service just be up to par everywhere - we'd all live in a much happier place.

Cheers!

-A

An Ode to Broom Handle

This year, New Year's Eve was spent at home. The boyfriend and I hosted a few of our skydiving friends at our new place. It was an attempt to keep things tame and not have to be out driving around with the drunk crazies after midnight.

The latter was successful...

During the night we ran into our neighbor and invited him over for a drink, as sort of a peace offering I suppose.

Wait, let me back up and explain.

When BF and I started the move in process, we met one set of neighbors - the ones with whom we share a living room wall. The wife seemed nice, and he, well, he was wasted. It was a Wednesday evening and when he introduced himself he was literally stumbling in place with drunkenness.

I forgot his name.

A couple days later, on Saturday evening, we were sitting in the kitchen after a day of skydiving, playing with some of our equipment when we heard this tapping at the sliding glass door.

We looked over to see a broom handle coming over the fence. BF opens the door, thinking the neighbor wants to be, well, neighborly, when he tells us that we've woke his wive up, twice, and need to be quiet.

HUH?!

We inquired about what we were doing that was loud, as we had been sitting in the kitchen for quite some time, and he couldn't tell us anything aside from the fact that we were being loud.

Personally, I think he's a total puss and is afraid of the wifey over there.

Anyhow, after this incident he was appropriately nicknamed, Broom Handle.

So fast forward to New Years when, long after midnight, Broom Handle comes home with some friends. As he's standing outside, we invite him in to share a drink. This is, of course, after we told him that we'd nicknamed him broom handle.

Come to find out, his name is actually Rod.

Rod.

Yes. Seriously.

A round of shots is poured and ROD decides to toast to a "quiet" New Years. And he wasn't joking.

I decide right then and there that he will forever remain Broom Handle in my world.

A little later in the evening he decides to invite himself back into our house to let us know that it's getting late and needs to get a little quieter. He asked us - somewhat nicely - to turn the music down.

"Anything for you, Broom Handle!" was the oh-so-sarcastic expression that leapt from the BFs mouth.

After being ignored, and probably realizing he was ignored, he wandered over again, let himself into our house and told a friend of ours to quiet down, that his wife is trying to sleep.

Ugh, I can see we're going to have some issues with this guy in the future.

Seriously, I think he's afraid - clearly of his wife, possibly of the BF. Grow a pair, dude, and tell us on our side of the fence if you have a problem. Don't be a douche and involve one of our friends.

Needless to say, in the end, I hate him more than I did before.

But thanks, Broom Handle, for the small (very small) amount of entertainment I could provide here on my blog today.

I suppose, this could be considered a RANT.

Aside from this, New Years was fantastic. Hope y'all had a great one!

Cheers!

-A

RANT: Fitworks

I'm all about customer service! If I have a problem, it can be easily resolved with friendly customer service reps.

In fact, I often respect a company more when an issue is taken care of smoothly and they are doing everything in their power to ensure that I'm a satisfied customer. You may notice that a lot of my RAVEs about companies has to do with good customer service.

Well, now I have a rant about a company because of their sales people. READ: before I'm even an actual customer. Yeah...not good.

So for those who may not know, I'm moving. Not very far, just to the other side of town, but far enough that it requires me to look into new services such as a gym.

(Yes, for those who are wondering, I'm moving in with the BF. It's an exciting time!)

Anyhow, I did some research online and found that Fitworks in Mentor has a good special running right now. So I decided to print off a discount coupon before visiting the facility.

Of course, in order to get the discount, you have to give them all your contact information. In hindsight, I should have "accidentally" transposed two digits in my phone number.

Almost immediately I was receiving calls from their sales reps. When I didn't answer, because I was at the office DURING WORKING HOURS, I received an email. I replied politely and said that I'm in the process of moving, I may be in this weekend to check out the gym.

Later that evening I receive another call from the gym, but this time no one left a voicemail.

This weekend rolls around and I'm running around like a mad woman, moving, and shopping and everything. No time to hit up the gym. Well these sales folks hated that, because on Sunday I received THREE calls and two voicemails - within 30 minutes!

I called back one of their reps and told them I'm busy moving, I'll try to stop in soon.

His response was: "ok, but we only have specials through the end of the month." I almost retorted that those specials will then be replaced with new ones, but I bit my tongue.

At this point, I think I'm done. NOPE!

Yesterday, again, during working hours, I receive a phone call, voicemail AND email from these people. My response was simple - I was considering getting a membership, however, I'm really only interested in the classes you have to offer. Given the recent spamming from your sales force, I've decided to go with a nearby yoga studio that doesn't call me 3+ times a day just to make a sale.

Then I asked them to please remove me from any lists I'm on so I no longer receive any phone calls or emails. Thanks! :-)

I haven't been contacted since - though it has only been 24 hours, so we'll see... Let's just hope they get the hint.

Sure, it's not exactly "customer service" related, but spamming potential customers doesn't get you anywhere. At least, not with me.

Did he really think "if I call one more time maybe she'll get fed up and buy a membership." SERIOUSLY?!

I get that the economy is down, and everyone needs that extra commission, but be a little courteous of my time and let me make the decision on my own. In this case, you made the decision for me, Fitworks.

On the plus side, I can't wait to start my new yoga classes after the first of the year!

Cheers!

-A

RANT: Passive aggressiveness

Wow, it's been a while. 

I'm really sorry about that. 

Between my recent trip to LA with the ole college crew (post to come), jumping as much as possible to get my skydiving license (which I did earn...click here to see the video of my first licensed jump), and some other recent developments, life has seriously gotten in the way of blogging.

Anywhosits...I'm here to actually write something of worth today, believe it or not.

With all the things that have changed recently -- which I'll keep under wraps as 1) you don't need to hear the drama that is my life sometimes, and 2) it's really not relevant -- there have been some people who are rather unhappy with me.

Luckily for my sake, I adopted the "you can't please everyone" mentality long ago and am only slightly phased by this disapproval.

However, I find something intriguing that I'd like to share with y'all, as I'm sure I'm not the only one who has experienced this...

As I was working late last night to finish up a video project, I surfed over to Facebook for a quick gander at my news feed (gotta keep up somehow, right) while my movie was exporting.

To my surprise, I found a rather nasty status update that was clearly directed at me. Whoa!

It didn't use my name, or exactly what had happened to anger this person, but with the accompanying comments it was quite obvious where this disapproval was directed.

What'd I do about it, you might ask? I laughed out loud. Hard.

This is one of the most passive aggressive things I've ever witnessed - using social media to tell someone indirectly of your frustrations (read: hoping they'll see your status update and know you're mad at them).

I'm not entirely sure I get the purpose of this, especially considering that the decision that was disapproved of only affects a very small population (this person not included). So really, anyone reading this aside from me wouldn't have a damn clue what's going on.

Doesn't it just make the other person look silly?

Maybe that's just me.

Anyway - there's my rant for the day. Not so much of a "holy shit I'm pissed" sort of rant, but more of a "seriously, you're an idiot" rant.

Has anyone else experienced this social media passive aggressiveness? Did you find it just as ridiculous? 

Cheers!

-A