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Geez, OP - if you didn't want to listen, you could politely excuse yourself, or less politely just ignore him. But you responded, and now you wonder what went "wrong".
Some people just like to start a conversation with strangers (including me, sometimes). I made great friends with some!
"Strangers are just friends you haven't met yet." (Will Rogers)
Location: West Los Angeles and Rancho Palos Verdes
13,583 posts, read 15,664,868 times
Reputation: 14049
Quote:
Originally Posted by tangelag
But wasn't your Tag Heuer comment just as inconsequential?
No, I merely commented that I'd rather have a Tag Heuer than one of their Rolexes. He then used that to transition into his boring story which simply sapped away my time and was of no value to me whatsoever.
Location: West Los Angeles and Rancho Palos Verdes
13,583 posts, read 15,664,868 times
Reputation: 14049
Quote:
Originally Posted by elnina
Geez, OP - if you didn't want to listen, you could politely excuse yourself, or less politely just ignore him. But you responded, and now you wonder what went "wrong".
Some people just like to start a conversation with strangers (including me, sometimes). I made great friends with some!
"Strangers are just friends you haven't met yet." (Will Rogers)
You're absolutely correct. I usually put out an angry vibe when I'm shopping and if somebody says something stupid to me I just ignore them or glare at them, but whenever I drop my guard because I'm in a jovial mood, some derp has to try to use me as their sounding board. In the future I shall not make that mistake again. Lesson learned.
How was your comment that you prefer Tag Heuer watches of value to him?
Surely you didn't expect him to buy you a watch, so why should you tell him the brand you prefer? Should he have considered that a waste of his time?
Conversations are like games of catch. Someone speaks (throws the ball) and the other person catches it (listens) and then adds information or asks a question to give the conversation power to continue (throws the ball back).
If you don't want to connect with other people, however casually, let the ball just bounce off and leave the field.
Wait... you are spending way more time on this thread reliving 5 minutes of human contact? You're using virtual contact to ***** about a friendly encounter irl.
This world is ****ed.
On occasion, other shoppers strike up conversations with me and simply sap away my time -- why do they do this?
Just yesterday, while browsing watches at Costco, another shopper commented on how expensive some of the Rolexes were and how he could not believe Costco sold such expensive watches. I remarked on how if I were to spend a lot of money on a watch it would be for a Tag Heuer. He then proceeded to tell me a story about how his wife once purchased a Tag Heuer watch for him as a birthday gift on a cruise ship. The story did not provide me with any wisdom, nor was it humorous in any way. I didn't know what to say at its conclusion, and just stood there waiting for a punch line or some other addendum. When there was none, I just told him it was nice meeting him and uncomfortably walked away, hoping he wasn't going to get extra weird on me and do something while my back was turned to him.
Why does this sort of thing occasionally happen to me?
They mistake you for someone friendly and kind! You have every right to be indignant!
People strike up brief conversations in public places because it adds a little pleasantness to their days. Life is too short and contains too much that is bad/wrong/evil/sad/tragic to ignore even brief opportunities to create a little kindly human connection over common ground, even if it is which kind of potatoes to purchase.
If you don't like this or don't get it, by all means keep on shopping while sporting a glaring, keep-away expression on your face. I hope you enjoy all the free, untrammeled time this approach will buy you.
As for me, I'll keep on talking about potatoes or whatever else happens to be around.
OP seems like a rather unfriendly snob. He may not be but he sure comes across like that on this thread.
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