Yankee stinginess ??? (Fryeburg: coupons, shop, airport)

[Roadkill95]

Originally Posted by Mark S.

Before moving to Maine, lots of people warned me about the inherent stinginess of New Englanders. We never experienced on our first visit to New England, and after living here for almost three years, we've found Mainers to be generous and friendly, but still respecting your privacy and expecting you to return the favor. Yankee stinginess? Where???

Well, I have found it in one place, and it strikes me as very peculiar: Standing in line.

Twice while waiting in line for the confessional at church, I have witnessed people get into arguments (one quite heated) over whose turn it was next. All over an extra five minutes, if that. (Maybe they were trying to work up an extra sin or two before going in? )

The other day at the library, two women got into a verbal tussle over whose turn it was in line. The older lady was more than a little rude. And really: would it have been the end of the world to have to wait in line an extra 90 seconds?

I've seen similar occurrences in lines at fast food joints, the post office, my favorite local coffee house, and the theater.

What is it about standing in line that makes some folks lose all sense of generosity?

Thats one of the reasons I stopped going to church.Too many hipocrites. If its not that, they will run you over after the service to get out of there, and think its OK I just went to church like a good little doobie I will be forgiven. Cracks me up

[BrokenTap]

Why not combine your hatred and your love Ranger...

Use your rifle to take each person out that is in line in front of you? Makes sense to me, especially in the summer when the number of tourists are at a higher percentage then in the winter.

Oh wait, we already have those people here...postal workers! Now that's a scary thought, the postal service losing 1 billion per year, eminent job cuts, longer lines and Christmas season coming up.

[msina]

Guess my "stinginess" came out in line at the store recently. I made the clerk run a price check on the brown bananas. They were ringing up as .25 per lb. they were supposed to be .10 per pound. I was buying a good amount of them for baking.

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by msina

Guess my "stinginess" came out in line at the store recently. I made the clerk run a price check on the brown bananas. They were ringing up as .25 per lb. they were supposed to be .10 per pound. I was buying a good amount of them for baking.

That's thriftiness not stinginess. Big difference. I knew a woman who used to snap all of the hard ends off her asparagus in the store before she bought it. She said "I'm just going to do it at home....why pay for the part I'm throwing away?" She had a point though it was an odd thing to do.

[RANGER.101ST]

Originally Posted by moughie

You are right, Ranger,
Every minute DOES count, regardless of where a person lives.
If I see a line, I just change my target and find something similar with no line.

when the express line has 20 people in it its no longer the express line.
when i pull up to the fast food place and there is 15 cars its no longer fast food.

[Maine Writer]

If it's fast food is it really food?

[moughie]

Give me slow food anyday!

[timnwin]

Originally Posted by Maine Writer

If it's fast food is it really food?

nothin like a cold burger, warm cheese, and hard stale bun that was tossed together an hour before you ordered it....bleh!

The stinginess is everywhere though....people are too impatient at times...but hey...it's what makes them who they are. Me...I am like...if you need to hurry...then go for it. Pass me on the road, jump in front of me in line....but what's great is when the light still catches them and they got a whole car length ahead of where they started....or the cashier needs to call for a manager....seems they didn't get ahead too far after all. Makes me giggle every time. Hubby shakes his head when I giggle at them.

[Roadkill95]

Originally Posted by RANGER.101ST

when the express line has 20 people in it its no longer the express line.
when i pull up to the fast food place and there is 15 cars its no longer fast food.

I love it when they get into the express line with about 40 items and then stand there and wait until everything is rung up(and they don't even help bag the crap) and the cashier gives them the total , now they start foraging around for the money. I want to ask them "what was you waiting for? did you think you were going to be the 1million customer and get it free, get your money out and be ready to pay."

[RMoore007]

I get stingy with my thermostat, routine, health and ordering food at a restaurant (but not tipping).

But I get stingiest with my time, especially when I have just one or two items in a checkout line and I thought that I could get in and out of the store quickly and the person ahead of me is just starting to write a check for their items...

But I don't think these are exclusivly Maine traits. Just an independant, frugal and practical nature. Which describes Mainer's maybe. Or I'm just a lazy cheap bum.