The Conservative Cave
The Bar => The Lounge => Topic started by: franksolich on February 04, 2010, 08:41:55 AM
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I noticed a certain phenomenon late Tuesday night, when I had to go to the big city to pick up a package of cigarettes at a convenience store.
As I wasn't doing anything else in particular, I purchased a cup of coffee too, and sat at a table, watching the show in front of me.
About 11:55 p.m., a woman known to me to be on the governmental teat came in, and stood around, until midnight. Then she went to the ATM (automated teller machine), and withdrew $40.
After which she went to the counter and requested a $1 lottery scratch-ticket.
She got it, and I thought she was going to leave, but no, she stood there, scratching off the grey matter on the ticket.
It was obviously not a winner, so she requested a second $1 lottery ticket.
That too was not a winner, but the third ticket was, for a free $1 lottery ticket.
The clerk explained to her that the computer for the lottery system had shut down at midnight, and so he couldn't redeem the ticket until circa 6:00 a.m., when the computer came back on line again. The lottery system does not shut down at midnight--I think it's usually 1:30 a.m.--but the clerk had shut it down early this particular night, "because if they win and get paid the winnings, they hang around longer."
(The above was explained to me later.)
The woman appeared perplexed, but then purchased a fourth $1 lottery ticket.
This went on and on, until the woman had used up all of her $40, buying one $1 lottery ticket at a time. A few appeared to be winners--in the $1-3 range, judging upon her reaction--but most weren't.
Having run out of her initial $40, the woman went back to the ATM machine and withdrew another $40.....and again purchased tickets one at a time, a dollar at a time.
Now, I'm aware that to most of the general public, who zip-and-zap in-and-out of convenience stores, that there's this impression that overnight clerks have nothing to do other than stand in front of the cash register all night long.
Which is an utterly erroneous impression; I've always noticed that night clerks have a great deal of work to do in the middle of the night, usually clean-up and stocking work. Which they can't get done if there's too many customers coming-and-going.
I've done this sort of work, and at night, here and there, myself.
This clerk, this kid, was balled-and-chained to the cash register by this ticket-purchasing woman, buying her tickets one at a time.
After a couple more $40 withdrawals from the ATM machine, the woman switched to buying $2, and then $3 lottery tickets, slowly working her way up to the $5 and $10 tickets.
One at a time.
I was intrigued, and kept count. The woman made 11 trips to the ATM machine, withdrawing $40 each time, for a total of $440. It's true that she won here and there, but her "winnings" didn't appear to come close to her investments; maybe a couple of hundred bucks in all; it might have been more like circa $150.
She was there from 11:55 p.m. until 2:15 a.m., usually that time things are "slow" at such stores (at least around here), and that time a clerk can do all of the cleaning and stocking chores--but no, the kid was stuck at the counter, dealing with her one-at-a-time purchases.
I really felt for him; she was wasting his time.
I dunno why she just didn't make a one-time purchase of $440 of lottery tickets, and leave him at peace to do his job, a job which is NOT that of working in a casino.
Has anyone else ever noticed this phenomenon, or is it just me?
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No, Frank. I'm usually in the house long before that time of the night/morning. What I do think is that her Govt debit card will only dispense $40 at a time, but I could be wrong. It's apparent that she has some sort of gambling addiction to stay there and continue to spend money on lottery tickets. Of course, we CAN blame the Govt for this because they promote and sanction gambling in the name of the "kids", the "Environment" or some other taxpayer funded venue. The sad thing is that somebody is going to go hungry/ homeless when the gambling money runs out.
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I haven't seen exactly that. But, I have seen, on numerous occasions, people buying scratch off lotto tickets, and standing right there at the counter scratching them off, trading them in and buying more. I hate it, because they impede my ability to get in and get out.
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I have to work for a living.....I can't afford to spend $440 on lottery tickets.
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I have to work for a living.....I can't afford to spend $440 on lottery tickets.
That's why I've never liked cash payments for welfare or other social services recipients.
The WIC program (Women-Infants-Children) seems to have it right; vouchers for purchase of certain specified items only.
The same strigent standards should apply to housing, automotive expenses, and somesuch too. And food stamps.
I have no doubt that by mid-month, this very same woman is at the welfare office, whining that she has no more money for food.
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I'm not up after midnight.
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I see people buying instant tickets and checking them at the counter of the convenience store where I buy cigarettes all the time. I also see more people buying tickets during the first week of the month than any other week.
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I know nothing about what type of ATM card she might have been using. But this sounds exactly like the type of person you'd see at a casino playing the nickel slots.
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Lottery = Tax on stupidity.......
doc
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Quite a few of the more elderly folks here will buy a goodly number of them at once, but more on the order of $50 tops as far as I've seen. My impression is that they are mainly retirees engaged in more-or-less harmless amusement. Some people enjoy gambling a great deal and some do not, if they can afford it and enjoy it that is not for me to critique. I haven't seen anyone do anything as nutty as what you describe, though.
Spending a dollar or two on a lottery ticket is a harmless indulgence in fantasy for the productively employed, I have no beef with it and don't regard it as a stupidity tax at all, they are getting the odd dollar's worth of value out of fantasizing about the win without any more impact than buying the odd ice cream, deep-fried, or milk chocolate-covered fat-bomb at the same C-store. You could even argue the lottery ticket is a lot healthier.
However when losers who are already on the dole buy them, especially to the point of blowing the rent and chow money on them as you describe, that is a sickness.
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Too bad there isn't someway to monitor welfare checks/food stamps (not unemployment checks) to make sure they aren't being used on lottery, alcohol and cigarettes.
I think weekly drug testing should be mandatory to receive unemployment checks.
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I dunno why she just didn't make a one-time purchase of $440 of lottery tickets, and leave him at peace to do his job, a job which is NOT that of working in a casino.
Has anyone else ever noticed this phenomenon, or is it just me?
Her thinking is that if she wins big, she'll stop buying more- but she never does. I spent many years managing convenience stores;the majority of players are low/no-income. 2nd-50+ middle income.All of the big winners I knew were in the 2nd spot.
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I'll drop $5-10 on the MegaMillions when it gets up there, and sometimes even when it's only $12 million.
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I'll drop $5-10 on the MegaMillions when it gets up there, and sometimes even when it's only $12 million.
Me too. The $5 buys me some fantasy time :-) I get to imagine what I would do with all that money.
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Me too. The $5 buys me some fantasy time :-) I get to imagine what I would do with all that money.
Me too. Think I'll buy an island and NO ONE can come over 'less I say so! :-)
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I have to work for a living.....I can't afford to spend $440 on lottery tickets.
Bingo. Hell, I don't buy ANY lottery tickets.
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This reminds me of the "Feed the Pig" commercials.
"And the next number is........................NOT YOURS" :lmao:
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There's nothing worse than lottery players. The ones like Frank describe are pitiful But the worst ones are these assholes who decide that first thing in the morning when everyone is trying to get to work or afternoon trying to get home is the absolute PERFECT time to have their $100 worth of Lotto tickets scanned for a winner because they're to lazy to check themselves. Then after verifying they've wasted a hundred they need to buy 100 more. Now the line that was 8 deep when they got in it is now 20 deep and half that many people have left in disgust.
This is a scene played out several times a day in every convenience store and lotto retailer in the state. I have no clue why the stores do it. That nickle a ticket loses them money every single day due to pissing off legit customers that leave. Then you have the drive offs from the gas pumps because they see the clerk is busy.
I win the lottery every single day....
by not playing.
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There's nothing worse than lottery players. The ones like Frank describe are pitiful But the worst ones are these assholes who decide that first thing in the morning when everyone is trying to get to work or afternoon trying to get home is the absolute PERFECT time to have their $100 worth of Lotto tickets scanned for a winner because they're to lazy to check themselves. Then after verifying they've wasted a hundred they need to buy 100 more. Now the line that was 8 deep when they got in it is now 20 deep and half that many people have left in disgust.
This is a scene played out several times a day in every convenience store and lotto retailer in the state. I have no clue why the stores do it. That nickle a ticket loses them money every single day due to pissing off legit customers that leave. Then you have the drive offs from the gas pumps because they see the clerk is busy.
I win the lottery every single day....
by not playing.
I read of some situations where the clerk would scan those tickets and tell the purchaser that they had no winners when there was a winning ticket or two. Then, the clerk would take the winning ticket and either claim it themselves or have some family member claim it. It's really dumb to allow the clerk to scan those tickets.
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What's just as bad is at the local Legion hall they have the "pull tabs". Biggest waste of money EVER. And I see guys dump $50-100 or more on those stupid-assed things. Not to mention it makes one hell of a mess.
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I love the asshats that go into the store, buy their milk and several packs of smokes, pay, then use their change - $1.00 at a time - to buy tickets. *******, figure out what it's going to cost in your head and buy what you need - then exit the store.
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When California first had their scratch-offs, I used to buy a few of them. However, I'd make my purchase, go to the bar next door and scratch off the tickets. I seemed to always win more than I spent, but it was never more than $100. Once I had a winning ticket or two, THEN I would go back to the store and redeem them.
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Well, a close second in the "piss-me-off" category is the clerk who SEES the eight customers behind said douchenozzle, but doesn't bother to ask them to move so they can help the other people waiting in line. It's also why a lot of retailers do the machines instead of having them behind the counter.