My answer to the guy who called me a "cheap Jew".

[Shalom]

Followup to a CS post that would be inappropriate on that board:

I believe the woman's point was something along the lines of this:

"Since I'm Jewish, you should know that I am smart enough to not be ripped off by the average thieving merchant, as we are a wise and thrifty lot who pay attention to our money."

I pulled exactly this, once, nearly verbatim, on a sucky merchant. He started it, though.

I was in England in about January of 1992, and stopped at a bank kiosk to get some money. Now at that time, the Cirrus network wasn't yet online, and my ATM card didn't even work at most ATMs outside New York State, let alone outside the country, so I went to try and get a cash advance on a credit card so I could have some folding money in my wallet. I asked the guy how much it would cost, and when I heard how much the fee was (not even what my card would charge me, but how much his company would take right up front), I decided to pass.

Him: "Oh I knew you wouldn't go for it, you cheap Jew."

Me: "It's not a matter of cheapness, it's simply brains. We Jews are smarter than you Gentiles, that's all... we're too smart to waste our money like that."

Him: "Yeah? How so?"

Me: "Well, look at it like this. Let's say, back around a thousand years ago, a really smart Gentile was born. A genius, really had a head on his shoulders, knew how to learn. What opportunies would he have in England in that time? All he could do was become a priest or a monk. He would have no children. His line would end with him. You goyim have been breeding for stupidity for 1500 years, and you wonder why we Jews are smarter...?"

OK, maybe that wasn't the smartest thing to say right then, but there was a layer of bulletproof glass between me and him, so I was able to get away unscathed...

[DrFaroohk]

This guy I used to work with would wish people a happy Hanukkah if they complained about prices too much...I always thought it was funny because no one ever got it but me and him. Kinda reminded me of that.

[Andara Bledin]

Ah, yes, religious bigotry rears it's ugly head once more.

I do like the "breeding for stupidity" line, though. Wish it weren't so true. >_<

^-.-^

[XCashier]

Ah, yes, religious bigotry rears it's ugly head once more.

I do like the "breeding for stupidity" line, though. Wish it weren't so true. >_<

Agreed. And this racist, bigmouthed bank employee is proof of Shalom's theory. Sorry you had to deal with that moron.

[insertNameHere]

Yeah, I get called a jew because I have a big nose and am cheap.... so fucking what? I also have thousands of dollars in the bank from all the work I have done, unlike my friends who have thousands of dollars in debt and I'm completely ignoring schooling, just things like concerts, clothes and other "necessities" that were purchased at insane interest rates for no real reason.

I find it funny that people laugh at me for doing math to figure out what is a better value at the store. Yeah, I only needed one bottle of asprin but the 100ct bottle was 3.96, and two 100ct bottles was 4.00 (I really have no idea why people think I wasted that 4 cents)

Warning, the following is a rant for those who understand math or want to realize how clueless people are about math.

MY favorite people to make fun of are users of the net-spend re-loadable cards, I'm sorry are you really fucking spending 3.95 EACH time you reload it???? Sure if you do 100-300 dollars it is a lower percentage, but most people I see loading them put between 10-40 dollars. I understand some people can't get a credit card mostly because they suck at math, and now I see why. I really want to point out to the once person that they would save SO much money by loading more at once instead of constantly coming in. OR like the one guy who thought he was being smart by loading $60 onto this netspend card, then buying a store gift card to get "bonus points".... Those extra points are worth about $1.60 ONLY if used on the select items with highest point per dollar payout..... Averaging the fee to 3.38 because if you buy so many you get a reload free. He just spent 1.78 More than those extra points are worth But hey.... HE gets double points.

[Racket_Man]

my manager and area manager give me shit all the time for ACTUACLLY for running part of my life like a business. as in what is my total income and what are my expenses (fixed and variable) that are related to my job.

I keep daily records on things like how much I made in tips, my "sales", my miles driven on a given shift, how many hours I actually drove in a shift vs. the total number of hours worked, how cents per mile I was actaully compensated vs. what the IRS says I SHOULD be compensated per mile (and how much that cuts into my tips/wages), a record of my cost of repairs and mantenance, etc.

I know, relatively speaking, how much I make per delivery, how many miles I average per delivery, my average tip per delivery, how much I am spending out of my own pocket, etc. I have constructed a spreadsheet that calculates all of this;.

these are all factors that SHOULD be (but most of the time not) paid attention to when doing my kind of job ie. pizza delivery.

sadly most of the delivery drivers out there pay little, if any, attention to these factors. most of them just see that "wad" of cash at the end of the night and thnk "HEY PARTY TIME" . not DAMN I gotta put some $$$s away for <whatever including emergancy repairs, rent, food, other necessities, etc.>

I was "business trained" to consider income vs. expenses = profit. and even when I try and explain this to the GM and area guy they just get a glazed and unfocused look in their eyes and dismiss me as some hairbrained nut.

I have busted my ass off for the last 6 years to get where I am now (not that that position is all that good) but at least I know where most of my stuff is going. I just do not cruise down the road on cruise control and hope that all will be well and will be on the perverbial straight road with no bumps or obstuctions.

[protege]

Yeah, I get called a jew because I have a big nose and am cheap.... so fucking what? I also have thousands of dollars in the bank from all the work I have done, unlike my friends who have thousands of dollars in debt and I'm completely ignoring schooling, just things like concerts, clothes and other "necessities" that were purchased at insane interest rates for no real reason.

I find it funny that people laugh at me for doing math to figure out what is a better value at the store. Yeah, I only needed one bottle of asprin but the 100ct bottle was 3.96, and two 100ct bottles was 4.00 (I really have no idea why people think I wasted that 4 cents)

There's a big difference between being thrifty, and being cheap. Trust me on this. Thrifty, is spending a bit more on something good (like a lawn mower, or car) and having something that will last. Cheap, on the other hand, is spending the smallest amount of money possible, and then bitching and moaning about how it breaks constantly.

Using lawn mowers as an example, I had to buy a new one two weeks ago. The 20-year-old Toro I'd been given...finally died. The engine block cracked, and I wasn't willing to spend money on it. Since I wanted to get the best one I could afford, I looked at several online and in stores. When I finally made my decision (on a Honda--which had the best reviews and reputation), my dad and I went to pick it up.

When he saw how much I was about to spend, he hit the ceiling. He couldn't see the point of spending that much cash...when I "could get one for less." That's what he did when he bought his mower. Yep, it cost less...because it's a piece of shit! It's a pain to start, the deck height levers don't stay where you put them...and the rear wheels are about 30 degrees from vertical, owing to that thing's flimsy construction. The entire rear axle is bent, because it can't support the engine's weight

My feeling on it is this--would I rather spend a bit more, and have the mower last longer? Or, would I rather spend rather less...and have to replace it much sooner, and/or constantly fiddle with it? If I would have cheaped-out in this case, I'd actually spend *more* in the long run. But, too many people only see dollar signs, instead of seeing the entire sign. Much like the customers on CS!

[tropicsgoddess]

There's a big difference between being thrifty, and being cheap. Trust me on this. Thrifty, is spending a bit more on something good (like a lawn mower, or car) and having something that will last. Cheap, on the other hand, is spending the smallest amount of money possible, and then bitching and moaning about how it breaks constantly.

---<SNIP!>---

But, too many people only see dollar signs, instead of seeing the entire sign. Much like the customers on CS!

Add on the incredibly unjustifiable stinginess for being cheap (giving shitty tips or stiffing servers and the like, hoarding goods and using extremely small amounts of stuff).

[insertNameHere]

Oh, how about this, while at work I make 12.9 CENTS per minute before taxes, I had a customer look at me funny when I bent over to pick up a dime, they made a joke about me being cheap. Seriously, took me all of 5 seconds, at basicaly 12X what my company paid me while I was bending over to retrieve it. The HILARIOUSLY IRONIC part is said fucking moron, then loaded $10 onto a gift card to save 3 cents PER GALLON.... so at 3.99 a gallon that is 2.5 Gallons of gas..... A whole 7.5 cents, and I think we round down in our software.... Even if we round up... give him benefit of 8 cents saved. It took about 30 seconds to do this. So, Pot meet kettle.

He "got" 8 cents in 30 seconds. While making fun of me for being a cheapskate picking up a dime off the floor for 5 seconds.... so I guess if I did that 6 times, I would have 60cents to his 8 cents for an equal time period. I think next time I will lay the math out for them.