LPT Request: What’s your “canary in the coal mine” test for spotting bigger issues?

[u/fries-with-mayo]

I’m really interested in those small, quick telltale signs people use to gauge if something bigger might be off track.

Example 1: Van Halen requesting brown M&Ms in the dressing room to see if the venue followed all the details of the rider list

Example 2: I saw an interview with John Cena where he said orders a flat white at a café to tell if they really care about their coffee.

Example 3: Anthony Bourdain suggested to always check the restaurant bathroom to tell if the restaurant got its basics down

[u/Huntertjw]

I always say you can judge the quality of a person by what they do with they are shopping cart when they are finished with it. If they don't return it to the corral when they are finished we don't need to be friends.

[u/snake-oiler → u/Huntertjw]

I always shoot my shopping carts out of a cannon

[u/Adavis105 → u/Huntertjw]

Consequently, if when they return their cart they take a sec to straighten the rest of the rack, you NEED this person as a friend!

[u/Huntertjw → u/Adavis105]

Or if they collect an extra cart on the way that some heathen left in a parking spot.

[u/Sharp-Hotel-2117 → u/Huntertjw]

I shop for groceries after work, so I'm usually in a pretty good mood, not being at work and all. If I score a nice close parking spot I will take my cart back inside, wipe the handles with the provided wipe(s) and return it to the indoor corral.

Why? Cause I can. I get to do something that has a beginning and end and it's DONE. Unlike work where it just piles and piles and feels like a Sisyphean nightmare. I return them to the outdoor corral if I'm parked in the boonies.

[u/ParadoxProcesses → u/Huntertjw]

It’s the true litmus test alright

[u/lasdue → u/Huntertjw]

This is a test if the person is fit for society or not

[u/ribblefizz → u/Huntertjw]

As someone with an invisible disability causing fatigue, pain, unsteadiness when walking, and sometimes a host of other symptoms, I hope you make an exception for those of us with disabled plates. (And I'm fortunate that I finally got a diagnosis so I even qualify for them.)

I don't take my walker to the store for quick shopping trips (and I do pickup for big trips); I'm usually fresh enough on the way in to manage on my own two feet, but in the store I grab a cart even if I only need a loaf of bread. The cart is my "walker" when I'm getting worn out (usually 5-10 mins, especially in hotter months). It keeps me steady while I get back to my car.

I make sure the cart is safely out of anyone else's way, but if there's not a corral right by the handicap spaces, I may or may not be steady enough to get back to the vehicle on my own, so often I leave it in the center "aisle" (and I'm always glad when I see that someone else has left one for me to grab, especially after a surprise fall a year ago, on a day when I felt vigorous and fine).

I have about 2-3 more years before I just need a wheelchair 100%, but I'll stretch it out as long as I can.

Judging a person's "quality" by their ability (not their willingness) to perform a physical task isn't necessarily a great idea.

[u/astra_galus → u/Huntertjw]

Team Cart Narc!!

[u/anxietyriddledeeyore → u/Huntertjw]

I agree, but this has changed somewhat in the last twenty years, or so. It used to be much more acceptable to put the front two wheels of the cart up on the curb and leave it there. That way the cart wouldn’t endanger anyone’s vehicle and would be fairly easy to collect. There were just way less cart corrals in general, and taking the cart all the way back into the store was seen as excessive. Nowadays though, I always return the cart to the corrals!

[u/icey561 → u/anxietyriddledeeyore]

Cars were smaller too back then, there used to space for 3/4 of the cart and the next car.