Posted on 06/08/2007 7:15:07 PM PDT by lowbridge
June 8, 2007
A snapshot of America, June 2007
Thanks to online shopping, I rarely head into bookstores, but today I needed to buy a gift in a hurry and so I ventured into one - the place was empty and I found what I needed quickly and then browsed a bit. While the temperature outside was only about 73 degrees, the day was humid and the store felt very warm to me. We don’t have central air in the house, just ceiling fans, and they pretty much do the trick, but when I’m shopping, I like to feel cool and comfortable, not oppressed. With no air moving, the store seemed unbearably stuffy, so I said the hell with further shopping and headed to the checkout.
At the checkout counter I found the rest of the shoppers - there were 8-10 of us in all, diverse in age, gender, race, and I’m sure in other ways, and every one of us was trying to get outside and catch a breeze, so some were becoming impatient. While waiting I tied my hair back with a scrunchy and a woman behind me said, “good idea,” and tied hers back, too…no kidding, it was warm.
When I reached the checkout, I asked the cashier if the a/c was broken. “No,” she informed me. “We keep the a/c temperature up because of global warming. Doing our part to save the planet!”
A male voice groused, rather loudly, “Well, that’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard! If you’re running an a/c but still not cooling the building then you’re wasting energy. Either turn it off all together, or turn the temperature down, but don’t run a huge unit without without cooling the building down; that’s like running a car engine in a driveway. This is typical Al Gore liberal nonsense, make everyone suffer the same while they feel noble because they care so much about the environment!”
The other warm woman behind me piped up, “this is freakin’ ridiculous. If I have to come here to sweat, I’ll just stay home and order somethin’ online! I don’t need to be here sweating for the privilege of givin’ you my money!”
The girl behind the counter said, “in third world countries, people don’t have air conditioning!”
“America is not a third-world country!” A new voice bellowed. “Not yet, anyway, but if Gore and his rock star friends get their way his way, we will be! Hot stores, sweating! Not them, just us! We’re the ones made uncomfortable! Tell your manager to buy a freaking carbon offset and turn on the a/c!”
“America will be a third-world country by next year if Bush has his way and keeps the Mexican border opened,” someone else said.
I collected my change and headed out, in no mood for a hot-angry mob scene. The last thing I heard was the cashier muttering, “Bush - moron!” and the woman saying, “screw this, I don’t need this book, I’m leavin’, and I’ll tell you somethin’ else - George Bush keeps you safe, and he isn’t telling us to sweat without air conditionin’, either!”
Gonna be a long, hot summer, and global warming may indeed have something to do with it…but not as you might think.
They have to make a profit.
Global warming nonsense is reaching a “fever pitch”.
Amusing article. I’m glad the other customers understood that the global warming threat is phony, even if the young skull full of mush behind the counter didn’t. Personally I wouldn’t shop in a store that didn’t have air conditioning. Merchants beware.
I thought liberals were viciously opposed to anyone who made a profit? I guess this make hypocrites out of them in addition to being fools.
Why not? A running air conditioner, no matter how low one turns it down, still uses up electricity/energy.
Running the fan feature without the compressor maybe? My parents used to do that a lot.
I say when you turn down the AC you make it colder 78 - 73.
Put the book on the counter and leave. It's for the children.
The management and clerk should be grateful that market forces will contribute to their planet-saving efforts. Once the store goes out of business, the lights and computers will shut off as well.
When we used to go to bookstores, they only put out left wing stuff out front.
If they had our books, they were buried in the back somewhere or not available ( the carton was not unboxed yet, etc. ).
Sales people even laugh on their company website saying that the clerks often destroy the cases of books that they do not politically agree with.
My experience is that people who work in bookstores are cold blooded and very liberal. The temperature is usually over 80, and it smells. And I noticed that way before the GW scam.
When I saw that, I thought they had turned down Ann Coulter because of global warming - or maybe her views on it! (LOL!)
If they are not running the AC very hard, it won’t consume as much power per day...assuming the thing is well-maintained. So long as the compressor is operating, the thing is sucking down some serious juice. Because of their merchandise, a good dehumidifier might help with their electric bill and the longevity of their merchandise.
On sweltering August days, I like to turn on the AC so cold I have to wear a sweatshirt and then, for dinner, have a nice pot roast and baked potatoes — just to keep the oven in good working order.
Oh yea? Well instead of buying carbon credits I fight global warming by idling my car in the driveway with the windows down and my air conditioner on full! ;’}
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