Something weird...

[Mythsaje]

Last night I had a guy come in to work looking for kitchen timers. No big deal, I figure. I took him to where they were and he took the three digital timers that were on the hook, then asked if we had any more. We didn't, but I told him that another of our stores apparently did.

He met up with a few other people in the store and spent some time talking with them.


I have to say the purchase of multiple digital kitchen timers had me scratching my head. But I couldn't help wonder what someone else might have thought about the situation, considering that he was most definitely Arabic.

It seemed a bit surreal, really, on the anniversary of 9/11. Had I been a freeper, no telling what might have happened.

The whole thing seemed a bit eerie to me.

Or am I just crazy?

[Captain Hilts]

1. Uh, that's kind of weird. Who needs more than one? nt

[3waygeek]

3. I do...

those cheap digital timers seem to flake out if you look at them funny. I don't think I've ever had one last more than 6 months.

[hisownpetard]

23. Yes, but don't you wait for one to break before buying the next one? nt

[Mythsaje]

4. That's why I was left scratching my head.

It seemed like the very kind of thing that might set someone else off, though. Left me wondering a little.

He seemed a nice enough guy. :shrug: But I'd definitely classify it as a weird, surreal experience.

[hisownpetard]

22. Well, unless he owns a restaurant, I think it's extremely strange... nt

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

2. If you think that's crazy...

I had a black guy come in the store today and he was eyeballing all the white women in the magazines. If the angry mob hadn't been down at the Orange Julius, there's no telling what would have happened.

Seemed very suspicious to me.

[Coexist]

7. oh shit - I nearly peed my pants.

[Mythsaje]

9. Well, my head is always full of "what ifs."

It just seemed strange.

[mike_c]

5. I have half a dozen digital timers....

Mine were originally purchased for my lab, where we use timers for lots of different purposes.

[Mythsaje]

10. Good point...

Could be exactly that.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

14. He could have invented a time machine.

Got to keep track of those various timelines, you know.

[NMDemDist2]

6. that is odd. if they were meat thermos i'd be thinking they were having

a big BBQ with several lambs/ribs/whatever

but timers?

[Mythsaje]

12. Well, he was looking for a shelving unit too. n/t

[hisownpetard]

24. Of course he was!!!! He's gonna need a shelf to store all those bombs on...

[Mythsaje]

43. Yeah, because we all know it's important to store them together...LOL

I didn't mean to get anyone all riled up. I was just passing along an interesting occurence that might have had a very different result had it been someone with a different attitude involved. I could imagine a freeper calling the cops or something just because he was buying timers.

Sheesh. People are so serious sometimes.

[hisownpetard]

46. It was an interesting post. Amazing what it brings out in people, huh?

[Horse with no Name]

8. Maybe he bought some dogs from Pavlov?

:shrug:

[lonestarnot]

11. Maybe he runs a cook'n school.

[Mythsaje]

18. Maybe...

he didn't seem any different from any other customer. Seemed like a nice guy.

I didn't jump to any conclusions. I just kinda poked at 'em. That's the writer in me. What ifs are my bread and butter.

[TomInTib]

13. Are they stand-alone or in-line timers?

If they are sealed (complete unto themselves), I wouldn't worry too much about it.

If they are current-interrupters, that is a different story.


By the way, did he leave in a cropduster that doesn't belong to you?

[Mythsaje]

16. Sealed, I think...

I wasn't worried about it at all. I just thought it was weird, and it made me think of how a freeper type might react.

[Horse with no Name]

17. Well freepers wouldn't think ANYTHING of a white guy who lives in the city

buying books on bomb making and fertilizer.
However, if a brown person bought a kitchen timer--Homeland Security would surely be notified.

[Mythsaje]

19. Good point...LOL

[TomInTib]

20. Are freepers capable of reaction when cognitive thinking is required?

I am pretty sure that their reactions are primarily pre-programmed.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

21. I think a freeper would have thought it was very eerie.

Maybe even have started a thread about it.

[Mythsaje]

37. Do we have a problem?

I wasn't aware of one, but this response sure makes me wonder. Do you have cause to insult me, or are you just doing it for no particular reason whatsoever?

[hang a left]

41. I don't think so Mythsaje

He was just making a funny.

It wasn't personal.

[Maggie_May]

15. Well

I am just that nosy kind of women and I would of said. "Sir just a little curious whats the timers for?" Don't know if I would have received an answer but what the heck.

[hisownpetard]

25. And he might have replied as my mother would have: "Well, if you forgive me

for not asnwering that question, I'll forgive you for asking it."

[Maggie_May]

33. Than I would have moved on

I work with the public all day long and talk to lots. Its basically my job and some will give information freely some won't. I have met a lot of interesting people and some so not. People in general are very informative. I guess thats why I have been a long time member of the DU.

[blonndee]

26. Oh, jeez. Who knows.

Maybe he's a public speaking teacher and is providing them to students for practice.

Maybe he teaches some kind of science and it's for a lab.

It could be for timing photo developing.

Maybe he does some kind of personal training and it's to time sessions at different stations for circuit training.

Or maybe he needs them for a restaurant.

There are any number of reasons someone (including someone "Arabic") would buy more than one kitchen timer. I'm surprised you found it so weird, really.

[AlCzervik]

27. maybe all their wives are pregnant and they all need to time contractions or maybe

that guy runs the Pillsbury bake off.

[Gabi Hayes]

28. I bought five at the Dollar Store last year, which was all they had.

care to ask why?

[hootinholler]

34. Ok, I'll bite :D

Just because I know you have a vivid imagination and the answer will be really good.

-Hoot

[bicentennial_baby]

29. "he was most definitely Arabic"?

Ok, I don't think I've ever heard of a person of Middle Eastern descent being described this way... "he was most definitely an Arab"? Sure! This...no.

Last I checked, Arabic was a language, and Arabs were people. :shrug:

[AlCzervik]

31. i look yiddish or so i've been told.

:evilgrin:

[Mythsaje]

38. Not his look so much as his accent...

At least from what I recognize of it. Something middle eastern. If I were to guess, I might have guessed him to be a teacher or something. Don't know why I would think so, but, oddly enough, that was the impression I had... And no, I didn't think he was a terrorist. But someone else might have jumped to that conclusion.

[gateley]

30. Pre 9/11 I would have thought it was weird and maybe asked him

what he was doing with them out of curiosity. Post 9/11 I may have thought it was WEIRD weird and been afraid to ask him. Didn't realize I've been brainwashed so thoroughly until I read your post.

[AlCzervik]

32. because "He looked Arabic"? Would you ask him if he say looked american?

[gateley]

35. Don't know if you meant to address this to me, because

I wasn't even thinking about heritage (the OP didn't mention his race). But I'll answer anyway. :) These days, I'd feel the same way toward a white guy or a white woman, for that matter. See? It underscores my statement that I hadn't realized how deeply brainwashed I've become by all the fear messages coming out of this Admin and parroted by the media.

[Mythsaje]

39. I found myself wondering why someone would need multiple timers

but I didn't myself jump to the conclusion "he must be planning on blowing stuff up." The date, combined with his accent, combined with his purchase, combined in my imagination to think--man, if the wrong person was involved here...

Of course, it seems as though a lot of people want to mistake my intention here, and my thoughts at the time.

I told a co-worker, someone I know to be pretty liberal himself, and he shared the fact that he'd forgotten it was 9/11 until some freeper type walked in wearing a flag shirt. We both shared a bit of a laugh about both incidents and let it go.

[Matariki]

36. chess club?

triathlon team in training? bukkake contestants?

[Mythsaje]

40. We have sports timers for that sort of thing.

Aren't chess timers pretty specific? So you can manually slap them down to stop them or whatever? I'm not even going to remark on the last one, except to say I wasn't aware they timed anything like that.

[slampoet]

42. Digital timers are used by all engineers, Computer techs, cooks, teachers, mechanics

There is a but load of legit uses.

Also, digital timers are not the preferred detonation method. Chemical and remote are.


BTW- Definitely Arabic is like saying definitely Native American.

"Was he Aztec, Inca, Eskimo?"



I would be willing to bet that in Detroit you couldn't tell an Arab from a Muong.

[Mythsaje]

44. I don't even know what a Muong IS.

But, yeah, he sounded Middle Eastern. It was more the accent than his appearance.

[Duer 157099]

45. I have your answer

right here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Lot-of-3-NEW-Digital-Electronic-Kitchen-Timer-Timers_W0QQitemZ330163200128QQihZ014QQcategoryZ25358QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem