Am I being a "snowflake" about this......

[Vinyasa Guy]

Hi All,
On Friday I shop at BJ's wholesale for the bulk items for my home. I was there today checking out and the checker (a guy) noticed I was buying 8 bags of peanuts (so far, so good). He jokingly asked if I had an elephant visiting this weekend, I laughed and said no, I'm the guy on the block that feeds the strays including the squirrels. Here is where it starts.

He then stated the he "was the guy on the block the eradicates vermin". THEN started making a motion like he was shooting a rifle and told me "My grandad used to shoot one and hang it in the yard to scare the other ones".

I was literally mortified by this. I responded, "oh boy, that's nutty" and just left. I told my wife, and really want to report this guy, but I would feel bad if he lost his job.

Thoughts?

[Skittles]

1. you're trying too hard

that is my thought

[Squinch]

5. I was hoping there would be a buzzard in this story. But no.

[FSogol]

11. His wife told him a story about....

[Squinch]

14. This is kind of a literal version of "LOOK! A SQUIRREL!"

[Brother Buzz]

15. I heard they are serving breast fed squirrel dredged in corn flakes at Olive Garden....

[Squinch]

16. To their pit bulls.

[Brother Buzz]

21. Oscar sent it back to the kitchen were a terse message.....

[Squinch]

23. .

[FSogol]

28. LOL, Classic!

[lunatica]

55. I've missed that drawing so much!!

Thanks for re-posting it.

[Siwsan]

25. That is exactly where my mind went, too!

[H2O Man]

36. Yes, but why isn't

Jeff Sessions investigating this? Is it a cover-up? We should tell someone, somewhere, sometime, maybe.

[grantcart]

51. one day and trolling, I thought he wasn't trying at all lol.

[bearsfootball516]

2. Eh.

It's weird if he was being serious about his grandfather hanging them, but it's not a big deal. My grandfather shoots chipmunks if they're in his yard.

[Kirk Lover]

9. Well we have different ideas on what is a big deal. n/t

[maxsolomon]

12. Why? Just because he likes to kill things?

You can't really kill all the chipmunks - and why would you?

[bearsfootball516]

13. He's had problems with them burrowing under the foundation and causing damage.

[maxsolomon]

26. i had to go into my MIL's crawlspace to extract a dead rat that did the same.

I can't imagine shooting them solves the problem - since there's lots of chipmunks.

[bearsfootball516]

33. I cant speak for everyone, but once he started shooting them, the problem stopped.

[Kirk Lover]

29. Yes especially when killing is done for 'fun'. n/t

[ksoze]

3. relax.

[maxsolomon]

4. He's all talk

His grandfather was a sociopath

[PoliticAverse]

6. I knew someone that used to eat them. One person's cute visitor is another's rat with a bushy tail

or someone else's lunch.

Live in a rural area?

[trof]

17. I've hunted and eaten squirrel. Tastes like chicken. Really.

The brains taste like chicken livers.

[GulfCoast66]

41. Not pisses my uncle more than shooting them in the head

Claims the brain is the best part. I think they are just ok.

[GulfCoast66]

39. I grew up shooting and eating them.

Haven’t in over 20 years. But I would not hesitate to go squirrel hunting. It was always my favorite kind of hunting and I like the way they taste.

My extended family eats them regularly

[Kirk Lover]

7. That would no doubt piss me off and I'm certain I would of had a smart remark for him. Now as far a

as "telling" on the guy I doubt I would of done that...no need for that with a mouth like mine. =)

[gopiscrap]

18. I love it, you sound like me

[Lunabell]

8. Squirrels are pests.

But I understand your abhorrence. I would never kill one.

[Kirk Lover]

30. Squirrels are an extremely important part of the ecosystem. n/t

[GulfCoast66]

40. Did not know my roof vents were part of the ecosystem

Because those little SOBs ate them down to the shingles. If not in a subdivision I would have broke out the .22.

[Kirk Lover]

42. Killing the squirrel will solve your 'problem' only temporarily until the next one comes along.

We have a bigger brain, we should be able to outsmart these creatures. So instead of just killing them you could purchase a roof vent guard for a reasonable price and actually solve the problem permanently. There is also do it yourself youtube tutorials if you are good with your hands.

[GulfCoast66]

44. I replaced the with plastic ones

No animals killed. Although squirrels do taste pretty good and are very plentiful in the south. That said, I would not eat one from the city.

[Kirk Lover]

47. Well they can chew through plastic...woulda went with metal...I guess you may get your chance

to replace it the next time they chew through it!

If you need squirrel to eat then I have less of a problem with it. But when it's just for target practice -- me no likey.

[GulfCoast66]

54. They chewed the Metal one because they contained lead

The new ones are squirrel proof. Got them with my new roof thanks to Hurricane Irma.

And I generally feel it is a sin to kill anything for fun.

[Phentex]

46. My neighbor tried killing chipmunks

because they were eating her tomatoes. The whole thing was really dumb because there was no way she could kill every single one that came along. She gave up.

[Kirk Lover]

48. Plus there are other ways to protect vegetables from critters!! n/t

[Phentex]

49. Not to mention...

we live in an area where you can get any kind of tomato you want!

The neighbor to the left of us kills snakes when she sees them. But then had to hire a pest company to kill the moles in her yard. That didn't work either!

[The Wielding Truth]

10. You expressed your feelings about his grandfather and did your part. He may have been kidding so you

reacted correctly.

Snowflakes in many numbers can be very powerful, so don't say that as a weak thing to be.

Make sure that your feeding of the squirrels is the right thing to do by checking with pest control. You may also be feeding rats.

[Igel]

19. Am I being oversensitive, or do you think he wasn't talking about squirrels?

I think he was. Talking about squirrels.

(My father was the same way with cats.)

[avebury]

20. If that guy lives in an urban area he might

be violating the law if he discharges his gun within city limits (or within a designated number of feet from a building). You might want to find out what the laws are in your area. That is they kind of idiot that might end up killing a neighbor.

[zipplewrath]

22. Well

Remember, he was attempting to be funny, as may have been his "grandfather". I've actually heard that joke before and I don't think anyone was serious.

That said, yes, squirrels are "vermin". They are in the same category as rats, raccoons, pigeons, possoms, and strangely feral pigs. Which is to say they are basically scavengers that tend to multiply near or around human activity. Some would put feral cats in the same category. Strangely, some bears would also qualify.

The important part of this distinction is that there is little hazard to hunting them, even to merely controlling their populations. Which of course doesn't speak to the "humanity" of it all. But in many parts of American culture, there would be nothing unusual about shooting them. Many places still eat them. I wouldn't be in a hurry to "report" him, in part because mostly what happened was you met someone from another part of our culture. Unity, understanding, and the advancement of our society kinda looks for us to advance understanding through conversation, not through confrontation.

[trof]

24. Squirrels have TWICE chewed the insulation off car ignition wires.

Expensive to repair.
They gnaw on aluminum gutters, PVC vent stacks on your roof, plastic mailboxes.
They are rodents and their front teeth continually grow, so they have to keep grinding them down.
Low velocity (sub-sonic) bullets don't make much noise.

[Kirk Lover]

31. Yeah good idea...just kill them all and that will solve it. n/t

[JDC]

27. Thoughts: Shop at Costco

[janterry]

32. Several years ago

an elderly neighbor invited us over for dinner. She (or I) said something or other about squirrels and she said, "I shoot them with my gun. If I don't, they tear up the yard something fierce."

I come from a suburb of NYC. She was named Beula May and was from the South.

It was a cultural clash, if you will. As for your guy......I'd let it go. A culture clash.

[LisaM]

34. I would be hugely offended, but I wouldn't report it.

I wouldn't want anyone to lose their job either. I have to wonder at checkers in stores these days, though. They don't seem to have been trained to interact professionally with customers, and it's so widespread, I don't blame it on any one store or even age group. It's just weird. I gave a bag to a checker in a grocery store about a year ago and she said in a loud voice, "did you want me to bag your groceries?", which was horribly off putting to begin with, but she also embarrassed me in front of the other customers in line. And that's not even unusual anymore.

Having someone mimic shooting squirrels would really, really bother me, I have to say, and alas, I'd probably let it go, too.

[Rorey]

38. In situations like that....

I console myself with the knowledge that they won't last long in their job. Rudeness like that is never a one-time thing.

[LisaM]

45. Probably not.

I will say that our local Safeway is markedly different, the cashiers there are really nice and friendly, and once when I was doing a huge shopping for Thanksgiving and couldn't find an item on my list, the cashier said, "oh, I'm really sorry" and gave me a pudding cake for free!

[Rorey]

35. The real point here is he is a rude jerk

We all have different beliefs and likes and dislikes, etc. You made it obvious that you're an animal lover and enjoy feeding the squirrels. He shouldn't have made any comment at all if his viewpoint was different. His job is to act as a cashier, and making a comment that disturbs a customer isn't part of the job description. I wouldn't advocate reporting him to management. I doubt he'd get fired, and then it could be awkward when you shop there again.

I guess I'd just try to tell myself to be happy that I don't know that jerk on a personal level. And I'd try to avoid his line in the future. And if I did have to go through his line, I wouldn't be the least bit friendly.

[Bayard]

37. I'm still upset

The little deer herd on my property disappeared with deer season. They would come right up to the barn.

Most horse people don't want opossums around because they carry EPM--a serious viral horse disease. Two of my horses have had it. I haven't had a problem with them though since we got the Great Pyrenees. We do, however, have a problem with raccoons coming in the feed room at night and wrecking it. Can't leave cat food out. And they carry rabies.

[LAS14]

43. Given where he was coming from, he was probably...

....just being friendly. Best to meet people where they'd intended, I think.

[ecstatic]

50. "Squirrels are sometimes classified as vermin"

Squirrels are sometimes classified as vermin because they to feed on farmer crops (fruit) and can harass chickens.

Egg are seen as a delecacies. And they are not beyond killing youn chicks as food.

However, this is mostly a problem with the gray squirrels as they are less intimidated by human presence.

https://www.quora.com/Why-are-squirrels-classed-as-vermin

I don't think it's a good idea to report him for that comment, but I think stores should encourage their cashiers not to comment on items being purchased.

[MontanaMama]

52. I've fought with a squirrel or two in my day.

They usually win in the long run.

&list=PLPewN9eqo-AvtjNRASWe-bvg91sKDwkky

[randr]

53. Between the two of you we see the balance of the universe.

[VOX]

56. As a flaming liberal Democrat, am I allowed to ask, "Don't Squirrel Lives Matter"?

Pardon the sarcasm. We "libtards" seem to have cornered the market on genuine snark, satire and pointed humor.

It's how we tolerate life under authoritarian rule. That, and eagerly awaiting the 3-ton sandbag
which is poised directly over the Dotard's scalp-reduced, empty noggin, and is now dangling by a single stressed thread.

Start the clock.