The Abominable Dr. Vibes

so apparently someone accidentally went wrong-way into drive-through of a local-ish fast food place and did the old "whoopsie stomped on the accelerator in reverse and backed into the dining room" gag

This particular building is of 1980s vintage and already run down and shabby and seemed like the company was just seeing how long they could get away with running the location before it gets condemned, so I'm genuinely curious to see what happens with the location

Mar 16 at 6:18pmWeb
Show threadThe Abominable Dr. VibesMar 16
It really feels like any business large enough to have multiple locations truly stopped giving a shit about maintenance or appearance years ago, like, there was a boom of inhumanly-scaled strip malls in the early-mid 2000s and they all look like shit now with paint peeling, signs all faded and/or rust-streaked, signs for businesses that folded 10 years ago still up, etc
Show threadThe Abominable Dr. VibesMar 16
and I know I sound like a boomer complaining about inconsequential shit when it comes to shopping experiences, but it's more subtle than that
Show threadThe Abominable Dr. VibesMar 16

re: subtlety, like, I'm thinking about two movie theaters in my college town

both were national chains showing first-run movies. Both cost pretty much the same. The run-down one was built a little bit earlier, but not that much earlier

Show threadThe Abominable Dr. VibesMar 16

the theater I worked at actually give a shit about keeping things clean* and nice, replaced torn seats, kept all the projection and sound equipment in good working order, hired union projectionists; like yes, it was in the service of making money but there was a general sense that corporate gave a shit about whether people liked going to their theaters

The other one was just kind of all-around shabby and the only reason anyone I knew went there was if a movie wasn't playing anywhere else (that's where I saw 12 Monkeys and Waterworld)

  • I mean let's face it a movie theater floor is only going to get so clean on a weekend, but we did sweep out every theater and mop up any outright disasters in every theater after every showing
Show threadThe Abominable Dr. VibesMar 16
anyway, now there's just kind of a naked contempt for customer and employee alike
Show threadThe Abominable Dr. VibesMar 16
"Oh you just spent $35 on a ticket, soda and popcorn? Fuck you, here's 20 minutes of ads"
Show threadrelsquiMar 17
@ItsTheManOnTheMoon I wonder how much the ads make, amortized per viewer.
Show threadclewMar 16

US inability to fund do or even conceive of either maintenance or cleanup is subtle because it’s too big to see

@ItsTheManOnTheMoon

Show threadclewMar 16

I ruefully like the strip malls that have clearly been taken over by the small businesses, maybe informally; fiberglass signs updated with paint, domestic bedding flowers in the planters, etc

@ItsTheManOnTheMoon

Show thread Stlex Mar 16
@ItsTheManOnTheMoon they all got so used to kicking the building maintenance can down the road that they forgot to actually do any of it.