Poll: Americans Like Instant Gratification

[highwayman]

This is worth taking a poll over? Looks like somebody needs something to do...

WASHINGTON -- We'll make this quick. We know you're busy. An Associated Press poll has found an impatient nation. To get to the point without further ado, it's a nation that gets antsy after five minutes on hold on the phone and 15 minutes max in a line. So say people in the survey.

The Department of Motor Vehicles, the U.S. version of the old Soviet bread line, is among the top spots where Americans hate to wait. But grocery stores are the worst.

Almost one in four in the AP-Ipsos poll picked the grocery checkout as the line where their patience is most likely to melt like the ice cream turning to goo in their cart.

And it seems people don't mellow with age. The survey found older people to be more impatient than younger people.

Nor does getting away from the urban pressure cooker make much difference. People in the country and the suburbs can bear a few more minutes in a line before losing it than city inhabitants can, but that's it.

In short, Americans want it all NOW. Or awfully close to now.

"If you ask the typical person, do you feel more time-poor or money-poor, the answer almost always is time-poor," says Paco Underhill, an authority on what draws and drives away shoppers.

"We walk in the door with the clock ticking with various degrees of loudness in our heads. And if I get to the checkout and if I have the perception it's not working efficiently, often that clock gets even louder."

Americans are demanding, too. Half in the AP-Ipsos poll said they refuse to return to businesses that made them wait too long. Nearly one in five owned up to speaking rudely to someone in the last few months when they weren't served efficiently.

Altogether, 1,003 adults took time out from their evening to answer questions for the poll March 28-30. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points

 

[Winky]

I want to wait forever to get no satisfaction!

 

[Professur]

Just the viewpoint of a foreigner, but all you really have to do is look at TV commercials coming out of the states. Personally, for me, they're a rallying call of products I'll avoid, just because of what they protray as acceptable behavior.

 

[unclehobart]

I could have told you it was an instant gratification society beyond instant gratification without a lousy poll.

Example; Mashed potatoes. One used to have to boil, dice, mash, add butter, milk and salt to make them... work at it... take a good 90 minutes to get something good together.

Zip forward to 30 years ago. Intorduce a product of precooked dessicated potato powder that you just add the hot water, milk and butter to to make instant mashed potatoes... working time 15 minutes... but apparently still too long. Not terrible tasting.. but certainly not anywhere good.

Zip forward to 5 years ago. Introduce a product of precooked, bagged, and premoist mashed potatoes ready to go in a microwave container. Ready to go in 5 minutes... and positively vile... but hey... 5 minutes is five minutes... but that container is sooooo heavy... I don't want to drag it to the microwave and wait in line. After all, I have 5 other crappy convenience foods waiting in line.

Zip forward to taday. Introduce a product as described above except that it isnt microwave.. it has self contained chemical heating element so that you can have hot mashed potatoes without even taking the detour to the microwave. You can just have this stuff in a mini fridge right at your favortie sidechair parked in front of your TV. We wouldn't want to miss the directors cut of Big Mamma's House 2 , now would we?

 

[Gonz]

WHy all the zipping about? Stop & smell the rose scented plug-in.

 

[chcr]

gets antsy after five minutes on hold on the phone and 15 minutes max in a line. So say people in the survey.

Hey! I don't have all minute!!!!!
I hate to admit that Prof has a point there, but as as society we are incredibly rude.

 

[Professur]

But as individuals, you can be incredibly generous, warm people. Hence my continual use of the herd-beast metaphore.

 

[Gonz]

Having visted several countries, I'm yet to find one that isn't, as group, rude. I hear Asia is better then most but, hey, I'm a broke fat dad not a jet setting playboy.

 

[highwayman]

I'm yet to find one that isn't, as group, rude.

That depends on the population of the area, high population=liberal AND rude...

A lower population such as a farming comunity the more freindlier the people.
But then I'm biased, I get clostophobic in a crowded room...

 

[Luis G]

Having visted several countries, I'm yet to find one that isn't, as group, rude. I hear Asia is better then most but, hey, I'm a broke fat dad not a jet setting playboy.

Just tell them you're canadian (or british or any other country) and not gringo and watch the red carpets

 

[habanero]

Didn't read the whole OP or any of the thread, but I would probably agree with the title.

Well, except for sex of course, I can wait for a minute or two for my gratifcation.

Yep.

 

[Gonz]

PEPPER SIGHTING!!!

 

[jankerson]

I would have to agree with the OP post, Americans are Rude in general.

One only has to be around a lot of people day in and day out or work with the public to see that.

Everyone is always in a hurry to do nothing and go no place.

People like to be mean to others because it makes them feel superior for some reason.

 

[Professur]

I would have to agree with the OP post, Americans are Rude in general.

One only has to be around a lot of people day in and day out or work with the public to see that.

Everyone is always in a hurry to do nothing and go no place.

People like to be mean to others because it makes them feel superior for some reason.

In that light, americans are hardly unique. It's the very same reason why people cut into the 'faster lane' in traffic, knowing damn well that they've just slowed that lane down for everyone behind them.

But ... I've already offended enough people by suggesting that their declaration that all 'people' are created equal was the biggest mistake since coming down from the trees. I won't go into that mess again without an engraved invitation.

 

[jankerson]

In that light, americans are hardly unique. It's the very same reason why people cut into the 'faster lane' in traffic, knowing damn well that they've just slowed that lane down for everyone behind them.

But ... I've already offended enough people by suggesting that their declaration that all 'people' are created equal was the biggest mistake since coming down from the trees. I won't go into that mess again without an engraved invitation.

ROFL

I know what you mean there.

I believe people only think of themselves in general and don't even consider anyone else's feelings before acting.

But then that takes us back to the other thread I posted in doesn't it?

 

[paul_valaru]

Just tell them you're canadian (or british or any other country) and not gringo and watch the red carpets

true

 

[paul_valaru]

But as individuals, you can be incredibly generous, warm people.

very true

 

[Gato_Solo]

Just tell them you're canadian (or british or any other country) and not gringo and watch the red carpets

I've never had a problem...and I'm more travelled than most. Of course, I'm usually polite, believe it or not...

 

[Professur]

I've never had a problem...and I'm more travelled than most. Of course, I'm usually polite, believe it or not...

Not to mention heavily armed.

 

[Gato_Solo]

Not to mention heavily armed.

Only in one deployment, so far, have I carried a weapon only twice...both times in war zones (Bosnia and Baghdad). I've done my share of walking 'downtown' in Seoul, Frankfurt, Seville, Arraijan, Bogota, and Victoria. Never heard anything bad except from one young man in Frankfurt who wouldn't let me into the club he was a doorman at. The owner happened to be walking by, and gave the kid an ass-chewing that turned his face purple. The owner himself escorted me, and the three guys with me, past the doorman. I've come to believe that that had more to do with my skin color than my citizenship, though, as I have picked up more context since then...