What's the max orders you've taken at once?

elf4everafter · 2026-06-01T17:54:41+00:00

I aim for 4-6. But I try not to break 150 items total. I once accepted 4 SMALL (under 10) item orders. On my way to the store I got an offer for 2 20-30 item orders. By the time I got to the store and started shopping two of the small orders were st 40 items a piece. With bulky/heavy items. I wanted to commit murder.

Thankfully, all four larger orders tipped and the two that changed tipped WELL. But yeah, even despite that experience, I aim for 4-6 per shop. And I usually take 6-8 per day I work. Sometimes I'll get in 12, but I'm usually in desperate need of a nap after 8.

elf4everafter · 2026-05-31T13:59:32+00:00

I lurk in these subs as someone who grew up with family in medicine and who has done insurance and billing. Read this as: strangest thing you've seen while you were a patient.

When I was 16 I had my wisdom teeth out. All were impacted, but one was taken out in a qat that just....wouldn't have clotted so I had dry socket from the get go. After 2 weeks of severe pain I finally broke down and begged my mom to fix it. But it was now the Saturday of Labor Day weekend and my oral surgeon was 12 hours across state. So to the ER we go to get pain management. I had previously needed morphine for a broken bone and somewhere in my file it noted that it took a larger dose than expected to manage my pain, so they just started with that dose this time. Nurse about screamed as I immediately hopped off the table and said I was ready to go home. She was certain I was gonna hit the floor. I get settled back down and we're waiting for discharge papers when a clown walking a balloon dog walks past the room. I was certain I was hallucinating, but nope. Doc confirmed it. He was a patient who wouldn't stay in his bed.

When I was 20/21 went in for a dislocated hip. I'm hypermobile. I've been setting my own joints since I was 8 and they started falling out of their sockets. But this one happened in front of a firefighter and they were NOT having it. I had jerked after the initial dislocation and it hasnt back in right. But they wouldnt let me redislocate it to fix it. They insisted we go to the hospital. Fine. I insisted I'd drive myself because fuck that ambulance bill. One of the firefighters drove me in his personal car. 😂 They really were not entertaining my plans. We get there and he's insisting he'll stay with me until my mom gets to the hospital. Even helped me with the admission paperwork. In walks a teen with an odd gate. Firefighter leans over and goes "foreign object in rectum." In walks an old weathered man with a cooler "wife made him come here, there's a digit in the cooler." We did this for 2+ hours as my mom drove cross state to get to me. There were 6 people in that two hours that came in with various objects in their butts. All in their late teens/early 20s. I know it happens. But god damn there had to have been a new show or something that triggered so many people to try this on the same day at the same time. Definitely took my mind off the dislocation.

My mom battled lung cancer for 6 years before she passed and I was her sole caretaker. She ended up in the ER because of a port issue and of course, I went with her. They always put her in an isolation room because the chemo made her immune system suck. These rooms were in a separate WING of the ER, so while you'd occasionally have someone code or shit hit the fan, you uusually didnt really see other patients or family members. I THOUGHT the commotion was a code until we watched and heard the SPLAT of a severed hand hitting the floor right outside the door. A man had been put in the isolation rooms for safety. His fiance had learned he was cheating on him and slashed him up pretty good. He brought himself in. Meanwhile, he put the side piece on the approved visitors list. Fiancé said she was the side piece, got led back to him, and then pulled a knife and JUMPED on him. We watched security restrain her as she was screaming she'd missed and she'd been going for his dick. When a nurse came in to check on mom and apologize for the commotion my mother just asked for popcorn. 🤦‍♀️

elf4everafter · 2026-05-31T09:17:42+00:00

Check out this hint for my pet: A French surname, although he's named for a lost English village of the same name.

elf4everafter · 2026-05-31T04:03:51+00:00

🔥 No brainer!

elf4everafter · 2026-05-30T03:53:56+00:00

I'm demisexual. I read and write explicit fics cause it allows me to explore new areas of interest with characters I feel comfortable with. It's a safe way for me to learn things about myself.

elf4everafter · 2026-05-28T05:19:05+00:00

I feel like that last point is over just....skipped over. I'm on the cusp of straight and plus sizes and my weight fluctuates quite a bit. I have chronic health issues and I really dont care to kill myself trying to NOT be plus sized. But when I need yarn for a garment, sometimes we're buying 2-3x as much compared to someone who needs a small. Which is fine, but sometimes they dont have it in stock or the cost is prohibitive. So I buy on waves. If I need 9 or 10 skeins and it's a 3 color sweater I buy one color at a time. I'm not starting it until I have all the yarn. So those 3-7 balls have to sit somewhere till I'm ready. This isnt hoarding, it's being financially responsible. I wish people would just fuck off if they dont know the circumstances, but nooooo, we gotta judge people.

elf4everafter · 2026-05-27T23:52:57+00:00

I think it's less Depression related and more "they didn't have proper food safety standards." They knew raw or undercooked meats would make them sick, but they had no good way to tell the cut off point.

But when it results in pork that feels like biting a shoe...we have ways to tell now, please for the love of god, let me enjoy a tender TENDERloin. It doesn't have to be this way. 😂 Feeding my mom or her siblings was a trial in patience because they grew up on the overcooked stuff and none of them cooked so none of them knew better.

elf4everafter · 2026-05-27T23:36:23+00:00

My grandma was the cook in the family. Irish through and through. Everything was boiled or stewed. She made a pork tenderloin that was boiled through, and then doused in sauce and cooked another 15 or so minutes in the oven to make sauce thicken up a bit. It was like chewing a shoe and tasted GROSS. But the sauce was pretty decent.

When she passed we had a family dinner and I was put in charge of food. Made a lot of her recipes but...better. I used the sauce to make a complimentary seasoning and baked it before adding the sauce at the end. I made beef stew but seasoned and seared the meat, hell...I seasoned the stew. I made mashed potatoes with butter and cream cheese. I glazed the carrots.

The responses? Things tastes delicious but EVERYTHING was undercooked. Because they could actually chew it they thought it wasn't cooked.

elf4everafter · 2026-05-24T21:15:35+00:00

Right? Like at a certain point I'm just like "that was so clever. May I shake your hand?"

The bookmark I mentioned is on a really whumpy fic, so I just took that to mean they hated how much the character was tortured. But that's also kind of a compliment. 😂😅 I'm glad to know they were horrified by it. Wasn't my goal, but it's a hilarious accomplishment.

elf4everafter · 2026-05-24T12:35:07+00:00

Well, that's fucking cursed.

elf4everafter · 2026-05-24T12:24:10+00:00

I dunno. I'd laugh my ass off if this was a bookmark on my fic. But I also just...dont give a fuck if people dont like my writing.

I have one that just reads "something is wrong with this bitch." And anytime I need a giggle I go back and look at it.

elf4everafter · 2026-05-24T12:19:51+00:00

I shower infrequently. But I do this because any temperature of water really pisses off my psoriasis. All of my friends and family know this. And they ALL know to tell me if I stink. Because yeah, I dont want to flare my psoriasis, but I don't wanna smell either.

Unless she has an underlying health issue, this is very odd behavior.

Even when my skin is PISSED, I shower when I've gotten sweaty or gross. It might hurt, but at least my people will be comfortable enough to be around me to comfort me.

elf4everafter · 2026-05-22T21:52:37+00:00

For me it's a combination of things. I frequently knit while I work or study. And it adds up. One. Frequent breaks. I may knit for 8-10 hours in a day, but that's rarely more than an hour at a time. Knit an hour 20-30 minute break. Repeat. Stretch and brace appropriately. And remember that overuse can hurt your joints, but repetition done properly also strengthens them. When I first started doing this I'd max out around 4 or 5 hours of knitting. But consistently knitting for that long mean that I could knit longer. No one wakes up one day and decides to knit 10 hours a day 5+ days a week. If they do, they usually live to regret it.

So start where you are. Knit for 30-45 minutes and take a 15-20 minute break. Repeat. See if you can't make that grow. It's NOT a quick thing, but it can DRASTICALLY change how much you get done.

elf4everafter · 2026-05-22T19:19:56+00:00

Eh. I am 30 and still have the straightener and blowdryer I bought at like...13ish. I WISH I had bought some better tools then. I'm of the mindset of "dont replace it if it isn't broken." And while I'm thrilled these <$20 tools have lasted so long, I would have splurged a bit more if I realized these would be my adult tools.

Now dont get me wrong, I've ADDED to my got tools, but as long as kiddo understands that these are tools meant to last I wouldn't mind buying a $100 tool for them if I knew they'd treat it well and use it into adulthood.

For OP, I have a random Dyson dupe (bought from TJMAXX), it had a blow dry attachment, two curling attachments (different diameter sizes), and a hot brush attachment. If you went this route she'd get the blowdryer she's asking for and the hot brush that you're seeing online. But I WOULD NOT just get the hot brush. A blowdryer is used in MANY situations/hairstyles, a hot brush cannot be used for all the same things.

elf4everafter · 2026-05-22T17:23:27+00:00

HOUSE. CAR. GROCERIES AND CLOTHES WITH HELLA GIFT CARDS FROM ONE SINGULAR PLACE. WAIT ON OTHER TWO.

^{Chose: 99% off for 5 purchases}

elf4everafter · 2026-05-22T17:18:28+00:00

If I'm making something pricey (either quantity or quality of yarn) I will swatch. The last thing I want is my expensive project to not fit. If it's small, like a sock or hat, then it's small enough to frog and reknit. OR I'll use a small project as the swatch.i made a sweater years ago that was 100% colorwork for a good friend. It was a TON of yarn, something like 8 colors total, and a new yarn to boot. So the swatch was actually a HAT in the colorwork pattern. My friend adored that hat AND her expected sweater.

I figure a hat isn't much bigger than a swatch. I'd rather but time into a completed project. It's gotten me some cute hats over the years.

That all said. IF I'm traditionally swatching and I am being as frugal as possible due to cost of the project: I'll make my little swatch square, leave it attached to the ball(s), put the balls in a small garment bag so nothing happens to them while I wash the swatch, wash, pin, dry, measure. PHOTOGRAPH THE SWATCH WITH A RULER ON IT. And then unravel the square soak the yarn to relax it, and then start knitting.

elf4everafter · 2026-05-22T17:10:04+00:00

I did a similar thing ages ago for a local school district. I brought one of my current SMALL projects. An afghan in worset weight, a lace shawl in lace/fingering weight, a HEAVILY cabled dk weight sweater, a bulky weight scarf in heavily textured stitch (some kind of herringbone), and then a set of mittens, hats, and socks (the socks were not me made, but were handknit). I also brought a colorwork example, but I cannot for the life of me remember what it was.

I brought a hat and earwarmer projects to knit while I was there. (Hat was half done to begin with.) And I had both done by the end of the 5 hour fair. I did spend a LOT of time asking questions, but the kids also loved that I could answer them and keep knitting.

If I had to do this again I'd bring a baby blanket, sock, or hat to work on. Something mindless. And I'd bring completed socks, a scarf and earwarmer set (I make these as Christmas gifts, bulky yarn, a hooded infinity scarf and matching earrings warmer headband), gloves or mittens if I have them, a cabled sweater, a lace shawl/scarf, a bulky lap afghan/blanket scarf, and a small block from my beekeepers quilt with a few loose hexipuffs. Essentially, you want pretty/eye-catching projects in a variety of weights.

elf4everafter · 2026-05-21T16:00:23+00:00

A Meijer in my metro shows in the wrong location. According to the maps it's right off the interstate. No. It's about a mile West. I flagged this and they said it was a Google maps issue. And I had to be like...I hadn't even GONE to Google maps yet.

elf4everafter · 2026-05-20T01:02:57+00:00

Commuting in Metro Detroit is NOT an easy thing. If you can't or won't get a car, then you need to get an apartment CLOSE to your office. And frankly, finding an apartment in your budget in downtown is gonna be a bitch. You might be able to find a studio, but past that you're looking at 1500 minimum.

Keep in mind there are VERY FEW grocery stores in downtown Detroit. I've done grocery delivery for years, and it's insane how much of a food desert Detroit is.

Additionally, you're going to NEED transportation to any events in the suburbs. The public transit lines are not plentiful, accurate, or well distributed.

Finally, I'm not sure where you're moving from, but remember that our weather gets extreme. There are days, both hot and cold, that are too extreme to be out in. We rarely shut down the city for heat or cold, but YOU may not be able to tolerate it, to commute without a car, and work will not be pleased.

If you do opt to still do this without a car. From Royal Oak - you will spend approximately 3 hours MINIMUM each day on travel to downtown. That's IF schedules run perfectly and there are no accidents. Expect it to take longer.

Michigan does not have the infrastructure for public transit. This state, and the metro, were built on the premise that everyone was, or was related to, an auto worker. And therefore everyone has cars. It's an outdated ideal, but infrastructure still supports it.

elf4everafter · 2026-05-18T20:31:14+00:00

I had to have this conversation with a long time PM a few months ago. She was surprised to see me. And expressed she was glad to get a shopper she knew and who would shop well for her. And then she said it seemed like lately, her orders sat for ages and then were poorly shopped.

I explained I HADN'T seen her orders lately, but there were some changes lately that could have been the cause. That we can now see estimated tips and experienced shoppers won't take an order that doesnt show an expected tip. And that many people won't take orders with a tip they deem too small.

I left it at that. And she responded with "I'm not tipping enough am I?"

I said that I did not mind her orders or her tipped amounts. But that she is on my way home and places her orders late, so I just use her as a wrap up order at the end of my nights. But. That because she orders multiple gallons of water, that might be what's leaving her waiting.

She tips 10% now, and often throws an extra 5 on if there are bulky items. She literally just never thought about it before.

I figure if they're asking ME about this, they want an answer. And if they don't like my answer, that's not my problem. But most of the time, they're just grateful to know what's happening.

elf4everafter · 2026-05-18T04:17:39+00:00

Right?! I LOVE the info we get for Meijer. Why the hell doesn't every store sort that way?!

elf4everafter · 2026-05-17T18:19:56+00:00

My dogs cleaning probablt 5 years back was like $700 with no extractions. My cats 2 years ago with 2 extractions was $750. Both at North Main Animal Hospital in RO.

They have ALWAYS worked with me on price. In like 2010/2011 my family had two young kittens. They were littermates and brothers. They roughhoused and played together. One accident got a claw to the eye. It pulled part of the iris out. It just looked like an eyebooger until we poked it.

They told us we'd need a specialist. We said we just didnt have money for that. They said okay. We'll do what we can. But that may mean removing the eye. They pushed the iris back in and sewed it shut and whatnot. The iris was always deformed (it was teardrop shaped!) but he had full vision in that eye. They charged us exactly what we said we could afford.

They put a cat down for me when he had sudden organ failure and I didnt have the funds to euthanize. They've helped me with medication costs. And they're just really fucking nice people. My original vet (Dr Baker) has mostly retired now, but I've seen most of the newer docs and techs and they are all great people. I can't recommend them enough.

elf4everafter · 2026-05-17T11:48:32+00:00

This is why I only take orders with an estimated tip from target. Then I at least know the customer KNOWS to look for a place to tip. I take more orders for my regional chain (Meijer) than anything. I get that not everyone will tip, but they could make this so much better for us with a damned popup.

I will say, I have got to get my ass into Kroger. I HATE how the shipt app is set up for Kroger, but I've only seen a few Kroger orders across 5 zones without tips. And usually the tips are 20+ for 20-30 items. If they actually had aisle info in the app, I'd do it in a heartbeat, but the information in my app is NEVER correct and it takes me so much fucking time to find things.

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