Got an umbrella? People will ignore you
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- Опубліковано 16 вер 2024
- Rowan Ellis, Alec Steele and Simon Clark face a question about a parasol problem.
LATERAL is a weekly podcast about interesting questions and even more interesting answers, hosted by Tom Scott. For business enquiries, contestant appearances or question submissions, visit www.lateralcas...
GUESTS:
Rowan Ellis: @HeyRowanEllis, / heyrowanellis
Alec Steele: @AlecSteele, / alecsteelesteel
Simon Clark: @SimonClark, / simonoxfphys
HOST: Tom Scott.
QUESTION PRODUCER: David Bodycombe.
RECORDED AT: The Podcast Studios, Dublin.
EDITED BY: Julie Hassett.
GRAPHICS: Chris Hanel at Support Class. Assistant: Dillon Pentz.
MUSIC: Karl-Ola Kjellholm ('Private Detective'/'Agrumes', courtesy of epidemicsound.com).
FORMAT: Pad 26 Limited/Labyrinth Games Ltd.
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: David Bodycombe and Tom Scott.
© Pad 26 Limited (www.pad26.com) / Labyrinth Games Ltd. 2024.
The title had some spoilers... very interesting so far tho
Sorry for the partial spoiler - they do get that part quite quickly, and it's hard to come up with another thumbnail for this one.
“What item would get you worse service?”
@@lateralcast just make it be the question.
@@lateralcastjust go with a catburglar outfit! :D
@@lateralcast Title: "Carrying one of these? People will ignore you."
Thumbnail: Someone holding a question mark.
There, fixed it for you.
"I can't get umbrellas out of my head."
Me looking at the title: Hmm, same.
No spoilers, please!
Title: "Got one of these? People will ignore you"
Thumbnail: A person holding "IGNORE ME!" sign in a store
Georgi Markov (the writer killed with an umbrella) was not Russian. He was Bulgarian. And it was not a dart, it was a small pellet containing ricin
A tiny pellet, as I recall, something on the scale of a ballpoint pen ball, with a hole drilled through the middle to hold the ricin powder.
Why is the answer the title? That ruins the whole point of these clips right?
What's funny is that it apparently wasn't a spoiler to them because of how long it took them to get to the answer.
I've never before yelled at my screen "no, the opposite of course! Your driver holds an umbrella over you as you get out you don't carry it yourself!".
Like it seemed so crazy obvious right away when the umbrella was mentioned.
Maybe they were overthinking it?
@@pikekeke Or maybe they never had a driver :) Nor me though.
Once the umbrella was mentioned, it was easy to guess the reason.
DeArrow for once, actually gives a vaguer title than the original.
suggestion for alternate title and thumbnail: "the item that gets you ignored" and a picture of either a ladder or a clipboard, or any other item that has a reputation of making people go "that person belongs here"
They said “less attentive service” not “no service”. :P
"The umbrella is the sign of having no carriage".
I wonder if it's an umbrella? Maybe that's a double feint...
This is more fun when the question is in the title rather than the answer.
It's not really the answer though. They get to the umbrella almost right away.
@@tinkerer3399Almost a third of the way through
Agree with the others about the title lol. It's strange how big spoilers have been in the titles so much here, I think a couple of questions too. Like the contestants aren't being told the info then why are we? It's so easy to have an alternative, just do the standard youtube slightly clickbaity style "if you carry this item you'll recieve worse store service??" then the thumnail is just the guests and a question mark instead of the irem. A doorman with his hand up against a customer holding a question mark instead of an umbrella? That's actually a pretty good thumbnail idea lol.
I do know that they have done that on a number of occasions but in this case I think they reached the umbrella quickly enough that it doesn't really count as the answer. I mean it was only a minute and a half after the question until they reached the umbrella. The "why" is the true question.
@@tinkerer3399 You think 2 minutes into a 7 minute clip is so quick as to render it meaningless? The surprise of Alec's remarkable intuition should have been kept, especially as it took Rowan over ½ minute to admit he had got it.
And here I was thinking we were looking at a high-end umbrella store
Search for "Bulgarian umbrella" regarding the assassination umbrella... it wasn't that it was used for stabbing, it was actually basically a makeshift gun hidden inside the umbrella and shooting out poisoned "bullets".
nice of them to put a red herring in the title so the answer isn't spoilt and we can play along, yep
And here was me thinking it was one of those stores with two colours of shopping basket, one for people who want help and one for people who want to be left alone.
Point of information: Georgi Markov was a Bulgarian writer, not Russian. (For some reason I remember this.)
At the time, Bulgaria was part of the Soviet Union, which a lot of people shorten to "Russia" even though they're not the same thing.
So, Tom was partially correct while you are technically correct. The best kind of correct.
Also wasn't stabbed, it had an embedded air gun, and there was also a second man (in france? iirc) who also was attacked and actually died from it.
No need for me to repeat that information :)
@@John73John- During the Soviet era, Bulgaria was an independent country which was closely allied with the Soviet union. It was never actually part of the Soviet union
@@John73John Bulgaria was never a part of the Soviet Union, although there were talks about them joining in the 60s and 70s
Please change the title!
It's always been a backpack for me. My first guess about umbrella would be you must be a window shopper, and unable to take things home, because you're not in a vehicle. (answering before finishing the video lol)
On Tom's opening point - in college a friend and I tested this. He was from a wealthy family, and went to buy a highish-end car (an Acura, IIRC) but went in "dressed not fancy," (although not in "bad condition" clothes either,) and was basically ignored. I went in dressed in a business suit (no, I could not afford an Acura, my business suit was a Men's Wearhouse bought on sale to go to a wedding and was the only "fancy" clothes I owned,) and got all the attention.
I also had a cell phone, which was still unusual at the time, especially for a college student. (Hey, I couldn't afford a fancy car, but I was a "tech pioneer", I splurged on tech, not clothes/cars!)
He went back dressed nice, borrowing my cell phone, and he got all the attention then.
Back when I was a rather well-paid IT contractor, I went to John Lewis on a day-off looking a bit scruffy… not dirty, but wearing jeans, tee-shirt, trainers, etc. I was there to buy a new Mac and a whole host of accessories. Absolutely no staff approached me even though they were clearly not busy.
I finally decided to go ask for help - not something I do well, as an introvert - and at that moment a well-coiffed woman with her tweenage spawn came in and quite obviously barged ahead of me. They swarmed on her obsequiously, taking two shop assistants to sell a ~£20 personal stereo.
After that, they deigned to offer me service, as I’d been clearly standing there expectantly for five minutes. By then I was done. I held up my platinum card and said that while I was going to impulse-buy about five grand of kit, I’d be taking my business elsewhere. They pretty much chased after me grovelling. No sale.
This isn’t the only time it’s happened to me and to other scruffy but well-paid nerds I know. Apparently this isn’t uncommon. These “partners” of the John Lewis Partnership feel they’re better than certain members of society and have Never Knowingly Understood that personal fashion doesn’t necessarily reflect affluence.
My grandpa (a very wealthy man by the time I knew him) always went car shopping in jeans and an old t-shirt just to see which salesperson would be nice to him (and thus deserving of the commission when he ultimately bought the car in cash at the end). He thought it was awful that people would treat him differently just because of his finances (and greatly enjoyed fucking with people for his own amusement, lol).
Change the title
I had the reason instantly! Just wish the item hadn’t been given away in the title card. 😛
Alec phoning in from the Bat Cave.
Spoilers in title?!
Time Lady Missy had a sonic umbrella
I suppose if it is a high end umbrella shop and you enter the shop carrying an umbrella the sales assistants probably think “Well it’s not worth trying to sell him an umbrella he’s already got one”.
I don't need an umbrella for people to ignore me 😎
Stop putting spoilers in the video title. PLEASE.
That isn't the right answer. A person who think enough ahead to bring an umbrella, is a practical person. A practical person wouldn't spend money in a store that sells items no one actually needs.
I thought it was going to be that the people with the umbrellas could leave at any time but the people without would be more likely to spend more time waiting for the storm to pass. guess that's my big box store logic though not the boutiques!
I had two thoughts in my head regarding the umbrella. First was the solution, that they had walked not been driven. But it was also rattling around in my head that someone carrying an umbrella was perceived to be more practical. And a practical person was considered less likely to buy on impulse, i.e. by having the salesperson push products on them.
In a similar vein, if you wear a backpack in a lot of stores, you'll find that there's always an employee nearby...
Tom Scott has forgotten that this was a subplot in _Pretty Woman_ and we have had whole generations growing up remembering Julia Roberts saying "Big mistake. Huge.".
In a similar vein, Matthew McFadyen has said when they were doing the wardrobe for Succession they got loads of big expensive coats for the cast. But when they bought it experts on ultra-wealthy lifestyle they were told they didn’t need the coats, as the ultra-rich are always going straight from the helicopter to the car to the building without being outside long enough to need a coat
I was thinking that a person carrying an umbrella is ready to leave.
Oh, I'm proud of myself! First time getting it way before the cast!
This just gives me more resentment towards rich people...
I was hoping I could use an umbrella to avoid strangers talking to me but it's a shame it only works in high-end boutiques...
I do wonder if they would ignore you, if it's a Rolls Royce umbrella
Yeah, shopping bags will definitely get you more interest for precisely the shoplifting reason. "Booster bags" are a big tool used in shops to steal.
To be fair - places like Bond Street you’d still have an umbrella
For some reason I had the Hollies song immediately jump into my head.
If I recall, that fellow got quite a fair bit of attention employing an umbrella.
That umbrella led him to a vow.
This sounds... incredibly dumb. So if you don't have an umbrella you arrived by taxi? How does that follow? You could've driven yourself in your own car. And from the opposite side, surely if it was raining you'd take an umbrella even if you were taking a taxi? Since you might have to walk somewhere anyway?
I think the idea is that super rich people get driven everywhere and never have to walk outside, and on the off chance they do need an umbrella, they’d get a chauffeur to hold it for them
(I think you might be underestimating the level of rich they’re talking about)
So you mean if I don't want any attention, all I need to do is to carry an umbrella?
yes but only in places selling items of luxury lol
I would reply, but I see your holding......
I'm imagining Eddie falling out of the car and Patsy putting out her cigarette on the doorman.
I think the results of Tom's friends' study might be uniquely British. I get much better service when I'm dressed for business than when I'm in my civvies (also if I'm carrying bags from other $$ stores).
"town car" - ooh'err, get you! (🤭)
If you are carrying an umbrella you can't carry as many parcels when you've finished
Not into this new titling style at all
Oh, can we please get a whole podcast episode about how to subtly avert unwanted attention in public?
My erstwhile business partner went into a Porsche dealership in the 80's to buy a Porsche and it was some time before a salesman (they were all men back then) came up to him. Once the deal was done he asked why it had taken a while to be approached and he was told it was because he wiped his feet on the doormat. Apparently a serious customer wouldn't have wiped their feet, to them cleaning the floor was somebody elses problem.
But, I like walking in the rain... (well, light rain in Central California, where it's probably warm, or at least not that cold)
Knowing about this isn't necessarily a good indicator of personality.
A former co-worker once worked in such a store and hated every minute of having to deal with "snooty women and their spoiled brats" (it was a kid's fashion store). She might known about this.
For a majority of this clip, the question is “what about an umbrella makes you ignorable” not “have item, get ignored”
People need to chill
Yes I guessed this was the reason the driver would bring them to the door. There is a car that has its own umbrella hidden in the side of the passanger door. Upon reseach as I couldn't remembered it's in a Rolls Royce that has the umbrella for the driver to use.
Hey Tom. Just wanted to say thanks for all the great laughs and fun facts over the years!
@lateralcast Georgi Markov is not Russian, but a Bulgarian writer, known for sarcastic criticism against the incumbent Bulgarian-Soviet regime. There is theory he was assassinated as a birthday present to then Bulgarian leader Todor Zhivkov.
I don't like that umbrella was in the title. It makes it less fun for us to play along.
Anyway, about the question: I also think that umbrella people knew where they were going (to that store). In contrast, non-umbrella people may have entered the store to shelter from the rain. So they're more likely to leave again -- unless you service them.
Complete waste of time if you are just going to put the damn answer as the title. Just use the question, it is not hard.
A gun. People are afraid of guns. They will run away.
I have stopped at 2:11 to give my two cents. I may be wrong, but I am tipping an umbrella, because really rich people have someone to carry it for them. Now I will watch the rest to see how wrong I am :-)
Oh! And then I saw the titel :-( And I was so proud of myself
Oooh is it... is ti... AN UMBRELLA? Good guess and so quick, right?
Wouldn't work here tbh. Most people just don't own one and just "get wet". 😂
I was thinking tour guide
2 things i would like to say. Spy with an umbrella reminds me of Kingsman. It might have relation to the true life story being mentioned here, i dunno.
Another is why carrying an umbrella means a poor person is because rich ppl have someone to carry their umbrella for them at all times. That's my thought process.😅🤣
My first thought was carrying a copy of Pretty Woman.
My second thought was would they play Rihanna in a high end store? 😆
Another one that doesn’t really work for Americans. I guess this still could hold true for downtown areas of major cities, but not for the high-end stores in midsized city’s that have parking garages built every other block.
Yeah this one really doesn't make sense for Americans.. Unless maybe in LA/NYC, most people have a car and an umbrella lol.
Initial thoughts: referring to the YT video title, customer has one fewer hand (edit) to carry purchases? Or they don't want it dripping over their oh so posh floor?
If you carry your own, rather than have a butler/servant/valet/driver accompany you? Perhaps having a wedding ring is a "turn off" for jewellery. flowers, or marriage-organizer boutiques?
If it was "wear" instead of "carry" I would have gone with perfume stores.
Results: missed. The reason was right, but not quite (servant vs having to walk).
Why is the answer in the thumbnail?
I wonder if it's got something to do with not having someone to hold it for you? Or is cumbersome, or you don't know where to put it in the shop so you don't belong?
Try taking a brompton round shops i am a teenager who dresses like i have just left a workshop and whenever i have my brompton with me people treat me like a milinare and will let you sit for hours in a cafe on a one cup of tea. When i dont have a brompton with me in most small shops people assume i am a shop assistant
They treat you like you make hats? 🤔
@@kjh23gk milionare not miliner very bisare auto correct
@@Daisy_human Are you trying to write "millionaire"? 🤣
Digby Tathem Walthers would be so upset by this.
Giogi Markov was I believe actually a Bulgarian writer not Russian
Was that the origin of the word "pauper" ? The way Rowan said "poor person".
A pauper son.
Other way round: *poor* is Anglicised from Latin *pauper*.
@@petertaylor4980 Thank you
Thought it's harder to sell stuff to somebody if one of their hands is occupied
Also, a person carrying a brolly can only hold half as many bags.
Ohh that's a good one.
when it is as sunny as volcano season.
Radioactive poison umbrella
I was going to guess that it’s because they don’t have a car, and therefor can’t take home a lot of stuff. But I suppose that’s in a poor person’s world without home delivery.
Maybe not though because I walk in the rain so I don't have to buy a car because cars are stupidly expensive.
This took like 1 sec to solve, my mind went staight to, if you have an umbrella it means you walked there where as rich people geet dropped of.
Stop spoiling the answer with the title/thumbnail. This keeps happening. Whoever is editing/uploading needs a stern talking to. This is ridiculous.
You guys have got to stop putting half the answer in the title and thumbnail.
What is alec doing round here that was unexpected
shame on the plebeians or something, innit?
Wow..... SPOILERS. That was disappointing as hell.
And the title is a complete spoiler?
How do we submit questions? I have a silly one
Lateralcast.com has a link. Thanks!
@@lateralcast
Got it sent your way. Was I supposed to provide line breaks between the hints or just a dash? It might appear wrong if I misunderstood the instructions.
@@paydaygh9388 As long as it's readable it'll get reviewed. Thanks!
Tessco's Carrybag big give away. lol
Many years ago, when Tom was in collage some one made an experiment to see, if you would only wear a red t shirt for the rest of your life, people will look at you youtube channel and wach it?
Ok, well this was the last thing I was still watching from Tom. If the questions get spoiled by the title or the image I guess you've earned my unsub and I wish you well in the future. Byeeee
And there was muggins here thinking it was “if they’re carrying an umbrella they won’t be able to carry as many of our products away with them”.
I still don't get that logic behind why the worse service. Are umbrellas not allowed on public transportation and hence the economic side? I would think that a person carrying an umbrella is "more prepared" and thus knows what they came in for and are less likely to be upsold.
The kind of customer they are looking for doesn't carry their own umbrella, they have staff for that.
A person having an umbrella is perceived to came via public transportation, thus having less disposable income. A person without an umbrella is perceived as someone with more disposable income (came with a taxi or a car they own) and thus will receive more attention and better service because the workers there will think that they can get more money out of that person.
@@Granville1995 This is where I have been going from the umbrella was mentioned until 5:37.
You might not be thinking high-end enough. If we're talking the kind of places people get chauffeured to, it could well be somewhere you and I have never even set foot in.
@@Granville1995 Now I see, said the blind carpenter that picked up his hammer and saw.
That was painful slow for an unusually easy question :-)
Just here to say that I don't mind the answer being in the titel sometimes.
Alex Steele too shmexy