Assignment 2A - Bug List

20 Things That Bug Me...

• Not being able to carry my purse into my kid's school because there is a clear bag policy. I then have to carry my ID and phone in my pocket, which is uncomfortable, or keep it in my hands if I don't have pockets.
• Why does it exist? For security reasons, they no longer allow people to carry purses into the school.

• Not having enough healthy/organic fast food options available in my area.
• Why does it exist? Typically, fast food restaurants try to lower costs by ordering cheaper ingredients, and the typical fast food customer probably doesn't care about eating healthy/organic food.

• Not being able to find items in my purse when I need them.
• Why does it exist? I'm a mom so it comes with the territory that I have to carry 50,000 items in my purse at all times. 

• My dishwasher never completely dries the dishes. This has always been an issue since it was purchased.
• Why does it exist? I'm not sure if all dishwashers are this way, so it may not be a problem for others, but it really irritates me. It's a good brand, and I've tried additives to help with drying, but it still doesn't get the job done. I'm not certain why it exists or I would fix it. Maybe I need to purchase a higher quality dishwasher.

• School buses in my county lack supervision. With the bus driver being the only adult on the bus, and being preoccupied by driving, the children on the bus lack supervision. Therefore, they frequently get into trouble. This is one reason my children do not ride the school bus
• Why does it exist? It exists because the school district lacks the funds to employ extra adults to ride the school bus with the children.

• People cutting in the car pickup line at the elementary school. Everyday, several cars skip the line and decide they should get to go before parents who have been waiting 30+ minutes.
• Why does it exist? The elementary car pickup line is disorganized and there is no one there to supervise and make sure cars are following car pickup etiquette. There are also more parents picking up their children from school this year. It probably goes back to the lack of supervision on the school bus problem.

• Filling out the same medical forms over and over at the doctor and dentist offices where my four children and I go.
• Why does it exist? There isn't currently a shared database or source of information that can be accessed by different medical offices, but I think that would be a great idea.

• People throwing trash on the ground. This is one of the things that bug me most. 
• Why does it exist? Maybe it's just laziness? It's possible that if there were more trash cans available, there would be less littering.

• Not enough recycling options in my town. I try to reduce my waste, but it's hard when my local waste collection center only recycles cardboard.
• Why does it exist? Maybe the city only has the funds to offer the one recycling option. Maybe more people need to complain and show a need before they will add more options.

• Lack of variety of extra curricular activities for my children in our town. I wish our town offered soccer, swimming, gymnastics, etc.
• Why does it exist? There probably isn't enough demand for these activities in my town. People could be happy with the current available options. It's possible that there is demand, but no one is taking advantage of it yet.

• Lack of after school activities for children in my community. I feel like when children have fun, wholesome activities to do after school, they are less likely to get into trouble.
• Why does it exist? It's a small town with limited places for kids to go after school. I'm sure people in my community would love to see more options for after school activities. There may even be places that are out there, but they are not advertising very well. I'm certain that this is an area of unmet demand in my community and that it could be utilized by the right person.

• Having to walk inside to pay cash for my gas because I can’t trust the security of the card reader at the gas pump. Yes, I've had my card information stolen at the gas pump before, and I know several others who have had there card information stolen as well.
• Why does it exist? There is a lack of secure technology to process payments. Criminals are developing theft technology as fast as the credit card companies are coming out with more secure tech to process payments. I think gas stations are a target because there is a lack of security outside by the card readers.

• Movie ticket prices are too high. I love going to the movies, but I hate paying the high prices! Although, the added comfort of the recliner chairs that have been added to many theaters in recent years have made me feel comfortable paying a little more for my ticket.
• Why does it exist? It's probably because there is a lack of competition in the market. Regal pretty much has a monopoly on the movie theater business in our area. People are also willing to pay the high prices for the movie theater experience, rather than waiting for movies to be be released and watching them at home.

• No restroom available near the car pickup line. Back to car pickup line problems. This is a real issue sometimes when I have my four-year-old with me and he has to go. It's nearly impossible to get out of the line once you're in it, and we are not allowed on school property until the gates are unlocked.
• Why does it exist? Maybe no one has thought about this as an issue other than parents waiting in line with little ones. Even if the school knew it was an issue, I doubt there would be funds available to construct a restroom. Maybe they could afford a port-a-potty, but then there would be a host of other issues involved with that. 

• Lack of healthy/organic food options at my local grocery store. 
• Why does it exist? I'm sure this is simply a lack of demand. My husband and I normally go to Gainesville to get our groceries for this reason.

• Inconsistent clothing sizes at different stores. This is especially an issue when shopping online. For example, size 6 pants will fit perfectly at one store and are too tight at another store.
• Why does it exist? Possibly, there isn't any regulation when it comes to sizing clothing. It is probably becoming more of an issue now that many consumers do the majority of their shopping online.

• Having to pay shipping to send clothing back when shopping online. I hate this. Sometimes I end up keeping an item I cannot wear simply due to the fact that I will lose some much money trying to mail it back. I'll usually just cut my loses and give it to someone or donate it instead.
• Why does it exist? Online shopping is growing in popularity and not all stores can offer free shipping and returns and still make enough money to stay in business. I do believe it hurts the business in the end from the loss of sales. Now, I mostly shop at stores that offer free shipping and returns.

• Getting unsolicited telemarketing phone calls. I'm sure this is a "bug" for almost every person with a phone.
• Why does it exist? Companies sell our information and it gets into the hands of these unsolicited callers. There is a "Do Not Call" list that you can add your name to that supposedly stops some of the calls.

• Washing my face at night when I’m tired. When I'm tired it feels like such a giant task to wash my makeup off my face before getting into bed. (Side note: I always brush and floss. :))
• Why does it exist? You probably have to be a girl, or at least someone who wears makeup to understand this one. It exists because it takes time to wash ones makeup off and, if you're like me, by the time you go to bed at night you are exhausted! 

• Workout pants that won’t stay up. Last but not least. It drives me nuts when I have to keep pulling up my pants as I'm working out.
• Why does it exist? Not all elastic is created equal? Companies need to do more aggressive testing before selling workout pants to make sure they stay in place.

I found it very difficult to come up with the twenty things on this list, because I am not used to focusing on the things that bug me. I have never thought about why these things exist. It was a little easier to think about it over several days and to make a note of it when something annoyed me. This is definitely a new way of thinking for me and I can see how this could lead to finding opportunities for new business ideas.