This paging thing reminds of an incident a few years back. We'd gone, with friends, to a restaurant that had a lobster special and when we arrived there was already a long line. So we began our wait. I noticed that on several occasions the name called never responded so they just went to the next name on the list. So the next time a name was called for a second time I raised my hand and we went to eat.
If you and I went out together, we'd certainly get into trouble! I've actually done that myself...Red Lobster in Fairfax VA (I'm sure the Statute of Limitations has expired.) When I was married, my wife and I would go to one of the first membership-required stores in the nation (G.E.M.) When you walk in, you gotta show your card. So as we were walking in, some old guy (well, old to us at the time) was sauntering in behind us. I don't know if he forgot he had to show his card, or if he had never been there before and was unaware that this was not a "normal" store. So as the two of us walked in, I heard the card-checking employee say to the oblivious guy "I need to see your card." I immediately said "That's OK...he's with us" and the guy continued walking in, unawares. That was just one of the many instances my wife said "What the heck are you doing???" I may or may not have done him a favor. He was screwed if he tried to buy something without having a card to show the cashier.
If G.E.M. is related to GEMCO, as I imagine it is, they really made you feel special if you were a card-carrying member, unlike my John Birch Society card, which only led to abuse.
I think you are correct about GEMCO. I just read the Wiki page. Being outside of DC, we all thought it stood for "Government Employee Merchandising Company" (just as "GEICO" stands for Government Employees), but apparently that's wrong. I just can't reconcile my recollection of the logo with what I find of GEMCO on the web, and that store I went to was likely gone by 1980. I swear it was an American Eagle with a swatch of the flag in its beak. Regarding the JBS...if you're not in favor of government just expanding for the sake of expansion, they you must be a radical right-winger. In the meantime, others will be fabricating new genders and deciding which Muppet is the most racist; you know, "Mainstream America."
@Ken Anderson Scratch that about GEMCO. G.E.M. was different, and stood for "Government Employees Mart." WIKI says they went away in 1973 (founded in 1956), but I went there with my ex, and we did not meet until 1975 or 1976. Gotta love the membership concept. Only in America can a business convince people to pay to walk through the door.
https://mewe.com/p/memesandthings/show/60f085b04d61867aee82c537 it won't let me imbed it but it's funny. it's called when you discover the rhythm of the washing machine.