Trash talk: A can that just can't on 4th Street

Photos by Stacie Joy 

As seen today on Fourth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue... an instant classic note attached to a discarded household item...

This trash can does not work with any consistency. 

It has an automated sensor that opens the lid. 

This sensor may or may not sense you. 

And if you are lucky enough to be sensedXXthe lid 

that you hoped would open may not ever close. 

You can try plugging it in again after unplugging. 

The plug is taped on the inside. There are batteries 

still within but I couldn't say whether they still 

work. 

There is a chance you may get it to open for you 

by the use of a voice command, but it has never 

heard me. 

It has been cleaned. Repairs attempted. 

Some things don't work out.

Our snap review: 

The tone of this letter is dryly humorous, resigned and slightly sardonic. It combines matter-of-fact observations ("This sensor may or may not sense you") with a subtle, understated wit ("There is a chance you may get it to open for you by the use of a voice command, but it has never heard me"), conveying frustration but also acceptance. 

The closing line — "Some things don't work out." — sums it up with a wry, almost philosophical shrug. It's not overtly angry or dramatic. Instead, it's a calm, lightly mocking commentary on the trash can's failures, tinged with weary amusement. 

Score: A