3rd Grade Math, or, It Happened... Again

[W3WN]

So this morning, around 10, on completing my rounds at the Airside terminal, I stopped at the Chik-Fil-A location to grab a quick bite, since I hadn't had much for breakfast.

Total came to $5.03. I know, it's a ripoff, but what can you do?

Hand the cashier (20 something, looked to be about 12, so I know I'm showing my age) a Twenty and a Nickel.

Change should be... anybody? Anybody? Bueller? $15.02

Cashier looks puzzled, almost frightened. Punches $20.05 into the register, shows here the correct change... even prints on the receipt. She looks even more frightened, doesn't seem to know what to do.

Does she hand me a 10, a 5, and two pennies... or three 5's and two pennies? No. She starts counting out dollar bills and 97 cents in coins. Change from a $20, in short, not $20.05

I stop her and tell her that's wrong and what the change should be. She puts it all back in the cash drawer, and then starts doing the exact same thing again. I stop her again. Rinse and repeat.

Finally the manager comes over, takes one look at me, shakes his head once, and then tells the cashier to give me... a ten, a five, and two pennies.

I don't know what's worse. That she couldn't seem to do 3rd grade math, or that she punched it in to the register which calculated the correct change... and then didn't believe it and did it wrong anyway.

Sheesh.

In the immortal words of Sgt. Roger Murtaugh... I'm getting too old for this [ dreck ].

[WZ7U]

Then consider the mission of the nice lady from WWE.....

[NQ6U]

We’ve got those POS machines at work that calculate the change for you. It really speeds things up and reduces errors BUT after a while you become dependent on the feature. Then, when you need to do the change in your head for whatever reason — it does come up now and then — you find that you’ve lost your chops. It makes you look (and feel) REALLY stupid.

[W3WN]

Then consider the mission of the nice lady from WWE.....

Nice Lady? She was a Heel. Nice she wasn't.

And considering her mission to dismantle the Department of Education, she will be living up to her well deserved reputation.

But this tangent belongs in Politics. Even tho it is applicable.

[n6hcm]

yeah. we're fucking doomed.

i've had this happen (in situations like what you described) more than a few times.

[n6hcm]

considering her mission to dismantle the Department of Education

which is actually in progress right now (see breaking news items).

[K4PIH]

I learned to make quick change as a 12 year old paperboy. Back then we didn't have pocket appliances. I thought I was big time when I bought a change machine that fit on my belt. Remember those? Quarters, nickels, dimes, pennies. Hit the dime lever three times for 30 cents or 6 times for nickels. Had to look at the slots occasionally to see if I had enough in each chamber. Kept bills in a zipper bank pouch that was knife resistant.

[KC2KFC]

In the old days the clerk/cashier would "count back" your change. They would start with what was tendered then count back up to the amount you gave them. For instance your total was $14.50 and you gave the clerk a $20 bill. The clerk would start with the $14.50 amount and as they handed you back your change they would say, "Fourteen fifty, seventy five (the first quarter), fifteen (the second quarter) and five (the five dollar bill) makes twenty." When was the last time you had somebody count back change to you?

[WZ7U]

A guy counted me back just as you described a while back. It startled me, and I asked.him 'is this 1978 or what', and the cashier chuckled and said gotcha.

Now, you're lucky to get the correct change.

[W3WN]

In the old days the clerk/cashier would "count back" your change. They would start with what was tendered then count back up to the amount you gave them. For instance your total was $14.50 and you gave the clerk a $20 bill. The clerk would start with the $14.50 amount and as they handed you back your change they would say, "Fourteen fifty, seventy five (the first quarter), fifteen (the second quarter) and five (the five dollar bill) makes twenty." When was the last time you had somebody count back change to you?

There are some around here who do that, especially if it's not obvious (like a quarter back on a net $19.75 purchase)

I've done it myself when selling s[ stuff ]t at hamfests. We had a club member (who is sadly in Stage 4 and has no close family) donate a bunch of stuff to put on the club table at our hamfest last month, so I got to do a lot of that. (Netted $1499 for the club, too)