Cashiers who cannot perform basic math

[madoka]

My bill at an Italian restaurant was $10.27. I handed the cashier $20 and started fishing for change. I then gave him $0.27, but by then he had already rung me through the register.

He stared at the $0.27 like I gave him an advanced physics problem. He pulled out a notepad and started scribbling away. At this point I felt bad for him, but I was confident he would eventually figure it out and didn't want him to feel worse by telling him the answer.

Eventually he realized the notepad was not enough, so he pulled out a printing calculator from underneath the counter. After a couple more very uncomfortable minutes of him furiously punching in numbers and generating about seven inches of printed calculations, I gave up and told him to give me $10. I think I could have asked him for $20 and he would have complied. He looked that desperate to finish our transaction.

I suspect his generation is so reliant on calculators in school that they never learn the basics.

Anyone else run into cashiers who cannot do basic arithmetic?

 

[lxskllr]

All the time. You really want to blow some minds? Give change, but not exact change. They'll look at it, look at the register, then look at you like you handed them a three eyed toad. If it weren't for computerized registers, I'd estimate a 20% success rate figuring change.

Pro tip, give coins first. That keeps them from jumping the gun.

 

[Subyman]

You suspect an entire generation can't add/subtract because a cashier couldn't figure the change?

 

[lxskllr]

From the FWP thread...

Went to Little Caesar, and got a pizza. Total came to $5.30. I gave the girl two $5s, and got 70¢ back. Told her I gave her $10, and should get another $4. Blank look for a second, and she didn't seem to realize the issue. A wild clue enters, and she calls the manager over to open the drawer. I explain I gave her two $5s, one old, one new(I happened to notice, and it would reinforce my claim if she cared to check), but she says "so you get $5 back?" while pulling out a $5. Me: "No, $4.70, but you already gave me 70¢. Blank look... Me: "I need $4 back". She pulls the singles out, and says "I'm not good at math". Holy shit! If that isn't the understatement of the century, I don't know what is. At that point, if she told me she wasn't good at wiping her ass, I wouldn't have been a bit surprised. If I were less honest, I probably could have gotten a free pizza, and the deed to the store :^D She needs to find a less demanding job. Human paperweight? Can you get paid for that? :^D

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Incidentally, yes, you can get paid to be a human paperweight, human furniture, or human crockery, but only if you look good naked.

 

[Brainonska511]

All the time. You really want to blow some minds? Give change, but not exact change. They'll look at it, look at the register, then look at you like you handed them a three eyed toad. If it weren't for computerized registers, I'd estimate a 20% success rate figuring change.

Pro tip, give coins first. That keeps them from jumping the gun.

Some cashiers can't do math, but sometimes, it's simply the fact that it is just such a brainless job, the cashier spaces out into oblivion, so when someone does something different, it takes a moment to snap back into reality.

 

[waggy]

Some cashiers can't do math, but sometimes, it's simply the fact that it is just such a brainless job, the cashier spaces out into oblivion, so when someone does something different, it takes a moment to snap back into reality.

/this

I was a cashier for about a year at walmart. sometimes you get on auto-pilot and just do it. When something happens outside of what the machine says it does take a few seconds.

 

[Ruptga]

How senile do you have to be to not remember running into someone from a previous generation that couldn't do math?

 

[Fayd]

what kind of italian restaurant do you go to that the bill is only $10.27?

 

[waggy]

what kind of italian restaurant do you go to that the bill is only $10.27?

olive garden!

:awe:

 

[lxskllr]

How senile do you have to be to not remember running into someone from a previous generation that couldn't do math?

Decades ago I worked at a bakery, and they had a counter girl that was dumb as a brick. She got into an argument with a customer because she was giving time based change. 60¢ to the hour dollar :^D

 

[notposting]

Even better when the total is along the lines $12.30, say.

Give them a 20, pause, then three 1's.

Watch their minds be blown. "But the $20 is already enough?! What are they doing? I can't handle it! Aaaaahhhhh!"

 

[cavemanmoron]

You suspect an entire generation can't add/subtract because a cashier couldn't figure the change?

Not an entire generation, just it seems much more often;
many people younger than 40 seem to have more of a hassle with simple math than us "old Farts".

If all the old farts would just use a debit card then it would not be a hassle.

 

[Jaskalas]

People handling less and less money, become worse at handling money and doing basic math with it. Seems fairly logical.

 

[Phoenix86]

Even better when the total is along the lines $12.30, say.

Give them a 20, pause, then three 1's.

Watch their minds be blown. "But the $20 is already enough?! What are they doing? I can't handle it! Aaaaahhhhh!"

Same thing with $9.05 and you give them $10.10 or $10.25.

They ponder for a minute, I tell them to just enter it in the register. When the "really bright ones" figure out it comes out to $1.05 or $1.10 as opposed to $.95 (if I only gave them a $10) you can see the mind blow moment.

 

[who?]

Why cash?

 

[Phoenix86]

People handling less and less money, become worse at handling money and doing basic math with it. Seems fairly logical.

It's cute you think this is related to debit cards. It's 2nd-3rd grade math at best.

If not handling money makes people revert to 2nd grade math I think we have bigger issues. I rarely carry cash and haven't had a math class in 2 decades but somehow I can still manage these mind boggling numbers.

 

[VAisforlovers]

Happened recently but the cashier was trying to rip me off. It happened in NYC (duh?) and these $1 pizza places must get a lot of drunk people late at night. I ordered 1 slice of pizza which was $1 and gave him a $20. The scummy Indian guy behind the counter looks at me while he counts the money and gives me back $9 thinking that I wouldn't catch his slick move. I promptly told him that I gave him $20 and he pretends like he forgot. It was the worst acting job that I've seen in a while.

 

[natto fire]

You suspect an entire generation can't add/subtract because a cashier couldn't figure the change?

Also expected us not to judge him for eating at Olive Garden, but we are still going to do it, right?:whiste:

 

[Newbian]

Just use the registers as that's what they are for as it seems they are doing it without entering the total for whatever reason.

Then again since they are minimal wage jobs I guess you get what you pay for.

 

[Newell Steamer]

Painful. So very painful that you made this up.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

People that can't do basic math calculations involving money... is the reason they are working as a cashier. Silly goose.

 

[waggy]

Painful. So very painful that you made this up.

sadly I believe him. I have seen such idiotic things happen myself.

 

[ninaholic37]

I normally tell them right away: "here's 27 cents so I can get a $10 back" because I have bad knees and it makes me super irritated the longer I have to stand.

 

[sandorski]

Some cashiers can't do math, but sometimes, it's simply the fact that it is just such a brainless job, the cashier spaces out into oblivion, so when someone does something different, it takes a moment to snap back into reality.

Pretty much this. Especially when Cash Registers are spitting out the Change amount to them. They pretty much never have to do Math, so when something like this happens they have to switch gears from pushing buttons to thinking.