Cashiers who cannot perform basic math

[IndyColtsFan]

Several years ago, a buddy and I went to lunch at Arby's. My turn came and I ordered, and it came to something like $6.53. I handed the cashier a $10 and she looked baffled. After 20-30 seconds, she turned to the manager and he took a quick look at the register and the bill in her hand and said "Give him three $1 bills, one quarter, two dimes, and two pennies." He turned and went his way and then she turned back to the register and just stared. She finally gave up and literally grabbed a fistful of change and shoved it across the counter to me.

 

[Linux23]

So many elitist in one thread makes my head spin

 

[Ns1]

Several years ago, a buddy and I went to lunch at Arby's. My turn came and I ordered, and it came to something like $6.53. I handed the cashier a $10 and she looked baffled. After 20-30 seconds, she turned to the manager and he took a quick look at the register and the bill in her hand and said "Give him three $1 bills, one quarter, two dimes, and two pennies." He turned and went his way and then she turned back to the register and just stared. She finally gave up and literally grabbed a fistful of change and shoved it across the counter to me.

 

[lxskllr]

So many elitist in one thread makes my head spin

TIL numeracy is elite. I read too. I must be the next coming of Einstein.

 

[akugami]

Several years ago, a buddy and I went to lunch at Arby's. My turn came and I ordered, and it came to something like $6.53. I handed the cashier a $10 and she looked baffled. After 20-30 seconds, she turned to the manager and he took a quick look at the register and the bill in her hand and said "Give him three $1 bills, one quarter, two dimes, and two pennies." He turned and went his way and then she turned back to the register and just stared. She finally gave up and literally grabbed a fistful of change and shoved it across the counter to me.

I used to be a cashier in a small business my dad used to own. It only took me 2-3 seconds to do the math for that. The thing that boggles the mind is that even after being told how much change to give, she still couldn't give out the correct change.

This is literally something that you should know by the time you get out of grade school.

 

[pcgeek11]

I find it amusing the people the people who disdain cashiers and retail workers in general work in cubicles and are such social phobics that family dinners make them uncomfortable.

It is truly sad that these dumb@sees can't cashier, interact with the public and, breathe at the same time. It is even sadder these anthropophobics tout their disability as superiority.

Ha ha! That was pretty funny.

You must be one of those " Elite Cashiers " that can't count change.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Ha ha! That was pretty funny.

You must be one of those " Elite Cashiers " that can't count change.

I'm a Chef who has worked as a cashier and spent many years in the hospitality and service industry who knows the difference between skill sets and intelligence. I've also studied computer science and mathematics at several universities. I might mention that in the last 35 years working in the hospitality industry, I've met many more intelligent, capable, well rounded, socially successful people in the service industry than I've ever run accross in the sciences at different universities. You must be one of those " Elite Code Monkey's " that can't deal with the public.

 

[pcgeek11]

I'm a Chef who has worked as a cashier and spent many years in the hospitality and service industry who knows the difference between skill sets and intelligence. I've also studied computer science and mathematics at several universities. I might mention that in the last 35 years working in the hospitality industry, I've met many more intelligent, capable, well rounded, socially successful people in the service industry than I've ever run accross in the sciences at different universities. You must be one of those " Elite Code Monkey's " that can't deal with the public.

"Hospitality Industry" "Service Industry" indeed. Is that like the janitor that calls himself the custodial engineer?

So you have been flipping burgers and cooking fries for 35 years. Congratulations there Chef.

I deal with the public just fine. I have issues with retards that can't do third grade mathmatics or count change.

 

[Printer Bandit]

don't knock custodial engineers

 

[pcgeek11]

don't knock custodial engineers

But he Could do the math...

 

[DrunkenSano]

The people making excuses for idiots who can't do math astounds me. If you can't give someone proper change, you shouldn't be graduating high school.

 

[ALIVE]

The people making excuses for idiots who can't do math astounds me. If you can't give someone proper change, you shouldn't be graduating high school.

and the you go to supermarket and see
1 pack of cookies 0.95
offer 3 pack of cookies 3.25 lol
and people buy it because it is an offer and they save money.

and i am not kidding
being solo packs was cheaper than being the ofter lol

but seriously defend people that can not count????
if they went to schools and could not learn this which they use in their lifes

then there is no hope for the society
imagine when this people vote for someone as smart as them
oh wait they do BUSH lol

 

[foghorn67]

It's not even math, its just counting up. What the hell, America?

 

[Belegost]

and the you go to supermarket and see
1 pack of cookies 0.95
offer 3 pack of cookies 3.25 lol
and people buy it because it is an offer and they save money.

and i am not kidding
being solo packs was cheaper than being the ofter lol

but seriously defend people that can not count????
if they went to schools and could not learn this which they use in their lifes

then there is no hope for the society
imagine when this people vote for someone as smart as them
oh wait they do BUSH lol

Something about people in glass houses comes to mind here...

 

[madoka]

and the you go to supermarket and see
1 pack of cookies 0.95
offer 3 pack of cookies 3.25 lol
and people buy it because it is an offer and they save money.

I took this picture from my local Del Taco:

I can't decide if it's a fat tax or math-disabled tax.

 

[Leyawiin]

Went to a restaurant the other day. The cashier was a girl in her late teens. She counted back my change the old fashioned way (verbally saying amount due and then counting from smaller to larger bills to the amount I gave her). I was so impressed I told her and commented how rare it is for someone to know how to do that these days.

 

[pcgeek11]

Something about people in glass houses comes to mind here...

Agreed. Very sad indeed.

 

[kt]

I took this picture from my local Del Taco:

I can't decide if it's a fat tax or math-disabled tax.

You think they'll figure it out once people start ordering 4 orders of the 3-pack of cookies?

 

[OutHouse]

Total came to $12.00 even. I give her a $20 and a $5. She looked at me and handed back the $5 bill saying she could just use the $20. I just rolled my eyes and took it back.

i dont follow the logic of giving a 20 and a 5 on a 12 buck bill. were you wanting a 10 and 3 ones back instead of a 5 and 3 ones?

 

[dave_the_nerd]

i dont follow the logic of giving a 20 and a 5 on a 12 buck bill. were you wanting a 10 and 3 ones back instead of a 5 and 3 ones?

Because then he'd have one fewer bills in his wallet (a 10 instead of 2 5s.)

 

[Tweak155]

i dont follow the logic of giving a 20 and a 5 on a 12 buck bill. were you wanting a 10 and 3 ones back instead of a 5 and 3 ones?

Because then he'd have one fewer bills in his wallet (a 10 instead of 2 5s.)

This, but it was also due to how the event unfolded... so many people got uppity I outlined what happened:

I gave her a $5 bill from my wallet in expectation to find a $10 bill or 2 more $5's in my wallet. I only found one more $5... Knowing that wouldn't add up to $12, I grabbed a $20 and did not reach for / ask for the $5 bill back, which clearly confused her. After having a puzzled look on her face she just said "I'll just give this back to you" or something along those lines, and I just took it back. I then got my $8 in change from the $20.

 

[madoka]

I was at In-n-Out, where I ordered a Double Double and fries. It came out to $5.98.

I gave the cashier $20.98, but he accidentally typed in 20 twice on the register. Once he made that mistake, he could not for the life of him figure out how much change he owed me. After agonizing over it, he took his best stab and gave me back $13.98.

I tried to explain the math to him, but he didn't seem to care and since there was now a whole new number ($13.98) to contend with, there was no way he would be able to figure it out.

He just gave me the rest of the change I told him it should be. No, I did not ask for $196.11.

 

[elitejp]

Theres a reason people should be paid minimum wage and a reason minimum wage should remain low.
Learn to do your job and stop screwing around in school. Most things in life are self inflicted

 

[pmv]

My mother, who's in her 80s, is _constantly_ making this same complaint, though obviously in her case she lumps together everyone under 60 as 'the young' who can't do basic arithmetic.

I mean, I'm sure she (and the OP) are correct, but I really don't care, myself. I have precious few reasons to feel pleased with myself about anything, so if people want to give me the chance to feel smug about having a basic grasp of numbers, I'm fine with that. Heck, I feel grateful for it.

(And I'm definitely not as good as I used to be with mental arithmetic, I used to be really sharp, but it's as if my brain no longer has the registers for storing intermediate results)

Edit - or maybe it's that I'm not an insecure teenager any more so don't care about proving things to myself so much any more? I reckon that's why IQ scores decline with age, it's not that you get dumber it's that the older you get the less you can be bothered with such things.

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

I was at In-n-Out, where I ordered a Double Double and fries. It came out to $5.98.

I gave the cashier $20.98, but he accidentally typed in 20 twice on the register. Once he made that mistake, he could not for the life of him figure out how much change he owed me. After agonizing over it, he took his best stab and gave me back $13.98.

I tried to explain the math to him, but he didn't seem to care and since there was now a whole new number ($13.98) to contend with, there was no way he would be able to figure it out.

He just gave me the rest of the change I told him it should be. No, I did not ask for $196.11.

To be fair, depending on the cash register, it might be complicated as shit to actually input values in a coherent manner. It really shouldn't be, but for all I know In-n-Out has a garbage system. To complicate things, they may have been busy, cancellations/changes might require a manager override (who might have been taking a shit), thus leading to fluster from the cashier. Oh and naturally everything has to be documented right, so they can't just give you the $15 and call it square.

Just sayin', person might not have been totally inept.