Math

[tcube]

Last week I purchased a burger at Burger King for $1.58. The counter girl took my $2 and I was digging for my change when I pulled 8 cents from my pocket and gave it to her. She stood there, holding the nickel and 3 pennies, while looking at the screen on her register.<br /><br />I sensed her discomfort and tried to tell her to just give me two quarters, but she hailed the manager for help.<br /><br />While he tried to explain the transaction to her, she stood there and cried.<br /><br />Why do I tell you this?<br /><br />Please read more about the "history of teaching math":<br /><br />Teaching Math In 1950: A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit?<br /><br />Teaching Math In 1960: A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or $80. What is his profit?<br /><br />Teaching Math In 1970: A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80. Did he make a profit?<br /><br />Teaching Math In 1980: A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80 and his profit is $20. Your assignment: Underline the number 20.<br /><br />Teaching Math In 1990: By cutting down beautiful forest trees, the logger makes $20. What do you think of this way of making a living? Topic for class participation after answering the question: How did the forest birds and squirrels feel as the logger cut down the trees. (There are no wrong answers.)<br /><br />Teaching Math In 2005: El hachero vende un camion carga por $100. La cuesta de production es.............

 

[rolmops]

Re: Math

Hi, this little blurp has been on this chatroom before.<br />Now in defense of these "dumb" girls.<br />The cash registers in fast food places do not show numbers when you place your order.The girls are supposed to punch in pictures.Only when you give them money do they actually punch in numbers and the register tells them what change to make.<br />The moment you change your input information(add your 8 cents),you make this type of process impossible and in order to give you what you want,the girl will have to cancel your order and start all over again.This,she has no authority to do and she has to call the manager.By seemingly trying to make the transaction easier (your 8 cents)you have triggered a process that makes this girl very uncomfortable.Chances are that she did exactly what you asked her to do for another customer and was chewed out for it because it causes cash register conflicts.

 

[cbnoodles]

Re: Math

Please, give me a break. Tcube did what almost anyone would do and it should have been a simple calculation for the bim...er, cashier to make. Instead, she has not been held accountable by our "It's OK if you don't want to try this" method of teaching and will be relegated to chewing gum and acting like an automaton as a result. Please don't make any more excuses for dumbing down our education system. It's not fair to those who actually strive to achieve.

 

[snapperbait]

Re: Math

Rolmops... How in the cat hair is that transaction going to cause a cash register conflict?.. At the end of the shift when the drawer is counted, if it comes out even as per recepts, why does it matter?....<br /><br />I must be dumb...

 

[lakelivin]

Re: Math

tcube,<br /><br />understand your frustration, but wonder if she might have gotten it if you'd explained it differently.<br /><br />What if you said to her 'you owe me 42 cents change, right? If I give you 8 cents more, you'll owe me the 42 cents plus the 8 cents, which equals 50 cents. Then I'll be able to get two quarters back instead of all that small change.' <br /><br />Alot easier for some people to add than subtract.<br />Or might have still been futile.....

 

[fixin]

Re: Math

Was she a blond?

 

[pjc]

Re: Math

I particularly enjoyed reading columns in the news rag where teachers in the ghetto were using street math to teach addition, etcetera. Ya know, if Tyrone were selling $10 crack rocks, how many would he need to sell to buy a $40K Beemer?

 

[Bass Man Bruce]

Re: Math

Unfortunately this is a prety common occurance. I occasionally do the same thing and will often get looks of incredulity or pity for my lack of math skills (they think I'm over paying when I offer the extra change). Some time it's easier to appologize and just get a fistfull of coins!<br /><br />It's not new though, I worked at a gas station in the late sixties and one of the other guys couldn't count change at all. If someone gave him anything besides exact change he would ask me to figure it out for him. What a way to go through life!

 

[roscoe]

Re: Math

I started carrying my extra change again, just so I could do this.<br />I love the looks I get when I hand them the extra change.<br />Its even better if they don't have a fancy cash register to punch the numbers into.

 

[rodbolt]

Re: Math

hello<br /> I have to back up rolmops on this one. the cash registers where my ex wife worked were all picture computer and if after the total button was hit it requires a managers key to reset. although the last power failure we had the girls at the 7-11 could not figgure the sales tax with a calculator <br /> now that was truly sad.

 

[Pascal]

Re: Math

on top of not being able to figure the change without the computer in the till calculating it for them, most of them will just dump the change in your hand with a grunt... they can't even (be bothered to) count the change back to you to show the correct amount. That is becoming a lost art. <br /><br />It always bugs me because I think it shows a lack of respect for the hard earned money of the customer and appreciation for the business they have provided. <br /><br />Maybe this is just me but I'd like to know what others think about this too.<br /><br />JD

 

[tcube]

Re: Math

I get frustrated because when I got my first job as a drug store soda jerk in 1957, the first thing I learned about the cash register was how to count change. Even though the most advanced math course I ever took was "Math for Plants" that simple process has stayed with me.

 

[springhead]

Re: Math

its a real shame that these kids dont know how to count change, it happens everywhere and there isnt much you can do about it, there dependent on the cash register, if she punched in 20 instead of two dollars she wouldve gave you change for a twenty, they dont have a clue, its really too bad

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Math

tcube, I too learned how to count change "on the job". At a cash only full service gas station. (yep a few still existed as late as 1993, in Ohio!) I had taken Calculus in h.s. but I had no idea how to count change! Luckily I had a manager that got me out of the habit of trying to subract the amount of the sale from the amount tendered. Once you learn to "count back" the change (especially with an ultra cool belt mounted coin changer!), you would never want to have a cash register tell you how much change to give.<br />I agree that the cash register is a lot of the problem here. It gives a number on the screen, and if you add your "two (or eight) cents" it messes up the operator.<br />Snapper, the problem with the customer telling the cashier how much change to give them, is because that is how all "quick change" scams starts. The customer comes in with a large bill, and wants change. Fine, but when that customer starts saying, well give me four 20's, two 10's, 1 five and 5 ones, he's got $110 "change" from his $100 bill.<br />You would have to work the other side of the counter to understand how difficult it can be to be busy & be counting back change.

 

[dogsdad]

Re: Math

There is no excuse. I don't care how the cash registers are set up...anyone who can't figure out what to do in the given situation is an IDIOT, pure and simple.<br /><br />I suppose that in the politically correct world, tcube should be scolded for damaging the poor little moron's self esteem. NOT!<br /><br />Stamp out stupidity!<br /><br /><br />-dd-

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Math

Originally posted by dogsdad:<br /> There is no excuse. I don't care how the cash registers are set up...anyone who can't figure out what to do in the given situation is an IDIOT, pure and simple.<br /><br />I suppose that in the politically correct world, tcube should be scolded for damaging the poor little moron's self esteem. NOT!<br /><br />Stamp out stupidity!<br />-dd-

Ok, I stomp on you! <br /><br />But seriously, anybody reading this that is under 40? Did your public school teach you how to make change? Mine didn't.<br />It wasn't hard to learn, though. So dog, you could say that my boss "stamped out my stupidity".

 

[Twidget]

Re: Math

Back in the early 80's I laughed at my ex wife when she put "able to make change" on her resume. I thought anyone could do that. Stupid me.

 

[achris]

Re: Math

To the lost art of "Able to make change".... We miss you.<br /><br />I often have the same problem... give the moron the extra change and it puts it back in your hand AND all the rubbish you were trying to avoid!<br /><br />To the morons behind the cash registers "IT'S NOT THAT HARD!"<br /><br />Chris........

 

[Bassy]

Re: Math

I am so glad I'm not the only one who lost out on that lesson on how to count change back. I could do geometry, but when I got my job at Whataburger and they took me off the easy computer cash register and put me on the one from the 1950's I didn't have a clue. No manager trained me to do it. Noone took me by the hand and showed me how. It was just expected from a 16 year-old. So, I struggled and got through the embarrassment of feeling like an idiot and after a week I knew how. School of hard knocks. I learned the hard way, but I learned and was a better experienced employee after that.<br />Bassy

 

[lakelivin]

Re: Math

I rarely have a problem with this cause I always give em the change before the bills. They enter the amount I gave em (say 2.08) & the register tells em to give me back .50. If I give them the bills first, most of the time they've put in that amount before I can hand them the change.