Posted by
Jimmy Carter on Monday, June 04, 2007 5:02:44 PM
For those of you who still use currency and trade with a human being, how often do you get incorrect change?
When I make a purchase using hard money, I am sure not to be left with more than four pennies, one nickel, three quarters, four ones, one five, one ten, four twenties (I can't remember the last time I saw President Grant's mug).....
Today, I purchased a can of snuff that came to the grand total of $2.59. I handed the clerk $3.10. Now, several things go wrong when doing this, and I state that this happens nearly everyday: First, the dumba$$ look on their face. I do not know if the clerks think I expect them to do the math, especially when they have that ridiculously oversized CALCULATER right in front of them. Next, (about half the time) the clerk inputs the wrong amount in that ridiculously oversized CALCULATER resulting in incorrect change. In this particular example, the clerk inputted into that ridiculously oversized CALCULATER $3.01. When the drawer opened he immediately dropped the DIME into the DIME slot and the ones into the one slot and then looked up to see how much was to be given back. $.42. That is one quarter, one dime, one nickel, and two pennies when it should have been two quarters and one penny.
It may be only nine cents, but it's still nine cents. I paused in order to calm my nerves before embarrassing him with noting his error.
The other day, at a different establishment, my purchase came to the grand total of $17.62. I handed the clerk $23.12. Judging by the look on her face you would have thought I just insulted her Mother. I told her,"Just type '$23.12' and that big ol' CALCULATER will tell you what to do next." She typed "$23.12" and looked at the display in the hope of being saved, hoping and praying that her world wasn't about to come crashing down. When that ridiculously oversized CALCULATER showed "$5.50," the look on her face turned to that of a seven year old's on Christmas morning.
I am not exaggerating when I state this happens to me nearly everyday.
I am no mathmagician and I don't expect anybody else to do the mental exercise it takes to do simple addition and subtraction while standing in front of a ridiculously oversized CALCULATER. What I do expect is for clerks to be able to count and operate a ridiculously oversized CALCULATER.
Thank goodness for Wal-Mart and paving the way with doing away with clerks.