I’ll Teach My Kids to Count Up!
June 30, 2009 1 Comment
Oh, boy. I just had a frustrating experience at sandwich shop next door. I experienced a pet peeve first-hand. Again. Here’s the play-by-play…
- The cashier rings up the total for the lunch. $15.73.
- I hand the cashier two $10 bills and 3 pennies.
- Cashier thinks I handed him a $10, a $5, and assumes the rest of the change is coming to get to $15.73.
- He punches in the amount he things he’s getting ($15.73) and then realizes, “Wait! This person gave me $20 + 3 pennies!”
- Panic sets in. He’s already rung up the total and now the cash register has no way to tell him how much money he should give back.
- Another employee is watching over his shoulder. I get the impression that the guy that took my money is new-ish and learning the ropes, so I’m willing to cut him lots of slack. I’m not one to dispense unwarranted anger, and I’ve been “new” before too…
- But…basic skills are still needed! The fact is, this young man should have been able to count the change up from $15.73 to $20.03 without the assistance of a cash register or a calculator.
- Thankfully, the person that was watching over him can save the day. She has a calculator! I sat down and wait for her to bring over my change. $4.10.
$4.10??? How does someone using a calculator type in $20.03 minus $15.73 and get $4.10?!?!? Now I have a primary pet peeve (“Can’t count up to make change”) that carries with it a secondary pet peeve (“Can’t use a calculator to make change”). I’m sorry, but that really bothers me.
Maybe it’s part of a rite of passage. I gracefully passed over the threshold into my forties last year. Does that give me the right to talk about “kids these days!?” Am I turning into some cranky old curmudgeon without even realizing it? Doesn’t matter. All I know is I’m going to make sure my kids have the ability to count up and make change without the aid of a cash register and/or calculator!
