Doesn't ANYONE know HOW to count change back anymore?

[sumi]

7, why?
I've actually seen money in units of 5 and 25 too...

 

[yokohamamama]

Happened to me at work last night (sort of) powerwent out, so the computers went down...(im a waitress ) and apparently I am the ONLY one who knows how to do the math because EVERYONE kept comeing to me asking me what their total/change/how to do sales tax, thank goodness that only lasted about an hour!

 

[Royd]

7, why?
I've actually seen money in units of 5 and 25 too...

Once you get past the first set of odd numbers, I.E. the pennies, everything works in units of ten. Five is a division of ten.

 

[Happy Chooks]

It saddens me that the world is going far away from human interaction. Everything is faster and people don't want to talk to people anymore. All the banks I use still count my money out to me, and it always bothers me when I pay in large bills when they don't count the change back. I am glad that I don't live in a city, I don't think I could stand it. I live in the world of small talk, counting change back, and personal information shared - like how's your grandma doing? I heard she was in the hospital last week. Is she recovering?... when I am at checkout at the grocery store. I like to know the people I do business with.

I bank at a small bank just for this reason. I don't like the big banks, they are too impersonal. They count my money to me and I count it again in front of them. (Many years of banking experience in my past and I have caught counterfeit bills before, so I count through it before I leave to make sure they are real) My town isn't as small as yours, but I too like the interaction with people.

 

[JackW]

this story is absolutely true. It just goes to show were our education is going in this country.
I go to walmart. I am checking out the bill was $47.98. I give the cashier 3 $20 bills. She has to walk to another register to get a marker to make sure they are real. when comes back she enters the amount and hands me my change of $47.98. I politely told her $47.98 was my bill and my change was $12.02. mind you I did the math in my head in less then 3 seconds. She gets mad at me and tells me my change is $47.98. The next person in line can't believe what is going on and tells her that I am right. I finally leave the register and go to the customer service desk (I dont want to get arrested for stealing). The girl at the desk looks at me like I am an idiot. After 20 minutes I give up and leave. I went home and called walmart coporate and told them. they couldn't believe what had happened and wanted me to return to the store and give the money back. I told them I had tried. they took the rest of the info off of the reciept and my information. They then told me not to worry about it and sent me $100 gift card for my honesty and trying to solve the problem. I was also informed that the same clerk had been short on her register for a month and they were trying to catch her stealing money. They had no clue she couldn't do basic math or understand the register. Thought they had a thief and only had an idiot.

More people are just calling it the stupidity tax and pocketing the extra.

True Story. My sister-in-law sent her husband and me to the store for some items. The total rang up less than 10 dollars. Brother-in-law handed the clerk a bill and she handed him a wad of change. He stepped back and said excuse me but I think you made a mistake with my change.

The Clerk snapped, “I did not”.

Brother-in-law replied, “Will excuse me”.

On the way out of the store he told me he was going to tell her that she gave him an extra #10.00, but with that attitude he was not going to argue. Free groceries and change to boot.

 

[JackW]

At a store recently I checked out with a total of 6.42 and handed the clerk a 20. She punched something in and the result flashed up 4.42. I have to give her credit, she said that can’t be right. Then she said it must be 14.42. I said no, it should end in 58 cents. She said “Oh! I am going to have to figure this in my head. It must be 14.58.” I said how about 13.58. She got out 13.58 and handed it to me. I counted it on the counter. 4.42 - 43 - 44 - 45 - 50 - and 50 cents makes 7. Then 8 - 9 - 10 and 10 makes 20.

She said, “No one ever taught me how to do that”.

Mr. Store owner, don’t you think you should teach your help how to count change to cover situations like this? My 6 year old grandson can do it when he helps his mother in her business.

 

[catdaddyfro]

At a store recently I checked out with a total of 6.42 and handed the clerk a 20. She punched something in and the result flashed up 4.42. I have to give her credit, she said that can’t be right. Then she said it must be 14.42. I said no, it should end in 58 cents. She said “Oh! I am going to have to figure this in my head. It must be 14.58.” I said how about 13.58. She got out 13.58 and handed it to me. I counted it on the counter. 4.42 - 43 - 44 - 45 - 50 - and 50 cents makes 7. Then 8 - 9 - 10 and 10 makes 20.

She said, “No one ever taught me how to do that”.

Mr. Store owner, don’t you think you should teach your help how to count change to cover situations like this? My 6 year old grandson can do it when he helps his mother in her business.

Two words come to mind in this type situation to me, the downfall of mankind and thinking for himself=Calculators and spellcheck(even its wrong too) Huh?

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

4.42 - 43 - 44 - 45 - 50 - and 50 cents makes 7. Then 8 - 9 - 10 and 10 makes 20.

She said, “No one ever taught me how to do that”.

Unless you never use cash to buy anything, how would you have newer learned that?

I remember being put behind the counter of dads store at 13. First thing he told me was to always keep the cash on the register until the transaction is done where no one can question what you were given an the second was how to count change back... Then he walked out an I was on my own for several hours doing just that....

 

[JackW]

Unless you never use cash to buy anything, how would you have newer learned that?

I remember being put behind the counter of dads store at 13. First thing he told me was to always keep the cash on the register until the transaction is done where no one can question what you were given an the second was how to count change back... Then he walked out an I was on my own for several hours doing just that....

Good point about keeping the cash on the register until the transaction is completed. When one is very busy it is easy to forget what was handed to you and there were times that I had to take a second look at the bill to be sure.

I owned and operated a restaurant for several years. About half my waitresses used the cash register to figure how much change was needed, but they then counted it back to the customer. For me it was easier to just count it out of the drawer to myself, then count it to the customer. I would occasionally catch an error that I had made when I counted it to myself.

It seems that many people do not realize that you do not need to know the difference between the purchase price and payment received to make correct change when you count it back. No math involved. Less chance for error.

 

[JackW]

Is this about actually counting back the change or is this about math? Cus I couldn't do the math or if you gave me more than owed just to get a dime instead of some pennies. Everything today has to be fast, I won't sit in line waiting for someone to do the math and all that crap. I see no issue in using a calculator for the math, but for the cashier not to count the change back, they gotta.

As for the bank clerk, I would of demanded to speak to the manager and then for them to watch the security film. Get that clerk suspended or fired. Who knows how much they have been stealing!

It is not about the math. There is no math involved when counting change back. You don't need to know how much change they will get.

Just start with the purchase price and count using the next larger increment until you get to the amount they gave you. What you have is their change.

Granted it is a bit more complicated when you receive an uneven amount but it is not rocket science. Example: Product is 7.52 and they had you 20.02. Start with your 2 cents makes it 7.50 out of 20.00. 7.50 – 7.75 – 8 – 9 – 10 and 10 makes 20. That takes 2 quarters 2 ones and a 10.