Cashier couldn't make change for $100 bill

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: kb01
- There might be some kind of specific policy in place in regards to $100 bills or payment discrepancies.


Up here, we used to have issues with bad $50 and $100 bills. However, the usual issue is that most stores have a policy to not keep that much money in the till. A $100 bill is generally fine if you're buying $80 to $100 in stuff. If you're buying $10 worth of something and expecting change out of a $100 bill, that's expecting a lot unless you're at a relatively secure location with high cash flow, like a Walmart.

I allow very little in the till in my businesses. If someone wants to buy $10 with a $100 bill, I instruct my staff to find an alternate method of payment or send them packing. I'm not inconveniencing the next three or four hours worth of customers just because someone wanted to cash their paycheque into all $100 bills. Use the $100 bill to fill up with gas; you'll need it there.

 

[opus1]

While it's usually a younger person, older-timers have this problem too. A couple of years ago I bought something that came out to $93.15. I have the cashier, an older lady, $103.15, expecting $10 back. She got the change wrong, as soon as she started counting it back she realized she got it wrong, but for the life of her, couldn't figure out *what* was wrong.

 

[Dave Sherman]

On the flipside, my first job was at Radio Shack, and I was in college studying electrical engineering at the time. Had a customer go nuts because he was returning something and exchanging it for something cheaper, so he was getting some money back.

He looked at the receipt and started ranting about the negative price (before tax) shown for the returned item, and saying we cheated him because he paid sales tax on it. He figured the negative price shown on the receipt should show what he paid originally. I tried to explain that tax is calculated for the subtotal, and that he really is getting back the difference between the two items with tax applied. He wouldn't believe it, and insisted he was a math teacher. "Oh, then if if you're a math teacher, then you should be familiar with the distributive property of mathematics". He wasn't, and was slightly annoyed that some 19 year old was trying to tell him he's wrong. We finally had my manager and at least one other associate trying to show him with pencil, paper, and handheld calculator that no, our POS system was not short changing him, and he still wouldn't believe it when he left the store, threatening to call our district manager.

 

[Vikas]

Remember there was a time when you used to be able to recite phone numbers of your family and friends easily? Can you do that now? The reason you can't because there is no need to do that anymore. All the numbers are stored in your smart phone and your brain does not need to remember the mundane details.

I don't even remember my own work number because I never call myself I remember my own cell phone number because I have had that for ages. I do not know my son's cell phone number by heart either. If my phone died and I had to call my son from another phone, I will be in utter panic :-(

If all you have done is used calculators and cash machine do compute the change, it is likely that you can not do it in your head.

The ironic part is that the machine only tells them to return $24.53 to the customer and they obviously have the intelligence to figure out how to come up with the correct bills and change i.e. the machine does NOT pop out one twenty four singles two quarters and three pennies. They figure that out all by themselves. And they DONT panic if there is not a twenty in the till, they understand to take two tens out instead. Who taught them that?

Making change actually uses the exact same principle but nobody told them that. For example, if the bill was for $13.67 and customer hands them $20, all they have do is to use the counting principle that they have already demonstrated except apply just tad differently i.e. start handing back to customer:-
3 pennies, 1 nickel, 1 quarter, 1 single, 1 fiver

BUT NO TEACHER OR MANAGER EVER MADE THE EFFORT TO TEACH THIS TO THEM.

 

[javacontour]

Some places do have those machines that pop out the coins. But your point still stands as they have to get the right bills out of the till.

 

[Spazdog]

When I count change back to clients, they often look at me like I am speaking in tongues.

I haven't been able to teach many to do it and I do not know why. After all you are just counting up.

On the other hand, I have always had problems with theoretical math vs applied math. I could ace the word problems but I had difficulty with just the equations. I did well in chemistry but struggled with Algebra2. Maybe just the way my brain works. If I can visualize the problem, I can solve it. But if it's just a bunch of numbers and variables.....

 

[GearheadTool]

Originally Posted By: Spazdog
When I count change back to clients, they often look at me like I am speaking in tongues.

I haven't been able to teach many to do it and I do not know why. After all you are just counting up.

On the other hand, I have always had problems with theoretical math vs applied math. I could ace the word problems but I had difficulty with just the equations. I did well in chemistry but struggled with Algebra2. Maybe just the way my brain works. If I can visualize the problem, I can solve it. But if it's just a bunch of numbers and variables.....

Spot on, IMHO! Some math is harder because I can't "see" how it works on the page. I used to be pretty good, now I am sure I am quite rusty. Stupid, even, as that skill has not been refreshed or built up..

But, as we learn how our brain works, we notice things that are both easy and difficult for it.

 

[PandaBear]

I see it all the time but I don't blame them, because we are all different and people who are good with numbers won't work cashiers job for long, they move on to something more challenging. Some people just couldn't do math and technologies help these people work where they couldn't before, so these people work there now where they wouldn't have in the past.

Blaming it on the education system would be like me whining a lot of the BITOGers not understanding that saving money in a bank account and paying off mortgage in the end is the same thing because your payment per month is the same, and you only reduce the number of months you need to pay.

It is also the same as if I whine about some people who would always insist on "investing" while borrowing money, or my professor telling me that Fourier transform and IIR filter is so easy to do that I have no excuse on making mistakes on them.

We are all different, and I'm sure we all have some of those "how can you not know it" moments about each other.

 

[stephen9666]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: Chris142
I can't make change w/o a calculater.

What about a calcusooner?

 

[zerosoma]

Originally Posted By: Joe1
I stopped at a local fast food type restaurant today. My bill was 14 and change and I informed the cashier that I only had a 100 dollar bill, but would pay with Credit Card if she could not accept it. She accepted the 100 dollar bill and mistakenly entered it as $20 and the screen indicated to give me $5 and change back. After realizing her mistake, she went into a total panic and called the manager over. "Just do it the old fashioned way and count the change", the manager said. "But I'm not good at math, the cashier replied". "Think about it. Add 80 dollars to the total amount of change and you're finished" the manager said. By this time the young woman was in an utter panic and it was apparant that she lacked the basic math skills to complate the transaction. The manager finally stepped in and counted my change up.

Who is accountable for allowing this young woman to go through the educational system without the ability to do third grade math? My property taxes are oppressive and my hard earned money is funding this young woman's education. Why is our educational system producing this caliber of person when vast resources are being poured into the educational system. Are the schools eschewing math in favor of PC these days?


Though ridiculous, she could have gone into a panic mode where she couldn't think. That happens under pressure, and you don't know what kind of day she's had.

Just think about it from that viewpoint too before you discredit her education.

 

[Blaze]

Try volunteering at the yearly local county fair hamburger stand with 10 teenagers working around you and someone buys $6.15 worth of goodies and hands one of the teens $11.25....it gets crazy!!!

 

[ahoier]

I'm surprised they took a hundred dollar bill for such a small order.....most fast food, [censored] even gas stations, around here will not even take anything over a $50.......cause of apparent counterfeits....

 

[Trajan]

Originally Posted By: Vikas
Remember there was a time when you used to be able to recite phone numbers of your family and friends easily? Can you do that now? The reason you can't because there is no need to do that anymore.


Well, I stiil can

 

[Trajan]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: rjundi
Some folks just cannot do it esp under pressure.

Only the self superior think they are idiots for not being able to do it. My guess is the person was flustered for their mistake and lost their skills.



And some of us put an emphasis from the early days on the important of the maths to getting by in everyday life. I dont think that is as much self superior as it is common sense for self preservation.


Reminds me of a Cosby show episode.


Cockroach: Why do I need math? When I get older, I'm gonna inherit my dad's scrap-iron business.
Cliff: You need math because you're gonna have to be able to count the pieces of metal as they come off the line.
Cockroach: We have a foreman who does that.
Cliff: Okay, you need math so you can count the money.
Cockroach: We have an accountant who does that.
Cliff: Then you're gonna be broke!
Cockroach: No way!
Cliff: If the foreman can count and the accountant can count and you can't, you're gonna be broke!