Barry Cook 🇨🇦

So I'm at a major retailer today. Begins with 'W'. My cashier is late teens / early twenties. My purchase totaled $8.86. Throwing off cashier to begin with, I pull out cash. Not a debit card. Initially, I offer a twenty - which the cashier rings through. But them I find I had $9.00 and offer that instead. So instead of the register telling him out how much change to give back, he's forced to do the math.
*He pulls out his phone and opens the calculator to figure it out.*

Now here in Canada, we've gotten rid of the penny, so we need to round up / down - but even I, rotten in math since I was a kid - told him he owed me 15¢. He checked his calculator, looked at me like I had just spouted magic, and gave me the change.

Wow. Just wow.

#retail #cashiers #money #math #magic #Canada #oldfart

8:47pmWeb
Show threadRick the Card10h ago
@bazcook I used to have around 40 ph numbers in my head and now I can barely remember 2-3. The wonders of technology
Show threadTheWholeTruthXX 🎨 ❤️ 🍁 🛡️9h ago

@bazcook

A million years ago when I was a place I worked cash the employers used to train us with films on the most common ways customers would try to fleece you using cash.

I'm guessing they gave up on that too since so few use cash any more. Just let the legacy scammers run them.

I know it frequently throws foreigners working cash to pay them for something $15.38 with a $20, a quarter, a dime and a nickel. I guess they don't encounter that.

The old hands know it but the newbies don't.

Show threadC.1h ago

@bazcook

The decline in basic skills is alarming. I see the lack of math basics like your incident fairly often.

Today, I was at an event with a kid who's old enough to get their learner's permit, and she struggled mightily trying to read cursive - more than 30s to figure out a common first name. I get they don't learn to write it anymore, but not even being able to read it?

And not being able to read an analog clock...

It goes on and on. Does civilization end when GenX dies off? 😜