Cafeteria Drone WTF



  • We used to have those debitek cards to pay for food in our cafeteria. They just started to accept cash this week. Today, my lunch came to $8.42, and I paid with a $20. The register tells the drone that the change is $11.58 - all she has to do is count it out. She had 2 choices: count the change up from $8.42, (pennies: 8.43, 8.44, 8.45, nickels: 8.50, quarters: 8.75, $9.00, dollars: $10, tens: $20) or just count down from $11.58: ten, one, quarter, quarter, nickel, one two three pennies).

    She gets hopelessly confused. I tell her to just give me the change displayed on the register. She can't do it. The line is building. Finally, the drone on the next register comes over to assist. The two of them are having a debate on how to figure out the change. Folks start leaving the line behind me. The person behind me is laughing hysterically. I ask for the cafeteria manager. One of them runs (literally) to get him as the other one is panicking. Again, I tell her to just count out the change. The manager comes over. I explain the problem. She couldn't explain the problem. he tells her what I told her. She is unable to comply.

    I suggested to the guy that perhaps they need to hire some third graders who have learned how to count before accepting actual cash at registers.

    He appologized and gave me and the four folks left behind me our lunches free. I stood there with my hand out waiting for my money back. After a long pause, I had to explicitly ask the woman for the $20 back.

    *sigh*

     



  • Nex time, I suggest just giving her a handful of cash and telling her it's exact change. She'll never be able to count it and have to assume that you're right.



  • Recently I was on a turnpike, and the particular stretch I was just finishing comes to $5.75 (I drive it often). I reach the tollbooth and the operator announces "Five seventy-five" and I hand him a $10 and a $1 (so that I could get a $5 back instead of 4 $1 bills). He takes them, [i]sets the $1 to the side[/i], puts the $10 in the till, counts out $4.25 and returns $5.27 (consisting of 5 $1 bills, of course) to me and proclaims: "it was [b]five[/b] seventy-five"

     

    You'd think someone that deals with small bills all day would be able to grasp the concept.



  • Maybe I should try breaking a 10 and asking for it back as 2-20's



  • @KNY said:

    He takes them, sets the $1 to the side, puts the $10 in the till, counts out $4.25 and returns $5.27 (consisting of 5 $1 bills, of course) to me and proclaims: "it was five seventy-five"

    I hate it when that happens. So many cashier-types look at me funny when I give them odd amounts (ex: $11.14 for a $10.89 total). I have to tell them that if they would just type in that amount, they'd see I'm wanting a quarter back. I do it to convert my smaller coins to larger (and fewer) ones.



  • I recently paid for something that was $18 with a $20 bill. But the register was out of 1s, the cashier was looking a little stressed and started to apologize and count out quarters when I suggested I give her another $3 and she give me a 5. It took her a few moments to realize that yes, that was a fair trade.



  • I feel sorry for these people - mostly because when under stress I'm one of them. $11.14 - $10.89 = $0.75 isn't immediately obvious. I have to think about it for a few seconds. Mathematics in general is easy for me - I've aced every class I took in university earning my CS degree, and was seriously considering earning a math degree - but mental math is entirely different. It's the stress of having to think quickly while knowing that those around you probably think your stupid for not thinking faster, which prevents you from being able to concentrate at all. If you've ever had to take an exam / solve a difficult problem / write an essay while someone was starting over your shoulder the entire time monitoring your progress, you know the feeling I mean.



  • @Huf Lungdung said:

    $11.14 - $10.89 = $0.25

    Fixed that for you before someone annoying pounces on it.



  • I nearly always pay with exact change, since it's easier to give $13.58 for a $8.58 lunch and get $5 back than it is to roll all of those coins every few months. It's also a lot faster this way, assuming the cashier trusts your judgement with exact change. It just takes a few visits with the same cashier to get that kind of trust going.



  • @Huf Lungdung said:

    I feel sorry for these people - mostly because when under stress I'm one of them. $11.14 - $10.89 = $0.75 isn't immediately obvious. I have to think about it for a few seconds. Mathematics in general is easy for me - I've aced every class I took in university earning my CS degree, and was seriously considering earning a math degree - but mental math is entirely different. It's the stress of having to think quickly while knowing that those around you probably think your stupid for not thinking faster, which prevents you from being able to concentrate at all. If you've ever had to take an exam / solve a difficult problem / write an essay while someone was starting over your shoulder the entire time monitoring your progress, you know the feeling I mean.

    I agree.  I don't really know what happened, but given snoofle's tone in the OP he sounds like the type that gets impatient and rude in this type of situation.  Also, given the fact the guy behind him was cracking up, it was probably a really stressful situation for the poor worker.  I despise people who get a stick up their ass because they think some minimum-wage drone should be able to calculate change in their head as fast as they do.



  • @morbiuswilters said:

    I despise people who get a stick up their ass because they think some minimum-wage drone should be able to calculate change in their head as fast as they do.
    That's the thing, though. Change-making is one of the simplest algorithms ever, provided you can subtract and compare numbers. And it's not like the subtraction is hard. It's nearly always subtract-by-one or subtract-by-five.



  • @skippy said:

    @Huf Lungdung said:
    $11.14 - $10.89 = $0.25
    Fixed that for you before someone annoying pounces on it.

    omfg, now that's embarassing. But at least it helps prove my point, people do f'k up once in a while.



  • @Welbog said:

    And it's not like the subtraction is hard. It's nearly always subtract-by-one or subtract-by-five.
    Whoa, whoa, whoa! What's this "five" nonsense?!



  • @Welbog said:

    That's the thing, though. Change-making is one of the simplest algorithms ever, provided you can subtract and compare numbers. And it's not like the subtraction is hard. It's nearly always subtract-by-one or subtract-by-five.
     

    That is still really no reason to be mean to someone.



  • @morbiuswilters said:

    I despise people who get a stick up their ass because they think some minimum-wage drone should be able to calculate change in their head as fast as they do.

     

    With my story, the guy didn't even enter $11. He set the $1 to the side and entered $10.

     I used to work as a cashier through high school and made the same mistake once that the guy did to me, but in my defense, I was only part-time cashier (mostly stock & sales) and I only made that mistake once.

    *shrug*



  • @KNY said:

    With my story, the guy didn't even enter $11. He set the $1 to the side and entered $10.

    I used to work as a cashier through high school and made the same mistake once that the guy did to me, but in my defense, I was only part-time cashier (mostly stock & sales) and I only made that mistake once.

    *shrug*

    It could be the guy makes so much change that in your particular case it all just blurred together and he didn't notice that he could have given you a $5.  Or maybe he's just so sick and fucking tired of sitting in a little booth all day -- watching cars go past -- and he decided to confuse people just so they would post stories about him on an Internet message board years later.



  • @morbiuswilters said:

    I agree.  I don't really know what happened, but given snoofle's tone in the OP he sounds like the type that gets impatient and rude in this type of situation.  Also, given the fact the guy behind him was cracking up, it was probably a really stressful situation for the poor worker.  I despise people who get a stick up their ass because they think some minimum-wage drone should be able to calculate change in their head as fast as they do.

    One cashier (a person hired specifically to operate a cash register) could not figure out how to create $11.58 out of $10, $5, $1 bills and quarters, dimes, nickles, and pennies.

    The other cashier went over to help her, and ALSO could not figure this out.

    I have literally never had this happen to me, probably because register jobs require a BASIC MATH SKILLS TEST before hiring.

    Personally, I think that the OP had the right to be a little impatient here.



  • @AbbydonKrafts said:

    I hate it when that happens. So many cashier-types look at me funny when I give them odd amounts (ex: $11.14 for a $10.89 total). I have to tell them that if they would just type in that amount, they'd see I'm wanting a quarter back. I do it to convert my smaller coins to larger (and fewer) ones.


    Are you Sheldon from the Big Bang theory? Do you seriosly expect not to get funny looks from the cashiers when you give them 11.14 on a 10.89 total?


    @Welbog said:

    Change-making is one of the simplest algorithms ever, provided you can subtract and compare numbers. And it's not like the subtraction is hard. It's nearly always subtract-by-one or subtract-by-five.
     

    Oh no, wait, you must be Sheldon. 



  • @Huf Lungdung said:

    $11.14 - $10.89 = $0.25 (fixed) isn't immediately obvious. I have to think about it for a few seconds.

    Took me 1 and a half minutes with the help of knowing the answer. If the numbers where not written down next to each other and I was under some pressure there is a good chance I would not be able to work it out.



  • @Welbog said:

    @morbiuswilters said:

    I despise people who get a stick up their ass because they think some minimum-wage drone should be able to calculate change in their head as fast as they do.
    That's the thing, though. Change-making is one of the simplest algorithms ever, provided you can subtract and compare numbers. And it's not like the subtraction is hard. It's nearly always subtract-by-one or subtract-by-five.

    I believe my exact words were: The register tells the drone that the change is $11.58. The person was looking at the screen where it explicitly said: Change Due: $11.58. If you have trouble counting out $11.58, then you really shouldn't be a cashier.

    And by the way, even if the register does not tell you the amount of change, if you're working as a cashier, you really should be able to just count up the change from the total amount of the sale - you don't need to do any math, just basic counting and knowing the value of each denomination of currency: count pennies: 8.43, 8.44, 8.45, count nickels: 8.50, count quarters: 8.75, 9.00, count singles: 10.00, count tens: 20.00 - done.



  • @fatdog said:

    Oh no, wait, you must be Sheldon.
    I haven't got a damned clue what you're calling me.



  • @MasterPlanSoftware said:

    @Welbog said:

    That's the thing, though. Change-making is one of the simplest algorithms ever, provided you can subtract and compare numbers. And it's not like the subtraction is hard. It's nearly always subtract-by-one or subtract-by-five.
     

    That is still really no reason to be mean to someone.

    Of course it is.  Especially since we, as an enlightened society, also allow these same people to drive cars and vote.  Should they be allowed to get away with being idiots for free?  No.  The price should be, at minimum, public humilation.  Maybe--just maybe--they'll catch on that they're idiots and do something about it.

    Probably not, but I'm a hopeless idealist.



  • @fatdog said:

    Do you seriosly expect not to get funny looks from the cashiers when you give them 11.14 on a 10.89 total?

    Yes. They have a cash register. Type it in and the magic is revealed. Instead, they look at me like "ZOMG! How am I gonna figure that out!". Actually, some places have wiseasses who glance at the total, enter that in before actually getting payment, complete the transaction, followed by getting the money. It totally stuns them when I pull my "reduce on-hand change" thing. They stare at not knowing what to do. I feel like saying "Quit trying to be smart and instead wait for the money before completing the transaction", but I just tell them the denomination(s) I expect back.



  • @mrprogguy said:

    Of course it is.  Especially since we, as an enlightened society, also allow these same people to drive cars and vote.  Should they be allowed to get away with being idiots for free?  No.  The price should be, at minimum, public humilation.  Maybe--just maybe--they'll catch on that they're idiots and do something about it.
     

    Remember that next time I get flamed for calling someone like slyadams or russ0519 a retard.



  • @AbbydonKrafts said:

    Actually, some places have wiseasses who glance at the total, enter that in before actually getting payment, complete the transaction, followed by getting the money. It totally stuns them when I pull my "reduce on-hand change" thing. They stare at not knowing what to do. I feel like saying "Quit trying to be smart and instead wait for the money before completing the transaction", but I just tell them the denomination(s) I expect back.
     

    Wow.. just wow.

    I do not know of a better example of 'ego stroking'.



  • @mrprogguy said:

    Should they be allowed to get away with being idiots for free?  No.  The price should be, at minimum, public humilation.  Maybe--just maybe--they'll catch on that they're idiots and do something about it.
    I call this idiot training. Do something wrong, get negative feedback. If it worked for Pavlov's dog I don't see why we can't use it on people. If anyone think's it's cruel, just remember... back in the caves stupid got you killed. They're getting off easy now :)



  •  @AbbydonKrafts said:

    Yes. They have a cash register.

    And your point is?

    Dude, I think we must live in a different planet. 

     



  • @fatdog said:

    Dude, I think we must live in a different planet. 
     

    You see you have to remember that people like abbydonkrafts get off on showing their [not really all that vast] intelligence to mentally weaker people. It is a form of domination -- Ego stroking if you will. While most of us are content with them coming to us and proving themselves stupid (CF is great!, Vista sucks, etc) and then flaming them... 

    Abby actually goes into RL in search of people to demean and humiliate. He locks onto his target behind the counter at a fast food place (being paid minimum wage usually) and then pounces, purposely providing currency in a way to confuse them.

     

    Most of us would just wait for them to figure it out and laugh to our friends later (or not even remember it amongst the backdrop of our busy lives)... but for some people it is more fun to humiliate them and make them feel worthless. I am actually ashamed that I 'get it' thus far. 



  • @Huf Lungdung said:

    I feel sorry for these people - mostly because when under stress I'm one of them. $11.14 - $10.89 = $0.75 isn't immediately obvious. I have to think about it for a few seconds. Mathematics in general is easy for me - I've aced every class I took in university earning my CS degree, and was seriously considering earning a math degree - but mental math is entirely different. It's the stress of having to think quickly while knowing that those around you probably think your stupid for not thinking faster, which prevents you from being able to concentrate at all. If you've ever had to take an exam / solve a difficult problem / write an essay while someone was starting over your shoulder the entire time monitoring your progress, you know the feeling I mean.

    Yeah, I've been in this situation before. Crunching 4-digit numbers in my head in a rush while some stranger is staring at me? No thanks.



    I agree with the OP though, if the register tells you precisely how much you need and you can't figure it out, you should go back to school. Mental math is one thing, counting change is significantly easier.



  • @MasterPlanSoftware said:

    Abby actually goes into RL in search of people to demean and humiliate. He locks onto his target behind the counter at a fast food place (being paid minimum wage usually) and then pounces, purposely providing currency in a way to confuse them.

    Most of us would just wait for them to figure it out and laugh to our friends later (or not even remember it amongst the backdrop of our busy lives)... but for some people it is more fun to humiliate them and make them feel worthless. I am actually ashamed that I 'get it' thus far.

     

    Which most likely he won't accomplish anyway, because the guys behind the counter don't give a shit. And their confused face is probably more of a "what a weirdo!".. 

    BTW if you don't want all those annoying little coins, don't be cheap, give them $11 and say "keep the change", or put the 11 cents in the "Help the kids-Save the Whales" box besides the counter.

     

     



  • @fatdog said:

     

    Which most likely he won't accomplish anyway, because the guys behind the counter don't give a shit. And their confused face is probably more of a "what a weirdo!".. 

     

    I know I would look at it, and purposely take as long a time as feasible and then tell everyone about the asshole customer I just had. Preferably spitting on his sandwich if the option was available.

    @fatdog said:

    BTW if you don't want all those annoying little coins, don't be cheap, give them $11 and say "keep the change", or put the 11 cents in the "Help the kids-Save the Whales" box besides the counter.

    Yeah, no shit, you could always be a decent human being...



  • @AbbydonKrafts said:

    I hate it when that happens. So many cashier-types look at me funny when I give them odd amounts (ex: $11.14 for a $10.89 total).

    I tried that a few times (simple 'odd amounts', like $10.10 for a $5.05 total), once I was old enough to do the maths.  I gave up after a few strange looks.  Then I moved countries, and have become used to recognising when someone says "do you have x crowns", even when I don't actually quite understand the words.  It's almost like they know how to add/subtract or something - or like they prefer to have the small change in their till for when they need it, not in your pocket...



  • @MasterPlanSoftware said:

    @AbbydonKrafts said:

    Actually, some places have wiseasses who glance at the total, enter that in before actually getting payment, complete the transaction, followed by getting the money. It totally stuns them when I pull my "reduce on-hand change" thing. They stare at not knowing what to do. I feel like saying "Quit trying to be smart and instead wait for the money before completing the transaction", but I just tell them the denomination(s) I expect back.
     

    Wow.. just wow.

    I do not know of a better example of 'ego stroking'.

    Shall we call it 'ego wanking' ?



  • @alegr said:

    Shall we call it 'ego wanking' ?
     

    I don't know, I like 'stroking' because it sounds like masturbation, which is ultimately what he is doing. He is making himself feel better, but ultimately is useless.

    Except this masturbation makes someone else feel bad.





  • @Volmarias said:

    One cashier (a person hired specifically to operate a cash register) could not figure out how to create $11.58 out of $10, $5, $1 bills and quarters, dimes, nickles, and pennies.

    The other cashier went over to help her, and ALSO could not figure this out.

    I have literally never had this happen to me, probably because register jobs require a BASIC MATH SKILLS TEST before hiring.

    Personally, I think that the OP had the right to be a little impatient here.

     

    Yes, someone should have looked in the cashier's ear to see if the pilot light was out.  

    I used to work at a place that had a <acronym title="Basic Math Skills Test">BMST</acronym>.  Before the first interview, we would hand them a test sheet, a pencil, and a calculator.  They had to add up the cost of a number of items, then figure out the change from a given amount.  If more than half of the questions were answered incorrectly (TRWTF, it should have been 30-40%), they failed the test.  

    About one out of every 12 or 15 applicants would flunk out.  The "kind hearted" hiring manager suggested that we hire them anyway, fortunately, she was outvoted. 


  • @SkaveRat said:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMbKqtjv2vM

    my "two cents" ;)

    This was not funny.  Maybe the concept if and a few of the jokes if integrated into an actual routine, but this was 4:11 of the same thing.  Over and over. 



  • @MasterPlanSoftware said:

    @AbbydonKrafts said:

     

    Wow.. just wow.

    I do not know of a better example of 'ego stroking'.

    @MasterPlanSoftware said:

    @mrprogguy said:

     

    Remember that next time I get flamed for calling someone like slyadams or russ0519 a retard.

    I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but well said, MPS.



  • @morbiuswilters said:

    @SkaveRat said:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMbKqtjv2vM

    my "two cents" ;)

    This was not funny.  Maybe the concept if and a few of the jokes if integrated into an actual routine, but this was 4:11 of the same thing.  Over and over. 

    Haven't laughed so much since I last slammed my balls in the car door.  This guy's like Dennis Leary 10-15 years ago but without the inspiration, timing and modulation.



  • @snoofle said:

    @Welbog said:

    @morbiuswilters said:

    I despise people who get a stick up their ass because they think some minimum-wage drone should be able to calculate change in their head as fast as they do.
    That's the thing, though. Change-making is one of the simplest algorithms ever, provided you can subtract and compare numbers. And it's not like the subtraction is hard. It's nearly always subtract-by-one or subtract-by-five.

    I believe my exact words were: The register tells the drone that the change is $11.58. The person was looking at the screen where it explicitly said: Change Due: $11.58. If you have trouble counting out $11.58, then you really shouldn't be a cashier.

    <snip>

    I think that was the entire point of the OP... though this seems to be a US-centric problem. You will get this kind of reaction from most cashiers in the US if you try to pay with "odd change", even though just punching in the odd amount will instantly calculate the required change. An interesting note is that here in Mexico, "rounding up" is routine, so much that the vendors themselves usually ask for this: say, the taxi's meter reads $32 pesos, and I'm about to pay with a $50 peso bill, the cabby will usually ask me for $2 more so he can give me a $20 peso bill... notice they do this without any cash registers.

    So I'm surprised that people having the thing doing the math itself can't cope with this. Yipes!



  • @MasterPlanSoftware said:

    I don't know, I like 'stroking' because it sounds like masturbation, which is ultimately what he is doing. He is making himself feel better, but ultimately is useless.

    Except this masturbation makes someone else feel bad.

     So then, this form of masturbation is more like sex for him.</cheapshot>

     
    Seriously though, when you want to give extra change to get a specific denomination back, what's wrong with just saying "Here, can I get a five and a quarter back?" or something to that effect?  I find they quickly see exactly why you gave them extra, instead of blinking at it until they deduce what you could just as easily have stated directly.  No big deal and doesn't waste either party's time.

    I can see if its someone's job to make change, and you give them a simple $20 and they can't make normal change - yeah it gets frustrating then, but its pretty rare. But shit, I have days where my brain fails on simple stuff while coding, everyone has off days.



  • @mrprogguy said:

    @MasterPlanSoftware said:

    @Welbog said:

    That's the thing, though. Change-making is one of the simplest algorithms ever, provided you can subtract and compare numbers. And it's not like the subtraction is hard. It's nearly always subtract-by-one or subtract-by-five.
     

    That is still really no reason to be mean to someone.

    Of course it is.  Especially since we, as an enlightened society, also allow these same people to drive cars and vote.  Should they be allowed to get away with being idiots for free?  No.  The price should be, at minimum, public humilation.  Maybe--just maybe--they'll catch on that they're idiots and do something about it.

    Probably not, but I'm a hopeless idealist.

     

    Still no reason to be mean to people. Growing up I thought I was better or stronger or smarter than every one else. Experience has shown me though that on average I'm all three of lesser, weaker, and less intelligent than any one person. Experience has also taught me that (usually very soon) after treating someone as less important than me, I need help or some type of assistance from them.

     At the very least you have to be nice to the food lady because if you dont she'll spit in your food the first chance she gets.

     trwww



  • @BeenThere said:

    Seriously though, when you want to give extra change to get a specific denomination back, what's wrong with just saying "Here, can I get a five and a quarter back?" or something to that effect?  I find they quickly see exactly why you gave them extra, instead of blinking at it until they deduce what you could just as easily have stated directly.  No big deal and doesn't waste either party's time.
     

    Because ego strokers are not going to feel good off of this.

    @BeenThere said:

    I can see if its someone's job to make change, and you give them a simple $20 and they can't make normal change - yeah it gets frustrating then, but its pretty rare. But shit, I have days where my brain fails on simple stuff while coding, everyone has off days.

    Yeah really, who knows if this person at the register spent the entire night up with a newborn, or helping a dear friend through a hard time. Judging them based on one interaction is pretty silly, and reacting like they are stupid is kind of mean.



  • @MasterPlanSoftware said:

    Abby actually goes into RL in search of people to demean and humiliate.
     

    As opposed to ..? You, who does the same, just anonymously and online? Now there's a great example to set.



  • @Nandurius said:

    As opposed to ..? You, who does the same, just anonymously and online? Now there's a great example to set.
     

    The people who come here and profess their knowledge of all great things, and turn out to be a retard who only knows CF (for example), but continues to flame everything pretending to have knowledge?

    Yes. I will work hard to demean and humiliate them.

    People who like to come here and try and turn this in /. with random MS bashing?

    Yes. I will work hard to demean and humiliate them.

     

    I haven't given it to anyone who doesn't deserve it.

     

    However, going into a place of a person's employment and then purposely trying to confuse them and then demeaning them in public?

    No. I never do that.



  • @Nandurius said:

    As opposed to ..? You, who does the same, just anonymously and online? Now there's a great example to set.

    I don't demean anyone in RL. I just don't like it when people don't use the register that's in front of them. Regardless, I still make "pleasant idle chat" with them. MPS is just targeting me now because I got sick of his trolling.



  • @AbbydonKrafts said:

    I don't demean anyone in RL. I just don't like it when people don't use the register that's in front of them.
     

    I have an idea, just give them normal change like the rest of us.

    What are you trying to prove?



  • @MasterPlanSoftware said:

    I have an idea, just give them normal change like the rest of us.

    What are you trying to prove?

    I'm not trying to "prove" anything. Currency is currency. Therefore, I want my pennies and other small denominations converted up to quarters. A lot of cashiers have no problem entering it in and giving me correct change. But there are those that, for some reason, think they should do the math in their head. If I was in their position, I'd just use the register. It's as simple as that.



  • @AbbydonKrafts said:

    Therefore, I want my pennies and other small denominations converted up to quarters.
     

    It is all the same amount of money. You are purposely making their job harder for your own sadistic OCD purposes.

    There is no reason you couldn't use your currency like the rest of us.

     

    Instead of making such a problem for yourself and the poor clerk, why not take your change and throw it in the crippled kids jar or something? At least then you can feel good about something other than making a poor clerk's life hell.



  • @MasterPlanSoftware said:

    why not take your change and throw it in the crippled kids jar or something?

    I do whenever I have change on hand and one is present. I use a debit card at most places. But there are the rare locations that only accept cash, or require a large purchase for debit. For those, I dig out the change and few bills I keep on hand. Those locations tend to be the ones without a donation jar or take-a-penny trays.


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