Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
They were most likely staring because you were being incredibly condescending, not because they couldn't comprehend.
I think a lot of the time they're biting their tongue. Crazy people with too much time on their hands giving them 3 pennies, then standing back with a smug look on their face, challenging them to read their minds.
"Ha! Wrrrong! I wanted a dime, everyone knows the m&m machine at work takes dimes!"
I've had more than one customer misremember the amount of money they gave me, and by counting back the change immediately in front of them, I reaffirmed the amount I was given, both to the customer and also to myself. And as mentioned, it helped me balance my till at the end of my shift, by ensuring that I did not either accidentally shortchange the customer, or gave them too much. Because any discrepancies came out of my paycheck.
Two things to combat that:
1. I always said "Out of $10?" once they handed me their money.
2. We were taught to leave whatever bill(s) the customer gave us to the side or on top of the register (i.e. not in the actual drawer) before we handed back change, in case there was a dispute. That prevented people from successfully trying to claim they gave me a $20 when they really gave me a $10.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rodentraiser
I don't understand how customers wouldn't want you to count back unless you're the slowest counter ever. Even when I had a line wrapped around my store, I always counted the cash back. I was the one who would get written up if the cash was off when I balkanced the till, not the customer. And it took me about 2 seconds to count back the cash anyway.
2 seconds to count back change? Holy cow, that is fast. Most of the customers who wanted their change counted back to them probably would have made me redo it if I'd dashed it off in 2 seconds.
I'm still not convinced that counting back change is some sort of necessary superior skill to just being able to do quick mental math. It's just a different perspective on addition/subtraction - in fact, I recall seeing one of those new-fangled common core math techniques once and thinking, hey, that's the same concept as counting back change. And FWIW, I was one of those cashiers who would ask if the customer had a few pennies or whatever was needed so I didn't have to hand them back four $1's, or 98 cents.
And, sympathy shout-out to having to deal with customers trying to cash big bills... yeah, no, do not expect to use a $100 bill for payment for your cup of coffee when you're only my third customer since we opened.
What in the world is the problem with counting back the change that is shown on the register instead of the old fashioned backwards way we had to do it?
The math is done on the register when you hand over your cash and it's entered. This is the most efficient way to ensure you get back the correct change. You see the number, the cashier sees the number. Now she counts back the dollar amount that you both see. Is that confusing to you?
If you want "special" change, how hard is it to just tell the cashier what you want? "I'm going to give you an extra $1.10 so I can get a $10 bill back." Be kind.
What other math would you like to make the cashier do instead of using modern technology? Figuring out the tax? Adding up all your items? There's just no reason to do it the old way. If your change is $6.65, the cashier should count $6.65 to you.
I like the analogy to phone numbers, we hit the button on our phone or just tell Siri to call. Why not complain about people who won't enter the entire phone number every time they call, just because that's how we used to do it?
I hate carrying unnecessary loose change, and will try to consolidate my change into the smallest number of bills or coins whenever possible. So I have been one of those customers who will give the cashier money above the amount needed in order to receive back minimal amounts of coins or dollars. And sometimes that happens after the register opens, as a last minute occurrence. Not trying to stump them intentionally, or play some sort of power game.
Telling a cashier how much you will be giving them and how much should receive back, may be interpreted as being condescending, by assuming the cashier cannot mentally calculate it themselves (mentioned in previous post). As well, cashiers should always independently arrive at the amount, in order to prevent miscalculation on the part of the customer. So, it would require them to do the math regardless.
Perhaps ban customers from doing so after the register opens if one wishes to minimize confusing some cashiers?
I now try to use self-checkout when I can, if it's more convenient.
What in the world is the problem with counting back the change that is shown on the register instead of the old fashioned backwards way we had to do it?
Agreed as long as the amount was entered correctly. It isn't always.
If you want "special" change, how hard is it to just tell the cashier what you want? "I'm going to give you an extra $1.10 so I can get a $10 bill back." Be kind.
Also agree on this, "be kind".
I like the analogy to phone numbers, we hit the button on our phone or just tell Siri to call. Why not complain about people who won't enter the entire phone number every time they call, just because that's how we used to do it?
I hear you about the phones but sometimes it is not a good thing. My MIL won't use auto dialing at all. She says she wants to keep her mind sharp. I get it. Again if you don't use it you lose it. I have all of the numbers I need on my phone. If I lose my phone and I am not home I am screwed, lol. It's good thing I am law abiding because if I was ever in jail I wouldn't be able to make a phone call
It works both ways. Sometimes technology is great but when we become to reliant on it we have no idea what to do when we don't have it. It's always good and smart to have a back up plan...just in case.
What in the world is the problem with counting back the change that is shown on the register instead of the old fashioned backwards way we had to do it?
The math is done on the register when you hand over your cash and it's entered. This is the most efficient way to ensure you get back the correct change. You see the number, the cashier sees the number. Now she counts back the dollar amount that you both see. Is that confusing to you?
If you want "special" change, how hard is it to just tell the cashier what you want? "I'm going to give you an extra $1.10 so I can get a $10 bill back." Be kind.
What other math would you like to make the cashier do instead of using modern technology? Figuring out the tax? Adding up all your items? There's just no reason to do it the old way. If your change is $6.65, the cashier should count $6.65 to you.
I like the analogy to phone numbers, we hit the button on our phone or just tell Siri to call. Why not complain about people who won't enter the entire phone number every time they call, just because that's how we used to do it?
^^^^^^ This. All of this. Especially bolded.
Re: what if it isn't entered correctly.... it's not unreasonable to also have a certain amount of number sense. I certainly fat-fingered the amount into the register a few times, but it was obvious that I didn't really owe the customer $60 in change (or whatever ridiculous number came up). Even if you don't know it exact within a nano-second, just having a sense that $10ish minus $3ish is going to be $6-$7 is sufficient. FWIW, counting back change is not fool-proof either if either the customer or cashier brain-farts in the middle of the countback.
And re: phone numbers.... I recently had to replace my inoperable phone and lost all my contacts. I was able to retrieve some numbers from other sources and a couple I had memorized, but otherwise had to put out a general request for people to re-send me their numbers. Let's just say I inadvertently culled my contact list of extraneous numbers. It's one way to find out who you matter to.
Yep. I worked as a cashier for several years in high school and college and I was used to making change. But once everyone switched to electronic cash registers that did all the calculations, it became a lost skill. Why would you expect people to know how do do something that is no longer part of their job?
counting to one hundred became a lost skill? say what?? come on now, you're not being asked to divide, integrate, or solve partial differential equations. We're talking about subtracting pennies or dollars on a scale of 1 to 100, this is as basic as a civilized skill as you'll get.
But be that as it may, forgetting sub-primitive math doesn't explain the confused faces I get all the time when I give different amounts of change to get even coins back like a quarter or dime. ALL THE CASHIER HAS TO DO IS PUNCH IN THE AMOUNT ON THEIR REGISTER, and the machine tells them how much change to give. I just don't understand the 5 second pause and open mouth breathing
Perhaps ban customers from doing so after the register opens if one wishes to minimize confusing some cashiers?
I now try to use self-checkout when I can, if it's more convenient.
I worked at a place that did this in college. Once it was typed in and drawer open, no request in change could be made. And so many people would decide after the transaction was over and drawer was shut. Waiting for a manager and holding up the line to open the drawer because the guest didn't like their change...nope. We were a McDonalds, not a bank. However, this also resulted in many cashiers being yelled at and called stupid by grown adults for following a policy.. People will throw fits over anything.
Side note: I've seen people post confusion on other things cashiers do, claiming it makes them less intelligent. Cashiers may do things that seem weird, but it's often policy because so many people try to scam you with money transactions.
And no, not all cashiers are geniuses. But smarter people tend to leave those law paying and crappy jobs quickly. When I worked a register if someone handed me more money than was needed for the reason of not getting change back, I typed in what they gave me and the register did the rest. And each time I have done it, the cashier has handled it just fine...
That's only $5. Having a bad math day? I guess it's not just the cashiers.
But yet, you seemed to have gotten the point of the post just well, so on the contrary, I can see I'm actually having a good math day. I'm sure others could say the same thing.
2 seconds to count back change? Holy cow, that is fast. Most of the customers who wanted their change counted back to them probably would have made me redo it if I'd dashed it off in 2 seconds.
OK, maybe 5 seconds. If a customer's total was $3.68 and he gave me a ten, his change would be $6.32. So how long does it take to pull out a five, a one, a quarter, a nickle, and two pennies? All I have to say is, "Thirty-two cents makes four, five and ten." That's it. Or, "Six thirty-two in change. Here's five, six, and thirty-two cents." I didn't have to count out change. I could show a customer a quarter, a nickle, and two pennies in my hand before I gave it to him.
Also, many of our customers were Hispanic and how they ever learned out monetary system without some of them even speaking English, I don't know, but they always understood what the totals were for their purchases. But I still made sure to count back the money clearly. And, I counted the money out in front of the customer, either on the counter or into his hand, so he could clearly see what he was getting.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
