Counting back change - Do you know how?
By ebsharer
@ebsharer (5515)
United States
July 2, 2008 2:45pm CST
It really irritates me that no one knows how to count back change any more. I don't often have cash on me but when I do use cash I expect the person ringing up my order to know basic math. To me counting back change is basic math. Maybe I am wrong about that. I always stop and count the change back to myself out loud. Like if my bill is 27.32 and I gave her or him $30.00 I'll say okay "28, 29, 30. That was hard!"
I once had a bill come to $10.60 I handed the girl $21.00 and she said thats too much. My response to her was I know it is, but if you punch that in the register you'll see why I gave it to you. She put in the $21.00 and said "I don't get it." I looked at her and said really slowy "so now you can give me a $10.00 back." She said "OHHH now I get it."
ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!! I hate to be rude about it but why did I have to explain that to her? I mean this girl was probaly close to my age at the time - around 19 20 years old and she didn't know that. Its just some thing that gets me the wrong way.
Have we as a society really become that stupid that we don't get the little things in life any more? Have we become that dependent on calculators and a cash register? What are your thoughts? Can you count back change if so good for you if not please learn!! TODAY!!!
7 people like this
29 responses
@Wizzywig (7847)
•
2 Jul 08
You're quite right. Because the cash register now tells the assistant what change to give you they just count out the amount they give back. I would do the same as you with the $21 (except mine would be £)
I'll usually do a quick count up of my shopping if i've only got half a dozen items and will get the money out of my purse to the nearest pound. A few times young lads at the tills have said 'How did you know ??'
4 people like this
@ebsharer (5515)
• United States
3 Jul 08
I was at a dollar store one time and did the same thing. Every thing in the place is 1 dollar! So I had 17 items plus our tax is 7% so I knew my bill would be $18.19. The lady said to me how did you know what the tax would be? I thought to myself WOW we have a genius on our hands!
1 person likes this
@kbkbooks (7022)
• Canada
3 Jul 08
That is just too funny. Actually I know people who are like that and can't figure out 7% on a dollar or whatever the tax happens to be for a given area. Here in Quebec we have to add on federal tax and then provincial tax on top of that. This means we pay tax on tax. How bad is that? Anyway, I know the approximate total is 15%. So I usually add up the bill then tell my husband how much he needs to take out. He's always amazed how close I come to the actual total. Not everyone has strength in math, I guess.
2 people like this
@schulzie (4061)
• United States
9 Jul 08
Yes, it drives me crazy when people do not count the change back. I thought I was being nuts or was old-fashioned but I see that I am 17 years older than you so I guess not! - LOL
But I know the feeling about adding another dollar or extra coin so you get the change you want back. One time my bill was $24.28 and I gave the girl $25.03 and she entered $25.00 in the register and was so confused. She handed me back .72 I asked her that I needed .75 back and she said
"why?". I told her I gave her the extra .03 so she turned around and handed .03 back to me. Now I was standing there with 2 quarters, 2 dimes and 5 pennies. I said "No, I want 3 quarters". She said she would have to call a manager because her drawer was already closed. What an idiot.
I really don't understand it.
But I know the feeling about adding another dollar or extra coin so you get the change you want back. One time my bill was $24.28 and I gave the girl $25.03 and she entered $25.00 in the register and was so confused. She handed me back .72 I asked her that I needed .75 back and she said
"why?". I told her I gave her the extra .03 so she turned around and handed .03 back to me. Now I was standing there with 2 quarters, 2 dimes and 5 pennies. I said "No, I want 3 quarters". She said she would have to call a manager because her drawer was already closed. What an idiot.
I really don't understand it.
@ebsharer (5515)
• United States
9 Jul 08
Funny! People like that should not be at a register! I guess it bothers me most because it is MY generation and younger doing this! It scares me to know my generation could be 'running' the world in the years to come. I can only think of 2 people from the 420 I graduated with that I would feel confortable with in an importaint job. ie. doc, laywer, president! THATS SCARY!! I mean really look at me - I'm 24 and still can't spell. Oh well at least I can count - Thanks for sharing your story!
@Ldyjarhead (10233)
• United States
2 Jul 08
I absolutely agree with you and it irritates me no end too.
I don't know what they're teaching in schools today as my sons are in their 20s, but I don't believe calculators or other aides should be allowed until the much higher grades.
Kids still need to know the basics, multiplication tables, etc.
And yes, how to count change back to a customer!
If they don't know how to do it themselves, they wouldn't even know if a cashier were shortchanging THEM.
3 people like this
@Bluepatch (2476)
• Trinidad And Tobago
2 Jul 08
People are pretty good with change here in Trinidad and they let you know if you get it wrong, that's for sure !
I do count my change. I count my money all the time just to make sure I can pay my way through the day. Change is so important and it adds up.
Maybe if you're a millionaire it wouldn't matter.
It does, however, matter to me and I do correct those who give me wrong change.
2 people like this
@ebsharer (5515)
• United States
3 Jul 08
I don't spend my actual change the coins part of it. I save all my change. Then once a year we take it all and go on vacation with it. So all my bills go in one place and my coins in another. At the end of the day I put all my coins in a big jar and think vacation is coming soon!
@ZephyrSun (7381)
• United States
2 Jul 08
LOL I am so annoyed by this as well. I worked as a cashier before and of course when people did what you were doing with the $21 I knew what they were doing but it was always funny if I didn't have a ten dollar bill. I have experienced the same things before but one time my change should have been for a ten and they gave me change for a twenty and then acted like I was the stupid one when I said you gave me the wrong change. After two or three minutes of arguing I just left with the money because the cashier didn't want to take the money back and what was I to do.
@petiksmode (2983)
• Philippines
2 Jul 08
hmmm...i really dont have much probs on this...i usually hear the cashier count back my change or recount my change for me...i sometimes dont feel the need to countback the change but now that i have read this...yeah that is way to easy and simple...
2 people like this
@petiksmode (2983)
• Philippines
3 Jul 08
i am disturbed on that usually as long as they give me the exact change coz i am always in hurry hehehe...but yeah i do understand you...
1 person likes this
@deebomb (15304)
• United States
3 Jul 08
In todays world few and few people are taught how to do a lot of things they are relying more and more on calculators, computers and the like to correct themselves. We are becoming a world that can't really do much with out a machine. Cashiers are not taught how to count money as change. They only know what the cash machine tells them. We are raising a bunch of people that can't figure things out. And that is a real same.
1 person likes this
@ebsharer (5515)
• United States
3 Jul 08
My kids have to do things with out calculators. If more parents gave a crap they would make there kids do the same. My first grader had a calculator on her school supply list. At her open house I told the teacher she needed to TEACH my child and that my daguhter would NOT be using a caluclator! I mean are you kidding me in first grade what are you learning your ones and twos times tables? Maybe learning what 17 + 4 = ??? I think its OBSURDE that they asked for her to have a calculator!
1 person likes this
@kbkbooks (7022)
• Canada
3 Jul 08
This is one of my pet peeves. I used to work with those old cash registers that only gave you a total on little pop up metal tabs when you pressed the keys. That should show my age, huh? Then the customer would give you money and you would have to count the change backwards to the customer. Yes backwards not just back; backwards to the amount you started with from the customer from the amount of the sale. It's so simple. You start with the amount of the sale then add the change to make the next even dollar, then add in the rest of the dollars till you count back to the amount the customer gave you.
Next part of that aggravation is the cashier who punches in the wrong amount for what you gave them, and they simply assume the computer is right and give you back what it says. Last week my husband gave a cashier $20 and the guy put in $10 and of course gave my husband back $10 less than he was due. Fortunately the manager knows us and she was right there and she told the kid that if we said we gave $20 then that's the truth. Thank heaven for small towns where people know each other.
1 person likes this
@kbkbooks (7022)
• Canada
8 Jul 08
It's true, I suppose. My husband has very little talent in math. It's asking a lot of him to understand counting backward. He tries pretty hard to always have correct change, or at least the odd pennies, in order to get back an even amount of change. He knows how that works and he always knows before he pays the cashier what is owed. The problem is even though he knows how much he should get back, he usually neglects to count it himself in front of the cashier. Quite often after we leave a place he will complain that he thinks he got cheated on his change. He has even seen me count back my change and realize I had too much and then return it to the cashier. However, he seems to think he is entitled to keep it if the cashier gives him too much. So he won't return to the cashier if he feels cheated, nor will he return if he finds too much change in his hand. Some people are just incorrigible.
1 person likes this
@beaniefanatic13 (5076)
• Grand Junction, Colorado
25 Jan 10
Hello Eb,
It is very irratating to people of my generation and older as we did learn to count the old fashion way. No using fingers and toes, and absolutely no calculators in class. We learned how to add and subtract in our head and for larger uneven numbers we learned on paper. Same with multiplication and division. Now there are calculators everywhere, on our computers and even on our phones. I wonder also if the people in charge of the hiring are at fault. By this I mean that if your interviewing someone for a specific job such as cashier then during the interview you should be asking basic math questions and a small test should be given. I think that the employers are partially at fault for not requiring the people they are hiring to be competant. Yes I can count change back. In fact, my register is only used to put the money in the drawer it's not used to tell me how to give the change back, I use the old fashion method, I count it back to my customer. It also saves on your drawer being short, it gives you a second chance to make sure bills have not stuck together. That's my two cents worth.
@coolseeds (3919)
• United States
3 Jul 08
That isn't the problem. The problem is we killed everything that is big enough to eat the stupid people. LOL
Unlike you, I would have given the cashier $21.10.
When they don't know what is going on I say "Just push in the numbers and it is like magic."
I think it is a shame that people would raise a child and neglect to teach the child. It goes to show that some people do not need to have kids.
But I think that smart people are the freaks. There are so few of them it might be a dieing breed. Use the president as an example. It had to take a nation of idiots to vote Bush into office twice.
1 person likes this
@ebsharer (5515)
• United States
3 Jul 08
FUNNY!
I don't worry about coin change as I save ALL my change for vacation. My bills go in one place and at the end of the day ALL my coins go into a jar. When vacation time comes around we roll it all up and thats spending or last year it was plane tickets.
My kids HAVE to learn it we do not let them use a calculator. My first grader had a caluclator on her school supply list and I told the teacher to TEACH my child how to add and subtract not teach her how to use a caluclator!
@coolseeds (3919)
• United States
3 Jul 08
So true. Mathematics is fundamental for brain development. If people do not make their children think, then they will not.
This is what I don't understand. Why do people apply for jobs they can't do? I've never applied for a job to cut hair just because I was seeking employment.
2 people like this
@Erilyn (3020)
• United States
7 Jul 08
You know I was just thinking about this the other day. As we as a society become more technologicly advanced, we lose basic skills that we now trust to computers, caculators etc. It's very easy to forget how to do even the simplest things if you haven't done them in a long time becasue you have become dependant on a machine to do it for you.
1 person likes this
@ebsharer (5515)
• United States
8 Jul 08
Basic skills are some thing I am still trying to teach my kids. If they aren't taught in school then I will teach them myself. I had issues with my 1st graders school supply list. They wanted me to buy her a caluclator! What in the world are you doing in first grade that requires a calculator?!?! At my daughters open house I asked the teacher about it. She said that they teach the kids how to use one. I explained to her that my child needed to be taught how to add 2 plus 2 not how to put it in a calculater. Needless to say I didn't buy my daughter one. I'm sure the teacher let her use one but I don't agree with it at all!
1 person likes this
@ebsharer (5515)
• United States
9 Jul 08
Don't even get me started on spelling!! I am horriable!! My old boss - 5 years I worked for her. She would say - I can teach you any thing - I can show you once and you can do it - but girl you can't spell!! Till this day she says it. I try to spell check but here on Mylot I do and I don't - depends - on discussion I start I do but comments not normally. anyway Thanks for sharing have a good day!
@travibabiesgirl (1690)
• United States
3 Jul 08
I noticed the other day that no one ever counts back change any more. I am surprised however that there are people out there that do not know how at all. I thought that they still taught that in school. If things keep changing like that if the computer age was to collapse no one would no how to do anything the old fashioned way any more.
1 person likes this
@ebsharer (5515)
• United States
7 Jul 08
No they wouldn't - I am trying to teach my kids the old fashioned way too! I don't let them use a calculator for the simple math problems they do. I make them count there money when they get it. Like for allowance if its $5.00 I'll give them $3 dollar bills, 4 quarters, 7 dimes and 6 nickles. Or in other demintaions then they have to count it to make sure I gave them the right amount. Yes some times I don't on purpose!
@travibabiesgirl (1690)
• United States
8 Jul 08
That is a really great idea. I may have to start doing that.
1 person likes this
@petiksmode (2983)
• Philippines
2 Jul 08
hmm..i dont hve much probs on this....i usually hear cahiers counting back my change or at least recounting it infront of me...i even sometimes dont feel the need to do but now thati have this post i think that is important..and it way to easy and simple to do...
thnks
2 people like this
@mescue (64)
• United States
6 Jul 08
I'll admit, math was not my best subject in school. I am grateful for updated cash registers. However, I can understand why this annoys you. If the register tells you how much to give back, it should always be correct. My best subject was English/grammar. It annoys me that people can't spell, even with spell check. I also get annoyed with incorrect punctuation. However, I do not get rude or nasty. I politely correct and go on with my day. I always remind myself that the person with incorrect grammar or punctuation is not stupid and should not be treated like they are. No body's perfect.
@ebsharer (5515)
• United States
7 Jul 08
I was the oppsite - can't spell and kind of know my puncuation. My thing is okay you can't actually count back change but if my change is $6.89 at LEAST count the 5 and 1 or 6 ones how ever its given back. It is NOT only a common cursity to your customer but a way to check your self. You don't want to give an extra 5 or 1 because you couldn't count the change back!
@mescue (64)
• United States
7 Jul 08
I do agree that it should be counted back. I worked in retail before and I always counted back. Sometimes a mistake can be made...giving back too many ones or less than what is correct. I did it to insure that my drawer never had shortages or overages. But Lord knows, if my register was not working, I brought out the handy, dandy calculator. Better safe than sorry!
1 person likes this
@SViswan (12051)
• India
6 Jul 08
I've heard that from my friends who return from the US...and I was shicked. It doesn't happen in India...here even kids who don't go to school and work as delivery boys know how to count. They give you the right amount of change. Step into a shop and those people handling cash are most often than not quicker than a calculator. I'm talking about all the little shops that don't have cash registers. It's usually me back counting to make sure I've got the right amount as change. And the best part is that these people do it so well even when they are handling a handful of customers at the same time. That's just something!
I guess that's the price one has to pay for technology...but like you said...that's basic Math and everyone does it at school.
1 person likes this
@ebsharer (5515)
• United States
7 Jul 08
I think thats the problem - they aren't teaching it any more - why should they as long as you have a cash register it tells you what to give back. If you can figure out how to push a button you can figure out how to give back change.
Its funny I was at McDonalds the other day and noticed on tehre register it actually has a button for certain bills. like $5s 10s and 20s so all you have to do is push say 5 not even 500 now that LAZY!!
@ebsharer (5515)
• United States
8 Jul 08
Thats my point - people are lazy they punch some numbers into a 'till' or 'register' and it tells them what to give back. My point is if you can't add or subtract you shouldn't be working with money. Its horriable that a cashier hands you (for example) $6.24 not even counting out the 6 dollar bills or a five and a one dollar bill. If not for common curtsety do it to check yourself because obvously you aren't the brights crayon in the box!
@sid556 (30960)
• United States
27 Dec 08
They used to teach you about counting change in school and I don't believe they do anymore. They are very reliant on calculators and the cash register telling you what to give back. Thing is , we are human and if you punch the wrong keys, you really do need to know how to think. Counting back change is very simple if you add rather than subtract. I've been a cashier for years and I learned old-school so I think stories like these are funny.
@gitfiddleplayer (10362)
• United States
7 Jul 08
People can't do mental math anymore. I don't think they know how to count to 20 without taking off their shoes either. It does annoy me when people can't count back change, its like their mind goes into space and they would forget their own name if it wasn't pinned on their shirt.
1 person likes this
@tdubbs975 (9)
• United States
7 Jul 08
I agree, i dont think america is stupid i just think thatb we have become so dependant on calculators and computers that we have never been required to do it on our own so we lack the knowledge of how to do it on our own. Maybe the girl that rang you up finally caught on after you told her
1 person likes this
