Things that cashiers do that make you think... HUH!?

[Lingering Grin]

So I was at Wal-Mart because I needed to pick something up, and it was right across the street from the local game store (not Gamestop ) that had two games I was looking for for a LONG time. (Digital Saga 1, and Nocturne). Anyway I had gotten change from them.

So I got up to the cashier at the register and my total comes to $8.23 (important) I pull a $10 bill out, then remembered, I had gotten change from the other place. Let me see if I have a quarter.

I reach into my pocket and pull out ... 22 cents... which consisted of 2 dimes and 2 pennies.

Seeing that I'm exactly 1 cent short of making the needed change I chuckle and jokingly say "You've got to be kidding me."

Cashier sees it, says "bah, that'll work".

I'm thinking cool, he's just gonna give me the extra penny...

So my change comes out to $1.99... thinking he's gonna toss in the other penny, I'm expecting $2 back... nope... he counts out the 99 cents...

Yep, he hands me back, 3 quarters, TWO dimes and FOUR pennies... Effectively giving me back the exact same coins I just gave him.

WTF!? Why take the change just to give it back!?

I'm so confused...

[Evil Queen]

This story... makes me twitch....

I would have just thrown in the stupid penny and evened it up to 2$. (I always seem to have extra pennies in my drawer...)

[Peppergirl]

Ugh!

Flashback: Back when I was a poor teenager, I accidentally pumped an extra 8 cents at the gas pump. It was like 10.08 or something. I scraped around on my floorboard and found .06 cents.

I went in to pay and the woman at the counter made me go back and root around for 2 more cents. I couldn't find any and had to ask some stranger for 2 pennies.

I wasn't being sucky at all, I was very polite and distressed about it. I was clearly not trying to rip anyone off. She was just mean, I guess.

[BookstoreEscapee]

I would have just thrown in the stupid penny and evened it up to 2$.

I did that all the time. If the change was .X9 and they didn't have a penny, if I had one I tossed it in. And sometimes even if I didn't, expecially when I didn't want to count out 99 cents. Usually I'd end up acquiring a penny at some point during my shift, and if I didn't, so what. It's a penny.

If I found an extra nickel or dime, I would change it for pennies and set them aside in the extra cup in the till, just for that purpose.

[RetailWorkhorse]

I would have just thrown in the stupid penny and evened it up to 2$.

Agreed. I have a penny jar I keep with at least 8 pennies in for cases like that.

Grr. Stupid cashier.

[BookstoreEscapee]

I once went out on my break to get some lip balm at the Ulta store in the same shopping center (I forgot mine that day; I admit, I'm an addict and my lips were really dry) and the total came to $X.25. I gave the girl (who was probably in high school) a $20, and then realized I had the quarter. I offered her the quarter and she said "But I already put it in." It was like the week before Christmas and I was on my 15-minute break; I really didn't have time for a math lesson, so I just said OK....

Something you should know before I go on: While I was waiting in line, I saw a supervisor come up to the register with some change for another cashier, and heard her say that they were completely out of quarters and low on some other denominations, too.

So, to continue: The cashier proceeded to give me my paper change, and receipt, along with my 75 cents...in nickels.

I gave the nickels to the Salvation Army volunteer playing the French horn outside on my way back to work.

[smileyeagle1021]

the total came to $X.25. I gave the girl (who was probably in high school) a $20, and then realized I had the quarter. I offered her the quarter and she said "But I already put it in." It was like the week before Christmas and I was on my 15-minute break; I really didn't have time for a math lesson, so I just said OK....

kinda going OT, but that is my biggest pet peeve with cashiers... good God your job is to handle money and you don't know how to count change without your register giving you a number. I know it's not entirely the cashiers fault that the company doesn't teach them the proper way to count change and our school system is so pathetic that no one actually learns anything in them (and that's as far as I'll go before I go too far into fratching territory).

[marasbaras]

For a long, LONG time, Dick's Drive-Ins (home of the world's BEST fast food cheeseburgers) in Seattle had employees who would total up your order in their head. All of them did that. Including the 7.x% sales tax!

I honestly don't think it's a lack of school or math ability. It's all on training and management.

[JustADude]

I accidentally pumped an extra 8 cents at the gas pump. It was like 10.08 or something. I scraped around on my floorboard and found .06 cents.

I went in to pay and the woman at the counter made me go back and root around for 2 more cents. I couldn't find any and had to ask some stranger for 2 pennies.

As a former gas-station clerk, I'd have to agree she was a Grade A, 100% to do that to you. Where I worked, they pulled in so much during a day they didn't give a flying crap if the shift count was off by anything less than $10.00. $.02 wouldn't even show as a blip on the radar.

[Samaliel]

At least, he didn't had the change wrong, or seem to strain his brain while trying to figure how much he had to give you back. But that's not exactly a feat of glory.

[Reyneth]

For a long, LONG time, Dick's Drive-Ins (home of the world's BEST fast food cheeseburgers) in Seattle had employees who would total up your order in their head. All of them did that. Including the 7.x% sales tax!

Now *that's* impressive! I used to total up multiple ice cream orders and make change mentally, but adding %s in there could get rough on a busy night!

My first boss (my uncle, actually) was cool like that - the registers would not show you how much change to give back and sometimes we'd have 8-9 people with 2 registers - you couldn't get the total and then go back and tell the person and then go put your money in so you had to figure it all yourself as you were going. More people need to learn those two skills.

[Bloodsoul]

I remember being on the other end of the fence, thinking, "okay, why are you giving me this change when I'm just going to end up giving it back to you?"

[ArcticChicken]

I really didn't have time for a math lesson, so I just said OK....

Some people just can't do math on the fly. Like the cashier at Wawa who thought I handed her a five when I gave her a ten. She looked at it for a few moments, then had to ask me how much change she needed to give me.

I know logically that some people and math do not get along well, but I have trouble understanding it. (Math is my best subject, I like it.)

My personal pet peeve is customers who give me some change after I've put their money in, but not exact change. Such as a quarter when their order is $XX.18. Because those are numbers I don't work with on a regular basis, and because my brain is usually numb by that point in the day, it takes me a bit to figure out their change.

If you ask me when I'm not at work what 18 from 25 is my answer is "seven", ask me in the middle of work, and I'll reply, "Umm, ....seven?"

[powerboy]

My personal pet peeve is customers who give me some change after I've put their money in, but not exact change. Such as a quarter when their order is $XX.18.

I hate that. Fucking give me either the exact change or just stop digging for extra quarter.

[Meegz]

I hope I'm not a sucky employee I work in the most uptight corporate store so if someone needs a few cents and expects me to give it to them I just can't because if any drawer I work on is any off I could get written up/fired. And I dont always have spare change on me to help someone out. Besides, I get so many high and mighty customers, I shouldnt be expected to spend a few dollars in change everyone because someone doesnt want to get back multiple denominations when they break a bill.

Thats just me