I’d like to give special recognition to the woman working at the Del Taco on near Howe & La Riviera who did not question my giving her an odd amount of cash to cover my Chicken Tacos Del Carbon (a high protein, lowfat meal) for today’s dashboard dining.
Wow, someone who actually knows how to make change — this calls for a special posting on the sacrag!Â
She thanked me for giving her a couple extra ones and some change so I’d get back $5 exactly. Anyone who’s ever worked retail, food service, or has sold sodas at the high school homecoming dance because you didn’t get asked to go by anyone but your parents thought you should go anyway and thought that selling drinks was more social than sitting at home and playing with your cat and watching “Love Boat” knows that you run out of one dollar bills quickly.Â
When I worked as a baker at Ikeda’s during high school and summers in college, we had an old-fashioned cash register that didn’t tell the user squat, other than the total amount of the purchase. Customers would often be awestruck when I’d count their change back to them, just like the olden days. Â
Alas, those of us who can count without electronic help are a dying breed.
Here are some recent offenders of not knowing basic math and change-making:
- Home Depot on Cottage and Howe: My total was $27.55, so I gave the cashier $33.05, naturally. Not only would I reserve her stash of ones and get back a five, but I’d also get back two quarters to add to my collection in my car for downtown parking meters. She didn’t see it quite the same way. She actually took the wad of cash and shook it at me and snarled, “TWENTY SEVEN. I said ‘TWENTY SEVEN FIFTY FIVE, NOT THIRTY THREE.” I purred, “Just put that amount in your little system there and give me my change, please.” She twitched, visibly, when the amount came up $5.50, and didn’t say a word when handing over my change. (By the way, am I the only one bugged by the practice of being handed my coins, bills, and receipt all at once? It messes up my OCD system of putting items back in my wallet a certain way.)
- The lady selling lobster sandwiches at Auburn’s Mountain Mandarin Festival: My sandwich and drink came to $7, so I gave her $22. Yikes! She had to figure out the math off the top of her head since all she had was a cashbox and no fancy dancy computer. She scowled at me, and I was tempted to ask if she needed an abacus, but that would have only confused matters further.
It’s gotten to the point where my husband asks, “Are you confusing people again?” anytime this happens. I usually have the correct change for my regular purchases (e.g. the medium decaf in a large cup at Peet’s), or while having my purchases rung up I calculate in my head what the approximate total will be.
I realize not everyone plays these little numbers games in their head all day — but really, people, is it that hard? I know this conversation has been rehashed many times over, and it’s really sad that I’m compelled to write about an instance where someone DOES KNOW what we’re trying to do.Â
“Make that change!” (Sorry, had to get “Man in the Mirror” stuck in your head again.)
Â
The Sac Rag 
I’m also totally annoyed when people hand me bills, coins, and receipt all at once. The other night this happened while I was making a purchase at Safeway — seeing that the juggling of all of the above while trying to maintain my anal system was making me uneasy, the cashier took it upon himself to then grab the change off my receipt and throw it into my wallet!!!! I just about bit his hand off. I wonder what Miss Manners has to say about all this???
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Incidentally, the source of “You must be the change you wish to see in the world”, was Mahatma Gandhi. He was assassinated 59 years ago yesterday.
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yeah but now isn’t the lobster lady stuck with a twenty in her cash box? wouldn’t it have been better to break your twenty and give her a Lincoln and two Washingtons? you’re kind of asking her to do you a favor. lobster ladies don’t do favors.
hollywould, was that midtown Safeway? please tell everybody who did that so we can stay away from his checkstand.
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DMZ, all I had in my wallet for lobster lady were 20’s and a couple ones. There were no other wares or food items I wanted to purchase and be able to score a couple Lincolns. I think they even had up a sign that said they needed ones, so I was the one doing a favor.
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but you still left her with a twenty. either way, you’re lucky she didn’t snap you with her lobster claws.
this is just not something i get worked up about at all. except the bad attitude part, that is universal, and not at all limited to people who can’t do subtraction good.
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If you were selling lobster sandwiches, wouldn’t you rather sell one rather than missing a sale because the customer didn’t want to leave you with a $20 bill? I’m questioning your business model, DMZ.
I was more worked up about the ‘tude as well. She treated me like I was the one who couldn’t add or subtract.
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if she says she needs ones doesn’t she mean please don’t give me any twenties? that’s what i’m saying. again though, if you were a freak of nature with lobster claws for hands wouldn’t you be a bit sour?
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While I gave her a 20, I also gave her two ones — which she needed. Someone who gave her just a 20 would not only give her a 20, but they would further deplete her supply of ones. I did the lesser of two evils, and I did not mock her claw-like appendages.
What stinks is that the sandwich wasn’t very good, and certainly not worth the time wasted on dissecting the financial exchange with her!
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at least you admit what you did was evil. just kidding.
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It was the R/19th Safeway, and I can’t remember his name, but he begins almost every interaction with “What’s the good word?” which is another pet peeve for another post. If you shop there you probably know him. He is nice enough, all other traits of customer service are acceptable, I just wasn’t interested in his quasi-wallet fondle, nor the possibility of projectile pennies.
It was just a mess.
On a totally unrelated note, anyone know what is going in that building that shares the Safeway/Peet’s/etc parking lot?
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Ah you haughty lot and your shiny silver aggie out front of your brick Safeway. I like my Safeway with a serenade from my cashier and the santa-clause look-alike homeless man with the full-suspension mountain bike begging at the exit of the parking lot. Every day he gets enough to go in and eat at Safeway. One of these days I’m buying him lunch and asking for his story.
I also like that I can pay homage to the Alhambra Theatre… although if I stand there too long I really have to pee.
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Kit. That guy at the Sutter Middle school/Limelight Safeway always reminds me of the Sherlock Holmes story where the guy is beging in London as a job and then goes back out to the burbs (they were not burbs back then I guess) and is a normal person with his family. I picture that guy getting on his bike riding it to a small apartment where he relaxes with some Tiny Tim on the stereo and eats his safeway hot wok. This could just be my over active imagination though..
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You’re my hero. I thought I was the only one who knows that cashiers should hand back the change a certain way. When cashiers put bills, coins, and receipt in your hand (in that order), the coins spill and then everything falls onto the counter. A customer’s only recourse is to stuff the whole wad into the pocket or purse, and sort it out later.
I was a good cashier: I used to hand back the COIN first, then the BILLS, then hold the RECEIPT until the customer accepted it from me. And I could calculate change in my head like nobody’s business. I was Super Cashier, dammit.
It’s sad when you learn your superpower so late in life.
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