Kids can't use computers... and this is why it should worry you

[jte]

(03-07-2023 12:34 PM)mfleming Wrote:  ... The transition from cash to plastic was gradual, but struck home decades ago when I handed some money to a clerk at McDonald's. First she looked at me in puzzlement because I gave her "too much" in small coin, then she had to punch the amount into the register to figure out how much small change to return. ...

A few years ago I experienced a situation like this. I don’t remember the exact amounts involved, but I expected change involving a quarter rather than dimes / nickles (and I vaguely remember that my intent was that the change would naturally involve a $5 bill). The cashier told me I was paying too much and tried to hand me back some of the coins. It took me a few attempts to clarify that, yes, I was aware that the amount I was handing over exceeded the price even if some coins were not included. (She tried to slowly explain to me, more than once, that $x.00 already exceeded the price.)

Somewhat stranger was the interaction I had yesterday at a local bakery. I handed over $10.10 to pay for an $8.10 purchase. The cashier has a double take, looking at the $10 bill and wondering why I also wanted to hand over a dime. After the register exclaimed $2 as the change (one toonie, here in Canada), she took it out of the register and turned it over and over in her hand, clearly doing some mental arithmetic. Even as she handed the change over, she was clearly a bit reticent / suspicious; something seemed quite off in the amount of change, to her. And this is at a cash-only business dealing with many small payments. I’m guessing that it was her first day (or nearabout so) and that most patrons make no attempt to aim for a convenient amount of change.