Friday, January 6, 2012

Just sayin' (*volume 2)

Okay....here I go.

How hard is it to make change?

Why in the name of Pete
(of Love, of God, or whoever .....)
aren't we teaching our children common sense math??

It makes me COMPLETELY crazy when someone operating a cash register
doesn't know how to make the change if they punch in the numbers wrong.

If you can pull out your ____________  (*iPod, iPad, iPhone, whatever
and pull up the calculator) - can't you just do a little math in your head without
pen and paper?)

If the subtraction stumps you - count UP from the total to the amount the
patron gave you.

Today foster child #3 was sick and home from school.
I had to take her with me to the commissary, because we had breakfast last
night for dinner and that means the food supply is low.

So as a treat for taking a sick kid to the store when they should be in bed,
I offered her McDonald's for lunch.
She was ON THAT!

So - the total was $7.77
I gave the girl a $20
Then she yells - "I NEED ONES!"
"HEY-I NEED ONES!!"
"ANYBODY??!!  I NEED ONES!"

(the little pay section of the drive-thru is in the back of the McDonald's here)

In Guam - if you have ice cream - you shouldn't stop at McDonald's on the way home.
I started to panic.
I searched my wallet again, "I have five ones"
I gave them to her
She gave me a five dollar bill
and then SHE panicked.
She had NO IDEA how much change to give me.

I said, "The change is the same"

"but you gave me ones"

"but you gave me a five"

She just stood there.

So I said, "$12.23"

Deer in the headlights

She tried to give me $3.00

I handed her back one of the ones and said, "I need .23 cents"
"and a $10"

By this time - two other McDonald's employees had come over to help.
But they couldn't.

To shorten the story - cause it DOES go on -
She eventually gave me $12.23 but was still confused.

I said, "Look, (*as I held out the money)
I don't want you to think I am trying to trick you.
The total was $7.77.
I gave you a $20.  (*I showed her the change)
This makes $8 dollars
(I counted the ones)
$9
$10  (*showed her the $10)
10 plus 10 is $20"

The ones don't count because we traded even.
5 ones for a 5 dollar bill.

Understand?"

I don't think so.....but I drove away.
I did all I could do from the drive-through.

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