New math. or why you don't want a kid figuring your discount.

[ohiofarmer 3,383]

 I use Rotella T-6 for motorcycles. Oil has come a long way since the bikes were manufactured, and instead of paying high prices for oil that says "motorcycle" on the label, all you need is oil that is rated for wet clutch applications, and that is  oil that has a JASO rating.  Right now Rural king has it for 19.99 a gallon and OReilles does price matching. There were 5 one gallon containers on the shelf, so i said I would take that. [The price sticker was 28.00 per gallon]

 

 The kid helping me was very nice and offered to get me the oil in a box.from storage He brought a box to the counter that had two 2.5 gallon jugs inside [fine with me]  Those fractions just destroyed his brain, it would seem, so he asked me what the oil should cost. He had to figure what each jug should cost, given the price of 19.99 a gallon.

 

  Me:  " um, i'm sorry, but you did not charge me nearly enough for this oil"   [about 61.00]  Him; "what do you think it should cost?  Me " 5 cents less than a hundred dollars, at one penny less than twenty dollars a gallon, plus tax"  So the kid brought up another kid who seemed more confident in math. He sold me the oil for 43.99 per each 2.5 gallon jug with my out the door price with taxes of  $94.36.

 

 So i looked at the cashier who was nearer my age and saw all of this, and he said, "That's OK sir, you already spent enough time on this". Out the door i went.

 

 The kid is nice, personable,  and I have little doubt that he is reasonably intelligent as well. My daughter is ten years his senior and she took all the tough classes including  calculus in high school Yes, she has taken stats and probs in college, and still does not know how to figure how much paint she should buy to paint a room at 400 sq, ft, per gallon. My wife and I talked about this and percentage off sales at retail stores seem confusing to my daughter as well Thank goodness she still wants to help me change the oil and replace the brakes on her car. 

 

Oh, and on edit.  Shell is offering a $5.00 a gallon online rebate and a rebate limit of one hundred dollars till the end of the year I think. So that is really the reason that this is such a smokin' deal. With these antique motorcycles redlining at from 7 to 10 thousand RPM's, synthetic oil is the way to go. If you want to drive the cashier nuts, lets say your bill for something costs 15.79. you give them 21.00 so you get a five back and look at their expression.

 

 

Edited June 18, 2017 by ohiofarmer

[953 nut 63,195]

Making change is a real challenge for some of the younger generation too. The other day I was due $ .78 and was given seven dimes and eight pennies!    

[SylvanLakeWH 29,945]

8 minutes ago, 953 nut said:

Making change is a real challenge for some of the younger generation too. The other day I was due $ .78 and was given seven dimes and eight pennies!    

 

Still accurate and, 10 equals the number of fingers used to help calculate change!!! In school the cashier would have received a "Math Participation Trophy" and a "Self Esteem" plaque that reads "You Count in My Book!" for getting the total correct...

 

 

[EricF 589]

Ugh... don't get me started. My wife has encountered similar situations with discounts and sale prices when she's out shopping. Makes the head hurt.

 

It just goes on from there. Business purchasing gets messed up when people don't understand volume discounts or interpreting different purchase proposals. Simple arithmetic, folks!

[AMC RULES 37,251]

Based on your deal...

appears, you do. 

[squonk 44,929]

Ah yes my days at Napa. On the other side of things, we had customers come in always trying to pull a fast one or "Walmart has it for this" We didn't do price matching. If they gave me a hard enough time I would remember it for the next time they came in. I had computer buttons on my side. You want a set of brake pads? List plus 10% was my favorite weapon! 

[SPINJIM 1,986]

There is definitely a need for more practical math instruction in high schools.   Many kids graduate with no idea how to balance a check book, figure compound interest and financing, or understand the basics of the economy.    And the problems carry into adulthood.   My son runs a program for the state of Indiana, out of Purdue, just to teach teachers how to teach basic economics and finances to high school students.   Kids need to know practical everyday math before they get into theoretical calculus. 

  Jim

[rmaynard 16,701]

3 minutes ago, squonk said:

...You want a set of brake pads? List plus 10% was my favorite weapon! 

 

And that is why online ordering is the only way to go. It eliminates the clerk factor.

["D"- Man 827]

I ordered from McDonald's yesterday and was due 48 cents in change.  The young {obviously new} worker counted out 9 nickels and 3 pennies.  I asked why didn't she give out quarters in change?  She said,  "It is easier to do the math with nickels." 

[KC9KAS 4,745]

I am amazed at the inability of younger folks making change. Without the aid of the "computerized" cash register they would NEVER get the change right!

[dcrage 631]

But none of this is new. I was trying to get high school kids to be able to do this kind of stuff 40 years ago when student teaching. Some people get those; some need a bunch of experience to get there; some never do. 

[SylvanLakeWH 29,945]

2 hours ago, "D"- Man said:

I ordered from McDonald's yesterday and was due 48 cents in change.  The young {obviously new} worker counted out 9 nickels and 3 pennies.  I asked why didn't she give out quarters in change?  She said,  "It is easier to do the math with nickels." 

 

Yup - Like I said earlier - "10 fingers" only in this instance she needed to use toes as well...

[squonk 44,929]

6 hours ago, rmaynard said:

 

And that is why online ordering is the only way to go. It eliminates the clerk factor.

And online ordering also eliminates the "jerk customer factor"

 

True story

Guy comes in that I never seen before wants me to warranty a pair of wiper blades his father bought the day before. I ask or a receipt and he hands it to me. The receipt is from another store that is not owned by the owner of our store. The policy in that case is refund at our cost or replacement. The other store made the profit and our owner was not taking the loss. The blades were the "cheaper" line that we didn't stock. I explained the policy and offered to order him a pair for the next day. He called me every four letter word in the dictionary and then some. I told him to leave and he refused and went as far as saying he knew where I lived and would come by some night with a gun. I jumped over the counter and he ran like the Road Runner. Got his plate and called the police and he was charged with aggravated harassment.

 

I loved retail! 

 

 

 

[Buzz 502]

Some kids get it. Years ago at a Burger King my wife told the kid that she wanted the 8 piece chicken tenders. The kid replied "no you don't". My wife got a little huffy and asked "and why don't I want them?" The kid replied " why would you buy 8 chicken nuggets for $2.69 when you can get them on the value menu at 5 for $0.99? Two packs equal 10 for $1.98 versus 8 for $2.69. Same tenders" My wife grinned, thanked her, and ordered two packs at $0.99 each. That kid is probably a success somewhere.

 

[CasualObserver 3,411]

23 hours ago, Buzz said:

That kid is probably a success somewhere.

Just probably not at Burger King   

 

Now just for kicks..... how many people have heard or seen this?

 

 

and the scary part..... This was Tom Lehrer.... comedian, musician.... mathematician...... in 1960!!!!  

 

New math is whatever you didn't learn!!

[Coadster32 793]

Can't really blame this generation. The way they teach math at the base level,(grades 1-4), is enough to make you throw up. Times are different for certain.

[Popasmurf 17]

Several years ago I owned a manufacturing business. Knowing how to read a tape measure was a must, as a part of the application process I asked folks to show me where measurements were on a tape measure. On day a had a pair of brothers apply for a job. They claimed to be MATH majors in college. These poor guys had no clue, and couldn't do any math relating to fractions. How can this be? 

On 6/18/2017 at 10:02 AM, KC9KAS said:

I am amazed at the inability of younger folks making change. Without the aid of the "computerized" cash register they would NEVER get the change right!

Many still dot!  😳

[Dakota8338 115]

I worked for A & P [The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co] part-time while attending college.  Stocking shelves was my main responsibility, but back then we closed at 8:00 p.m. M-S and were closed all day on Sundays.  The Manager & Assistant Manager could check groceries, but did not really like running a cash register, so they trained me as a fill-in checker for the 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. time slot when the day checkers began getting off.  The training consisted of the manager going shopping and you checking him out.  He would have anywhere from a 25 - 35 dollar when the tally was completed, but he looked for every multi-units priced products in the store ie:  2 for 39, 2 for 61, 2 for 79, 2 for 99, 3 for 67, 3 for 88, 3 for 97, etc, etc. and he would have one of the two for, and one or two of the three for.  This was years prior to scanners and you had to punch in the numbers, all while he was asking you questions about why something was out of stock, why the price had increased on another product the entire time you were checking him out.  He already had calculated the prices and knew the total, and you had better be accurate with the total, and then give him the correct change.  If the total was $26.17 and he could give you two $20 just as easily as a twenty & ten, but whatever it was you counted the change back with the least number of coins possible like three pennies, 18, 19, 20, then a nickel 25, then a quarters, 50, then a half-dollar (which were still in general use back then) makes $27, then three ones, for 28, 29, 30 if he used a 20 & 10.  If he gave you two $20's then a $10 was added to make $40, and it had better be a ten and not two $5's unless the cash drawer did not contain a ten, then the two fives were counted back as 35, and 40 sir.  I do apologize for the two fives sir, but I seem to be missing a ten in my register and had to use those fives.  And there was no just handing the customer their change, it was counted back verbally in a clear & distinct voice.  

 

During the time I worked for A & P the Manager attempted training a couple of other stockers to be alternate checkers, some made the alternate status, some didn't. 

 

When we were on vacation, the wife and I usually split the cash we carried and some travelers checks were in her name and the balance in mine also  (Then we had plastic for an emergency, but the general idea was the cash & travelers checks would pay all expenses during the vacation).  We stopped for lunch at a fast food place and I gave the cashier a travelers check.  The young man looked at me, looked at the travelers check, then asked, "What do you want me to do with this?"  I explained to him if was the same as a $20 when I signed it the second time.  His reply after turning if over a couple of times was, "It don't look like no twenty to me!"  I told him to call his manager, which he did.  The manager wanted to know what the problem was, so I explained I have given his clerk a travelers check twenty, and he seemed to think I was using funny money.  The manager looked at the travelers check and asked did I sign it in front of him.  The young man acknowledged I did sign the check.  The manager told him to put it in the cash drawer, it was the very same thing as a twenty and anytime anyone else had one, as long as they signed it in his presence and the two signatures were pretty much the same take it just like cash money.  With plastic so prevalent in use today, travelers checks may be obsolete.  We haven't used any in many years now.