Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Ch-Ch-Change

Change is difficult. I have read that loosing weight, quitting smoking, starting an exercise program, events in your life that involve change can be very, very difficult. How many times have you lost five or ten pounds and then lost focus – change is hard.

Well, I contend that making change can be as difficult as changing. My making change, I am talking about those in the "service industry" that make change when getting snacks at the convenience store, at the fast food restaurant, and so forth. I, my dear readers, am their worse nightmare.

Clerk: That will be two dollars and eighty-four cents.

Leesa: Here you go. [Leesa hands the clerk three one dollar bills, one nickel and four pennies ($3.14).]

Clerk: Ma'am1, you gave me too much money.

Leesa: That was intentional. I wanted the change.

Clerk: [handing me back my nine cents] Here you go. I only need the three bucks.

Leesa: [handing the clerk back my nine cents] No, please take this change. Then you will give me a quarter in change.

This goes on for a few minutes, and eventually I take back my nine cents because the clerk just does not get it. He has already punched the three dollars in the cash machine, and he just cannot make change in his head. And then I get back my fourteen cents, and I point out that the two dimes and five cents are equivalent to the quarter.

The clerk just does not know how to make change, and really, if I am a clerk, I would think one of the skills I would have would be the ability to make change. Otherwise, how likely would you be able to enjoy your job?

This happens so often.

This morning I gave the clerk $21 (a twenty and a one spot) because the bill came to almost six dollars. I just did not want all of those ones as change, and I figured, the clerk would not want to give out all of the ones for the transaction. When I gave the clerk $21, she immediately gave me back $1 because she did not need it. I could not convince her to take it before making change. Really gets to me.

So making change seems to be nearly as hard as changing one's habits. At least for the clerks I have met. And, "no bag please" means no freakin' bag. Can I get want I want, please?


1I absolute hate being called Ma'am. I would much rather have been called hot chick with a soda and a Twix bar, but you know, I am seldom called hot chick anymore. When I was younger, "hot chick" would have offended me, and you know, it was probably more accurate than now. Part of my vision of myself dies when I am called Ma'am. I think it is code for "nice looking woman that I don't want to fuck." This would be a great blog topic ladies. I think I will post on this in the future, not the being unfuckable part, but the being categorized in the category of a ma'am. This footnote is entirely too long. Get back to reading the blog entry.

16 comments:

kathi said...

See...I'd just keep it all and say "Thank you, MA'AM", and keep it all as a tip. But that's just me and I have a high opinion of what my time is worth. Dang, is that why I'm still unemployed?

Tim said...

Hey Hot Chick... You have run into a clerk with one of two conditions. Either they have grown up with and are now dependent on computers and calculators or they are hired by bosses that don't care how stupid they are as long as they will work for minimum wage. When we worked in the local grocery store growing up, cash registers weren't like mini computers that gave you all the answers. These new workers aren't asked to think anymore.
One of the best high school teachers my son had told the students to keep their calculators in their bags when they came to his algebra class. The kids learned to Think!
Don't give in... make them think
T

Pittchick said...

I have run into this on nemerous occasions as well. I've just given up, now I have so much change in the bottom of my purse and my car that I usually have the exact change required.

Deb said...

Giving cashiers a hard time, are ya? Believe me, I woulda' flung you that dollar right back, because society has us so used to relying on computers that tell us what to do, how to do it and when to do it that we have no brains for ourselves. Geez, I'm speaking for myself, aren't I? Okay, I'll admit it, I'm HORRIBLE with change. Don't come to my checkout station. Shit...now you know I work for Walmart.

See you soon, and by the way, "hot chick", how may I help you?

Blog hog said...

Ma'am, you are very fuckable.

Now about the 'messing with the cashier's head like that', granted Im not the brightest guy that ever lived, I am still college educated and what you are doing to the cashier would mess me up also, hehe

Im guessing very few people do as you do with the cashier and it throws them way off. You should just live with your odd change and not take it out on the poor cashier's, hehe

Got it you fuckable ma'am? hehe

Jenny said...

M.I.L.F. anyone?

Leesa said...

kathi: wow - I would not have expected that from you.

t: I thought clerks made more than minimum wage.

pitt: I hate having excess change, and thus part of the reason this is a problem.

~deb: I always look for the cutest chick when chosing a check-out girl.

gw: maybe it is me.

boxer: not a mother.

Southern (in)Sanity said...

The worst part, to me, is that these high-tech cash registers would TELL these poor, pitiful clerks that you were supposed to get a quarter back if they would TYPE IN $3.14.

I do that a lot too.

As far as "ma'am," I see that as a sign of respect. At least, that's how I was brought up. I say "ma'am" to servers and waitresses much younger than I am.

As a male, I don't think it has anything to do with whether or not I would want to fuck them. But then again, I don't know anything about women, right?

Leesa said...

rwa: at least someone does this a lot. I think I have not done things right if I have more than 99 cents in change on me at any one time.

Jenny said...

Not a Mother either, but recently a 20-something muttered it under his breath as I walked by and I took it as better than Ma'am. True story.

Jenny said...

Not a Mother either, but recently a 20-something muttered it under his breath as I walked by and I took it as better than Ma'am. True story.

QUASAR9 said...

lol, Leesa
since the pocket calculator came out people have stopped dooing mental arithmetics.

The machine tells them the change for £20 dollars
having to cancel and punch in $21 is too much like hard work

Just because you want a yen and a five in your chance.

Ironically if more people were like you it doesn't change things.

They'd probably have to count more change at the end of the day
And they daren't start the day with lessin case the first ten customers want to pay with a twenty for a $dollar item

QUASAR9 said...

PS - never mind bonnet
I was wondering what you were talking about ...
cents, nickels & pennies
one nickel + four pennies = 9c

30 cents a quarter?
two dimes and five cents a quarter?

All chinese to me
I'm still clueless

Thankgod for decimilisation in uk

1p = 1 penny (pence)
2p = 2 pennies (pence)
5p = 5 pennies (pence)
10p = 10 pennies (pemce)
20p = 20 pennies (pence)
50p = 50 pennies (pence)
£1 = 100 pennies (pence)

We did away with halfpennies
We did away with thrupence
We did away with sixpence
We did away with shillings
We did away with half crowns
(two shillings & sixpence)

And we still get two $dollars to the £pound. lol!

kathi said...

Wow, I loved quasar9's lesson! I've always wondered.

Oh, and just teasin' ya sweetie, math is one of the few things I'm really good at.

LZ Blogger said...

I loved the story about the clerk and the $21! I guess that NEW MATH hasn't worked out so well for many? ~ jb///

Leesa said...

boxer: just wanted to clear that up.

quasar: the pocket calculator really changed how we think or fail to think. There is a post in there somewhere.

kathi: I loved his lesson as well.

lz blogger: new math? I think it is just the lz math, actually. Just kiddin'! (lz = lazy)