Generation gap? Are we getting old or what?
- Thread starter fiasconva
- Start date
Billions of transactions every day are conducted using this simple method:
Enter "amount due"
Enter "amount tendered"
Remit change if any.
It seems to be catching on.
Enter "amount due"
Enter "amount tendered"
Remit change if any.
It seems to be catching on.
My part-time retirement job is working in a bike store. There's a McDonald's right next door, and I'm usually in there at least once a day when I'm working. The staff is mostly young black high school kids with their first job. I'm a 72-year-old white guy, and when I'm in there they get "Yes Ma'am", "Yes Sir", and "Thank you Ma'am" from me. Kids nowadays showing up for work deserve respect from us older folks. Even if they don't know us, they look at how we interact and learn from it...either for good or bad.
I do the same thing.
Short of a big box store, the easiest way to find out if a business is willing to haggle is to simply ask.
"I don't mean to offend you but, what's your best out the door price?" Or I don't know how old you are, but ask for a senior discount.
That worst thing that can happen is they say "no".
I agree with you, plastic is the way to go if you're doing internet stuff.
But haggling with cash, you're face to face with the person you're dealing with and you can get an idea of who/what you're dealing with before money changes hands. I've only been burned once and that was my fault, because I didn't really understand what we agreed on and I didn't follow with questions.
OP
fiasconva
Member
It's not just youngsters that can't count change any more. I was in a big box store not too long ago and their registers' computers were down so they had to make change the old fashioned way. The cashier, a lady in her 50's, was ringing me up. My bill was $15.60. I gave her a $20 and she gave me back a $5 and .40. I said, " Ma'am, you gave me too much money back." She glowered at me and said, "I did not!" I tried to explain to her that she gave me a dollar too much and she literally screamed at me, " I know how to count money!" I just said, "Ok lady. Have it your way." and left. Wonder how she justified her till at the end of her shift.
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We run everything we can thru our Delta Sky Miles AMEX. Costco being the exception as they dont take AMEX.
I keep a $100 bill in my wallet for emergency, and $500 hidden in my truck.
Cash has been there for years.
Other day we went to the Aldi and didn't have a quarter to get a cart. Haven't dealt with change in ages.
I keep a $100 bill in my wallet for emergency, and $500 hidden in my truck.
Cash has been there for years.
Other day we went to the Aldi and didn't have a quarter to get a cart. Haven't dealt with change in ages.
I, too, do the same. Something I learned at the very early age working in my parents small grocery store.. All people were yes sir no sir or ma'am.. Tell me now how many of those kids give you the same show of respect? If I even go through a fast food joint's drive through I make an attempt to talk with the people working there. I thank them or answer their questions with a smile and luckily here in flyover country...most of the youngun's smile and thank you back. ...On the other hand one early evening I went into a BK...after being ignored by the street cretin counter person and his homeboy gang. He finally looked at me and said...Whatchuwant?? I just decided this was not a good place to be...So I said nothing, thank you. turned to leave and as he hit me with the F expletive and told me get out of here honky I said I'm leaving...I doubt you could get the order right....and I know you want to do a good job! Now this was a young kid ..20? or so...I knew his parents...nice people. Within 3 months that BK was under new ownership and closed in a year. not a color issue...just an issue with courtesy
….getting?….
I'm an old coot but I cannot do math in my head. Never could. Give me a piece of paper and a pencil, I can do it, but not in my head. My wife looks at me like I'm from Mars when I pull out my smartphone, and use the calculator to figure a tip and add up the total to a ticket at IHOP. I've never had to make change. I'd probably be lost.
On the other hand. My wife is handicapped, walks with cane, holding onto me. And I'm not far behind her really. We constantly have young people, male and female rush to get ahead of us. At first we were irritated by it, until we realized they usually were getting there to hold the door for us. "Take your time. I'm in no hurry." The girls will often offer to help my wife in the ladies room if she needs it. It's not everyone of course, but it's often enough that we're not really surprised by it anymore.
We both agree we don't remember ever doing that for someone when we were their age. I like to think we did, and just don't remember it.
Maybe there is hope for us all yet.
On the other hand. My wife is handicapped, walks with cane, holding onto me. And I'm not far behind her really. We constantly have young people, male and female rush to get ahead of us. At first we were irritated by it, until we realized they usually were getting there to hold the door for us. "Take your time. I'm in no hurry." The girls will often offer to help my wife in the ladies room if she needs it. It's not everyone of course, but it's often enough that we're not really surprised by it anymore.
We both agree we don't remember ever doing that for someone when we were their age. I like to think we did, and just don't remember it.
Maybe there is hope for us all yet.
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Having worked with both standard US measurement and Metric I would absolutely HATE to have to ATTEMPT to train any of this generation in Either, let alone educate them how to convert one to the other. IMHO use of Numbers is a skill that has to Start at home when an individual is Young so they actually LIVE the usage. Perhaps way to convoluted to explain here…..
I would hate to have to train them on the proper use of capital letters, puncturation, and spelling. 
I have worked in both. As I was born mid 40s I went a long way just using the old time tested English type measurements.
(King Henry I of England fixed the yard as the distance from his nose to the thumb of his out-stretched arm. Today it is 36 inches)
When I first started handloding I then got decent in using metrics. Also some ranges were using both metrics and old school. It took a bit and to this day it is not natural, English is easy to manipulate but I have to think a bit deeper to do metrics.
. Its nice on most of the cars/trucks I owned the speedometer had both and just hitting a little switch brought up the info in either English or metric. Hey you do what you got to do!
FWIW I was good at the metrics in handloding and if fact instructed my son his first use of calipers and micrometers. Now he uses that knowledge and a lot more at his machinist job designing "stuff" for our Navy.
After years as a cost estimator, with at least half of the projects I work being overseas, I have come to prefer metric for my work. Took some time, but I understand it as good as our own system and can convert in my head on the fly...much easier to work with. I just wish they would stop using commas in place of periods when writing numbers, just cant learn to love that!
OP
fiasconva
Member
CajunBass, there are a lot of free tip calculator apps on the app store that you can download on your smartphone. I have one on my phone and it's fast and simple.
MJK-MOD-547
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I can see it now. When the gen X gets old and is seeing his doctor.
"Ah like wow man how you doing" Don't feel good doc.
"Ya mean you or me?
"Ah like wow man how you doing" Don't feel good doc.
"Ya mean you or me?
MJK-MOD-547
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It's called constructive reasoning and thinking. It's some of those things they don't teach in school anymore.
I remember being in elementary school in the 70's and the talk was that the US was going to convert to the metric system. I still have a Coca-Cola ruler that was inch on one side and metric on the other.
Being in the construction industry, with all the blueprints being in inches, converting to metric would be a struggle for sure.
Being in the construction industry, with all the blueprints being in inches, converting to metric would be a struggle for sure.
Agreed, 96 - 61 - 91 just doesn't work for me.
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