BI-LO ~ Vent: maybe Bi-Lo clerks need basic math skills to handle money.

[vickib50]

One time at Bi-Lo, I was checked out by someone who must have been a new cashier. I gave her my money and the register told her to give me $2.34 back in change. She stood there and stared at the cash drawer a long time, then turned around to the next cashier and said, "What does 34 cents look like?"

I'm not kidding.

[mxmom99]

Originally Posted by vickib50 One time at Bi-Lo, I was checked out by someone who must have been a new cashier. I gave her my money and the register told her to give me $2.34 back in change. She stood there and stared at the cash drawer a long time, then turned around to the next cashier and said, "What does 34 cents look like?" I'm not kidding.

wow...just wow....but honestly, who' fault is that?? it's bi-lo's for hiring someone with no money experience or at least training them to know what they are doing (and let's face it, money is NOT everyone's "thing"...i've known many intelligent people that didn't have a clue...)

[cpnmaniac44]

the ones I like are when I set them up. The price is $.96. I'll give them $1.00 and a nickel and a penny. (many other examples). Some, at first, will say "you gave me too much".
I'll hint that if they will enter the amount I gave into the computer, THE answer will be GIVEN to them, so they do not have to locate the answer in their mind.

I had a clerk the other day owe me 10 cents. In the drawer the pennies are on the right side, then the nickels, and then the dimes. I was given a penny and pennies are not next to the dimes to assume a careless error. They were puzzled until they reviewed the receipt, etc. and realized their error.

When buying things food or gas, I try to get rid of all my coins.
I've bought $17.44 in gas and give the clerk one $20 bill, 2 $1 bills and 44 cents. It confuses them most of the time. Change, by my calculator is a $5 bill.

Disclaimer: not trying to make fun of people on math, some find it hard, but some of it is basic, especially if they are accepting money and giving people change back. If they give someone too much change back, and more than once on their shift, they'll come up short and might be accused of stealing as they won't be able to explain how they came up short. No apology on this > service people need to be able to make change from a $1 on an 86 cent purchase.

[Maggie Soups]

Really fed up with Bi lo last night. I asked at customer services if they would take the $3 off $15 Riteaid and they said they would. I had it all planned out - husband was there too with a separate cart so I wouldn't get confused. Anyway when it came to the checkout they would not accept it and then they started to refuse other IPs and ordinary MQs!! I only had about 4 BIGI items ! I was very patient - the manager had to be called twice and he wasn't too pleased. Even husband said they are not very nice in there. We then went to Publix and had no problem with the $3 off $15. Is somebody trying to tell me something??

[cpnmaniac44]

wait until the parent company of Food Lion buys all the Bi-Lo stores!!!

My Food Lion stores have never doubled coupons and have limits on B1G1 free sales, among other issues.

[vickib50]

cpnmaniac44, I love your style! Giving pennies to round to a nickel is not too tough to understand. In fact, they don't even have to understand it. The register does all their thinking for them. Really, this is stuff I learned in grammar school. It doesn't take a genius to make change properly. Back in the day(oh, no, not one of those old codger stories!), I was a cashier at a store while in high school. The registers back then didn't tell you a stinking thing about how much money to give back (yes, I'm that old). My register always tallied.

My family tells me that I had a great-great uncle who never learned to read or write, but, if he worked in the field for someone picking produce, he could tell within a 1/2 cent what he was owed at the end of the day. He also used to walk from Tennessee to Oklahoma to live on the reservation, but, that's a different story.

[cpnmaniac44]

It happened to me again. My refund on a returned item was $5.23. I gave the clerk (5) $1 bills, wanting a $10.23 back in the form of coins and a $10 bill. This clerk hesitated and stared at the open drawer and finally asked ME what to do. I said I gave you the $5 extra so you could give me a $10 bill. Finally, it "hit home" and the transaction ended. I'm not trying to confuse them, but, as I do this from time to time I encounter "math trouble". Math is hard for some people no doubt, but basic math should be required for handling cash and as a last resort enter the amount in the register and it will reveal the change due. The more simple ones seem to stump clerks more, like I owe .96 and I give them $1 and a penny, to get a nickel back. That one should not be that hard. I've often be told, "you gave me too much."

[uummm]

I used to work at Wendy's back in the day and at the drive thru you had to be able to make change. There was one girl that was 2 years younger than myself and she could NEVER EVER make change she would have to have a calculator. What I found surprising (other than her lack of brains) was that they kept on assigning her to that register.
I know that that particular job is what made me REALLY good at being able to count change back quickly and correctly-but they are different now, with everything being computerized, all you have to do is put in the amount handed to you. It blows my mind the kids coming out of school, some with such a lacking of BASIC skills I just wonder how they are going to get through life!

[mxmom99]

aren't computers wonderful?? my 12 YO can count change back and calculate it in her head.

(well of course they can be...but yea, they really need to teach this kind of stuff just in case the power goes out...lol)

[vickib50]

My cousin works at Ace Hardware. She is not a cashier, but, is called upon to do cashier work if someone is on break or lunch. She insists on counting back the change to a customer. She doesn't just say, your change is $12.34. She counts back the change from a $20 bill. The other employees think she is crazy. Well, maybe they don't think she is crazy, but, they don't have any idea what she is doing. Ya'll can think I'm old school if you want to, but, I think being able to make change is basic. If an employee at McDonald's had to actually figure out your change, their heads would explode.