# Did you ever learn to make change this way? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 17, 2017, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-ever-learn-to-make-change-this-way/801873 "2017-11-17T15:05:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2017, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-ever-learn-to-make-change-this-way/801873/41 "2017-11-17T22:21:01Z")
I was never taught this. As far as I knew, I was supposed to do the arithmetic in my head. Born 1980. I learned it by observing supermarket cashiers. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2017, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-ever-learn-to-make-change-this-way/801873/42 "2017-11-17T22:26:51Z")
The under-appreciated real biggie I see in this thread is that business of putting the customer’s payment on top of the cash drawer before giving the change, and only putting it in the drawer afterward. I hardly _ever_ see cashiers doing that any more! :mad: Much to my surprise, when the total is $7.62 and I hand the cashier $10.12, they generally are able to do the right thing with that. Imagine that! ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2017, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-ever-learn-to-make-change-this-way/801873/43 "2017-11-18T00:00:10Z")
My first job, when I was 16 (the minimum age for working in New York State) was at a supermarket. I was a stockboy and delivery boy, but once in a while I’d have to fill in at the registers. I was taught by the cashiers to count _down_ from the amount tendered. Seemed to work OK. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2017, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-ever-learn-to-make-change-this-way/801873/44 "2017-11-18T00:30:10Z")
Yes, I have done this. I ran a fireworks stand one summer. I had a calculator to total the order and add tax to the purchase (total times 1.04, since the sales tax was 4%). Counting change back this way requires only counting and is really easy after just a couple of practice runs. A side benefit to the customer is the coins are placed in the palm of the hand and then the bills, _ **which is the way it always should be done.** _ ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2017, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-ever-learn-to-make-change-this-way/801873/45 "2017-11-18T01:24:00Z")
I was at a fast food place the other day and the total $11.xx (I don’t remember the exact number). I gave the guy a twenty and two ones. He said “it’s only eleven dollars” and had kind of a confused look on his face. I said “Yeah, but this way you give me back a ten, and whatever change” and he grokked it pretty quickly. How do people feel about ignoring pennies? I was someplace else a while ago and the charge was $8.01. I gave the guy $9 (I think I even said “here’s nine” or something) and he just put it in the till. I said “what about my change? I gave you nine.” He looked a little miffed. I think he just assumed that I’d rounded down and given him eight. Now, I had fully expected him to give me back a buck and we’d be square. I don’t mind ignoring pennies, but I figure only the person who is owed the penny can waive it. It would have been rude of me to just assume he’d forgive it. > [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Why do present-day cashiers put the bills in your hand first then the change on top, so it slides off onto the floor? I think it was someone on this board who speculated that cashiers do it that way for women. If you’ve got your purse on the counter, and the wallet open, you slide the change off the bills and into the change compartment, then put the bills away. If someone hands me my change that way, I try to take the bills between two of my fingers before they put the change on top. Then that goes in my palm. Germany was a little odd in that respect. They don’t hand you change there. It’s always put on the counter; there’s even a little dished section for the coins. Don’t know if it’s a germaphobe thing or not. ---
**Author:** ![Jake\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Jake\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake_Jones)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2017, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-ever-learn-to-make-change-this-way/801873/46 "2017-11-18T01:35:25Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > I’ve always been good with mental subtraction, so I did the math in my head and gave back the change. For instance, if a customer gave me $10 for a $7.53 purchase, I would quickly do the math in my head, determine (and say) I owed $2.47 in change and count out that amount. Counting up actually slowed the process for me. > [@Doug\_K](#): > > This defeats the purpose. It’s not about speed. It’s about efficiency. And part of that is making it clear that it’s the right amount of change without the customer having to recheck your mental subtraction, which may not be as accurate as you think. This way works fine. In fact it’s less tedious. You can count the change back to the customer more efficiently and without confusion. “$7.53 please. Out of ten. 47 is eight (agree with handing coins first) and 2 is ten. Thank you very much.” I’ve never been a full time cashier, but I’ve worked retail in jobs where I would cash out a continuous line for hours at a time. Never had a complaint from a customer or employer. > [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > Try giving a cashier $10.12 for a $7.62 total purchase and see what happens. This one, they usually just shrug and push the buttons. The one that bugs me is when the total is $7.62 and I give them a ten and three singles and they tell me it’s only $6.58 and try to give me the singles back. I know how much it is, JUST PUSH THE BUTTONS! I never actually say that, but I want to. Edit: Robot Arm: _fist bump_ I hate carrying more than 4 singles. Irrationally hate it. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2017, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-ever-learn-to-make-change-this-way/801873/47 "2017-11-18T01:46:16Z")
I was taught the OP’s way of making change my first night working at Jack in the Box. My teacher was Rudy, the shift manager. Rudy fired me six weeks later (for reasons other than handing out incorrect change). ---
**Author:** ![CelticKnot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/celticknot/32/3392_2.png) [@CelticKnot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CelticKnot)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2017, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-ever-learn-to-make-change-this-way/801873/48 "2017-11-18T01:54:15Z")
When I worked as cashier at hellmart, I would count up the change sometimes. The elderly always seemed pleased and surprised. But the corporation valued speed far more than accuracy, so counting back change was a no-no. I have tried to teach it to my students, but since curricula these days are usually an inch deep and a mile wide, there’s very little time for practicing or review. I have no idea if the skill ever stuck. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2017, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-ever-learn-to-make-change-this-way/801873/49 "2017-11-18T01:54:57Z")
Counting up is less error prone. I’d generally do it that way. The one exception is when it’s a small amount. The items cost $15.67 I give a $20 and three quarters to the cashier. Hopefully she understands I want a $5 bill back and 8 cents in change. I didn’t want a handful of ones. That’s why I offered the 3 quarters. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2017, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-ever-learn-to-make-change-this-way/801873/50 "2017-11-18T01:56:29Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I was at a fast food place the other day and the total $11.xx (I don’t remember the exact number). I gave the guy a twenty and two ones. He said “it’s only eleven dollars” and had kind of a confused look on his face. I said “Yeah, but this way you give me back a ten, and whatever change” and he grokked it pretty quickly. \ Want to make a friend of the cashier? When you do that (give $20 + 2 $1s), tell him/her that you don’t want to take all their $1s/$5s. They’ll assume you’ve been a cashier and are part of the fraternity. They might teach you the secret handshake. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2017, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-ever-learn-to-make-change-this-way/801873/51 "2017-11-18T04:07:16Z")
I used to work in a drive-through, and the way we were expected to do it was total out the order and take the order from the next car in line, total that, and wait on the next car, for as many vehicles as were lined up. Then as each car approached the window, we took payment and made change. It was necessary to figure out the change on your own, it was impractical to depend on the register to figure it out for you because you had to give each person their total while they were still at the speaker. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2017, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-ever-learn-to-make-change-this-way/801873/52 "2017-11-18T05:04:15Z")
I always just subtracted in my head. I didn’t learn about “counting up” change until I was in college, c. 1995, working at a coffeehouse and noticed that’s how some of the employees did the change. I found it pretty much instantaneous to do it in my head, so I never bothered. And my registers balanced fine at the end of the night. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2017, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-ever-learn-to-make-change-this-way/801873/53 "2017-11-18T05:21:14Z")
Yes to the OP. My mother taught me. I think I was in 2nd grade. ISTR at the time I didn’t quite understand the rationale explicitly, just intuitively, and I learned it quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2017, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-ever-learn-to-make-change-this-way/801873/54 "2017-11-18T14:50:26Z")
> [@Jake\_Jones](#): > > This way works fine. In fact it’s less tedious. You can count the change back to the customer more efficiently and without confusion. > > “$7.53 please. Out of ten. 47 is eight (agree with handing coins first) and 2 is ten. Thank you very much.” I’ve never been a full time cashier, but I’ve worked retail in jobs where I would cash out a continuous line for hours at a time. Never had a complaint from a customer or employer. So then you ARE counting it back. You previously said you just did mental math and handed them their change. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2017, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-ever-learn-to-make-change-this-way/801873/55 "2017-11-18T15:01:43Z")
Store cashier here. I can instantly subtract any number from any number and look at any number and put it into change. I do the change first, then do the bills, counting them as I pull them out of the register, and again right on the spot where the camera is and very carefully. Then I recheck the machine’s change total and then I hand them over. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2017, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-ever-learn-to-make-change-this-way/801873/56 "2017-11-18T15:44:19Z")
> [@CelticKnot](#): > > When I worked as cashier at hellmart, I would count up the change sometimes. The elderly always seemed pleased and surprised. But the corporation valued speed far more than accuracy, so counting back change was a no-no. > I have tried to teach it to my students, but since curricula these days are usually an inch deep and a mile wide, there’s very little time for practicing or review. I have no idea if the skill ever stuck. If my experience at the farmer’s market is any indication, then no. There was a fish & chip stand there. A small order was $6. I bought two and handed the teenager a $20. She looked at it and turned to her mother and said “He gave me $20.” The mother says “So give him his change.” The look of confusion on the girl’s face was total. She had no idea how to either mentally subtract 12 from 20 or how to count up and just stood there looking like she was going to cry. So I told her “You owe me $8.” :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Jake\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Jake\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake_Jones)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2017, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-ever-learn-to-make-change-this-way/801873/57 "2017-11-19T16:20:51Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > So then you ARE counting it back. You previously said you just did mental math and handed them their change. Yes, for the exact reason you specified. To make it clear to the customer. I did do the math in my head. I can subtract from 100 amazingly! I’m like a subtract from 100 prodigy! I don’t have to count pennies or nickels or nothing! But I still verbalized the transactions, because things work better that way. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2017, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-ever-learn-to-make-change-this-way/801873/58 "2017-11-19T18:46:57Z")
It seems likely money handling skills will continue to decline. Swiping their card is so common these days. Cashier’s just don’t handle as much money. They still handle some cash transactions. Their register tells them exactly how much change to give back. I used to check that I got back the right change. I find these days it isn’t as important. Unless I used a large bill for a small purchase. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2017, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-ever-learn-to-make-change-this-way/801873/59 "2017-11-19T21:50:30Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > And it’s a stupid way. The palm forms a natural cup that the change can rest in. Bills are smooth and flat, and the coins always slide off them. It’s worse when you’re in the drive-through and the coins fall outside the car window. If I’m handed bills first, I’ll pull my hand away and tuck them in my pocket, then hold it back out for the coins. It must be the way they are trained, or something about the system they use, but IMHO women don’t mind. Because they just slide the change into their purse, then put away the bills. As a bloke, I want to slip the bills into my billfold first, using my thumb and index finger, while holding the change inside my hand. Then, with the bills taken care of and out of the way, stuff the change into my pocket or change pocket – a slightly difficult operation that works better with the whole hand available. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2017, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-ever-learn-to-make-change-this-way/801873/60 "2017-11-19T21:52:04Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > It must be the way they are trained, or something about the system they use, but IMHO women don’t mind. … I’m a woman and I mind. But there’s nothing to be done about it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-ever-learn-to-make-change-this-way/801873.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-ever-learn-to-make-change-this-way/801873.md?page=4)