# Lateral Thinking Puzzles. Let's do it again! **URL:** \ **Category:** Thread Games\ **Created:** [October 23, 2019, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193 "2019-10-23T21:32:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 266
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5306 "2022-08-18T13:23:17Z")
Do the cashiers have to speak more loudly to the elderly customers so you can more easily hear them say what they are required to say? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5307 "2022-08-18T13:24:51Z")
Are they supposed to ask if a customer wants the senior discount? ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5308 "2022-08-18T13:50:46Z")
> [@Isamu](#): > > Do the cashiers have to speak more loudly to the elderly customers so you can more easily hear them say what they are required to say? No. Why does that question make me think of this: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/GwSh0dAaqIA/hqdefault.jpg "News for the Hard of Hearing") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwSh0dAaqIA) ---
**Author:** ![dirtball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dirtball/32/18772_2.png) [@dirtball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dirtball)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5309 "2022-08-18T13:51:39Z")
Are the cashiers offering something to the customers? Requesting some kind of information? ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5310 "2022-08-18T13:52:32Z")
reply to Mahaloth Are they supposed to ask if a customer wants the senior discount? Definately not. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5311 "2022-08-18T13:54:16Z")
reply to dirtball: Are the cashiers offering something to the customers? sort of… Requesting some kind of information? No. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5312 "2022-08-18T13:57:00Z")
Are they asking a question that seniors are particularly disinterested in? As in, they are almost certainly going to get a negative response from seniors, and are likely to not bother asking seniors, even though you want them to ask everybody. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5313 "2022-08-18T13:59:04Z")
reply to Cheesesteak: Are they asking a question that seniors are particularly disinterested in? No. As in, they are almost certainly going to get a negative response from seniors, and are likely to not bother asking seniors, even though you want them to ask everybody. No. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5315 "2022-08-18T14:12:22Z")
> [@grahamsnumber](#): > > Ian Buckells spotted Definitely! ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5317 "2022-08-18T14:34:12Z")
reply to grahamsnumber: Is it to do with something the elderly are not able to do as well as younger people? No. If more (deaf/visually imaired/less mobile etc) came in that day regardless of age would that be the same? No. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5318 "2022-08-18T14:40:46Z")
Do the cashiers interact differently with the elderly vs. other customers? Do you request that they act differently, or is that something you are trying to prevent? ---
**Author:** ![dirtball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dirtball/32/18772_2.png) [@dirtball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dirtball)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5319 "2022-08-18T14:41:22Z")
Are the customers being asked for an opinion about the store that might help you improve the way you operate? Are the seniors there in greater numbers on Tuesdays because they’re brought in on buses, or in some other comparable fashion? (For example, there might be a service that helps people who don’t find it as easy to get out of the house as it used to be.) ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5320 "2022-08-18T15:08:23Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > Do the cashiers interact differently with the elderly vs. other customers? > > Do you request that they act differently, or is that something you are trying to prevent? No to both. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5321 "2022-08-18T15:09:18Z")
> [@dirtball](#): > > Are the customers being asked for an opinion about the store that might help you improve the way you operate? > > Are the seniors there in greater numbers on Tuesdays because they’re brought in on buses, or in some other comparable fashion? (For example, there might be a service that helps people who don’t find it as easy to get out of the house as it used to be.) No to all. ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5322 "2022-08-18T17:51:33Z")
Regarding the question the cashiers are supposed to ask: Is it a yes/no question? One that requires the customer to choose between two or more specified alternatives? An open-ended question that the customer could potentially answer in a lot of different ways? A question that doesn’t really require an answer at all (like, say, “How do you do?”) Would most customers perceive the question as polite small talk? Would they perceive it as relevant to the transaction? Does the answer the customer gives influence anything the cashier subsequently _does_? (E.g., “Paper or plastic?”) Does the question have a purpose that is _not_ immediately obvious to the customer? ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5323 "2022-08-18T18:27:29Z")
reply to Fretful\_Porpentine: Regarding the question the cashiers are supposed to ask: Is it a yes/no question? Yes. One that requires the customer to choose between two or more specified alternatives? Yes. An open-ended question that the customer could potentially answer in a lot of different ways? No. A question that doesn’t really require an answer at all (like, say, “How do you do?”) No. Would most customers perceive the question as polite small talk? No.Would they perceive it as relevant to the transaction? Yes. Does the answer the customer gives influence anything the cashier subsequently _does_? (E.g., “Paper or plastic?”) Yes. Does the question have a purpose that is _not_ immediately obvious to the customer? No. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5324 "2022-08-18T18:44:26Z")
Should the question be asked near the beginning of the transaction? Near the end? Does the question involve how the customer might pay? Cash, credit, WIC, coupons? Is it a question about their experience like Did you find everything you were looking for? ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5325 "2022-08-18T18:50:21Z")
reply to OldGuy: Should the question be asked near the beginning of the transaction? Near the end? Better near the end. Does the question involve how the customer might pay? Cash, credit, WIC, coupons? No. Is it a question about their experience like Did you find everything you were looking for? No. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5326 "2022-08-18T20:05:00Z")
Is the question related to: How the products are bagged? If the customer needs help of any kind? If the customer wants to buy or pay for anything else as part of the transaction? Donate money? If the customer wants a paper or emailed receipt? ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5327 "2022-08-18T21:00:44Z")
reply to Cheesesteak: Is the question related to: How the products are bagged? No. If the customer needs help of any kind? No. If the customer wants to buy or pay for anything else as part of the transaction? Yes. Donate money? Yes. If the customer wants a paper or emailed receipt? No. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193.md?page=265) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193.md?page=267)