# 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:** 267
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5328 "2022-08-18T23:46:46Z")
Are the cashiers supposed to be making an offer? Is the question the same for every person who comes in? Does the cashier give the customer something if the customer answers a particular way? ---
**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 19, 2022, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5329 "2022-08-19T01:12:12Z")
Is this one of those “do you want to add $1 / $5 / whatever to your grocery bill to donate to [some charity]” things? If so, would it help to know what charity it is? You said the solution _didn’t_ have to do with the cashiers talking louder when they interact with old people, correct? Do they do something else differently when they interact with old people? Do the older people typically say or do something that younger customers do not? Ooh … are they more likely to write checks? Does this make it easier to see who donated? Do they write a note on the memo line? If that’s not it, do the old people have some other relevant characteristic in common _besides_ being old? ---
**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 19, 2022, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5330 "2022-08-19T01:29:13Z")
reply to Zyada: Are the cashiers supposed to be making an offer? Yes. Is the question the same for every person who comes in? Yes. Does the cashier give the customer something if the customer answers a particular way? 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 19, 2022, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5331 "2022-08-19T01:40:30Z")
reply to Fretful\_Porpentine Is this one of those “do you want to add $1 / $5 / whatever to your grocery bill to donate to [some charity]” things? If so, would it help to know what charity it is? You said the solution _didn’t_ have to do with the cashiers talking louder when they interact with old people, correct? Do they do something else differently when they interact with old people? Do the older people typically say or do something that younger customers do not? Ooh … are they more likely to write checks? Does this make it easier to see who donated? Do they write a note on the memo line? YOU GOT IT! If that’s not it, do the old people have some other relevant characteristic in common _besides_ being old? Good job Fretful\_Porpentine! +++++ Full solution: Our cashiers are supposed to ask if the customer wants to “round-up” to the next even dollar for charity. If I am watching them then the cashiers tend to ask. But what if I am not watching? One easy way is to look through a cashier’s drawer after a shift and examine the percentage of checks written for even dollar amounts. But these days so few people write checks. Except Tuesday, which is senior citizen’s discount day. Our store gets many seniors and at least triple the number of checks on any given Tuesday. By looking at the percentage of even dollar checks, it gives me a clear idea who is asking, and who needs some coaching. Any other day but Tuesday and this will not work. There will not be enough checks. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2022, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5332 "2022-08-19T21:04:48Z")
I’m glad I didn’t get back to this thread sooner-- I was going to ask if weekly specials were relevant in some way. The answer to that would have been “yes”, but I was thinking in terms of the weekly flyer that says what will be on sale for the next week, or the like, which might have sent us off in the weeds. Don’t the registers produce an electronic record of all of the transactions? ---
**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 20, 2022, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5333 "2022-08-20T18:57:45Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Don’t the registers produce an electronic record of all of the transactions? Sure they do but my method is easier. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2022, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5334 "2022-10-15T16:13:25Z")
A father asked his teenage son for assistance on a task. The son’s contribution allegedly took less than five minutes to complete. Even so, the son earned over a million dollars from it. And that was back when a million dollars was a lot of money. The father’s earnings were a lot less. Name the father. ---
**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:** [October 15, 2022, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5335 "2022-10-15T16:15:37Z")
Robert Altman? First thing that came to mind was MASH and how his son wrote the theme song, which got picked up on the TV show and earned ongoing residuals for Robert Altman’s son. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2022, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5336 "2022-10-15T16:19:53Z")
Well, that didn’t take long. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2022, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5337 "2022-10-15T17:23:51Z")
Wow, that was it!? Cool. ETA: five minutes? Really? ---
**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:** [October 15, 2022, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5338 "2022-10-15T18:04:34Z")
Certain comic book characters made real life space trips with NASA. Three different times, according to Wiki. Who are these characters? ---
**Author:** ![SailorHG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@SailorHG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SailorHG)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2022, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5339 "2022-10-15T18:09:42Z")
Would they be Casper (Apollo 16 command module) and Charlie Brown/Snoopy/ (Apollo 10 CSM and LEM)? ---
**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:** [October 15, 2022, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5340 "2022-10-15T18:12:14Z")
Would they be Casper (Apollo 16 command module) and Charlie Brown/Snoopy/ (Apollo 10 CSM and LEM)? No. ---
**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:** [October 15, 2022, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5341 "2022-10-15T18:16:19Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > ETA: five minutes? Really? I’m the OP for the thread, so I get instant notifications when it is updated. Combine that with me knowing the answer and it was quick. I apologize, by the way. I think that I should have just said I know and let others solve it. More fun and less self-centered. I would suggest if you know it, let others play and yet i did that. I apologize to @Peter_Morris . I answered it like trivia and should have let it play out. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2022, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5342 "2022-10-15T19:01:38Z")
No! My 5 minute remark was regarding the time it took the kid to compose the song ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2022, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5343 "2022-10-15T19:05:40Z")
Were the characters in a comic book? Stuffed toys? ---
**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:** [October 15, 2022, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5344 "2022-10-15T19:13:36Z")
reply to Zyada: Were the characters in a comic book? Yes. Stuffed toys? No. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2022, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5345 "2022-10-15T19:16:18Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I apologize to @Peter_Morris No need. Too easy a question, I think. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2022, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5346 "2022-10-15T19:25:38Z")
Is the punchline here that, unlike Armstrong and Aldrin and et cetera, there were some lesser-known real-life astronauts who happened to be named “Bruce Wayne” or “Clark Kent” or whatever? ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2022, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5347 "2022-10-15T19:38:00Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > astronauts who happened to be named “Bruce Wayne” or “Clark Kent” or whatever? Or [Guy Gardner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Gardner_(astronaut))? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193.md?page=266) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193.md?page=268)