# Too afraid to speak up and now I may mess up **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 13, 2019, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-afraid-to-speak-up-and-now-i-may-mess-up/840150 "2019-09-13T04:08:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SummerIceWinter2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@SummerIceWinter2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SummerIceWinter2)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2019, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-afraid-to-speak-up-and-now-i-may-mess-up/840150/1 "2019-09-13T04:08:51Z")
I’ve been working at Wendy’s for a year now and yesterday my manager said that from Friday and on I will now be working in Drive Thru as a Cashier. I have never been a cashier ever in my life! I have always worked around food and cleaned up the restaurant at night after closing. One of my Co Workers asked my manager why can’t she just hired someone new who knows what they are doing because my co worker said that she doesn’t have the patience to train me. My manager yelled “You will teach her and she will do it!” Now I am afraid because I am not that good at doing mental math in my head and I’m scared I may hold up the Drive Thru trying to figure it out or I may mess up giving someone their correct amount of change. What do I do? Should I just go to my manager tomorrow and tell her that I have no idea what I’m doing? ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2019, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-afraid-to-speak-up-and-now-i-may-mess-up/840150/2 "2019-09-13T04:28:42Z")
The register will do the math for you, hon. I think fast food registers have the food in pictures on them. You can do this. The window will be fast, but the food choices will be ones you’ve seen before. I believe in you. Go in with an open mind and don’t let your coworker sabotage you. If she short changes you on training tell your Boss. Good luck. Btw, nice to meet you.🙂 Welcome to the Dope. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2019, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-afraid-to-speak-up-and-now-i-may-mess-up/840150/3 "2019-09-13T04:30:50Z")
Since the OP is looking for advice, let’s move this to IMHO. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Stinky\_Pete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Stinky\_Pete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stinky_Pete)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2019, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-afraid-to-speak-up-and-now-i-may-mess-up/840150/4 "2019-09-13T04:34:18Z")
Based on information you gave I say you have come to just the right conclusion on what to do, “…go to your manager tomorrow and tell her that you have no idea what you’re doing”. However I wouldn’t recommend you use that wording. Better I think if you said, “I’m not comfortable working the drive up and would prefer to do a different job” (Or use some other similar wording that is right for you) Part II is that you will need to stick to your guns and despite whatever your manager says keep saying you would prefer not to work the drive through. The manager likely will try to talk you into doing it and you have to be strong on this point. That your manager “yelled” at an employee worries me a lot and part III is I believe you would do well to find work at another place. I wish you good luck and hope you find a happy outcome. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2019, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-afraid-to-speak-up-and-now-i-may-mess-up/840150/5 "2019-09-13T04:39:20Z")
I can only respond as a drive-thru customer. First, an operation which seems to take an eternity to you (since you are doing it over and over) won’t seem like any time at all for the customer. Can you listen to the orders, check that they are correct, and speak clearly to the customer? If you can, you’ll be better than 90% of the people I’ve dealt with. You can do this. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2019, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-afraid-to-speak-up-and-now-i-may-mess-up/840150/6 "2019-09-13T04:42:42Z")
If you do end up working drive-thru, try to sound like you enjoy being there. One guy who works DT at my local Wendy’s makes Ben Stein sound like Ned Flanders. Put a smile in your voice, dig? ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2019, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-afraid-to-speak-up-and-now-i-may-mess-up/840150/7 "2019-09-13T05:51:34Z")
> [@Rilchiam](#): > > If you do end up working drive-thru, try to sound like you enjoy being there. One guy who works DT at my local Wendy’s makes Ben Stein sound like Ned Flanders. Put a smile in your voice, dig? And be careful what you say. there was one local drive through where a couple of times the guy made a mistake and said “Oh crap!” Came through loud and clear to my car. 😛 Agree with what **Beck** said - the Register normally makes it easy. Just keep calm and carry on. 🙂 Welcome to the Dope! ---
**Author:** ![TheKingOfBread](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5a626/32.png) [@TheKingOfBread](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheKingOfBread)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2019, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-afraid-to-speak-up-and-now-i-may-mess-up/840150/8 "2019-09-13T12:38:58Z")
Don’t worry! Just be friendly with the customers and people generally don’t get too upset if you mess up. Plus, you probably won’t make as many mistakes as you think. And like another poster said, the register will do all of the hard math. But I would be honest with your manager and say that you’re willing to try it but since you’ve never done it for long there may be a learning curve. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2019, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-afraid-to-speak-up-and-now-i-may-mess-up/840150/9 "2019-09-13T12:51:03Z")
Don’t worry too much about it, just give it a shot. You might make a few mistakes, but that’s a great way to learn how to do something right. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2019, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-afraid-to-speak-up-and-now-i-may-mess-up/840150/10 "2019-09-13T13:03:57Z")
> [@Stinky\_Pete](#): > > That your manager “yelled” at an employee worries me a lot and part III is I believe you would do well to find work at another place. I’m glad the manager yelled. Co-worker sounds like an ass. **SummerIceWinter2** , as **Beck** said, you won’t have to do any math. You’ll probably be a pro at the register before you know it! I hope you like it. ---
**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:** [September 13, 2019, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-afraid-to-speak-up-and-now-i-may-mess-up/840150/11 "2019-09-13T16:30:28Z")
I’ll echo that the register will do all the math for you. Can you count? Can you figure out that if you need to give 37 cents to someone then it’s one quarter, one dime and two pennies? Congratulations - that’s the most complicated math you will need. One piece of advice from someone who ran a register back in the dark ages. Put the cash they give you on the outside of the register, give them their change, then put the cash they gave you in the register. 99.9% of the people will take the change and leave. 0.1% of the time, someone will say that they gave you a $20 instead of a $10. Then you still have the cash they gave you out, and confirm that they did give you a $10 and you gave them the right change (or that you made a mistake and need to give them more money back). (Also, I might be one of those people because I’m a ditz, and not because I’m scamming you!) ---
**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:** [September 13, 2019, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-afraid-to-speak-up-and-now-i-may-mess-up/840150/12 "2019-09-13T16:34:28Z")
Give it a try. I was nervous my first time running drive thru, but after a few days, I became pretty proficient. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2019, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-afraid-to-speak-up-and-now-i-may-mess-up/840150/13 "2019-09-13T16:35:00Z")
I believe you’ll find it easier than cooking and cleaning. I resisted doing the register at the concession stand I volunteered at. When I ‘had’ to do it, I was expert by the end of the ballgame. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2019, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-afraid-to-speak-up-and-now-i-may-mess-up/840150/14 "2019-09-13T16:39:45Z")
I got fired from the drive through because when we would get busy, I would become so flustered that I would give the customers their food and forget to take their money. Lol. But anyway, another vote for: You can do this OP! ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2019, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-afraid-to-speak-up-and-now-i-may-mess-up/840150/15 "2019-09-13T16:46:00Z")
One more thing I’d like to add: When I was a cashier (at many places) I actually got WORSE at math. Before I cashiered I was quite good at doing numbers in my head. But then having the register do all the math for me, I just got lazy and lost my ability to do the math as quickly as I use to. ---
**Author:** ![Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tired_and_Cranky)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2019, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-afraid-to-speak-up-and-now-i-may-mess-up/840150/16 "2019-09-13T17:42:37Z")
The register makes the math easy. You’re manager believes you’re the best person for the job and she knows you better than we do. If you’re good with people, you can do this job easily. Good luck! ---
**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:** [September 13, 2019, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-afraid-to-speak-up-and-now-i-may-mess-up/840150/17 "2019-09-13T18:19:27Z")
It’ll come to you. The register does the math (and, unlike **Grrr** , I actually found working as a cashier improved my mental math and change making skills a lot and quickly, despite the register). The only tricky part may be counting out the coins efficiently, but that you should be able to figure out within a couple of shifts. (I seem to recall my first shift on the register getting something that was like 43 cents in change and kind of freezing up and going for four dimes and three pennies, because I didn’t want to think about it. But within one or two transactions like that, I realized, oh, duh, quarter, dime, nickel is forty cents, and then grab three more pennies, pulykamell, you moron! It’s just that I never really had to think about it before, but now that I had to do it every transaction, it quickly became second nature to grab the right coins in the most efficient manner.) And, these days, a lot of times the machines just figure that out for you, as well, so you don’t have to do anything. ---
**Author:** ![JWT\_Kottekoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@JWT\_Kottekoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JWT_Kottekoe)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2019, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-afraid-to-speak-up-and-now-i-may-mess-up/840150/18 "2019-09-14T14:55:45Z")
Your boss chose you because he has confidence in you. It is always stressful to take on a job with new or added responsibility, but you need to push through it. Eventually you might be the store manager, but only if you take opportunities when they come. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2019, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-afraid-to-speak-up-and-now-i-may-mess-up/840150/19 "2019-09-14T15:27:27Z")
> [@SummerIceWinter2](#): > > I have never been a cashier ever in my life! This was true at some point about everyone who has ever been a cashier. There’s a first time for everything. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2019, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-afraid-to-speak-up-and-now-i-may-mess-up/840150/20 "2019-09-14T16:21:08Z")
Most people will pay with a card, so a swipe and they are on their way. When someone paid with cash and the price ended in a 1 or a 6, I always asked if they had a penny to avoid having to give them four pennies in change. Remember…just because you don’t know how to do something doesn’t mean you can’t learn it. Get trained and the more you do it the better you’ll get. You can always thank customers for their patience (don’t apologize, instead express gratitude) on your first couple of days because you’re new. I bet after a week you’ll be able to do it in your sleep. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-afraid-to-speak-up-and-now-i-may-mess-up/840150.md?page=2)