# You have estimated.....Poorly **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 30, 2009, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-estimated-poorly/512079 "2009-09-30T05:56:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-estimated-poorly/512079/21 "2009-10-04T05:51:41Z")
This OP makes me both sad and puzzled. Sad because this woman seems spectacularly unable to handle the day-to-day responsibilities of living, and puzzled because, as others have said, how do you mis-estimate by $500?!? I guess the idea that she is completely new to not having unlimited funds explains it. Welcome to how the rest of the world live, honey (if that is the reason). ---
**Author:** ![Jamicat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c67d28/32.png) [@Jamicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamicat)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-estimated-poorly/512079/22 "2009-10-04T05:57:57Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > I’m [very] bad at math_ **s** _, and I have a Software Engineering Degree. > > I do something similar to **emcee2k**. If something costs £1.79 it’s £2.00. If something costs 39p it’s 50p. > > on those rare occasions I’ve mis-calculated (because of wanting to get the hell out of there and not really engaging brain) I’ve only had to remove one item. I do the 1/2 or 1 rounding…using my fingers like an abacus, I can go to about 150 before i’m off a buck or two. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-estimated-poorly/512079/23 "2009-10-04T05:58:30Z")
I wouldn’t have thought it was physically possible to fill a single shopping cart with stuff at Wal\*Mart and break the $500 barrier. Even if you loaded it up with microwaves and TVs or something… > [@whiterabbit](#): > > If you can’t afford the $6.00 house brand pregnancy test, _WTF makes you think you can afford a child???_ Knowing whether or not your pregnant is probably handy information to have even when you _don’t_ want a child, you know. ---
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-estimated-poorly/512079/24 "2009-10-04T05:58:42Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > One can be found in Watchung, **NJ** , and another one in Union, **NJ**. _There’s_ your problem. It ain’t the store. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Abby\_Emma\_Sasha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e68b1a/32.png) [@Abby\_Emma\_Sasha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abby_Emma_Sasha)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-estimated-poorly/512079/25 "2009-10-04T07:06:08Z")
> [@emcee2k](#): > > This is why I always round up to the next dollar when I’m keeping track of the price of what’s in my cart. It doesn’t matter if something is 15 cents or 99 cents, I count it as one dollar. This is what I have always done. I used to take a calculator but now I just keep a running tab in my head, always rounded out to the nearest dollar. I may not remember what I had for lunch yesterday or my mother’s birthday, but I never forget that amount in my head. I can’t imagine how anyone can rack up 700+ while only carrying two hundred bucks. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Mondegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/91b2a8/32.png) [@Lord\_Mondegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Mondegreen)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-estimated-poorly/512079/26 "2009-10-04T08:38:55Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > I was making a joke about the rhythm method, which sometimes involves counting days. I got it, and I laughed. Color me not surprised that someone with 6 kids is bad at math. (You know, there are one or two things you can do to stop having more kids …) ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-estimated-poorly/512079/27 "2009-10-04T11:51:45Z")
> [@whiterabbit](#): > > When I worked at Wal-Mart (somehow I escaped with my soul intact and now refuse to set foot in one) we were always finding stolen used pregnancy tests in the bathrooms. > > If you can’t afford the $6.00 house brand pregnancy test, _WTF makes you think you can afford a child???_ I sometimes wonder if they’re ALL stolen or if they got bought & then used by girls who don’t dare take them home where they can be found in the trash. On the other hand, it’s not as bothersome when you find an empty pack of stolen condoms because at least the thieves are trying to avoid making little thieves. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-estimated-poorly/512079/28 "2009-10-04T12:00:43Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Knowing whether or not your pregnant is probably handy information to have even when you _don’t_ want a child, you know. True. But if you can’t afford condoms, at the very least (unless you are able to get somewhere where you can get free ones), then perhaps…perhaps you should at least think about not having sex until you can get your hands on some sort of birth control, not just take your chances and then steal a cheapie pregnancy test when you realize that you just might have done something Not So Smart. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-estimated-poorly/512079/29 "2009-10-04T16:56:17Z")
I cannot believe I typed _your_ for _you’re_ there. I was very drunk last night. Anyway, people still get pregnant _with_ condoms. ---
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-estimated-poorly/512079/30 "2009-10-04T17:16:06Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Anyway, people still get pregnant _with_ condoms. Bet those are easier to give birth to than babies! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-estimated-poorly/512079/31 "2009-10-04T17:22:48Z")
Yes, they do. But at least they _tried_. Quite possibly with stolen condoms, of course… And I didn’t want to call you out on the your/you’re thing, but I’m glad to see you are horrified by it. 🙂 ---
**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:** [October 4, 2009, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-estimated-poorly/512079/32 "2009-10-04T17:50:25Z")
We’ve been using Wal-Mart for the past six months for the prescription service, as it works nationwide and there is never any hassle. In fact, it’s efficient and the pharm workers are very helpful. That said, we avoid buying anything else there as a matter of principle. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-estimated-poorly/512079/33 "2009-10-04T21:43:00Z")
> [@gravitycrash](#): > > I’m genuinely curious where all of these nasty, soul-sucking Walmarts are located. I haven’t been in a dingy unorganized one in over ten years and the ones that were are the ones that were built 30 years or so ago. Matteson, IL. It was filthy. Of course, it’s now been about 10 years since I was inside, so for all I know, it’s clean now. But I still won’t shop there. ---
**Author:** ![leander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bcef8e/32.png) [@leander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leander)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-estimated-poorly/512079/34 "2009-10-04T21:56:37Z")
> **[Home - People Of Walmart](https://www.peopleofwalmart.com/)** > > Home - People Of Walmart ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-estimated-poorly/512079/35 "2009-10-04T22:25:19Z")
> [@leander](#): > > [www.peopleofwalmart.com](http://www.peopleofwalmart.com) Thankyou. Something to get me through the rest of my sunday shift at work 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-estimated-poorly/512079/36 "2009-10-04T22:33:20Z")
> [@gravitycrash](#): > > I’m genuinely curious where all of these nasty, soul-sucking Walmarts are located. I haven’t been in a dingy unorganized one in over ten years and the ones that were are the ones that were built 30 years or so ago. Most of the ones I’ve been to in Illinois. On the other hand, the few I’ve been to in Wisconsin were actually rather pleasant. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-estimated-poorly/512079/37 "2009-10-04T22:34:56Z")
> [@leander](#): > > [www.peopleofwalmart.com](http://www.peopleofwalmart.com) And I always thought you folks were _kidding_ when you talked about the fine qualities of WalMart customers. (Honestly, the ones here aren’t like that.) ---
**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-estimated-poorly/512079/38 "2009-10-04T22:48:30Z")
> [@gravitycrash](#): > > I’m genuinely curious where all of these nasty, soul-sucking Walmarts are located. I haven’t been in a dingy unorganized one in over ten years and the ones that were are the ones that were built 30 years or so ago. Weirdly, the one in Cary, NC (a top-rated and rather swanky town) is a total pit. I can only assume it’s old, therefore icky. Another nearby in Raleigh is considerably nicer, but I’d rather have a root canal than negotiate the parking lot on a weekend. I have heard people say that Walmart likes to open a new store with great fanfare, and it’s clean and bright and convenient and well staffed, but then as years pass, they don’t do upkeep and things get grungy fast. As for weird customers, I believe someone here coined the term, “Walmartians,” which still makes me LOL. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-estimated-poorly/512079/39 "2009-10-05T00:51:27Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > And I always thought you folks were _kidding_ when you talked about the fine qualities of WalMart customers. (Honestly, the ones here aren’t like that.) That site actually made me a little queasy. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2009, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-estimated-poorly/512079/40 "2009-10-07T15:57:22Z")
> [@whiterabbit](#): > > If you can’t afford the $6.00 house brand pregnancy test, _WTF makes you think you can afford a child???_ Cheaper than just going in for a D&C every time your period is late, no? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-estimated-poorly/512079.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-estimated-poorly/512079.md?page=3)