assistant couldn't take away!

[janeyo]

I was shocked yesterday when young girl (I say young, prob mid-20's) in specsavers couldn't find her calculator to halve �41.60.

It happened to me a while ago in another shop when tills were down and the assistant had to get calculator out to add up �1, 99 pence and 18 pence.

Anyone else had shocking encounters in shops recently?

janeyo

[zazen999]

Every encounter usually leaves me seething; I had to go to 3 shops yesterday [all computer shops by the way] to buy a flippin mouse. ended up getting one for �5 in tescos...one shop had more staff than customers but still - couldn't get another till open and then charged me the wrong price. I said - do you know what, I'll take my business elsewhere.

I usually get funny looks when I already have the correct money in my hand and it has taken them a few minutes to work it out...I do sometimes say I think you'll find the total is ...and then they don't believe me and get a calculator and won't look me in the eye when i was right.

As if I'm trying to diddle them out of a few bob! As if.

[kentvegplot]

Had to explain to my hairdresser what 10% of �26.50 was - and she was the one who put in this discount structure! Then of course, someone had to work out what �26.50 - �2.65 was.

[piskieinboots]

s'ok for you lot - what if 'you' are numerically dyslexic like wot oi is - huh huh - then what

[mapcr77]

At boots there was one girl who needed the calculator to find out how much was �100 minus �50 discount I was given. And the newsagent uses the calculator to find out how much we owe them for the paper delivery (10p a day, 6 days a week). We have to pay weekly, as we tried arranging it for longer periods of 2 weeks, and he found it too confusing.

[OverWyreGrower]

I'm horribly bad with numbers... I was rubbish at maths at school, and am still rubbish at it now!

I thank my lucky stars for calculators and Excel spreadsheets!

I'm alright with sums as long as they are fairly simple ( +, -, / and x ) and the numbers are simple numbers and not too complicated. I can't do percentages or anything more complicated than that.

I can do the sums more often than not, it just takes me a while (and a pen and paper). It took me 3 goes to pass a Maths GCSE....

My mum and sister and OH are a whizz with numbers, it's just little old me!

[jacob marley]

I went in Swintons insurance office in Coleshill once many years ago to pay a bill �48.00 handed over �50.00 calculator to work out change jacob

[piskieinboots]

.... it's just little old me!

and me .....

[dinky_doo]

i used to work for woolworths (now in the nhs) and we had some really thick ppl working for us.
we got a new manager once and on his first day the first thing he said to me was and these are his exact words " ive worked for woolworths for 30 yrs and i still dont know what im doing " never has a truer word been spoken

[Flump]

I have to admit I'm really bad at maths too, I've often wondered if I've got some sort of number dyslexia thingie? I'm confident to a point but if I'm questioned I get flustered and my mind goes blank. one example was was in front of my niece who was 9 at the time I felt really bad.

As for frustrating service in shops I lose patience and especially since my partner goes for some of these jobs and doesn't even get an interview and could wipe the floor with them skill wise grrrrrrrr 'rant over'

[Finedon.Dandy]

When I took my maths exam we had 3/4 of it to do with a calculator. That was nearly 20 years ago now and I guess it must be even more orienteered around the calculator now. I didnt do very well and never got the hang of algebra and the like. BUT my Dad has always been good with numbers and made me do adding, subtracting ect in my head. I am now proud that I am actualy quite good and thats even with only just passing my maths GCSE by the skin of my teeth! I cannot do the maths thingy they do on countdown though - drives me mad! LOL!!!

[kernowyon]

Maths was my very worst subject at school, by the time I finnished school/college/evening classes I have ended up wtih 4 'O' level grade D's and 2 Grade 4 CSE's, still didn't hold me back though and went on eventually with a 2:1 degree. I still struggle occaisonally with things like exchange rates when abroad but can convert things from the power of 9 to 6 etc

[BarleySugar]

When I was at primary school we had to do mental arithmatic, the headmaster used to come in and ask us all questions. I was so scared of him I always got it wrong. I can do maths in my head, but sometimes I just go blank.
At GCSE they have a calculator paper and a non calculator paper now, so they still should be able to do maths in their heads. My daughter was pretty poor at it, so she is always bank when we play monopoly or other games like that. I've had to stop OH from cutting in with the answer if he thought she was too slow though!

[HappyMouffe]

I was trying to buy some stamps at Christmas, and asked for 12 first class. The shop assistant said "sorry, we only sell them in sixes". After staring at her in incomprehension for a couple of seconds, I realised she was being serious, so I said "OK, I'll have two lots of 6 first class stamps instead, please"

[sez]

i have to admit I work in a bank and still use a calculator. I *can* do it in my head, but it's slower, and it really puts me off having someone watching me! That and if I got it wrong I'd be in doodoo!