DEAR MISS MANNERS: I remember when cash registers were less automated, and the cashier was required to calculate and make change. The change amount now appears in the display, provided the cashier entered the correct amount offered by the purchaser.
How does a customer count the change without irritating those in line behind? I’m always tempted to ask, “Have you NEVER made a mistake? Is that why I should trust that this wad of money you are thrusting at me is correct?”
I doubt the majority of today’s younger generation knows how to count back change. Should that preclude them from verifying the amount, and letting the customer know it’s correct? Or am I turning into an old bitty?
GENTLE READER: Is an “old bitty” a biddy who is bitter enough to condemn a generation?
Miss Manners can think of three proper ways customers can verify the correct change without unduly delaying other customers: checking the receipt, estimating the amounts (recognizing that if you round to, say, $5, you risk being shortchanged), and learning to subtract faster.
She reserves her own frustration for cashiers who fail to notice discrepancies so great as to be nonsensical.