Brilliant Clerks at Food Lion

[Drakantus]

Payment as phony as, well, a $200 bill


The Associated Press

ROANOKE RAPIDS -- Police are searching for a man who paid for $150 in groceries at a Food Lion grocery store with a $200 bill.

The man walked out of the store with his groceries and $50 in change before the fake bill was discovered Sept. 6.

The bogus bill -- the U.S. Mint does not print a $200 bill -- bore the image of President Bush on the front and had the White House on the back. It also included signs on the front lawn of the White House with slogans such as "We like broccoli" and "USA deserves a tax cut," Roanoke Rapids police said.

Instead of being labeled a Federal Reserve note, the fake bill was marked as a "Moral Reserve Note." The bill bore the signatures of Ronald Reagan, political mentor; and George H.W. Bush, campaign adviser and mentor.

Food Lion said normal policy is not to accept bills over $100

http://newsobserver.com/news/story/2855036p-2634600c.html

 

[jtr1962]

Do you really expect any differently with the kinds of graduates most schools are turning out these days? I few weeks ago I went a fast food place and the total bill came to $4.36. I handed the clerk a $5 bill. She handed me back 64 cents change and $15 in bills. Putting aside that the register calculates the change for you, a little common sense tells you that if somebody pays for something costing a little less than $5 with a $5 bill, they should only get back change. I generally don't keep extra change when it's in my favor if it's an honest mistake(like two bills stuck together). However, this was so blatantly stupid that I said f*ck 'em, I'm keeping it. At this particular place cashiers move between registers, so the clerk won't be responsible for the discrepancy anyhow. Even if she was, I think I would have kept it anyway. Maybe losing $15 will teach her to learn better math skills. The kind of help in most stores these days is pathetic.

 

[blakerwry]

oh come on jtr, you're being a little harsh. She probably has the monotonous job of taking orders and handling money for hours on end with obnoxious co-workers, rude customers, and screaming kids.

If you're not challenged by your work and/or you don't enjoy it then I wouldn't expect someone to deveote much attention to it. or give it their fullest effort. She probably was not paying attention and thought you gave her a $20.

I used to work register at a palce where we had to count change back by hand, I can empathise with her situation and understand that it's possible to make a few mistakes that aren't related to counting back change.

 

[blakerwry]

I should have included in that post that your experience isn't necesarily reltaed to her intelligence level or the education provided by your local schools.

 

[jtr1962]

The thing is that the clerks always enter the cash tendered into the register, and the register calculates the change due. In fact, many of them are helpless calculating change if they don't do this. If she couldn't tell a $20 bill from a $5 bill then something is seriously wrong here. Maybe not education or intelligence related. Maybe she just wasn't suited to that type of job, or was simply a high school kid who didn't give a sh*t. I've had jobs just as boring. Sure, you occasionally make small mistakes, but I don't think I've ever seen anything like that. And the main topic of this post proves my point-that $200 bill was so obviously phony that I can't believe anybody would accept it. It's basic training for anyone handling money to check for the little plastic strip in all US bills $5 and up. I know most clerks I encounter do this. This isn't rocket science after all.

Incidentally, I was once in Burger King and one of the items I ordered was chili. The clerk took my order except for the chili. I repeated chili three more times, but the clerk didn't get it. She apparently thought I was refering to the weather outside. I gave up at that point, paid, got my order minus the chili, and left.

Continuing this, my mom has dealt with a great deal of paperwork due to her accident three years ago. Often, she needs to resubmit the same paperwork multiple times because it keeps getting lost. When I was involved in a car accident as a passenger in 1988 my lawyer had me fill out a form to get back wages. I did-three times. I gave up after that as it was only a few hundred dollars and I didin't think I would have any better luck the fourth time. If the lawyer's office didn't lose it the insurance company probably would have. Nonsense like this happens all the time. I even heard from a friend formerly in the business that it's a game played by insurance companies to discourage people filing claims. Just keep losing the paperwork. 9 times out of 10 the claimant gives up eventually. Knowingly hiring incompetent people helps in that regard as you have ready scapegoats.

 

[Pradeep]

LOL, your comments re: chili remind me the first time I went to a McDs in the USA. I kept asking for a chicken burger, after a few times I realized I needed to ask for a chicken "sandwich". And I often have problems with cashiers when you give them extra change so they give you a whole note back, i.e bill is 4.25 so you give them a $5 note and a quarter coin. Half the time it's a blank look, I have to say "you just give a dollar back now".

I was reading the other day that in California they spend about US$20,000 per year on kids public education, and yet half of them still can't read or write properly or do simple frigging arithmetic.

 

[jtr1962]

I get the exact same thing happening to me when I give extra change to get back a whole note.

 

[Howell]

I have no problems when I'm . Either because they have worked the job so long they are used to it, or more likely they don't care what I gave them they just punch it into the machine. Sometimes I get a confused look for a second.

When I do have problems is when the total rings up at 4.47 and I give them $5.52 instead of just $5. Sometimes they want to give me the change back. Usually they just trust me and try to figure it out. Once they figure out I'm supposed to get more than a dollar back they are OK from there.

 

[Mercutio]

My favorite change story:

I stopped in a 7-11 to get a drink one hot summer day on my way home from work. While I was in there deliberating between their fine selection of tasty cold beverages, a positively stunning young woman walked in: short blond hair, daisy duke-style cutoffs and something that might've charitably been called a halter top but could just as easily been called a belt.

She walked up to the counter: "Can I have change for this?" She pursed her lips a bit and leaned purposefully over the counter, holding out a $10 bill.

The slack-jawed acne-striken lad behind the counter popped the drawer on his register. I'm certain that wasn't the only thing popping just that moment.
"S-sure" he managed to stammer, after a long pause, "What do you need?"

Without missing even a single beat, the girl replied: "Two tens and a five."

The cashier didn't even look down. He never took his eyes off her as he reached in the drawer and gave her the money.

She skipped out the door.

When I finally walked up to the counter with my "Big Gulp", I thought I might wave hands in front of his face to get his attention. Then I realized he was still staring at her, vigorously cleaning off the windshield to her car.

We just stood there until she pulled away.