Cheaper than Dime a dozen at present exchange rates.
Media mistakes
- Thread starter RobH1
- Start date
antipodean
Active Member
You need to go way further back than that. I remember my maternal Grandfather moaning about the state of learning of youngsters back in the 1950s. He went into a shop to buy a pack of a gross of wooden pegs, and the dim-witted lass behind the counter goes searching, and comes back in a bit 'sorry, we only have them packed as 12 dozen'. I can still remember his contempt for her education nearly 70 years later.
Do you notice the case when skim reading ?
You can't miss a plane by 10 minutes.
Labour's 1965 comprehensive revolution has now reached its scope. Say welcome
Black Hole
May contain traces of nut
Erm... yes. Because it's important.
"Schooling to meet the challenges of the technological revolution"? Rather off-topic (sorry - feel free to stop reading now) but an anecdote...:
In the 2000s Burger King reintroduced the slogan “Have it your way”. I asked for a spicy beanburger with no cheese, and was told no, because there's no such button on the till. Once we got past that minor obstacle my total bill was £5.10. I gave a £10 note + a 10p coin, and then had to explain how that scenario works. Response: "Sorry sir, the till doesn't work like that," then was given £4.90 in coins, then my 10p back. I then asked if I could exchange my pile of coins for a £5 note... "no, we're not allowed to give out change," (or indeed receive it, it seems). Never been back. Having told this story before, someone did point out that the till might be so dumbed down that it really doesn't "work like that", but I doubt it as it's not a function required from the till unless an exact inventory is required, and has anyone seen a modern till that doesn't allow cost & payment entry, then change calculation?
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Black Hole
May contain traces of nut
I've never used a POS terminal, but I cannot envisage any such machine will not allow the operator to enter "10.10" as cash received, therefore this comes down to staff training. And even if "10.00" was entered, once the till was open it wouldn't matter that £10.10 was put in and £5 taken out instead of £10 in and £4.90 out. That's just lack of intelligence.
But yes, I agree: particularly younger checkout operators get quite confused when I hand over more cash than they expect, to round up the change. Some get confused by cash at all. And some even just assume I don't want a receipt!
I recently escorted a friend when she took a garden parasol back to The Range, it having snapped its winch cord within a month of purchase. The assistant seemed confused that we were bringing something back outside their 14-day sale-or-return window because it was broken, and called over the manager. The manager said we were out of time for returns. "It's broken!" Oh. Then we overheard the "manager" explain to the assistant that if something was faulty it is OK to issue a refund within "a couple of months"!
But yes, I agree: particularly younger checkout operators get quite confused when I hand over more cash than they expect, to round up the change. Some get confused by cash at all. And some even just assume I don't want a receipt!
I recently escorted a friend when she took a garden parasol back to The Range, it having snapped its winch cord within a month of purchase. The assistant seemed confused that we were bringing something back outside their 14-day sale-or-return window because it was broken, and called over the manager. The manager said we were out of time for returns. "It's broken!" Oh. Then we overheard the "manager" explain to the assistant that if something was faulty it is OK to issue a refund within "a couple of months"!
EEPhil
Number 28
I'll have to check whether self serve checkouts are equally as dumb. I do know if the amount is £5.10 and you put £10 in first it will start issuing change. But what happens if you put 10p in first? Do you get a £5 note (or possibly coins) or do you get your 10p back and then £4.90 more change?
And so do some of those self service checkouts. The screen button for receipt often fails - and you have 5s before it times out. A few times I've moaned at the person supervising the checkouts and they've managed to print a "duplicate". Duplicate? It didn't print the [expletive deleted] original!
EEPhil
Number 28
I've not been asked for change very often. The time I remember was many years ago when paying for an item in Germany. "Haben Sie Kleinegelt?" I heard. I guessed that was a reference to small change - and found some. Wonder what happens there now.
gomezz
Well-Known Member
I always put the small change in first to reduce the amount of small change I end up with. So in your case I would get a fiver back as a note.
What does annoy me is when a self-service till rejects the self-same small coins it gave me the previous time I used that till!
Black Hole
May contain traces of nut
I have done that and yes, you can force it to round up the change. Machine better programmed than a checkout operator.
I guess you must be shopping at the Co-Op. I don't use it often, but when I did recently the option to obtain a receipt timed out before I realised what it was asking.
But tell me this: when a cash point specifically asks whether you want a receipt with your transaction before you even make the transaction, why do I find advice slips left in the machine by a previous user???!
What does annoy me is when a self-service till rejects the self-same small coins it gave me the previous time I used that till!
What annoys me is that the machines are not stocked with 10p coins so there is often a pile of 5p's in the change
. That's a good reason to stack the inserted cash.
EEPhil
Number 28
You guessed wrongly! I boycott the Co-op. Tesco usually does this to me.
Black Hole
May contain traces of nut
I haven't noticed the Tesco self-checkouts timing out the receipt option. IIRC they will "time out" to a "do you need more time?" screen. Asda presents a count-down from something reasonable (10 seconds?). I think Morrisons does the same. But the Co-Op just flashed it up and timed out so fast I didn't have time to react (as a newcomer).
The only reason I went in was because I was passing and it saved a 6-mile round trip to Tesco (about £1.20 in petrol) – I ended up paying through the nose (mainly because I didn't realise their "offers" were tied to an affinity card) and then still going to Tesco later anyway!
EEPhil
Number 28
Cheap compared to the cost of public transport to get to the nearest Tesco of a reasonable size.
A very long walk there plus two buses back (currently £4), or 4 buses (£5.30 capped), or buses plus trams (different branch, £6.40 capped). Even the smallest Tesco is a full bus journey (or long walk) away. Roll on the time when I can get a free bus (and possibly tram) pass for travel after 09:30. The Co-op is small and less than 200 yards away! Ever get the feeling I'm shooting myself in the foot?
Wildebeest
Member
They used to credit your account with a cashback if you used a membership card - basically the same as a loyalty card in this respect - but they changed recently - now they just knock money off at the till. In my region anyway.
prpr
Well-Known Member
I didn't realise, until I was refused use of a voucher in the "wrong" region, that the Co-Op was regionalised, and that one region's Co-Op didn't really care about the other Co-Ops.
Northern, Central and Southern are all apparently different organisations, but they don't really seem to like to advertise the fact.
Cool