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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to be slightly "wow really" at this

150 replies

Lonnie · 13/05/2010 19:14

I wasnt in the mood to cook tonight dh was out and it was just me and the kids so we decided to have a take away went to fish and chips shop was served by a very polite I would estimate 16-17 year old whom took my order and then said that will be £11.90 I handed her £22 and at this point the chip shop owner stepped closer to her and said "seeing you how gave wrong change yesterday with the £10 now be careful today" She went "I dont know how to do that I dont know how much I need to give her back" I was quite shocked and just said "£10.10" but after i was thinking this is really not a hard piece of math and I would expect someone working in a shop to be able to do a piece of math like that in their head. at the dinner table I asked my lot whom could do it asking them to put their hand up in the air once they had it all bar dd3 (age 6) could do it within 1 min ds and dn (8 and 16) doing it within max 10 seconds.. (ds being a bit of a math wiz I did expect him to be able to that fast) dd2 whom struggles in school was the longest (age 10 ) but still got it within the minute..

So I am obviously aware that this girl could have had issues but I find it quite that she wasnt able to do this if she worked in a fish and chips shop (she isnt new Ive seen her there before she has been working there for a while)

I did ask cant the till do that for you?"+ and she went no but the owner went well yes so perhaps once I left she was taught how to use the till in that way

OP posts:
compo · 13/05/2010 19:16

Poor girl

BAFE · 13/05/2010 19:16

Is this true?

scurryfunge · 13/05/2010 19:17

Do you think that people with maybe a learning difficulty shouldn't attempt to work?

ABitBatty · 13/05/2010 19:18

I got a grade C in my maths GCSE but I can't add up quickly in my head like that. Even less so had it been my first or second day at a new, possibly my first, job.

Bit patronising of the boss though. Maybe she was just helping out in her parents' shop.

YABU I think!

PortBlackandRat · 13/05/2010 19:19

It's not just your money / change though there's other things on her mind:
What was the order again?
What about that gentleman wanting a chicken putting in early
Is it time to put more chips in?
God it's flippin hot in here
etc.
And if she's not good at mental arithmetic then she will struggle if she hasn't got a useful till that will tell her.

So sitting round a dinner table is not a useful 'control' situation...

There.........how polite was that ?

thisisyesterday · 13/05/2010 19:19

well Lonnie, not everyone has had a good education like your children.

it's pretty sad

Greensleeves · 13/05/2010 19:19

she needs to be provided with a calculator

JaneS · 13/05/2010 19:20

I couldn't do that. I can't remember numbers well, so I do find it hard to use a till. I have a learning difficulty, but it isn't (I think) obvious from the way I talk. I expect you saw her while she was still learning, she'll either get there or will have to find something else to do - either way, it's a bit mean to judge her for it.

RealityLovesYou · 13/05/2010 19:21

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

warthog · 13/05/2010 19:21

better if she learnt how to add / subtract in her head.

perhaps she felt under pressure and panicked a bit.

compo · 13/05/2010 19:23

Yes what she lacks in maths she probably makes up fir in paragraph writing skills, how are your kids at that?

scurryfunge · 13/05/2010 19:25

"I wasnt in the mood to cook tonight dh was out and it was just me and the kids so we decided to have a take away went to fish and chips shop was served by a very polite I would estimate 16-17 year old whom took my order and then said that will be £11.90 I handed her £22 and at this point the chip shop owner stepped closer to her and said "seeing you how gave wrong change yesterday with the £10 now be careful today" She went "I dont know how to do that I dont know how much I need to give her back" I was quite shocked and just said "£10.10" but after i was thinking this is really not a hard piece of math and I would expect someone working in a shop to be able to do a piece of math like that in their head."

That is one sentence.

withorwithoutyou · 13/05/2010 19:27

Run for your life OP!

Salbysea · 13/05/2010 19:27

There are lots of ways to get from A to B

Some people need to write sums down and use little methods. It depends on how it was taught to them really. Doesn't mean they CAN'T do any maths, just can't do it off the top of their heads. She just needs a little writing pad or calculator.

BAFE · 13/05/2010 19:28

I don't believe it happened anyway.

Why would anyone give £22 for a £11.90 bill? Surely you'd give £20.

AhLaVache · 13/05/2010 19:28

She's working in a chippy...what would you rather she be doing?

thisisyesterday · 13/05/2010 19:29

you'd give £22 so you got a £10 note as change rather than a big handful of coins

i do that all the time

LetThereBeRock · 13/05/2010 19:29

Presumably so that they get a ten pound note back and just one coin rather than a lot of change.

GypsyMoth · 13/05/2010 19:29

op,do you feel better about yourself tonight for belittling someone??

AhLaVache · 13/05/2010 19:30

No scurry...for a start there should be a . after "chip shop".

PandaG · 13/05/2010 19:30

you'd give the £22 if you wanted a tenner back, not a lot of £1 coins

BAFE · 13/05/2010 19:30

Really? I rather like having a few quid change for car parks.

It wouldn't have been a big handful of coins anyway. Just 3 coins and a note.

sarah293 · 13/05/2010 19:31

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

rubyslippers · 13/05/2010 19:31

what is your point OP?

I get very flustered with mental arithmetic and rely heavily on excel and calculators at work

am clearly also worthy of your scorn

Disenchanted3 · 13/05/2010 19:32

I'm OK at maths but on the spot with my manager breathing down my neck and a family staring at me I would probably get flustered too.

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