#010 Money

When I was trained to be a cashier at a regional superstore chain, the trainers highly suggested to the new cashiers that we should face all our monies in the same direction. Face up, all facing one way, preferrably the tops of the heads at the left and names on the right. "Facing" the money would allow you to easily count the money since all the numbers are aligned in the same way and appear in the same general location on each bill. Also when you're in and out of a cash drawer all day, it becomes second nature to not even look at the money - this is why it is important that it goes in the proper slots in the cash drawer. Smallest bill on the right, increasing as you move to the left.

It seems just about everywhere I go these days when I use cash, the cashier never faces their money when they hand it back to me. I mean, I'm not demanding they take it out of the drawer, line it up, then hand it to me.... I'm wondering, why don't they face it all in the drawer? Is their job difficult enough as it is that they simply do not have the mental capacity to do this each time they exchange money? Why aren't all cashiers taught the same way? Maybe the ARE taught the same way, but people just don't care anymore. More and more people are using debit/credit cards these days, and this just further emphasizes my fear that our society is gradually "dumbing down". I face the money in my wallet such that I know where to look for fives and tens (in the middle!...or the back, depending on how much money I have).

I doubt many cashiers can even make change in their head without the register telling them what to do. I see this a lot when I hand the cashier a $5 bill when the total is $4.33 (for example). They punch $5 in the register before I've got my hand out of my wallet (for the second time, to grab some change) and I hand them $0.08 - they look at it like they've never seen money before - and once the shock wears off that I've "screwed them up", they have to *gasp* THINK about what to do next. "What do I do with this?! Ummmmm..." they must be thinking. After about five seconds of letting them sweat over it, I'll pipe up with "I get 75 cents back".

Using cash is (for now) still a legitimate form of payment, and just because plastic seems quicker to use, for those of us that can do small math in our heads it's just as easy and efficient.