Shopping at Target.

Total comes to $15.66.

Only bills I have are $20’s, but I do have a pocket full of change that I’d like to get rid of. If I can eliminate some change and get 1 $5 back instead of 4 $1’s and more change, I’d like to do that.

I hand the $20 to the young lady working the register and say “Hang on, I think I’ve got the 66¢”, but she already keyed $20.00 into the register and pressed Enter. Drawer pops open but I managed to get her to wait a moment while I counted out change from my pocket.

Alas, I had 2 quarters, 1 penny, and a couple of dimes, but no nickels… so I can’t make 66¢, but I can make 71¢.

“Well, I don’t have 66¢ but I do have 71¢” I tell the girl as I hand her the change.

She stares at me with a vacant look, unsure of what she’s supposed to do.

I sigh.

“I tell her, just give me back a $5 bill and a nickel.”

You can see she’s trying to wake up the hamster that powers her brain, but I can tell even if the hamster woke up it wouldn’t know how to run on the wheel.

“Just give me a 5 and a nickel.”

blank stare.

“A 5 and a nickel”.

She struggles to comprehend… I think it clicked that math is now involved. Math that the computer didn’t do for her, and she apparently cannot do in her head on her own.

“A 5 and a nickel.”

I can tell she gives up on trying to figure it out for herself and reluctantly trusts my math is correct. She proceeds to hand me 5 $1 bills and a nickel and says, “Sir, we’re not allowed to do this.” (implying “OK, I’ll do this just this once, but there’s company policy against us doing things like this.”  i.e. some weak attempt to save face).

Not allowed to do what? Make change?

Do math?

Think?

*sigh*