The Hidden Cost

Today’s post encompasses corporate America, baby boomers, shopping, marriage and the hidden cost of always being right. I know this to be a true story, because it happened to me…

I was doing some shopping last week (that’s the baby boomer/shopping part) and when I got home I noticed that I did not have a receipt from the grocery store. I had, instead, a long blank slip with coupons printed all over it. I must have mistakenly taken it and missed the actual receipt. But, since some stores print on both sides of the tape, I wasn't really sure that I had done anything wrong. (That’s the corporate America part.)

So, I told my wife that I forgot to take the receipt; after being married so long I immediately dismissed the notion that I was right; I mean it must be my fault. Sue just kidded me a bit about getting old and forgetful. (That’s the marriage part.)

So, imagine how happy; nay thrilled; I was the other day when, shopping at the same store, I got the receipt and it was printed on both sides, proving that I did not in fact forget the receipt last week. I even remembered the amount being $29.71; a feat for which I was given no credit at all.

It was with triumph in my heart that I sat down in the car and wrote the note on the receipt pictured above, proclaiming the fact that; just as with Wolf Larson in “Sea Wolf” by Jack London; I was indeed right. I even got about 5 miles down the road before I realized the hidden cost associated with my being right. I had forgotten to take the $6 dollars change I asked for…

White Christmas?

It may be gearing up for a White Christmas! Don't need a lot of snow. Just a little dusting to make everything look like Christmas. This is what it looks like now, at noon, on Saturday. Makes me want to go shopping. I think I will...

New Math and Clueless Clerks

Sue went to the grocery store at lunch today. It was a simple transaction, less than $20. The total was actually $17.07 Using her ATM card, Sue asked for $2.93 change in order to round the bill up to a neat $20. Easy to remember if you lose the receipt. The girl at the register handed her $20. Sue gave it back and tried to explain that she had been given too much change. The clerk was clueless, she had no idea what Sue was talking about. "The receipt says Debit $20.00, so I gave you $20.00.", was about the only response she was able to offer. Sue tried to reason with her, to no avail.

The Assistant Manager was called over, surely he could straighten this out. Nope. Totally beyond his power of reasoning. Time to call in the big guns. The Manager! It took him a minute or two, collecting information on all sides to the dispute, before carefully adding and subtracting the applicable numbers, which proved Sue to be correct. She had been given $20 too much.

It's frightening to think of all the time and effort that was brought to bear in correcting a problem as simple as addition and subtraction. But it's one of the many things I love about Sue. Me, I would have given up after the Assistant Manager and just tossed the $20 in the Salvation Army kettle outside.

New Math

Not too long ago I was at the checkout in my local supermarket. I used my Debit Card to pay the bill and wanted some “cash back.” The bill was $37.67 and I wanted change to make the total $50 even. I swiped my card and punched in the code and selected “yes” for Cash back. I then quickly entered the $12.33 I wanted back in change.

The astonished cashier, a young woman about 19 years old, looked at me and said “How did you figure that out so quickly?” Without missing a beat I quickly replied, “I am so old that I have memorized all of the possible combinations of numbers.” With a look of complete awe she responded, “Wow, that’s really great!”

So I was not too surprised when I received the following e-mail, one of those forwarded things that I usually find annoying. I cleaned this one up a bit- it was kind of political in nature, although the general message is the same. We have been “dumbed down” as a society. The basic things we took for granted as part of a general education have been supplanted by newer ways of thinking. This reminded me of the “new math” we were taught in elementary school, and which, by the time I was raising my own kids, had been replaced by “newer math.” This is a funny recap of the last 50 years of teaching basic math;

1. Teaching Math In the 1960’s
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit ?

2. Teaching Math In the 1970’s
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or $80. What is his profit?

3. Teaching Math In the 1980’s
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80. Did he make a profit?

4. Teaching Math In the 1990’s
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80 and his profit is $20. Your assignment: Underline the number which represents his profit.

5. Teaching Math In the Early 2000's
A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the preservation of our woodlands. He does this so he can make a profit of $20. What do you think of this way of making a living? Topic for class participation after answering the question: How did the birds and squirrels feel as the logger cut down their homes? (There are no wrong answers, and if you feel like crying, it's ok.)

6. Teaching Math In 2010
Who cares, just steal the lumber from your neighbor's property. It's OK anyway because it’s a redistribution of wealth.