Teaching kids to count back change

for some maybe. I found counting up was way faster, especially when working the drive thru. It is very fast.

It's a side effect of no one having to count change anymore.  They just grab the correct amount out of the drawer, then give the bills followed by coins.  The cash register tells them $7.38 change, so they give it to you the way it reads.  When you count change, you would start with the coins to get to the next dollar, then follow up with the bills.

Tell her to be prepared for people, like my mom *cough*, who will give her $21.00 when the total is $10.83. My mom does this so she doesn't get a lot of singles back, just a $10 bill plus change. Sometimes I tell my mom don't do that because you are just confusing them, as the person tries to hand back the $1 bill to my mom.

I have never seen those threads but I wish I did.  I know that this is not a widely used policy in my area, big box stores or not.

I have to admit I am intrigued by where you live, you seem to have a lot of rules and policies that are interesting and so different from my area. But you obviously love it and it works for you so I guess it really doesn't matter if it seems strange to me.

I haven't ever experienced that either, although I have had many young cashiers have to call the manager over because they don't know what change to give back.

This just happened to my sister last week when she was visiting. They went to a mom and pop bakery and bought a couple donuts and two coffees. The 20-something girl running the register gave BIL the wrong change back and he caught it right away. Then they bought a small cake, got out to the car and my sister thought the total was way too high for what was essentially a large cupcake. She called the store and found out she had been overcharged by ten dollars. When she went back in to get it the girl gave her a hard time instead of just giving her the $10 (which the manager had already set aside next to the register to give back to her). 

My first job was in a small drug store and the cash register they used then was at least 80 years old (seriously, with the little keys you pushed down that said 5¢, 10¢ etc. and the little things flipped up side the glass!) and I had to learn how to count back change. I also needed to know how to do it when I worked in every retail job I had after that, as a teller, when I worked as a bank CSR and when I had my own small retail store even though I had a computerized register. You need to know how to do it if you ever have a garage sale, work at a PTA bake sale or library book sale, if you ever work at a bank or if you just want to make sure you're not being chumped on your change at McDonald's by a kid who simply doesn't know how to count.

You do the counting in your head as you take the change out of the cubbies in the cash drawer, counting up. You don't need to count back every coin to the customer, just know that the coins you're handing to them (FIRST! As many have pointed out) add up to the next dollar, then count the bills into their hand beyond that. So for example:

Total = $2.38, they pay with a $10
Counting in your head as you pull the coins from the drawer, 
$2.38, plus 2¢ is 40, plus 10¢ is 50, plus two more quarters is $3.00
Four (another dollar), five (another dollar), and $5 more is ten dollars. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

And if you want to help her out with one more tip from a seasoned cash handler, tell her to never put the bill they are paying with into the drawer until she has counted back the change to the customer, and name the amount they have paid in the transaction. So with the above example, I would say, "Your total is $2.38, out of ten." (Hand them the coins) "This makes three," (count out the ones) "four, five," (hand them the $5) "and five makes ten." Then, and only then, put the ten into the cash drawer. This makes it much harder for someone to shortchange her by saying they gave her a larger bill than they actually paid with.

I think the "no giving coins once the amount is entered" deal is to prevent people trying to cheat the cashier. Like "oh wait, I will give you the twelve cents and then you can just give me $5 back" or whatever and trying to confuse the cashier into giving them excess money back.

There are other places to work other than big box stores, other situations when it might be needed so I still think it's a valuable skill to have.

I don't think I have ever been made aware, either. I add pennies or whatever all the time. Sometimes they don't know what to do. Other times they do. Some push buttons to change the ampunt paid. I've never had someone refuse.

I count back change at craft shows most times. My oldest has been helping me at a few so I've taught him to count back. However, I work mostly in whole dollar amounts. It's a start at least. He's such a background type of person, I suspect he'll be the one making the food before he works a register.

This was my exact experience as well. The ancient cash register, drug store, first job... I still remember the moment I had my big "ah ha" revelation when a coworker taught me to count back change. It's just one of those skills that's good to have even if you don't necessarily use it.

At 12 I could count change and impress the shit out of adults in the process. I still count change back to customers like this and it still impresses the shit out of adults.

I'm really bad with math and money. The very few situations I've worked/been in, I very carefully count the change out (twice!) just be sure. I have a friend who's mom owns a vintage book store - not even a register! Hand written receipts, and a drawer or envelope for change. Really have to stop and do it carefully when I'm helping out.

And I'm another one for change first, in my hand, then the bills. Don't give me the bills, the receipt and then the change on top and want me to move out of the way for the next customer. Back in the day (damn, I'm old!) they would give you the change, and then bag your items - giving you time to put everything away before taking your purchase. And put the receipt in the bag!

Oh, the olden days!

I was always a "coins first" cashier.  Bills first bothers me too.

This is actually a funny topic. The reason I find this funny is so many people get so upset at what they call Common Core Math. Now we are talking about counting change correctly.

Your bill comes to $25.37 and the customer hands the cashier $30.

The math problem becomes 30 - 25.37 which of course is 4.63 but MOST people can not do this in their head quickly. So like the counting change back

But one of the methods that people lose their mind over is
.03 + .60 gets me to 26
4 gets me to 30

so $4 + $0.03 + $0.60 = $4.63 change.

Yet people hate Common Core hhahahaha.

This video!!!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSVTzQlqbp0