Everyone has had that job while they were in high school, you know the job, it pays you just enough money to have some fun with your friends. It’s not like this job will be your career by any means. It’s usually the local Grocery or hardware store, maybe the local breakfast joint or a nice dinner restaurant.  Either way it gets you by during the school year and helps keep you out of trouble in the summer. During a recent trip to the grocery store I met Grocery Store Greg.

Now I usually hit the grocery store later in the evening on my way home after I have all my running around done. The grocery store late at night is always an interesting experience. You have the stock people running around and most of the front end help just wants to go home.

After my shopping around the store I headed to cash out and head home. I was hungry and just wanted to head home and make a snack before bed.

Grocery Store Greg – Hello, do you have any coupons with your order

Hungry Henry – Nope just these few items

Grocery Store Greg – your total is $15.80

Hungry Henry – Ok

Now Hungry Henry hands the cashier a $20 bill

Grocery Store Greg – Thank you sir $25 dollars if your change.

Dumbfounded for a split second.

Hungry Henry – Excuse me I think you gave me incorrect change it should have been $4.20 (Now mind you math is one of my weakest subject, so this is scary)

Grocery Store Greg – oh that’s impossible, I just type it in on the computer and it tells me what to give you back

Hungry Henry – I understand that, but I gave you a $20 bill and you gave me back $25. So unless you have some type of “Let us pay you to shop, and give you free shit, store promotion going on” you gave me the incorrect amount of change and your register is going to be off.

Grocery Store Greg – Let me see your receipt.

Grocery Store Greg – Stupid computer, I know I typed in the correct amount, for some reason the computer didn’t see that I typed it in correctly

Now being a support professional in the computer industry, this made me laugh.  “The computer didn’t see that I typed it in correctly” ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!! Computers don’t think they do exactly what the operators tell it to do.  In the industry we call this a classic “ id-10-T” error

Manager comes over and corrects the mistake

Grocery Store Greg – Sorry for the computer malfunction and thank you for your honesty. $4.20 is your correct change.

Hungry Henry – have a good night

On my way out all I could do was laugh. I remember working in a store when I was younger. Yes we used a cash register to tell us the change, but let’s be realistic, this kid could not do basic math in his head. This is the future of our great country!!!!!!  My only advice is PUT DOWN THE STUPID CUP and Study Hard Grocery Store Greg, cause if you don’t it looks like you’re going to have a great career in sweeping floors at McDonalds or cleaning the stalls at the local livestock farm.