Online Debate Shows the Lack of Math Skills with Many in America

[Not a Tailor 1,370]

In real life one needs to be able to function as a productive employee .

Isn't it a shame that her teachers were so poorly paid and so busy teaching to standardized tests that she was never taught to 'count up?' Isn't it a shame that her boss is so incompetent as to not take the literally sixty seconds it takes to teach someone to 'count up?'

I know when I entered the work force, I definitely didn't have this skill, having literally not seen adding and subtracting without a calculator since early elementary school and also having an arithmetic learning disability, and was, in fact, banned from learning it--cash was to be entered correctly into the cash register and under no circumstances could we take additional money or any other denomination of money from a customer after the numbers were input. Failure to use the cash register as a calculator resulted in being written up and/or suspended and/or fired. At my second job, we had no such capabilities at the cash register. I was terrified and terrorized by this and my boss took literally one minute to teach me how to make change without math, correctly every time. You just count up and you're less likely to accidentally reverse digits or anything.

I honestly blame poor training in retail places for her failure as much as anything. I just started a new job (it's not actually retail--I'm a specialist in a larger, overarching business model) but I had to take the 'retail training' for the sales side of the establishment and the retail training was sorely, sorely lacking.

[Jacque67 7,328]

Ran into this problem a few weeks ago. Went to pick up a pizza and the bill was $12.78. Gave the "I want $15 an hour" person $20.03 expecting to get back $7.25. The person looked at me and what I gave her and panicked. I saw her look around for several seconds, and then shouted to her co-workers "where is the calculator? I need the damn calculator now".

It was amusing and quite sad to watch. Could not help but wonder if she would really be worth $15 an hour.

She was probably wondering why you were including 3cents in the tip...

[JohnR! 5,495]

If you must insist on getting your 7.22 back and not tip, trust me, nobody would want to work for you, no matter the wage.

She wouldn't work for me, but if I become a liberal I would pay her $25 an hour.

[We Keep Receipts 9,238]

Sigh, I really thought that was going to go over better.

Sorry BJ, I'm packing up and going back to the mainland tomorrow. I promise I'll have better insults next week.

[B_J 2,752]

Sorry BJ, I'm packing up and going back to the mainland tomorrow. I promise I'll have better insults next week.

I'll try to explain:

I've got three things to say about this:

1. She should be back in elementary school, not working.

2. People who aren't good with numbers don't deserve to live.

See, the joke was supposed to be on me. Well, it was supposed to be a joke. Just, not funny like joke's are supposed to be. Sorry.

[TBoneTX 43,011]

That's OK. Five out of four people are bad at math, and you're at least one of them.

[Operator 1,925]

I'll try to explain:

See, the joke was supposed to be on me. Well, it was supposed to be a joke. Just, not funny like joke's are supposed to be. Sorry.

Don't worry man, I got it. I laughed...a little.

[Dashinka 23,198]

C^2 = a^2 + b^2

[TBoneTX 43,011]

C^2 = a^2 + b^2

C, man.

I maintain that Algebra is the national language of Algeria, A+B=C man.

And Calculus is what the dental hygienist scrapes off one's teeth, got it, first try.

[Dashinka 23,198]

C, man.

I maintain that Algebra is the national language of Algeria, A+B=C man.

And Calculus is what the dental hygienist scrapes off one's teeth, got it, first try.

Interesting theories, and probably correct.