making change
A friend's retail business doesn't take cash any more. At first this seemed odd. He said if you take cash, you have to train staff in it, and they can't do it. I didn't believe him. This is such a basic part of functional numeracy that you can take it for granted, for, say, 98% of the population. Then, these four anecdotes on making change from Autumn 2024. In a restaurant in Guernsey, the bill was 41.xx GBP (service charge had already been added), and I handed over 51.30 (ish) to make the change easier. The chap was taking ages, so I zoned out. When I came to, I realised he was counting out pound notes. The change should have been a tenner plus pennies. I said something, and it became clear he was making change from 50.00 GBP. He escalated to more senior team member, who cottoned on to give a tenner. T In Oxford, in a cafe, I ordered a coffee. 3.45 GBP. I handed over a twenty plus the 45p. She knew to open the till, but beyond this, was completely at a loss. She didn...