Just bought a cup of coffee for $2.97. Paid with a five. The young employee entered $10 on the cash register. Realizing her mistake, she summoned a colleague for help. I thought maybe for some inscrutable reason the transaction had to be voided but, no, it was just that she was now confused about how much change I deserved: garbage in, garbage out.
They discussed the problem in my presence. It was fun to mark the Eureka expressions when I suggested they subtract five dollars from whatever the register indicated. Seven-oh-three? Ok, then, two-oh-three, right? (Didn't want them to think I was pulling a fast one.) "You're so smart!" one of them commented. I put a dollar in the tip jar and swaggered off.
You know you're old when you think the young are not going to be able to keep the world going. Somehow, they will. Maybe one of those kids puzzling at the register will be president! The little episode reminds me of the following clip from The Howard Stern Show.
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