Math Is Your Friend, Part 20
A customer has a coupon for 10% off her entire purchase. As I’m scanning her items:
Customer: “Oh, I’m not seeing the 10% coming off.”
Me: “That will happen at the end of the transaction, ma’am.”
Customer: “But how will you remember to take the 10% off every item?”
Me: “It’s 10% off of your whole purchase, ma’am. It’s quicker to just do it at the end.”
Customer: *Getting angry.* “No, it’s not! You’re trying to rip me off! I want 10% taken off of every item!”
Me: “And it will, ma’am. 10% off of every item and 10% off the whole bill is the same.”
Customer: “You need to do it my way! Every item individually!”
Me: “Ma’am, just how much do you think you’ll save if I do it your way?”
Customer: “10%!”
Me: “And how much do you think you’ll save if I take 10% off of your whole total at the end?”
Customer: *Takes a moment to think.* “Well, I don’t know, but it doesn’t feel like it would be as much as my way!”
Me: “Ma’am, it’s quiet, and I have no line. If you like, I will show you the total at the end with the 10% discount. After, we can apply it to each item individually. If there’s a difference, you can complain to my manager.”
Customer: “…fine.”
The total comes to $77.88 from seventeen items. After I get my calculator out and show her my working.
Me: “Okay, so the first item is $4.99. 10% of that would be—”
Customer: “Wait! What are you doing?”
Me: “I’m just multiplying it by 0.9 to show the price with a 10% discount. If you prefer, I could—”
Customer: “Look… I don’t actually know what a per cent is, but I know it saves me money!”
Me: “…”
Customer: “So, can you do it my way?”
Me: “Ma’am, you can’t even do it your way.”
Related:
Math Is Your Friend, Part 19
Math Is Your Friend, Part 18
Math Is Your Friend, Part 17
Math Is Your Friend, Part 16
Math Is Your Friend, Part 15
