Math Is Your Friend, Part 5

We sell a variety of patio and paver stones of different sizes and prices. A customer comes to the register with a cartload of what are called mini flagstone blocks for building walls.

Customer: “I have forty of these blocks.”

Me: “Okay.”

I type in the product code. It enters and scans the price at $1.38 each. I also enter a quantity of forty.

Customer: “Wait, that’s wrong. They’re not $1.38. They’re five for $10.”

Me: “I’m sorry, what?”

Customer: “Those blocks; last week they were five for $10.00.”

Me: “But, ma’am, they’re only scanning for $1.38 each.”

Customer: “But that’s wrong.”

Me: “We have a larger size that was on sale last week. Is it possible you got those?”

Customer: “No, I got these and they were five for $10.”

Me: “Do you want to pay $.62 more for each block? If you want to, I guess I could change the price.”

Customer: “What?”

Me: “Five for $10 is $2.00 a piece, 62 cents more.”

Customer: “What? I guess not.”

She finishes the sale and leaves, still mumbling about something being wrong with the price.

Next Customer: “And I thought my math skills were bad. Just so you know, I don’t want to pay more than the price that scans.”

Me: “I think I can handle that all right.”

I wondered if she called the manager to complain that I was going to charge her the cheaper price. I hope she figured it out eventually.

Related:
Math Is Your Friend, Part 4
Math Is Your Friend, Part 3
Math Is Your Friend, Part 2
Math Is Your Friend