"Edwin Pawlowski" > wrote in
:

>
> "mslinda" > wrote in message
>> Yesterday I got stuck behind a pair of those morons who can only buy
>> what they have cash in their pocket for, get too much and have to
>> have items removed *one by one* until they get down to an amount they
>> can pay for. If I knew I had only so much cash to spend, I'd be
>> totalling my take before I got to the checkout but I guess that never
>> ocurred to these dweebs.
>>
>> Linda C.
>>
>
> It is an education issue. If they were smart enough to add it up in
> their heads, they would probably be smart enough have a better job and
> could afford to buy what they want.
>

Well, I'd like to think I'm not too dumb! I can add up in my head, am
tertiary educated and have a decent job. Doesn't mean I can afford to buy
what I want (I wish!) <g>.I do, however, have the common sense to add it
up as I go around if I want to make sure I stick to the budget, or if I
have a certain amount of cash on me and don't want to pay in a different
manner.I make it a habit to tally as I go, either using a calculator if I
remembered to throw one in my bag, or using it as an exercise in mental
arithmetic. That way I don't get a shock at the cash register - sometimes
that total gets awfully big awfully quickly!

Unfortunately, common sense isn't all that common! Behaviour that gets
you labelled by others as a moron isn't limited to people who aren't
"smart".

One thing - it's easy enough here to add up as you go as the GST (Goods &
Services Tax) is included in the marked price, so the price on the
item/shelf is the price you pay at the register. I've wondered at times
how easy it is to do when the sales tax is added at the register, which
is what happens in the US isn't it? Or does that differ from state to
state?


Rhonda Anderson
Cranebrook, NSW, Australia