The Ticket Was 7505 Bht, I Gave Her 8005 Baht

[Livinginexile]

This was not a one off, I experience it all the time!

With the exception of food stall owners, Thai shop keepers need a calculator do do the most simplest of arithmatics.

Recently I bought a 75 bht item and the seller used a calculator to work out the change from a 100 bht note! I'm not kidding!

Another thing...

Have you noticed how many times a shop keeper will count out your change?

How about the 7/11 staff!

12345....12345....12345....and then they hand the change to you!

Do Thai's learn to count at school?

Edited June 12, 2010 by Livinginexile

[Maenromo]

that is very interesting, I have only been in thailand for a week but I have noticed this, they sell sodas and the entrance of my apartment and the guy always uses the calculator before giving me change , most of the time I use 20 baht bills and the soda is 14 , but after some 6 times he still takes a few seconds before telling me my change

[monkfish]

So what??

[highonthai]

Seems to be a lost manner,even in the USA it's very rare. For that matter even a thank you.

But,I always get a thank you in Thailand,as I count my change.

Remember when people would thank you for opening or holding a door for them? I do...

Times have changed,unfortunatly peoples manners have also.

[PingManDan]

Not a big deal, you got the right change yes???

[Carib]

The cash register tells the exact change amount elsewhere, so you don't see anybody counting.....

[473geo]

Problems arise when a person who is not good at mental arithmatic hits the wrong key on a calculator.....the calculator like most machines is only as accurate as the input.......but perhaps they are just confirming the numbers with the calculator, so good business all round.

[garyh]

If it is wrong it is the calculators fault therefore saving face. Many times I have added up restaurant bills in my head before they have got the answer on there calculator.

[DP25]

Have you noticed how many times a shop keeper will count out your change?

How about the 7/11 staff!

12345....12345....12345....and then they hand the change to you!

If I worked at 7-11 I'd count the change a few times too. They can't afford to make a careless mistake and pay for it

[Chunky1]

probably just the house rules.

[BigWheelMan]

Another all Thais are stupid thread.

I started work as a shop assistant when I was 14.

In those days there were no calculators or tills that worked out the change for you. It was either work out the sums on paper or in the head.

Since the introduction of calculators, adding machines and computers, people have become lazy and now totally rely on the micro chip instead or having to use the brain for arithmetic and spelling.

It`s the same the world over, not only unique to Thailand. Technology has turned people into blockheads as they consider that pushing a button or key is easier than thinking.

[IMA_FARANG]

Probably you and I were taught to do those calculations in our head while in school. Unfortunately those daya are past, even in the U.S. or the U.K. these days. Thailand doesn't have the tradition of teaching that talent in Thai schools.

I recently bought three items, cost $2.99 each, from a U.S. educated military dependent working in the Navy exchange here in Greece. She looked for a calculator to do the calculation. I patiently explained to her that since each item was $2.99, only one cent more would make it $3.00. Therefore 3 of them would be a total of $9.00. And since each item was one cent less than $3.00, and there were three items, the total must therefore be 3 cents less than $9.00, or $8.97.

She looked at me like I had done some magic...then after she thought about it for a few seconds, it was like a light coming on in her eyes. "Yes, you're right!", she said.

Even in the U.S schools that kind of thinking isn't taught these days. It's considered "old fashioned". I'm trying to teach my Thai girlfriend's grand daughter, who is in Thai school now (she's almost 13), to think like that. The problem is , I'm fighting a losing battle it seems.

Now my Thai girlfriend's daughter is a stall owner (she sells costume jewelry and hair products in the market). She does all the calculations in her head...because of the constant practice. She still uses a calculator, but not for herself. She uses it to convince the Thais who buy from her that the price is correct. They believe the calculator, but if she does the calculation in her head they don't trust her. So she uses the calculator for them.

[Changian]

Counting the change is a sensible thing to do. The till says how much to give, the cashier takes the money out of the till and then double checks it to make sure it's the right amount before giving it to the customer. Ensures the balance in the till is correct - so good for the business owner. Also the customer can easily see they are getting the right change as the notes are counted out in front of them. Everyone is happy.

Hardly seems a valid criticism and far better that staff do this rather than don't check before giving it to customers.

[gotlost]

In Thailand or the US people do not trust their memory.

[IanForbes]

Probably you and I were taught to do those calculations in our head while in school. Unfortunately those daya are past, even in the U.S. or the U.K. these days. Thailand doesn't have the tradition of teaching that talent in Thai schools.

I recently bought three items, cost $2.99 each, from a U.S. educated military dependent working in the Navy exchange here in Greece. She looked for a calculator to do the calculation. I patiently explained to her that since each item was $2.99, only one cent more would make it $3.00. Therefore 3 of them would be a total of $9.00. And since each item was one cent less than $3.00, and there were three items, the total must therefore be 3 cents less than $9.00, or $8.97.

She looked at me like I had done some magic...then after she thought about it for a few seconds, it was like a light coming on in her eyes. "Yes, you're right!", she said.

Even in the U.S schools that kind of thinking isn't taught these days. It's considered "old fashioned". I'm trying to teach my Thai girlfriend's grand daughter, who is in Thai school now (she's almost 13), to think like that. The problem is , I'm fighting a losing battle it seems.

Now my Thai girlfriend's daughter is a stall owner (she sells costume jewelry and hair products in the market). She does all the calculations in her head...because of the constant practice. She still uses a calculator, but not for herself. She uses it to convince the Thais who buy from her that the price is correct. They believe the calculator, but if she does the calculation in her head they don't trust her. So she uses the calculator for them.

Great reply, Ima farang. I've seen the same thing many times in Canada. Youngsters are not taught to think these days. It is a learned process. I can do a grocery shop and roughly add up things in my head as I'm picking them off the shelf. When I get to the till I"m usually within a few dollars of the total.

Early in my career as a log scaler we wrote down all the figures on a sheet of paper and tallied them up at the end of the day. We usually measured about 500 logs each day, and each log required 3 entries on the tally form: length of the log, and diameter at the top and butt of the log. All the figures had to match the total number of logs or you had to do it over again. We had no calculators or adding machines, and You get pretty good at adding in your head after a while.

[Heng]

I certainly have my accountant double check all counts. Her simple math without using a spreadsheet or calculator is pretty good too... although her pay rate is better than 200 Baht a day and to be expected.

[TheLaughingMan]

Saying everyone in the world is getting dumbed down by calculators is a blatant lie, it IS JUST THAILAND or any other country with a god awful education system. I grew up with calculators and sorry... I don't need a calculator to give change for a 14 baht soda from 20 baht, I just don't. This is just Thais. Apologists are funny.

In their defence, they count multiple times at the 7/11 because they are trained to, it is the correct way of doing their job as far as I've been told. It cuts down on mistakes which if you haven't noticed happen all the time, at least 50 times in my years here I've been given back too much change, sometimes way too much.

[bonobo]

Saying everyone in the world is getting dumbed down by calculators is a blatant lie, it IS JUST THAILAND or any other country with a god awful education system. I grew up with calculators and sorry... I don't need a calculator to give change for a 14 baht soda from 20 baht, I just don't. This is just Thais. Apologists are funny.

In their defence, they count multiple times at the 7/11 because they are trained to, it is the correct way of doing their job as far as I've been told. It cuts down on mistakes which if you haven't noticed happen all the time, at least 50 times in my years here I've been given back too much change, sometimes way too much.

I don't know what other countries you visit, but this is hardly a Thai phenomenon. I get the same blank stares in the US, Canada, Japan, Germany, or any other number of "advanced" countries. There is no problem with a simple addition of items bought when the cash register adds them up after each item is scanned. However, try to give $13.54 for an $8.54 tally, and panic sets it. I have had cashiers, in this example, hand me back the $3.54, then get another $1.46 out of the till.

I don't want to sound like one of those "Why back when I was a kid, I would get up at 3:00 AM to chop wood for the fire, feed, the livestock, then walk 20 mile s barefoot in the snow to go to school where we did differential calculus in my head while stoking the small stove which kept the one-room schoolhouse above the freezing level...," but I do think the posts on calculators and such have some merit. I don't think the modern generations get either the training or the experience to do the same calculations that my generation thought of as routine. And that is true in Thailand or anywhere else.

[Ricardo]

I once used my calculator, to multiply 3*2, and am proud of it ! That's what professional accountacy-training does for you !! You check absolutely everything !!!

[Birdman]

because if they make a mistake, they have to pay out of one's own small pocket. So they instinctively leave contingency no chance.

that's quite understandable

[Briggsy]

Regarding counting the notes 3 or 4 times, this is understandable. Banknotes can and do stick together and if the till is down at the end of the day, the money will come out of their wages very often.

With regards to the incredible inability to do even basic mental arithmetic, I agree it is astounding. I work with "accountants" (the term is used very loosely in Thailand applying to anybody working in an accounting dept.) and they seem unable to do any kind of mental arithmetic. I have the urge to take away their calculators sometimes but it seems better not to rock the boat. A simple subtraction of, say, 100 - 63 = 37 will invariably lead them to saying, "Geng!" or "Aren't you clever!" when the calculator comes up with the same answer.

[CHdiver]

Just use next time your Credit Card, that safes the Seller the time to calculate the Change.

[evanson]

If I come across a young sop worker using a calculator to subtract 25 from 100, I take the calculator off them and tell them to use their brain to work it out, or what remains of it will deteriorate more quickly than it seems already to have done.

But the one I really find bloody stupid is when I ask for something in Thai, with the relevant classifier, and the shop assistant/stallholder holds up their calculator AND two, three, four fingers to let me know the price! Yes, I've just asked you IN THAI!

[Vertigotogo]

This was not a one off, I experience it all the time! With the exception of food stall owners, Thai shop keepers need a calculator do do the most simplest of arithmatics. Recently I bought a 75 bht item and the seller used a calculator to work out the change from a 100 bht note! I'm not kidding!

Mental arithmetic is an acquired skill. Not being able to do it, however, does not mean that someone is necessarily less intelligent than anyone else.

I have lived in a several countries where the majority of the indigenous people had difficulty with arithmetic and mathematics. I found, however, that I was inferior to most of the people there in areas of spirituality and overall mental well-being.

Ergo: Just because 'a nation' is lacking in a particular mental skill, it doesn't mean they are inferior to any other nation. In my experience, they often exhibit other, wonderful, traits such as kindness, humility, spirituality, peacefulness, tranquillity and a sense of community. Many mental 'skills' that my own society has sadly forgotten or chosen to collectively ignore.

IMHO - don't change anything in this regard people..........

[robblok]

because if they make a mistake, they have to pay out of one's own small pocket. So they instinctively leave contingency no chance.

that's quite understandable

I think this is a big part of it. I also use calculators a lot (im an accountant) and its better to be safe then sorry because making a mistake is a big thing.

My normal calculations are ok and i use my head a lot in normal situations but work wise i don't. The reason is that a lot more rides on it being correct.

[pitrevie]

Another all Thais are stupid thread.

I started work as a shop assistant when I was 14.

In those days there were no calculators or tills that worked out the change for you. It was either work out the sums on paper or in the head.

Since the introduction of calculators, adding machines and computers, people have become lazy and now totally rely on the micro chip instead or having to use the brain for arithmetic and spelling.

It`s the same the world over, not only unique to Thailand. Technology has turned people into blockheads as they consider that pushing a button or key is easier than thinking.

Totally agree, many years ago I bought four first class stamps in a London post office when they were 25p each and the poor girl had to use a calculator.

[mmushr00m]

The problem with these new adding machines is that if you punch in the wrong numbers, the results will be wrong.

Once had an idiot at Family Mart try to charge me B200 for a can of pop and a packet of gum. He had entered it in wrong, then he looked at me and said B200. I looked at him and said pepsi + ka nom farang B200? and the idiot just looked at me at pointed at the display. .......

[basjke]

Try this one.At Carrefour they sell the donuts 8 baht a piece or 6 for 40 baht.Some time ago I needed 50 donuts for my boy to take school.I called the bakery servant and asked her if I could get them packed in 1 box.Of course this wasn't possible as 50 can not be divided by 6.After some meddling in from the Farang manager it was possible and she counted 50 times 8 Baht.Another involvement of the manager explained her that 40 Baht divided by 6 pieces multiplied by 50 was the correct sum.

So after that I got the correct price calculated and paid............Needless to say that when i arrived home I found only 40 donuts in the box.

[Heng]

But the one I really find bloody stupid is when I ask for something in Thai, with the relevant classifier, and the shop assistant/stallholder holds up their calculator AND two, three, four fingers to let me know the price! Yes, I've just asked you IN THAI!

A few of my open market type tenants do that calculator thing to communicate with customers, no matter what language is required. In part it's to keep the competition 'somewhat' unaware of what your minute-to-minute final price is (whereas if you announced it with every sale, it's like reading a stock ticker for all to hear). But I'm sure you KNEW THAT!

[thomo]

It took two assistants 10 seconds to add 5+7 one time.

Simply uneducated. And dumbed down since birth through the cultural conditioning.

Mai pen rai. Learn to laugh at it.