Would you tell the store manager if this happened?

[Alessandra]

My son worked in a grocery store deli for awhile. The training he received made him want to flee the country, certain we have no future...they spent two WEEKS on procedures that he considered to be elementary, like how to wash the glass cases, basic kitchen safety, how to fill out forms and sign for deliveries, and necessary math such as fractions (for the scale) and decimals (for the cash register). Not only did everyone behave as if these were extremely difficult and complex skills, but their attitude was justified when only one of the half dozen new hires (my son) could do it.

 

My second son had a parallel experience in the field of construction. He was literally the only student in a welding class who could measure with a wooden ruler to 1/4 inch, and add and subtract fractions.

Iirc, measuring was not covered well, if at all, in local school -- Everyday Math. :-(

 

I got the Key To... set on measuring. It did a great job, lots of practice converting non-metric units. But practice helps, whether it's sewing, carpentry, cooking, etc. I know a lot of adults who are flummoxed by calculating how much fertilizer to apply (x lbs per so many square feet) -- can't do area, can't do ratios. Ugh!

[Alessandra]

Btw, I want to give a pitch for a wonderful BBC series on measurement.

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precision:_The_Measure_of_All_Things

 

I think it may still be on Netflix. The series creator is Marcus du Sautoy, who is great at making math accessible.

[Daria]

Okay, I'm a lawyer and can't do math (and use law as my dad excuse 😒...hubby is a lawyer too and can do math, but he was homeschooled, so there ya go😂).

 

But 25 being 1/4 of 100? That I can do, that my 6 year olds can do...my 4yo might even get that. That's pretty bad.

 

As a special educator, I can guarantee that some of my kids will graduate from high school without consistently remembering that .25 = 1/4. 

 

These kids are hardworking, friendly, eager to please, punctual, organized. They'll make great employees one day, if given the chance.  They just have intellectual disabilities that make math really really hard.  It's not "bad" it's just who they are.  

[scholastica]

As a special educator, I can guarantee that some of my kids will graduate from high school without consistently remembering that .25 = 1/4. 

 

These kids are hardworking, friendly, eager to please, punctual, organized. They'll make great employees one day, if given the chance.  They just have intellectual disabilities that make math really really hard.  It's not "bad" it's just who they are.  

 

Hopefully, they will find jobs that don't require these skills, but emphasize their own unique abilities, so they can shine. 

[goldberry]

I would say something at the time to the person, not to the manager.

[KungFuPanda]

You just have to pay attention and stop them if it looks like they’re cutting too much. Then watch the numbers on the scale and make sure they don’t go over. I think anyone who works I a deli for more than a day won’t find 1/3 lb an odd amount. I’m guessing they weren’t fully listening or it’s just hard to hear back there with all of the noisy equipment. Don’t call the manager, just be an active participant in the transaction.

[Nart]

If I want 1/3 of a pound of something at the deli counter I say, "a little more than 1/4 pound". Or I just say 1/4 of a pound and as they are slicing I say it is OK if they go a little over. The time I said "1/3 of a pound", the deli worker looked confused. If I can make someone's job a little less stressful or confusing and it doesn't inconvenience me in any way, I will try to do so.

[EKS]

I'd just say 0.33 pounds next time.  I suspect the person didn't know how to convert.

 

As for the sandwich--next time say three pieces.

[Melissa in Australia]

No. Just move to a metric country and order 150 grams :p

I alwyas order sliced meat in grams. So easy and I always get the right amount.

[Ali in OR]

I'm another who will often order 1/3 pound of lunch meat. It expires before a week is up and usually only 1 or 2 people are going to eat any. We have great deli people though--no problems handling that quantity correctly. The deli scales have a display on both sides so I can see what the actual weight is--and I don't mind a little over or slightly under, so I'll just say "that's okay" instead of making them take some out. And honestly, if you get 1/3 pound somewhat regularly, you're going to notice if they hand you 3/4 lb--it's more than twice as much. Immediately alert them to the error and they'll take some out. But if you turned over deli counter duty to dh, he may not notice. If my dh accepted way more than I ordered, I would just mentally change a menu plan to eat it up.

[kiwik]

I alwyas order sliced meat in grams. So easy and I always get the right amount.

We use only metric in NZ but most of us seem to order in dollars for things like lunch meat. If they avcedentally go over they look at as enquiringly and we say "that's fine" or "a bit less". But you just wouldn't ask for a third kilo of x.

Edited November 7, 2017 by kiwik

[Deb in NZ]

I order my deli meat either by price (i.e. I'd like $3.00 worth of ham) or by number of slices (i.e. I'd like 5 slices of ham).  No confusion.  I think in American measurements, but here in NZ we use metric, so no one would understand a third if a pound anyway.  For subs I often ask for my sub to be sliced in 4 pieces.  Again no confusion for teens that do seem hopeless dealing with fractions.

 

 

[SereneHome]

To be blunt, the only reason I wouldn't call store manager is bc I value my time too much.  

 

That being said - I watch people who provide service for me like a hawk.  Again, to save myself time.

 

I have corrected deli orders - I try to do it BEFORE they give me too much bc then food goes to waste and I hate that.

I have corrected grocery baggers so I don't come home with squashed raspberries or globs of melted cheese

I check my take out orders before I leave any restaurant or fast food place

 

If I thought for a second that my phone call to store manager might prevent future problems or food waste, I would do it in  a heartbeat.  But I don't think it will accomplish much except the waste of time for me.  So, I don't call.

[Tammi K]

I think speaking to a manager should be reserved for cases of rude or aggressive behavior or perhaps dishonesty from an employee.

 

I would never both a manager because an employee misunderstood my order. 

 

Besides, I don't think there is nearly enough evidence in your post to indicate the employee is ignorant of fractions.  He may simply have misunderstood what you were asking.  I certainly would think he would be entitled to the benefit of any doubt.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I can’t quite imagine speaking to a manager about something that I had control over. As others have said, I would have stopped the employee as soon as they started to go over.

 

 

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