Here’s a thought . . .
In between putting the world to rights and occasionally reminding you I’m a comedian who in his time (8.45 on a Friday night) has tickled the funny bones of audiences all over the world….and Aberystwyth…I like to bring you little slices of everyday life that are either observed by yours truly or reported back to me by my army of researchers, headed by Brenda and Percy Dimwit of the Fishguard Harbour Cocktail Lounge & Cat Neutering Centre – where it’s always happy hour…unless you’re a cat.
Two separate incidents recently occurred to a friend of mine.
The first made him wonder whether the Welsh education system teaches basic maths that benefit pupils when they go out into the world.
Then, what happened the very next day, restored his faith in the education system.
On a bright February morning my friend (let’s call him Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Ap Rhys) and his wife went into a branch of a well-known coffee chain which I won’t name – but it rhymes with ‘Foster’.
He ordered two coffees and a muffin and the barista told Dwayne the total cost was £10.45. Trying to be helpful, Dwayne handed him a £20 note and a 50 pence piece. The barista opened the till and looked at the note and the coin for what must have been a full minute while Dwayne wondered if he might be short of change.
Then the barista leaned over the counter and said, in a conspiratorial manner, “Sorry mate. I can’t work it out”. Having been rubbish at maths at school, Dwayne felt a twinge of sympathy for the barista – even though the ‘workings out’ weren’t that difficult. So he explained, “The bill is £10.45. I’ve given you a £20 note and fifty pence. You just have to give me a tenner and five pence”.
Hearing this, the barista suddenly smiled and his brain fog evaporated.
The following day, in a different part of Wales (my friend, being semi-retired, gets around a fair bit) Dwayne was in a take-away food shop that rhymes with “Pub-tray” and ordered two Hearty Italians.
There’s a joke there that I don’t have the space to relate right now.
The bill came to £8.18, he handed the lady serving him a tenner and a 20 pence piece and without prompting she gave him the correct two pounds and two pence change.
I don’t know which experience is the more common, but I do wonder if the spread of card-only payments is robbing people of the ability to do basic mental arithmetic?
Perhaps you’d let me know…