Interesting and surprising experience at Aldi's.
 

This is the strangest thing I've experienced in a long time. I went to Aldi's this morning and bought 10 items (all fruit and vegetables of course). I got in line to check out and put all the items on the conveyor belt. The clerk began to ring up the items. I walked around to her left side so I could see the items as they were being rung up. At that point she had only rung up about 1/2 of the items and she was talking to a couple of women who were in line in back of me. They were laughing but I wasn't paying attention to what the conversation was about. Suddenly, the clerk calls out, in a loud voice, $12.57 and I think one woman asked how she knew. And she answered something....not sure what it was. But at that time I didn't think the $12.57 applied to me.

Okay, so she then continued checking out my groceries. When she finished, I waited for the total to appear but it didn't. She noticed me waiting for a total so she hit a key on the register and up came the total of $12.57 .

In order for her to have figured it out in her head before the register had calculated it, she would have had to 1) know the price of every item 2) be able to add it all up in her head while talking and laughing with other customers and 3) calculate the price of a bunch of bananas based on the weight that was marked on the wrapper.

When I asked her how she knew the total price before everything was rung up, she said, "I don't know, I guess I'm just crazy".

How did she do it?

We lived in the Minneapolis area for many years where Aldi's had a heavy presence. All of the clerks were required to memorize the food prices and a good number of them could add the total in their heads faster than a cash register. My father had the ability and would amaze and amuse celrks and customers. We kept telling him to stop showing off.
Aldi's orginated in Germany moved into the American market.

Either a lucky guess, which is the least possible idea.

She's really good at math, which is possible.

She's really good at math, AND got lucky when she guessed, most likely.

She is Phsycic...... maybe or maybe not!

The fruit at Aldi's is not priced per lb. It's priced per bag,ie;bananas are .44 per bunch ususally, a bag of carrots, approx 1.19 , bag of apples approx. 2.99, etc.etc. Love Aldi's!

I have seen at other Aldi stores, they are to know the prices so as not to slow things up

My father had that ability too. He could add a column of 4 figures in his head without writing the numbers at the bottom. It was scary. I can't add 2 + 2.

Villages PL, some people simply have a knack for that kind of thing.

Bill :)

Sometimes I forget things.

Do you suppose that girl might marry me?

I shopped at staples today & after a $5.00 coupon & 2 award coupons, my total for $.79. I gave her $5.00 and she put $50.00 in the register in error and then realized her mistake and then she turned to the other cashier and ask her how much change she needed to give me back from the $5.00. I can't believe our children can't make change in their head. The lady at aldi's must be one smart lady.

Rain Man.

Some people's brains are amazingly wired. I also have amazing skills...but I can't remember what they are. :o

For some reason,Not sure why,I have that ability to add numbers also.

Sorry to say this is more typical than the clerk at Aldi. Our educational system has been so dumbed down that the registers now determine how much change, and many (most?) clerks cannot figure these things out in their heads, even the simplest figuring. Have you noticed that instructions for things like assembling a product have more and more pictures--and fewer and fewer words? Spelling went by the wayside a long time ago, and now it seems that reads is also!

I'm glad I was brought up to know how to add, and do %'s in my head.when working as a retail Mgr. for yrs. I've had so many times that if I didn't know better would 've been ripped off so many times.

Now that's funny.:1rotfl:

I saw a comedian once that said he liked to go to a drive thru and if, for example, the price came to $4.54 he would give the cashier $5.63 and watch them struggle to figure out the change. Usually they were totally confused! I agree, it's almost impossible to find someone that can make change. Sad.

I know a handful of folks who can do this as well. My BIL is one who can do LONG addition equations this way. Needless to say he was in the accounting business before he retired. He is a very intelligent man!!!

I'm "horrible" in math! I'm a visual person and cannot "see" numbers at all. Had a hard time with math in school for this reason.

Some people have the ability to add numbers quickly in their head. I have marveled at how some people need calculators for the simplest of math items when I have already figured it out in my head.

It s a sad commentary when cashiers need a machine to tell them how much change to give a customer. :(

NowIi would really be impressed if there was a store clerk who was given the total sum $12.57 and quickly working backwords listed every item by its price that contributed to the total sum. Now that would be something

At the Aldi's where I shop, I believe they used to have the price on each package of bananas. Some packages might have 5 bananas whereas another might have 8. The sign above might say .44 cents per pound but each package would have a different price based on the weight. However, now the packages are only marked by weight, not by price.

Rather than get a handful of change I once gave a cashier $5.21 for a charge of $4.21 figuring to get back a dollar bill. After I rebuffed her attempts to give back the 21 cents she reluctantly rang up the $5.21 payment. What got to me was the look of amazement when she handed back the dollar bill and said... "wow... how'd you do that?" I must be a magician!!
That was almost as dumb as the clerk who insisted that a Susan B Anthony dollar was a half-dollar even after I told him to read it. He called over his manager who agreed with him at first. He finally took it but seemed pretty sure I was pulling some kind of scam. It's kind of amusing... but just to a point.

I was at Aldi's today and bananas were .44 a pound not a bunch. I have never seen them priced by the bunch.

Aldis and traders joes
 

I WENT TO TRADER JOES IN GAINSVILLE AND BOUGHT SOME WINE FOR $2.99 FOR THE 750. WAS GOOD. REASD IN LAST SUNDAYS VILLAGES PAPER THAT ALDI'S OWNS TRADER JOES, JUST THEIR UPSCALE PRODUCT.:wave:

She might well have been guessing the prices.

I don't like it one bit when a server in a restaurant, serving a table of 3-8 people, will NOT use pencil and paper and insists on looking like some kind of genius by remembering it all and then going back to order it all into the computer.....and then there are mistakes and omissions. I'm not impressed by people who won't use pencil and paper and claim to remember everything when they really don't.

People who make no mistakes according to themselves are not trustworthy IMHO.

Do you have your register tape/receipt?

Absolutely, I always check my receipt carefully before leaving the store. In the past, I have found some mistakes at Aldi's but they have been very good lately.