Damn shame. Mind you, these are MIDDLE school students.
I'll be honest, I see a good 3/4 of them on SNAP after secondary education. Though, I'd rather see half of them land a McJob (at the very least), and the other 1/4 in Kroger.
Oh, and to our senior employees, how different is this from your adolescent days of time gone by?
-- Edited by NutritionWhore on Monday 5th of January 2015 01:11:42 AM
I often wonder what kids are being taught in school these days, or if they simply aren't paying attention.
I've had to actually teach the decimal system to several younger people in the deli. You know... a half pound is .50 on the scale, and three quarters is .75 etc etc. and I wasn't just rattling off the numbers for them to memorize, I mean the actual mathematical concept.
That's 4th grade math, isn't it? At least?
I also worked with a girl who couldn't tell time on an analog clock. You know... the big hand on the 12, and little hand on the 3 etc. Wowwww
We've got so many igmo idiot kids (and adults) in our store, I told my asst dept head yesterday "Ya know... this is starting to hurt my feelings a little bit. Have I really reached the bottom of the barrel in my employed life?" hahaha
Yeah, I did stupid stuff when I was younger, but I think we were scores smarter, and a lot more mature, and able to handle more responsibility.
-- Edited by Turd Ferguson on Monday 5th of January 2015 11:25:05 AM
I often wonder what kids are being taught in school these days, or if they simply aren't paying attention.
I've had to actually teach the decimal system to several younger people in the deli. You know... a half pound is .50 on the scale, and three quarters is .75 etc etc. and I wasn't just rattling off the numbers for them to memorize, I mean the actual mathematical concept.
That's 4th grade math, isn't it? At least?
I also worked with a girl who couldn't tell time on an analog clock. You know... the big hand on the 12, and little hand on the 3 etc. Wowwww
1. That's actually 3rd grade math in MOST places.
2. I've encountered the same people who couldn't tell time with an analog clock. The minutes part was the hardest concept for most.
What's taught in schools? Well, mainly test questions to pass standardized state exams to get more funding.
Also, based on what a few teachers have told me (current and former), ethics and manners are no longer allowed to be taught. Students are now supposed to "find themselves on their own".
Ya know, even in all those test questions, there's gotta be some knowledge in there somewhere, right?
Not exactly. They're only told what the answer should be. They're rarely (if ever) taught how to reach the answer.
So they can teach them that if the big hand is at 12 and the little hand is at [insert number here], then the time is [number] o'clock. But, they'll be at a loss if they're shows something like 5:34:22.
Ya know, even in all those test questions, there's gotta be some knowledge in there somewhere, right?
Not exactly. They're only told what the answer should be. They're rarely (if ever) taught how to reach the answer.
So they can teach them that if the big hand is at 12 and the little hand is at [insert number here], then the time is [number] o'clock. But, they'll be at a loss if they're shows something like 5:34:22.
So basically, they aren't given the tools to extrapolate out other possibilities. Yeah, I can see that with the dumbshi%s we've been getting from the local high school.
Maybe you know this, then: I have no children, but I always read about Common Core. Some people foam at the mouth about it, and there seems to be a lot of different notions about it, but is it meant to be a tool to actually explain the whys and hows of things, or is it just more "No Child Left Behind" type stuff, expanded?
I often wonder what kids are being taught in school these days, or if they simply aren't paying attention.
I've had to actually teach the decimal system to several younger people in the deli. You know... a half pound is .50 on the scale, and three quarters is .75 etc etc. and I wasn't just rattling off the numbers for them to memorize, I mean the actual mathematical concept.
So what do they do if a customer asks for so many ounces of something? God forbid someone ask for 6 ounces of oven roasted turkey.
So basically, they aren't given the tools to extrapolate out other possibilities. Yeah, I can see that with the dumbshi%s we've been getting from the local high school.
Maybe you know this, then: I have no children, but I always read about Common Core. Some people foam at the mouth about it, and there seems to be a lot of different notions about it, but is it meant to be a tool to actually explain the whys and hows of things, or is it just more "No Child Left Behind" type stuff, expanded?
Common Core is the headache of colleges across the country. Anyone telling you otherwise is just kidding themselves.
Yeah, it was supposed to explain the why's and the how's of things like Math, Reading, or even Science. It's goal originally was to "explain" concepts to students in a deeper way than say memorizing the multiplication table. Except, they tried so hard that it actually complicates a concept even more.
For example, one of my younger siblings currently in elementary school has been exposed to Common Core math. Instead of just subtracting a number from another, they're asked to do the following:
Spoiler
-draw a number line
-label the number line from one number x to number y
-mark the location of the two numbers (x and y) being subtracted
-count how many numbers from y to x are there
Here's the kicker:
-now, draw more tick marks to the nearest five or ten
-count the numbers between x and the nearest five/ten
-count the numbers between y and the nearest five/ten
-use another ridiculous Common Core method and come to the same answer as counting the difference between x and y in the first place.
Seeing all of that, do you think an elementary student would be comfortable with any future math problems? Personally, the number line is a good idea for students who just don't see the magnitude of the difference between the two numbers, but it should stop at that. It should be just a simple illustration, not a drawn out thesis that's expected to be universally understood by every elementary student.
Also, Common Core ****s in the face of the order of operations. Just like how the division symbol (÷) is not necessarily the same as the vinculum (the "/" sign in a fraction), especially when used in an equation.
(btw, a few years after Common Core was introduced in primary education, passing rates in college math and above have reduced. So bad, that the passing rate for an average Calculus class (what four years of secondary education is supposed to prepare you for) is barely at 50%. Though, whether it's the result of Common Core or just the general decline in education is another argument for others.)
And Anon, some scales might have the measurements in ounces, too. I'm just not sure if Kroger uses those scales, or if they only display weight in pounds.
-- Edited by NutritionWhore on Monday 5th of January 2015 04:37:17 PM
Thanks for your take on that, NW. Very interesting.
Heh. Usually if someone asks for something in ounces, they don't know what the hell they are talking about, either. Our scales don't convert to ounces, but I did draw up a chart once to use as a quick guide for the paste eaters.
Thanks for your take on that, NW. Very interesting.
Heh. Usually if someone asks for something in ounces, they don't know what the hell they are talking about, either. Our scales don't convert to ounces, but I did draw up a chart once to use as a quick guide for the paste eaters.
I just remember 16oz in a pound
8oz to a half
4oz to a quarter
Just sorta guestimate from there.
What's Kroger's policy when it comes to customers asking specific measurements of something? Do you have to be exact, just .01 over, or what?
I'm sick of going to walmart's deli to buy the boneless chicken per pound, and having them pile on an extra .10 or more to the total. I often ask for .5 lbs of something since that's all I can eat, but no. They always put in .6, .7 and .8 even. Yes, it does make a difference in cost (half a pound would only be $3, while just a tenth of a pound more can bring it up by 50 cents). I'm wondering if Kroger is at least a little more considerate.
-- Edited by NutritionWhore on Monday 5th of January 2015 07:56:11 PM
Thanks for your take on that, NW. Very interesting.
Heh. Usually if someone asks for something in ounces, they don't know what the hell they are talking about, either. Our scales don't convert to ounces, but I did draw up a chart once to use as a quick guide for the paste eaters.
I just remember 16oz in a pound
8oz to a half
4oz to a quarter
Just sorta guestimate from there.
What's Kroger's policy when it comes to customers asking specific measurements of something? Do you have to be exact, just .01 over, or what?
I'm sick of going to walmart's deli to buy the boneless chicken per pound, and having them pile on an extra .10 or more to the total. I often ask for .5 lbs of something since that's all I can eat, but no. They always put in .6, .7 and .8 even. Yes, it does make a difference in cost (half a pound would only be $3, while just a tenth of a pound more can bring it up by 50 cents). I'm wondering if Kroger is at least a little more considerate.
-- Edited by NutritionWhore on Monday 5th of January 2015 07:56:11 PM
I work in meat/seafood, typically we ask if that is enough of something. For example, a customer asks for 1 pound of Tilapia. It isn't possible to get EXACTLY 1 pound of that, because of the size of the fish. So I'll put 2 in, and say, "This is .8 pounds. Do you want one more, or will this be enough?" and then I show them the 2 filets inside the bag.
If I am anywhere between .98 and 1.02, for 1 pound, that's as close as it is going to get.
Thanks for your take on that, NW. Very interesting.
Heh. Usually if someone asks for something in ounces, they don't know what the hell they are talking about, either. Our scales don't convert to ounces, but I did draw up a chart once to use as a quick guide for the paste eaters.
I just remember 16oz in a pound
8oz to a half
4oz to a quarter
Just sorta guestimate from there.
What's Kroger's policy when it comes to customers asking specific measurements of something? Do you have to be exact, just .01 over, or what?
I'm sick of going to walmart's deli to buy the boneless chicken per pound, and having them pile on an extra .10 or more to the total. I often ask for .5 lbs of something since that's all I can eat, but no. They always put in .6, .7 and .8 even. Yes, it does make a difference in cost (half a pound would only be $3, while just a tenth of a pound more can bring it up by 50 cents). I'm wondering if Kroger is at least a little more considerate.
-- Edited by NutritionWhore on Monday 5th of January 2015 07:56:11 PM
Despite not working in the deli, one Kroger store I was at clearly had it marked on the scales, "never under, always over." I remember doing sort of a double take when I went behind the deli counter one day for something and saw that.
Despite not working in the deli, one Kroger store I was at clearly had it marked on the scales, "never under, always over." I remember doing sort of a double take when I went behind the deli counter one day for something and saw that.
I don't know if they still do it, but it used to be if the deli weighed up too many items that ranged in weight from .47 to .49 and .97 to .99 they would get in trouble and they would start watching people to see who was doing it. They were real petty about it. I used to go up to the deli counter and ask for so many slices of something just so it would come out with an odd weight.
I'm glad my store's deli doesn't pull that. I got some sandwich spread a couple days ago, wanted a pound, and got .96 of a pound. That's what I'd want, not going over and paying more for something I don't really need.
I'm glad my store's deli doesn't pull that. I got some sandwich spread a couple days ago, wanted a pound, and got .96 of a pound. That's what I'd want, not going over and paying more for something I don't really need.
^This.
Whenever I request something specific, it's because I've already counted how much I'm going to spend, which is what I would have on hand.
So if only asking for a pound would bring it exactly to $4, then you'd better not add anymore than a pound.
In my case, I tend to go over only by a couple of hundredths. Most are okay with that. Most are okay if I go even more over than that. There are some picky ass people who would ask me to take half a piece off (dahell) so they get exactly a pound. I get it, you're on a budget, but...is half a piece of meat gonna seriously gonna throw it off?
As for this video: I'm not super senior or anything (high school was only 12 years ago for me), but...I couldn't even finish this video. I don't see some of them even finishing high school. Is that bad?
In my case, I tend to go over only by a couple of hundredths. Most are okay with that. Most are okay if I go even more over than that. There are some picky ass people who would ask me to take half a piece off (dahell) so they get exactly a pound. I get it, you're on a budget, but...is half a piece of meat gonna seriously gonna throw it off?
As for this video: I'm not super senior or anything (high school was only 12 years ago for me), but...I couldn't even finish this video. I don't see some of them even finishing high school. Is that bad?
lol, I'd never ask for half a slice of ham to get an exact. Besides, a slice won't make much a difference, as long as it's close to the weight I asked for.
And nah, your perception about those kids isn't bad. If I were just a bit less optimistic, I'd have said the same.
Oh, I think most will graduate. A lot of those kids in the more metro/urban high schools sorta get slid through one way or another.
As far as deli stuff goes, we have the "Never Under" policy too. I don't work the counter very often as I'm usually in cheese shoppe, cooking, or doing a truck, but I get pissed when I get the weight right on the money, and some of the meats have .01 tare weights built into them that take it down to .99 or .49 or whatever, thus screwing up whatever system they have for detecting that stuff.
So what happens if a customer consistently requests for .98 or .99 pounds, perhaps knowing that it sets off flags for the deli people? Will you have to re-do the order if the customer gets pissed? Can you just call management over and see what they'll do about it?
I know it's rare, but I definitely know that it WILL happen.
Some ask for "a little under" or "a little over" and thus far I haven't had anyone come up to me and say anything about giving them a little under. Some people are just in a rush and if you don't get it right on the money the first time (but close enough), they'll take it.
Then there is the tare thing. Biggest offender I've seen is from Boar's Head products with tare weights built in. There's one meat with .03 and I'm like...what. Annoys the crap out of me when I'm right on the money but then it goes to .99 or worse, .97 because of it.
So what happens if a customer consistently requests for .98 or .99 pounds, perhaps knowing that it sets off flags for the deli people? Will you have to re-do the order if the customer gets pissed? Can you just call management over and see what they'll do about it?
I know it's rare, but I definitely know that it WILL happen.
Well, ya see... those are usually the same people that drive around in 2001 Impalas loaded down with paperbook novels they picked up from Goodwill, and have their own weird deal going on.
I have this super power ability... it's very subtle, but effective. Sometimes if you blink, you'll miss it... I have this look that says "Go fu#k yourself" when they pull that. It also comes with complete plausible deniablity should someone decide they want to call a manager on me.
-- Edited by Turd Ferguson on Tuesday 6th of January 2015 04:13:58 PM
Some ask for "a little under" or "a little over" and thus far I haven't had anyone come up to me and say anything about giving them a little under. Some people are just in a rush and if you don't get it right on the money the first time (but close enough), they'll take it.
Then there is the tare thing. Biggest offender I've seen is from Boar's Head products with tare weights built in. There's one meat with .03 and I'm like...what. Annoys the crap out of me when I'm right on the money but then it goes to .99 or worse, .97 because of it.
Easiest thing to do in that case, is type in the PLU on the scale first, then begin to add product. Or just remove the tare...
