How Many Employees Does it Take to Change a Dollar?
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When life throws you something unexpected, you can automatically respond to it by saying either, "yes," or "no." In improvisation, this is described as the difference between saying "yes, and" and saying "yes, but." Saying "yes, and" is a very powerful way of flowing with the unexpected, improving relationships, and moving your life forward. Saying "yes, but" keeps you argumentative, negative, and stuck where you are. I have also realized that saying "no" or "yes, but" can make you look like a buffoon.
I was recently in a mega-consumer-electronics store. I won't tell you the name, but I will say that they usually have the ‘best buy' on products there. I was there with a friend who was buying a DVD. We get to the register and the girl behind the counter rings it up. "That'll be $19.50"
My buddy pulls out a $20 bill and hands it over. The girl rings it up and the cash drawer opens.
At this moment my friend realizes that he has two quarter. As a society, we have a strong built-in desire to round purchases up whenever possible. It's what separates us from the animals. You'll never catch a wolf trying to trade in four small gophers for one large badger. For humans though, change really only has 3 purposes: laundry, parking, and deciding who gets to kick and receive in football games. Even the IRS lets you ignore change on tax forms. Therefore, it is a moral imperative to make change when you can.
He pulls out the change and says, "I have fifty cents"
Hmm…it seems that this statement just disconnected a synapse in this girl's brain. She could not have looked more confused if my friend had said that he in fact happened to have the rapper, Fifty Cent, with him.
"Oh it's too late. I already rung it up."
Too late? Hmm, I suppose the store could have some kind of "no common sense change making policy" on their registers, but that doesn't make any sense. Maybe we need to spell it out for her.
"Ok, well, can I just give you the fifty cents and you give me a dollar?"
Uh-oh – looks like synapse number two just disconnected. We'd better be careful, because I don't know how many are left.
I may have a genetic predisposition to doing math (I am Indian after all), but this doesn't sound like rocket science to me. It's subtraction, not calculus. Unfortunately, this request apparently had the same effect as if we had casually asked her to solve a differential equation. She was clearly out of her element, so she turns to an older woman working one register down. "Can I do that?"
I have to give this other employee a hearty "nice job," for being a team player and not laughing out loud right there. She stifled a smile at the ridiculousness of the question and managed to say, without sarcasm, "yes, you can do that."
At this moment it seemed the synapses began reconnecting and the girl realized how silly the situation was. In her embarrassed state her number one priority became to get us out of the store as quickly as possible. She takes the fifty cents, hands back a dollar, then picks up the DVD and receipt and hands it to my friend, without bag.
You would think this would be the end of it, but my friend wanted a bag. He thought that a simple, on-math oriented request would not be a problem. Oh, you foolish, naïve, man…
"Can I have a small bag for this?" he asked, pointing to a stack of bags on the counter.
"Oh, we don't have any small bags," she responds.
At this point one of my own synapses disconnected. The stack of bags was *right there* in plain site. Evidently, these bags were far too large to be considered "small bags." I suppose the store could have some "maximum ‘bag size' to ‘product size' ratio policy," but that doesn't make much sense. Besides, that would require more math, which definitely wasn't happening.
I must confess I had absolutely no response. Fortunately, my friend stayed coherent.
"Ok, then can I have a *big bag*?"
Silently, without making eye contact, she hands over a "big bag" and we leave the store.
Now I can't guarantee this, but I am pretty sure that as we left the older employee made eye contact with me as if to say, "I understand, thank you for your patience, and please don't hold it against us."
What's the lesson here? There are too many to mention. This could be an example of what's going on (or not) in our educational system. It could demonstrate the importance of properly hiring and training staff. It could also be proof of the need to not do things by rote (entering a transaction into a register), but to understand the hows and whys of what you are doing (basic math).
For now, I will pick one. This girl's automatic response to something new, anything new, was to immediately say, "no." When you catch yourself about to automatically say "no," or "yes, but," pause, breath, and think for a second. Can you say, "yes, and' instead? You may end up saying "no" anyway to some things, but in most cases you will not only improve your relationships, but you may also avoid a lot of embarrassment.
PS If you are confused by the math in this story, then I suggest you pick up "Math Doesn't Suck!" by Danica McKellar (yes, she played Winnie Cooper on the "Wonder Years.")
Avish Parashar is a dynamic professional speaker who shows organizations and individuals how to get what they want using the Art and Science of improv comedy. He weaves together humorous stories, witty observations, and interactive exercises from improvisational comedy to get people laughing, learning, and motivated! Avish is most commonly called upon to deliver programs on Motivation, Sales, and Communication
For more free articles, downloads, and resources, visit http://www.AvishParashar.com
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