I used to work at an Arby’s. In the two years I worked there, the dumbest customer by far has been one that apparently never succeeded at first grade math.
Me: “That will be $12.69, please.”
Him: “Ok. Here you go.”
He handed me a $10 bill. Thinking that this was just a mistake, that maybe he meant to give me a $20, I said:
Me: “This is a $10 bill.”
Him: “Yeah, I know.”
Me: “The total is $12.69.”
Him: “I gave you a 10. That’s enough.”
Me: “I need $2.69 more. The total is $12.69.”
Him: (annoyed) “It’s all there! I gave you a 10!”
Me: “No. I need $2.69 more.”
Him: “I gave you a 10!”
Me: “I know. The total is $12.69! I need another $2.69!”
This situation kept on going for a good four or five minutes, when something really wrong happened. I just had him on the verge of giving me a $50 bill, when a manager changed the price to make it less than $10. After I told the customer that, he said:
Him: “Darn kids don’t know how to do math these days.”
I suppose the moral of the story is act dumb, even if you aren’t, and rewards will follow.