Today's youth... What is the problem?

[Quintessence]

I never underwent any orientation, so I don’t know if that was part of the training. But then again, I had started the job when I was in my mid-40s (almost two decades of being a stay-at-home mom made returning to the office-type of job I was accustomed to a bit harder to accomplish), so I guess they figured I didn’t really need it as much, maybe.

However, I did find some websites where one can practice making change. When I first started cashiering, I wanted to make sure I knew how to do that in case the registers went kaput and we had to go retro in that department.

That's interesting.

Only one of the retail jobs I had did any real training, and it was a locally-owned business that cared about its employees and customers. That experience surprised me in many ways with the little things that can make a difference in how you work retail and interact with customers. One of those little things was learning how to count back change. It's not just doing basic math, though that's part of it. There are two purposes to counting back change: (1) to get more personalized contact with the customer through this interaction, and (2) as a check on yourself to help ensure you are giving the customer the correct change back, reducing errors in both giving too much cash back or too little. And it worked really well for this. It was such a little thing, but it surprised me with how nicely it worked. But it is a skill that needs to be taught.

I don't fault kids working at these impersonal corporate buisiness for not being trained how to do this, or making mistakes. They weren't trained right. And since they're young, they are not likely to do what you did and teach themselves how to count back change. Why would they, in a place where they are viewed as an expendable and easily replaceable human resource commodity? One can argue they should have a professional mentality regardless, but I've got a hard time faulting it. It makes me wonder if the problem has a lot more to do with a failure of proper apprenticeships and valuing employees and work communities than it does with math skills...

 

[Astravalon]

That's interesting.

Only one of the retail jobs I had did any real training, and it was a locally-owned business that cared about its employees and customers. That experience surprised me in many ways with the little things that can make a difference in how you work retail and interact with customers. One of those little things was learning how to count back change. It's not just doing basic math, though that's part of it. There are two purposes to counting back change: (1) to get more personalized contact with the customer through this interaction, and (2) as a check on yourself to help ensure you are giving the customer the correct change back, reducing errors in both giving too much cash back or too little. And it worked really well for this. It was such a little thing, but it surprised me with how nicely it worked. But it is a skill that needs to be taught.

I don't fault kids working at these impersonal corporate buisiness for not being trained how to do this, or making mistakes. They weren't trained right. And since they're young, they are not likely to do what you did and teach themselves how to count back change. Why would they, in a place where they are viewed as an expendable and easily replaceable human resource commodity? One can argue they should have a professional mentality regardless, but I've got a hard time faulting it. It makes me wonder if the problem has a lot more to do with a failure of proper apprenticeships and valuing employees and work communities than it does with math skills...

I was off yesterday so will be playing a bit of catch-up today at work, but, I will try to remember to ask someone if our store's training program goes over how to make change. I'm curious, now, lol!

And yes, my store is one of the bigger ones so things are more impersonal, I think. And the training is .... meh. We have a lot of "how you do it depends on who you ask". It's more frustrating going into if you're used to working in office-type settings. I entered into the retail circus later in life; I feel like I'm going in the opposite direction, career-wise, lol! But so far, it works. Lots of muttering under my breath in frustration, but, overall, I like what I do (which is more behind-the-scenes; no more registers for me).

 

[Shadow Wolf]

I feel like I'm going in the opposite direction, career-wise, lol!

I hear that a lot lately. That, and people looking for work but not getting anything.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

That is very true. I am astonished by what young people know these days compared to when I was their age. We pick out things like math and geography because they don't need to know those things very often. Truth be told I never much needed them, either, when I was young, ... or now. But they know way more than I did at their age, or do now, culturally. And they not only know how to use social media they understand how it works, and how it can be abused. They are way more savvy about corporate and political propaganda. And it's a good thing, too, because there is way more of both, these days.

Most of those ignoramuses in the U.S. that Trump and the republican party have so thoroughly bamboozled are not young people. They are oldsters that are still living in a fantasy world where their heroes don't lie. And where commerce is about "fair trade", and where the police are there to serve the public. While most young people know that none of this is true, if it ever was. And they may not know a lot about long past history, but they know recent history far, far better than my generation did. Because they have access to it online.

They're better prepared for the world that's coming, I think, than we old farts are. Especially given the fact that we old farts have CAUSED the world that's coming. And not in a good way.

Good grief, this is the TikTok addict generation you're talking about. They have a ton of problems. Putting down the young or old is not helpful. Sadly, there's just not much in Gen Z youth culture worth lauding, as it's solidly based on consumerism, narcisssism and trend following. Sure, they have the world at their fingertips with the Internet but that doesn't mean they're making positive use of it (they aren't). They don't even know what the Holocaust is (a huge study was recently done and the results bore that out; hilarious in a cynical way). I feel bad for them. They're good little materialists, though.

 

[PoetPhilosopher]

Good grief, this is the TikTok addict generation you're talking about. They have a ton of problems. Putting down the young or old is not helpful. Sadly, there's just not much in Gen Z youth culture worth lauding, as it's solidly based on consumerism, narcisssism and trend following. Sure, they have the world at their fingertips with the Internet but that doesn't mean they're making positive use of it (they aren't). They don't even know what the Holocaust is (a huge study was recently done and the results bore that out; hilarious in a cynical way). I feel bad for them. They're good little materialists, though.

I'd say that the TikTok generation can come off as narcissistic, and also needs to be careful of things like too much screen time, but that they are also showing that they're, so far, less prone to manipulation by corporations and politicians.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

I'd say that the TikTok generation can come off as narcissistic, and also needs to be careful of things like too much screen time, but that they are also showing that they're, so far, less prone to manipulation by corporations and politicians.

They're just as manipulated as anyone else is, and they follow the trends that corporations tell them to. They're not magic or know some secret that the rest of us don't. They're just kids addicted to social media and with a ton of mental health problems, as a demographic.

 

[PoetPhilosopher]

They're just as manipulated as anyone else is, and they follow the trends that corporations tell them to. They're not magic or know some secret that the rest of us don't. They're just kids addicted to social media and with a ton of mental health problems, as a demographic.

I'd argue that just as many of 'my generation' (I'm in my 30's), had mental health problems (think Myspace times), but that the treatment options back then were a bit more limited.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

I'd argue that just as many of 'my generation' (I'm in my 30's), had mental health problems (think Myspace times), but that the treatment options back then were a bit more limited.

Yeah, everyone is smoking/vaping/ingesting way more THC now. That's the difference. Other than that, mental health treatment options haven't changed much. Regardless, Gen Z has been shown to have much higher rates of mental illness than any other generation.

 

[Revoltingest]

....just as many of 'my generation' (I'm in my 30's), had mental health problems (think Myspace times), but that the treatment options back then were a bit more limited.

Every generation is messed up....except for mine.

 

[ChristineM]

Every generation is messed up....except for mine.

I thought you were much older than me.

 

[Revoltingest]

I thought you were much older than me.

I am.
You're in a messed up generation.
Why can't you be like we were...perfect in every way?

 

[ChristineM]

I am.
You're in a messed up generation.
Why can't you be like we were...perfect in every way?

Oldies these days, just cannot understand the realities of life for younger peeps

 

[Stevicus]

Every generation is messed up....except for mine.