Woman has an impromptu math lesson for young cashier who struggled with basic change

Math can be hard. This is what bartender and popular TikTok creator Michelle Raleigh (@michellebellexo) realized when she was out buying medicines. The creator was baffled by a cashier who was not equipped to handle change at all. Thus, she decided to give a free lesson to her millions of followers on how to count change in a simple way.

Here's how to count back change correctly

In her viral video, which has amassed over 7 million views, Raleigh recounts the story that inspired her to share the free lesson. She says that it dawned on her that counting back change was not taught in schools when she went to the CVS pharmacy. She says her total was $15.06 and she handed the cashier a $20 bill. She explains that it was a young kid who was probably in high school. 

Raleigh says that she didn't want all that change, so she tried to hand the cashier 6 cents to get a $5 bill in exchange. However, this baffled the poor kid and caused him to fidget and panic. "He was like 'uh, I mean, I am sorry, I am new'," she recalls him saying. 

To spare the poor cashier, Raleigh takes back the six cents and allows him to give $4.94. She then demonstrates the ideal exchange by putting the six cents on top of the change and then asking him to give a $5 bill instead. "The look on his face! He was so confused," Raleigh says. 

She then goes on to explain how to count back change going up. She says for instance, if someone has to pay $12.34 and they hand a $20, the right way to count back is by going to the nearest quarter. In this case, the nearest quarter is $12.50. To get there, first add a penny, she says. Then add a nickel to get to $12.40 and then add a dime.

Lastly, add 50 cents to the change to get to $13 and then add $7 to get to the original $20 given. That's how to count back change. 

She further adds that things don't go the same way for tipped workers. She is a bartender, she will simply skip giving away the coins and count back the change from $13.

While the creator initially thought it was common knowledge, her comment section further confirmed that it wasn't at all. Several users empathized with the cashier stating similar problems. "I HATED when ppl did this to me at my first job when I was 15, I simply didn’t understand. Honestly still don’t," wrote one user @jess__bil. 

Several others tried to explain what really goes on in the minds of the cashiers. "I’m good at math, I understand it, it’s just the pressure of being in front of the register— plus the SCREEN telling you how much to give back, that number is just locked in your brain," explained user @libbyw11.

Meanwhile, some former cashiers argued that they are trained not to make money. "I’m not saying he wasn’t good at math but as someone that has worked in retail, we are taught to never take any additional money from anyone and referred them to customer service to get change," explained user @mommatolentino21.

For more such lessons, vlogs, and entertaining content, follow Michelle Raleigh (@michellebellexo) on TikTok.