Welp! Monday I saw a rare sight. Rarer than a unicorn, though not as aesthetically pleasing. It was a young gal who could not use technology!
I was in the School-Turn Casey's, waiting to buy scratchers. Young Gal looked about 14 years old. She had a canned beverage on the counter, with the flip top open. I didn't recognize the can. Not a soda. Maybe some kind of iced tea or energy drink. Young Gal was trying to pay with a card.
She put it in the card reader, but it didn't work. Three times. The clerk asked if she had the TAP feature. She didn't know what he was talking about. He took the card, looked it over, then touched it to the reader.
"There. You have it. Now try."
Young Gal messed around with the keypad. Still didn't work.
"Maybe another code?" The clerk was very patient with her, trying to help.
Young Gal just looked at him. Did something with her phone. I thought maybe she had an app that could help her. Then she went back to trying to shove the card into the card reader again.
Sweet Gummi Mary! I was not in a hurry, but I was tired of standing there watching this exercise in futility. Doing the same wrong thing over and over was not going to solve her problem. I swear, if I'd had my wad of one-dollar bills in my pocket, I would have paid for her. It cost less than two dollars. But I only had twenties, and was not going to break one to pay her bill. My generosity does have its limits.
Finally an Older Gal came charging through the door. She was probably the big sister, judging from her age. She grabbed the card, jammed it into the card reader, punched a couple keys, and the transaction was done. I guess Young Gal had sent her a text when fiddling with her phone.
"SEE? What was so hard about that?"
Older Gal turned on her heel and left, while Young Gal picked up her drink and thanked the clerk.
What ever happened to using CASH???
I am really surprised to read this. I thought these days all yung people were born already knowing all the tech stuff. And when the clerk did the tap thing, didn't that pay for her drink? Here in my country we have the tap and go thing and when you tap your card, it pays for the goods and you go.
ReplyDeleteRiver,
ReplyDeleteI think she needed to enter a PIN. I've had my chip card rejected at 10Box. When it was Country Mart, I could just slide the magnetic strip and it would work. But now at 10Box the cashier took it and tapped it, which brought up their regular screen for me to accept or deny the charge, and type in my 4-digit PIN. Maybe it depends on how you have your card set, though I don't recall doing anything special to it when I got my new card.
Of course I am not clueless and annoying like that young gal! I am OLD!