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A little tip to avoid getting overcharged at the checkout...
nedski
Posts: 67 Forumite
An easy way to do it, without being a human calculator!
In your head, keep a running total of all the pounds in the prices of the items you've picked up without rounding (i.e. £1.49 is 1, £1.75 is 1, £0.99 is 0), then when you get to the checkout, add two-thirds of the number of items to that total, and it should approximately be your bill. And it works! Find an old till receipt and try it. It's especially good with lots of items, close enough to be a sanity check anyway - if it's way over, time to check your receipt! (Way under? Well, that's your call...
)
I'm well chuffed because I just rediscovered where I first saw this - it was in a book I picked up in a bookshop somewhere in London years ago, and was enjoying flicking thru, but I forgot the name of it by the time I got home. Now, by the magic of Blackwells online book search, I found it again
...
It's called "How to Dunk a Doughnut - The Science of Everyday Life" by Len Fisher, and in there you can read why this trick works, and how he came to work it out. Right, I'm off to buy a copy now! :cool:
N.
EDIT : Here's a link to the book at play.com - The cheapest place I found it
In your head, keep a running total of all the pounds in the prices of the items you've picked up without rounding (i.e. £1.49 is 1, £1.75 is 1, £0.99 is 0), then when you get to the checkout, add two-thirds of the number of items to that total, and it should approximately be your bill. And it works! Find an old till receipt and try it. It's especially good with lots of items, close enough to be a sanity check anyway - if it's way over, time to check your receipt! (Way under? Well, that's your call...
)I'm well chuffed because I just rediscovered where I first saw this - it was in a book I picked up in a bookshop somewhere in London years ago, and was enjoying flicking thru, but I forgot the name of it by the time I got home. Now, by the magic of Blackwells online book search, I found it again
...It's called "How to Dunk a Doughnut - The Science of Everyday Life" by Len Fisher, and in there you can read why this trick works, and how he came to work it out. Right, I'm off to buy a copy now! :cool:
N.
EDIT : Here's a link to the book at play.com - The cheapest place I found it
0
Comments
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Just tried this on two bills and it was pretty accurate!!Non omne quod nitet aurum est0
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I don't mind being overcharged especially in Asda or Tesco's, cause they they give the items in question for free if they do overcharge you0
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But you have to spot that you have been overcharged - so the post is useful!0
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Thanks for the tip. I've ordered the book too, sounds like it will make an interesting read. Only cost 49p because I used my £5 Play voucher.
:T0 -
I'm jealous... I missed out on one of those... Would have been perfect!
Enjoy the book!
N.0 -
I have an even simpler approach, as long as you can add up quickly. Guestimate to the nearest 20p each item as you offload the trolley to the conveyor belt. I am usually within 10% . . . . . and I never had to buy a book :-)0
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