Many employees know all too well that just because someone is in charge doesn’t necessarily mean they’re competent.

One employee watched in horror as a manager at their company tended to another employee on the cash register, only to end up more confused than anyone.

Read on for the full story.

“I hit the wrong button!”

This story is about one of my colleagues, and it happened a week or two ago.

My co-worker, “J,” was serving a customer at the front counter, and I was standing a meter or so away, minding my own business when…

They heard a cry for help.

“Oh my gosh… I hit the wrong button! Help… Manager! Manager!”

Of course, the manager came running to investigate what horrendous situation had just unfolded.

The employee explains the issue.

“I was putting the change into the computer so that it would tell me how much I had to give back, and I put too much in! She gave me $20, but I told the computer it was $15. Help!”

Again, I was standing just meters away, and I couldn’t help but listen in. No worries though, it’s obviously a simple problem, and the manager will know how to fix it.

…Nope.

It soon became clear this particular manager might not have been up for the task.

Manager: “Ah, get me a calculator.”

The manager proceeded to smash buttons into the calculator furiously, as though this was a complex equation that needed serious thought.

This onlooker begins losing hope this issue will ever be resolved.

By this stage, I’m getting concerned for the reputation of our international company. I mean, one staff member struggling to do math with numbers below 20 is bad enough, but the manager as well?

The onlooker soon realizes just how simple this “disaster” actually is.

I looked on the screen and saw that the customer’s items came to $12, and J had entered $15, thus needing $3 change.

If the customer had actually given $20 to J, then she simply needed to grab an extra $5 out of the till. Problem solved.

So finally they spoke up.

In my most nonchalant tone, I quietly said,

“Well, she just needs an extra $5… No?”

Once again, the manager needlessly complicates things.

The manager pushed a few extra keys on the calculator, “to confirm,” I suppose.

Manager: “Well, yes. Of course. Simple. J, give the lady an extra $5.”

So frustrating.

Sounds like this onlooker deserves a promotion!

What did Reddit think?

When you’re good at math, it tends to freak people out who aren’t.

Maybe all cashiers should be required to pass a rudimentary math exam.

Some people just prefer to outsource their thinking.

Even the smallest gestures can throw off an unsuspecting cashier.

It’s situations like these that leave you wondering how some businesses manage to stay afloat.

If you liked this post, check out this story about an employee who got revenge on a co-worker who kept grading their work suspiciously low.