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From: jel@digi-g.UUCP (John Lind)
Newsgroups: net.followup
Subject: Re: Those new restaurant receipts
Message-ID: <114@digi-g.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 26-Jan-84 12:16:52 EST
Article-I.D.: digi-g.114
Posted: Thu Jan 26 12:16:52 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 28-Jan-84 05:47:30 EST
References: <1638@randvax.ARPA>
Organization: DigiGraphic Systems Corp., Mpls.  MN
Lines: 54

I am not convinced that these new receipts were designed with a wanton
disregard for customer preferences.  Perhaps, in charming naivete, the
cash register designer imagined some utility in such itemization.   It
was certainly welcomed in the grocery store.  The worst such designers
can be blamed with is over-generalization.  The best we could think is
that they thought we might like to keep records  of our exact expenses
for our personal budgets  (some of us do pick up the tab ourselves for
a portion of our restaurant visits).

Given the inertia of the forward dash of gimics in every aspect of our
culture, I doubt seriously whether there is any reverse we can affect.
However,  we might be  able to move  further in the same direction and
get a receipt suitable for submission printed after the offending over
specified version.  It might look like the following:

 +-------------------------------------+
 |            GUEST CHECK              |
 |                                     |
 | SERVER 96    TABLE 119/1  TIME 19:10|
 |                                     |
 .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .
 
 .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .
 |                                     |
 | 83-11-01     1 GUEST      NUMBER 174|
 +-------------------------------------+
 | 83-11-01                  NUMBER 174|
 |   ELI MCFLY RESTAURANT AND BAR      |
 |   CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA             |
 |                                     |
 | PURCHASE TOTAL                  8.45|
 |	      TAX		    .55|
 |       SUBTOTAL		   9.00|
 |	 GRATUITY		   1.50|
 |    GRAND TOTAL		  10.50|
 |				       |
 +-------------------------------------+

 This is probably asking too much, however.  The chance of anyone entering
 their tips into the cash register is probably as near zero as you care to
 go (and perhaps with good reason).    A more realistic expectation may be
 as follows:

 +-------------------------------------+
 | 83-11-01                  NUMBER 174|
 |   ELI MCFLY RESTAURANT AND BAR      |
 |   CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA             |
 |                                     |
 |         TOTAL                   8.45|
 |           TAX                    .55|
 |   GRAND TOTAL                   9.00|
 |				       |
 +-------------------------------------+