Store Math

We've heard of "new math." This presupposed there was an "old math." For me, of course, that's just plain math. Numbers are numbers, formulas are formulas, 3+5 will always =8. Etcetera. But today I discovered yet another kind: "store math."

I went to WallyWorld to get the annual photo greeting cards made. Those of you on my list have been -uhh- blessed with them for decades now. They show my photos, favorite/s from the year, of anything except people. Call it a character flaw, call it an ego trip, but who really wants to watch the wrinkles grow for their holiday greetings? I put on something else. Time was when I could put in my own message along with a photo, but they're all canned now unless you've got your own sophisticated set-up at home.

I don't.

So it starts with selecting which photos I want, then which message I can live with, and proceeding to fight with the machine to produce something which matches my internal vision. I'm beginning to get that last part down. Today's session in the photo department only took about 20 minutes, with  little help from the lady on the next stool, as no actual human employee inhabited that entire department. Considering, I felt pretty good about it.

There were some changes in printed text to personalize it, since my first choice was too long and certain punctuation was unavailable. I declined to check the box allowing a text to my phone announcing they were ready, hoping that failure to opt in equated opting out. Same with my email address. The computer didn't insist. The order was accepted.

But it's always at the end of the transaction where store math takes effect. My initial selections were a choice between one hour to wait for printing, or several days. I picked one hour. On the receipt that prints out at the end, the time stamp was 12:40.

At the bottom, I was informed it would be ready at 4:00. So apparently, 3 hours twenty minutes = 1 hour in "store math."

Makes me wonder how they figure the price!