Appreciation post: multiplying by 11 in my head saved me at the diner checkout

I was splitting a $43.17 check three ways with two friends in Cleveland last Friday and the cashier's machine froze, so I used the old 11x trick with some rounding to speed things up, and it got us out in under 2 minutes, but has anyone else found a niche math shortcut that only works in one weird real life spot?

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noahgreen11d ago

and that diner thing is just the tip of it honestly. once you start noticing, every place has its own hidden math that regulars just know. like at my local gas station, the price per gallon always ends in .90, so I can roughly guess the total without looking at the pump if I just multiply the gallons by the whole number and add a buck. it's not exact, but it gets me close enough to plan how much cash I need before I walk in. the real trick is that these shortcuts only work in one spot, but they make you feel like you've got some secret cheat code for that one specific counter.