At a drive-through window, you add up the ticket (with the register) as they order, then before they actually arrive at your window, you take the next order. You don’t know what bills you’re going to be handed from the car three cars back.
When they get to the window, you look at the receipt tape, tell them their total, and make change from the twenty or the ten or whatever they hand you.
At the counter, the register makes change for the employees, but at lots of older fast food window set-ups, you have to make change in your head.
Are you seriously making that big of a deal out of the ability to make change? I understand that it is somewhat of a lost art, but I used to supervise kids working in a concession stand. I taught them all to make change on their first shift with me. I don’t remember any kids that didn’t learn; but if adults cannot learn to make change they are certainly not worth even what they are making now.
Yes I have worked fast food, it is harder work than most people think but I don’t remember being exhausted. Of course I have worked hard all my life and have worked many jobs that are far harder than fast food work. I don’t put anyone down for working jobs like that, I know many that had to start in those jobs at different stages of their life. I worked fast food in college when it was a fairly new concept and I do respect people that work in fast food because at least they are working.