90% of the time when I go to the store or a restaurant, my total amount has no change. What are the odds?

Question

I could get 32 items at the store and it will total something like $43.00. But it happens too often to be a coincidence. I can't add anything in my head, so I'm not doing this subconsciously. What is going on?

Answer 1

My friend has a pack of cards, that he is frightened of as he will say what card he will pull out and it bloody happens...it really upsets him.

They are not trick cards and he threw them away, but I salvaged them. Doesnt work with me...  

Answer 2

It is not realistic to calculate the actual odds of chance, because the prices aren't random.  People would say that it would be a 1 in a hundred chance, but that would only be if each outcome (.00-.99) were equally likely, but because the prices aren't random (notice how many things cost ?.99 or ?.50 and how few cost ?.03 or ?.17) the odds aren't calculable.  Sales tax would also come into account.  Is this phenomena before or after tax?  Do you think this force that's making this happen takes sales tax into account as it's guiding you to buy things so your total will come out to a whole dollar?  If you went to a different state with a different sales tax, would it adjust your buying preferences?

Answer 3

take   a  break...!!!

..  Now..  ...please bring a  calculator..    and  dont.. forget to add the taxes..   try it!!

/..  it might br  the  guy  behind the counter  being to lazy to give out change    ...  

check it!!

Answer 4

I've had some experience with this before.  I wouldn't really call this an answer so much as an "it happens" explanation.  When I lived in Florida, my shopping was done one day a week.  That's all the time I had.  One particular day, just about every place I spent, I came up to exact dollar amounts.  I brushed it of at first.  Came back to Michigan, and went to Wal-Mart to pick up some supplies.  Total, $14.00.  A few days later I went back to pick up some other things I had forgotten, and WHAM, $14.00.  (Not like I was paying that close of attention, but it seams like it happens more often at Wal-Mart.)  I finally checked the receipts, added up the numbers, and it all worked out.  Hmmm.

Answer 5

Coincidence.

Answer 6

OMG, I LOVE IT WHEN THAT HAPPENS!!!!!!

Answer 7

That is great. High level of synchronicity bet you hardly have to look for a decent parking spot either. Some people are like that with different things.

Have fun with it.

Answer 8

A consistent 90% success rate with this might be significant. Here is what you do. Get out all of your receipts and credit card statements. Look up your purchases and calculate the actual percent of the time one comes out exactly on the dollar.

If you don't have these data then you must start collecting receipts now. Get them for everything you purchase over a period of say a week. Then calculate the percentage. Remember, for 90%, 9 out of 10 of all purchases you make must come out exactly on the dollar. You cannot throw away any receipts or fail to get any.

If your data affirms your prediction, then go to James Randi and see if you can repeat it to collect your prize. I predict however that if you do this, you will find that it happens a lot less than you think. In fact it probably happens only once every few hundred purchases or so. The phenomenon of which you speak is called selection bias, but you definitely have a way to prove me wrong.