Cash Registers....Not just for stores

Who created this message?

Learning Resources created this message in 1995.  This specific cash register was released on January 1st, 1995.  More recently this ad was posted to YouTube on August 23, 2019.

What creative techniques are used to attract my attention?

The background music was a good attention grabber.  Although cash registers might not seem the most exciting the quick upbeat music instantly grabbed my attention.  The second thing that really drew me in was the sweet ca-ching sound of the cash drawer opening up to give customers their change.  Eight year old me would have been thrilled at the fact I was getting a "credit card" to swipe when a customer wanted to put a charge on it for their purchase.  As a child who was not great at math the fact the cash register was able to do the addition and subtraction for me would be a huge selling point.

How might different people interpret this message differently than me? What viewpoints or world views are included or left out of this message?

One thing that I noticed in most of the commercials for this product is that the children in them are predominately white.  Fostering an environment in where consumers, cashiers and learners would only be white and English speaking.  This commercial was honest short, sweet and to the point about a simple cash register calculator that is not only fun but could help you learn addition and subtraction and how to work with money.  Other people may not be interested in a cash register that is so "basic" and geared around learning, they may be simply looking for "fun".  In that case this cash register may not be choice for everyone.    

Why is this message being sent?

I think that this message was being sent to help children with a more creative way to learn basic math skills.  Not only would they be able to use this cash register as a calculator, but it could also teach them how to properly use money to purchase things like groceries or clothes.