I went to lunch with my neighbor last week and he insisted on picking up the check, because he could claim it as a business expense. He asked the waiter to split the check and include the drinks on a separate check. He said he had to keep the bean counters happy. Well, of course that got me to thinking about bean counters \u2014 I\u2019ve heard the term all my life and it usually makes me think of some grumpy, briefcase-toting accountant. But why did these guys come to be called bean counters?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I guess beans have never been held in high regard by most people. I\u2019ve heard the phrase \u201che doesn\u2019t know beans\u201d used to describe someone that\u2019s clueless about something. And I remember my dad always used the phrase \u201cit doesn\u2019t amount to a hill of beans\u201d when he thought something was meaningless or worthless. I guess if your job was to count beans, you\u2019d be stuck in a pretty boring, joyless job \u2014 maybe that\u2019s why the label is associated with accountants\u2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anyhow, I figured the subject was worth some extensive research. One theory I found suggested that the derogatory nickname originated in the 1920s, when the marketing and sales-analysis firm the Nielsen Company (now known for the television ratings system) was just a fledgling operation. Supposedly the founder, A.C. Nielsen, was so diligent in his analysis that his employees counted the beans one by one at grocery stores they were auditing. That seems like a reasonable explanation, but it\u2019s probably not true. The argument against it is that the preferred unit of a crop economy is the bushel \u2014 not individual grains, seed, ears, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From what I could determine, the term \u201cbean counter\u201d first appeared in a Forbes<\/em> article, in reference to a particularly careful account. It expanded to mean any<\/em> accountant and then took on a negative implication, suggesting that accountants overlook value for numbers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Today, the term is used to describe any soulless individual that cares more about the bottom line than quality. Actually, this subject doesn\u2019t amount to a hill of beans\u2026. I went to lunch with my neighbor last week and he insisted on picking up the check, because he could claim it as a business expense. He asked the waiter to split the check and include the drinks on a … Continue reading
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