Dear Abby strikes again?

[CaroPhoenix]

Check out the letter from BURGER BOY IN MISSISSIPPI which is last letter of column

Basically, "Burger Boy" went to fast food restaurant and paid for his food. He put his exact change down on the counter thereby forcing the cashier to spend time picking said payment up off counter. Cashier told him it was wrong to put it down, but should have placed it in her hand. (No mention from letter writer if her hand was out to receive money).

So letter writer writes to Dear Abby to see if what he did was wrong & if the cashier was rude. Abby sides with letter writer.

What do y'all think?

[Boozy]

I find it annoying to pick coins off the counter. I prefer the customer to give me the change directly, especially when I've got my hand out waiting for it.

But Dear Abby is right that the cashier shouldn't have said anything about it. It's not such a big deal that you should call the customer rude. That just escalates a minor annoyance into a confrontational situation. Both acts may be considered rude, but the cashier's faux-pas is worse than the customer's in this case.

[Evil Queen]

Personally, I prefer for the money to be on the counter as I pick it up. Dunno why.

[XCashier]

But Dear Abby is right that the cashier shouldn't have said anything about it. It's not such a big deal that you should call the customer rude.

Exactly. Choose your battles. Save your energy for the major problems, like shoplifters, scammers and abusive customers.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

When I'm paying exclusively with bills, I will hand them to the cashier.

If I'm paying with change, I'll set the change on the counter. There have been times in the past where I handed a cashier change and it got dropped, either by myself or the cashier. One time a quarter ended up in a cranny behind the cash register that was totally inaccessible to the cashier, so I had to dig out another bill instead.

I don't do this to be rude.

Dear Abby got it right this time. There was no good reason for the cashier to call out the letter writer like that.

[CaroPhoenix]

I think there was rudeness on both sides, that's why I posted the letter here.

I hate, hate, hate it when customers place the money on counter. It's hard to pick up the change off our counter. It's also easier to hand over your money to the cashier's hand, IMHO.

The cashier was rude for dressing down the customer. Some customers do have OCD (as do some cashiers).

[flybye023]

I think that yes, the cashier was definitely rude. I have been a cashier and my preference is that people put their money on the counter. I just don't like touching strangers' hands. (I think hand-shaking should be abolished j/k) So, there's got to be other cashiers like me out there. Basically a customer has a 50/50 chance of offending their service worker.

[Listerfiend]

If done right, however, your and the customer's hands never even touch when handing money over.

Most of the time I prefer the customer to hand me the money (unless there's a huge amount of change or something); depending on how they handle the cash it could be rude. Bills lined up in a neat pile with change next to it? That's perfectly fine. Tossing a wadded up mass of bills on the counter with the change strewn about is a completely different matter (especially if the customer left them on his/her side of the counter). And I feel that if my hand is out for the cash, then it is a bit rude for them to place/toss/whatever the money on the counter.

I would never say anything to anyone about it, though; that definitely oversteps the bounds. Like others have said, you have to pick your battles. For instance, I really hate it when cashiers hand back my money with change on top of the cash (as it slides all over and is a pain in the ass, plus my bills go in a different place than my coins), but I'll never tell a cashier that because it's stupid, petty, and very rude (and yes, I do hand my own customers back their change with coins first, then the cash which is on top of the receipt).

[powerboy]

If it is coins, then I prefer them to be set on the counter. unless it is a few coins.

[Hon'ya-chan]

Put the damn coins in the hand. Do you want quick service or accuracy? Frankly, I find it much quicker if you put the Cash/Coins/Credit Card in my hand.

[MoxisPilot]

I prefer on-the-counter exchanges over hand-to-hand. The cashier definitely was out of line.

[Broomjockey]

I find it annoying to pick coins off the counter. I prefer the customer to give me the change directly, especially when I've got my hand out waiting for it.

I prefer for the money to be on the counter as I pick it up.

When I'm paying exclusively with bills, I will hand them to the cashier.

If I'm paying with change, I'll set the change on the counter.

I hate, hate, hate it when customers place the money on counter.

my preference is that people put their money on the counter.

Most of the time I prefer the customer to hand me the money (unless there's a huge amount of change or something)

If it is coins, then I prefer them to be set on the counter. unless it is a few coins.

Put the damn coins in the hand.

I prefer on-the-counter exchanges over hand-to-hand.

9 people, and we're pretty much split down the middle, with some people making their preference conditional. You'll have to excuse me if I don't change my behavior.

[smileyeagle1021]

9 people, and we're pretty much split down the middle, with some people making their preference conditional. You'll have to excuse me if I don't change my behavior.

ditto... I place change the way I like it to be handed to me, coins first on the counter (neatly) then bills handed to the cashier... if you don't like how I hand you my money, tough, you're getting your money so you shouldn't complain... and if I don't like how you give me money, oh well, I don't care that much as long as I get the right amount of money.

[FuzzyKitten99]

I prefer all forms of payment in my hand. I hate having to pick up coins one at a time on the smooth surface of the counters. Especially when I hold my hand out for the money, anticipating it being handed to me, and it is plunked down on the counter. Picking up coins one at a time is especially annoying when I have super-short nails due to them being chipped or broken from working the stock truck.

However the cashier shouldn't have said anything. Not worth worrying about. Annoying, yes, but not worth the energy.

[Rine]

I don't really care either way...except, if I'm holding my hand out for their money (as I see them getting it out) I HATE it when they just put it on the counter like my friggin' hand wasn't there.

I don't like it when people toss wads of money at me or their credit card! Ugh, the credit card thing happens a lot. Either slide it through yourself or HAND it to me, don't toss it on the counter. I don't care if they place it on the counter and slide it to me, but having it tossed at me rubs the wrong way.

I'd never dream of telling a customer that I didn't like they way they gave their money to me. Though there has been a time where I've uttered a sigh when I've had money tossed at me. Telling someone how to give me their money is just rude.