"Wait, I think I have the four cents..." (rant)

[Boozy]

Yesterday was our busiest day of the entire year. We had line-ups out the door at times. I was desperately trying to ring people through at top speed, until inevitably things would come to a screeching halt because some complete nitwit decides that NOW IS A GOOD TIME TO SPEND FIVE MINUTES DIGGING PENNIES OUT TO PAY.

This didn't just happen once, this happened numerous times. These self-absorbed idiots apparently couldn't see the twenty people in line behind them, and they would take their sweet frickin' time trying to find exact change.

I wanted to shake these people. Seriously, what is the worst that can happen if you just give me the $20 in your wallet? OH NOES! I WILL HAVE MORE THAN FIVE COINS! COINS ARE EVIL!

I'm usually so easy-going with customers. I personally don't mind waiting. I'm on the clock and not going anywhere. But there are customers behind these morons who don't have to be here until five o'clock. Maybe they want to get on with their day and get out of here...

GAH.

[marty]

Yeah, I don't mind the people that can whip change out of their pocket like it's some sort of magic trick, but then there's..

"Oh, I have that one cent!" And they proceed to stick their entire arm in their suitcase purse and dig around for a penny that's lodged itself in the farthest corner between the empty pack of gum and the shoelaces that are in there "just in case."

Meanwhile, everyone behind them raises their hands to strangle them..

[simplyanother]

I'm usually so easy-going with customers. I personally don't mind waiting. I'm on the clock and not going anywhere. But there are customers behind these morons who don't have to be here until five o'clock. Maybe they want to get on with their day and get out of here...
GAH.

Is it wrong that I don't care if people take 20 minutes to find their pennies? I see it as a little teeny break between customers. Realistically, it never takes more than a couple of minutes. Because I'm a horrid person, I let them know that I don't mind waiting for that extra 3 cents.

It's Christmastime. I'll take any break I can get!

(The only time I really really don't like it --is when I'm trying to make my line disappear, so that I can go on break/lunch/home--but that's because I'm a hypocrite!)

It's almost over!

[CreepyCarrie]

Then there's my favorite variation of this, which is "I hope you need nickels/dimes/pennies/obscure foreign coins" Then they whip out a big ol' zip lock bag full of whatever coin they just said they hope you need, and proceed to count out their entire bill using only those coins. And they count, and they count, and they count some more, and when they've finished counting, I have to count it. And all the while, the customers behind this person are silently sharpening their switchblades in anger.

[jigshoes86]

Then there's my favorite variation of this, which is "I hope you need nickels/dimes/pennies/obscure foreign coins" Then they whip out a big ol' zip lock bag full of whatever coin they just said they hope you need, and proceed to count out their entire bill using only those coins. And they count, and they count, and they count some more, and when they've finished counting, I have to count it. And all the while, the customers behind this person are silently sharpening their switchblades in anger.

Oh how I HATE the people that pay in change- I will never forget, at my first job,
(K-B Toys-*shudder*)some lady who had just dropped a wad of money upon entering the store that had at least enough 20s to cover what would be her whole purchase ( it was Christmas time- of course) I pointed it out to her, being the good person I am. She thanks me, proceeds to shop. Then comes time for her to pay- She proceeds to hand me a gallon size ziplock bag with Quarters and Dimes and Nickels, and worst- Pennies.....And because I'm too polite, I proceed to count it all out. I knew she HAD THE CASH- but a: again too polite, b: she might have had another purpose and c: there was a language barrier.She spoke no english, at least to me. And to top it off , she still was 8-10 bucks short after that.

[BookstoreEscapee]

She proceeds to hand me a gallon size ziplock bag with Quarters and Dimes and Nickels, and worst- Pennies......

If you have that much change to get rid of, GO TO THE BANK!!! They have machines that count the damn stuff for you!

Though I do have to admit, I also used to enjoy the small break I got from people digging for change or taking their time to organize their stuff after they finished paying. I just tried to remember, I can't make them hurry up. I can only do my part as quickly as I can. If the customer is slow, oh well, I get to catch my breath, then. Especially at Christmas time.

[jedifarfy]

ARG! I hate it! I don't care if there's 1 person or 100 people in line. Just give me the freaking cash! Save your change in a jar at home! Trust me, it adds up! My mom and stepdad save all their change in a vase. Mom counted, rolled, and deposited about $400 worth. And that was only because she ran out of nickle and quarter rolls.

Don't wanna go to work today....

JF

[smileyeagle1021]

You know, I am occasionally guilty of paying entirely small bills/coins... but that's only at a very small number of places, and those are the places where the employees are always complaining about how they are always running out of change and have already told me they would much rather count all my crap than have to go to the bank to get more change themselves.

[Saydrah]

Asking a cashier to count out change FOR you is inexcusable. However, I must admit I'm often tempted to pay in coins just because of those Visa Tap and Go commercials that make the person paying in cash look like a bumbling idiot. It ticks me off that credit cards- the most fiscally irresponsible form of payment- have demonized cash, the MOST responsible form of payment for someone on a budget.

[powerboy]

If it is a small bill, then I will use change. But that is only if it is $3.00 or under. Once, I paid for $20 worth of gas in change. It was rolled up & the cashier was always running short on change.

[XCashier]

You know, I am occasionally guilty of paying entirely small bills/coins... but that's only at a very small number of places, and those are the places where the employees are always complaining about how they are always running out of change and have already told me they would much rather count all my crap than have to go to the bank to get more change themselves.

True, I'd rather the customer pay a $20 total with change and small bills than the customer pay a $1.35 total with a $100 bill, especially when I'm running low on small stuff! Still, I can understand how it irritates the customers, and if you've got $20 in pennies, I'd really rather you take it to the bank, thanks, I don't have that much room in my till!

[chops]

That reminds me of the asshole regular at the convenience store who stacked his change on the counter, then as I went to pick it up, he actually pried it out of my hands.

Even if anyone took me seriously (people don't), I wouldn't have been able to kick him out. Why? He was buddies with the manager, who was in the store at the time and would have sided with him in a heartbeat.

[Kyree]

Asking a cashier to count out change FOR you is inexcusable. However, I must admit I'm often tempted to pay in coins just because of those Visa Tap and Go commercials that make the person paying in cash look like a bumbling idiot. It ticks me off that credit cards- the most fiscally irresponsible form of payment- have demonized cash, the MOST responsible form of payment for someone on a budget.

I have yet to see one of those commercials, hehe.

[Bella_Vixen]

A couple times over the last few weeks, we've had this one guy come in and pay with a $100 bill for about $20-30 of stuff. He's a jerk. Got pissed at me (I got him TWICE) when his change was a $10 and $50 worth of $5s. Demanded larger bills. I gleefully lied to him and told him that I didn't have any.*

*Our safe is set up so we can vend $20s on down to nickels. If he had been nice, I would have been more then happy to vend some $20s. Yes, I WAS sucky. I'm also sick and tired of customers thinking we are a bank instead of a gas station. Especially getting close to 9 PM, when we are required to have only $50 MAX in our drawers. It is a fireable offence to have too much money on hand.

[Ironclad Alibi]

Here is a link to a story about a guy that bought a new $25,000.00 truck, and paid for in with coins.

Ind. man pays for new pickup truck with change