March of Dimes

[ShadedWings]

More annoying to me and to the people in line behind this customer, so somewhat sucky but not to the extreme.

Guy was buying a movie and a comic. His total ended up about 47 dollars. He handed me a 20.. and... wait for it...

Two plastic baggies of coins.

One had half quarters, half dimes. The other was ALL dimes.

I understood the need to do that sometimes, which is why I went ahead and counted it out... but it was frustrating to need to. Coin changers, people, they exist. So do banks.

The person behind him in line smirked and shook his head and rolled his eyes in the SCs direction when I apologized for the wait. I took that as "it wasn't your fault, don't worry".

Grah.

[ArcticChicken]

Yeah, people have been doing that a lot lately.

[Midnight_Angel]

Question: Do you have to take money in any form, including vast amounts of coins?

Where I live, no store has to put up with receiving coins past a certain limit (IIRC you don't have to accept more than 50 coins for a single transaction)... are these things handled differently in the US?

[MoxisPilot]

What greatly amuses me about this story is this: where I live in Italy, the cashiers seems to LOATHE any coins below 1 Euro. They'll even discount an item by a certain amount of money, just so they don't have to take or dispense change.

I can't help but wonder what would have happened if that SC had pulled the same stunt here.

[Mister]

People have tried this at my store, but seeing as the Netherlands is in the Euro-zone, we too don't have to accept any amount of coins over 50 per transaction. One of those customers, in an effort to be helpful, bagged the coins in smaller bags totaling 5 euro each, she was quite surprised when we didn’t take her word for it.

[friendofjimmyk]

When I was a little girl, my grandparents owned a butcher shop. My grandma learned a hard lesson taking rolled coins one day. Someone had given her the rolls and when she went to open them later, there were some coins, some buttons, some foil, things to make up space. Ever since that moment, when my grandma received rolled coins, she always opened them in front of the customer...no matter how much work it made for her later.

Fast forward 15 years into the future....I'm waiting tables at a Chili's in Texas. I was paid by a table in rolled quarters. While at the table, I opened the rolls, trying to keep them as together as I could, they were all quarters. Later, when my manager asked me why I opened the rolls...I told him the story about my grandma and he then agreed with me on opening the rolls.

[Anakah]

People bring loads of coins to our casino. They get all upset when they realize we don't use coins in the slots anymore. Its better, lighter and cleaner. We're almost the last casino that doesn't charge you a certain percent to run coin.
I would never pay a cashier in mostly coin. Its a pain in the ass to count and its plain rude. Maybe a dollar but more than that is crappy. Or ever have them ask you to round off their purchase by sticking in a penny or something? I laugh when they try that crap in my window. Every penny counts and nobody understands that.

[Ironclad Alibi]

Question: Do you have to take money in any form, including vast amounts of coins?

In the US the following applies (from Federal Reserve web site):

According to the "Legal Tender Statute" (section 5103 of title 31 of the U.S. Code), "United States coins and currency (including Federal Reserve notes and circulating notes of Federal Reserve banks and national banks) are legal tender for all debts, public charges, taxes, and dues." This means that all U.S. money, as identified above, when tendered to a creditor legally satisfies a debt to the extent of the amount (face value) tendered.

However, no federal law mandates that a person or an organization must accept currency or coins as payment for goods or services not yet provided. For example, a bus line may prohibit payment of fares in pennies or dollar bills.

I have also heard that the amount of "minor coinage" used can be legally limited, for example trying to pay fines etc. with all pennies.

People bring loads of coins to our casino. They get all upset when they realize we don't use coins in the slots anymore.

My wife is one of those upset that slot machines no longer use coins. The digitized sounds just aren't the same. There is a certain "something" about the actual sound of coins coming out of the machine. While the lack of coin slot machines doesn't bother me, I have to agree that there is a difference.

Occassionally I will get a large number of coins. I usually spend tham all at the stores, but never all at once. I spend a few on each shopping trip.

[freeatlast]

When I worked at the discount tobacco store, there was a particular customer who would come in to my incense sticks and generic cigarettes. He would pull a large ziploc bag out of the front pocket of his bib overalls, along with a folded wad of 1 dollar bills. EVERY TIME he would pay as much of the total as possible with coins and then the rest in 1s.

[Mr.Customer]

Most places I know of will refuse to accept that many coins if they aren't rolled, I know I would. A bag of coins isn't acceptable really, it isn't managable and doesn't fint into the till.

In Canada there is a legal limit on the number of any one coin you can use in a purchase, though very few are even aware of it, it's simply there so that businesses can't be charged for refusing payments in unmanageble forms such as bags of small change for large sales. Kinda redundant since the same law also states that businesses can reserve the right to refuse bank notes if it is not mutually aggreed upon (they can refuse to accept $100 bills for example for small purchases)

In the US, All Legal Tender (coins and notes) cannot be refused for payments of depts, however the law defines what is known as an "invintation to treat" which allows businesses to refuse large notes, demand exact change only, refuse pennies or demand that coin is rolled, for transactions which are done before the product or service is rendered.

ie the price tag on a product on the store shelf is an offer to treat, the store is essentially suggesting that as the price the customer can expect to pay. When the customer brings it to the till the sales person rings it up and gives the actual offer, he can ask for more or less, which the sustomer can either accept or refuse. The price tags are simply a convenient way of bartering (just as the customer can look at the price and ask for a discount). the store can refuse a sale or service on any non-discrimitory grounds A restraunt however where the food is eaten and the bill given afterwards has to make the offer first, so by rendering the service or giving the customer the food the store is accepting the offered terms and cannot change them.

There is also no legal obligation for a store to give change that I am aware of (at least not in Canada) which I find humourous. I once had a customer who purchased $5 of gas in the middle of the night and expected me to give change for a $100 bill. Conversation went like this:

Me: (taking the $100 bill) sorry I can't give you change for this.

SC: Well it's all I have on me (lying I can tell)

Me: Well I don't have enough money in my register to give you change, sorry.

SC: Well it looks like I get free gas then, (laughs)

Me: No you don't understand, I said I can't give you change, I can however accept the $100 bill and thank you for the $95 tip (I already placed the bill out of sight)

needless to say he suddenly had smaller change in his wallet, lol

Funny enough, when I was younger my sister used to send me to the local corner store to buy $5 dollars worth of 1 cent and 5 cent candies, which the cashier would have to count out, thing is my sister would give me $5 worth of penies and nickles to pay for it, which they would also have to count out. They musta hated me, my sister is such a b*** lol.

[wynjara]

My wife is one of those upset that slot machines no longer use coins. The digitized sounds just aren't the same.

The sounds certainly aren't the same. I understand (most of) the reasons for switching to those boring sheets of paper. My biggest problem with not having coin-machines anymore? Harder to tip the waitresses when they bring you drinks. Can't just grab a handful out of your pile of winnings anymore.

There's one of those coin-count machines at my bank. I swear every time I walk in someone is dumping their life savings. Those things are loud!

[ShadedWings]

Question: Do you have to take money in any form, including vast amounts of coins?

I really don't know, I haven't run across the need to ask until then. And still not, since then. Like I said, I understand the necessity sometimes, which is why I took it, but it doesn't mean I wasn't annoyed by it.

I think if it was mixed changed, including pennies, I wouldn't have. Dimes and quarters weren't horrible...

On a similar topic, I gave a lady change for a $100 last night in all fives and ones. I finally got a cat-butt face. *snicker*