A pet peeve

[aurelemsrealm]

I see this all the time in the convenience store, and find it rather annoying. Customers who insist on using exact change that they have to go to their car to get. It's no big deal if they have it on hand, obviously.

Say for instance, a customer's total comes to 12.03. You can clearly see they have at least $13 in cash right there in hand, an adequate amount to cover the purchase and get 97 cents in change back. They want to dig for exact change which is not a big deal if they happen to have it on hand. However, they don't have any change handy. So, they insist on rushing back to the car to get three pennies or some other change.

Add bonus points if there are customers waiting in line behind them. When that's the case, I just pull the merchandise off the counter, and suspend or void the transaction. Add even more bonus points if they then get pissy when they come back in because they have to wait while you finish with the current customer at the register while the exact change customer was dicking around hunting for their exact change. After all, they're "in a hurry," which is why they were so worried about going to hunt for exact change instead of paying with the cash they had, taking their change, and being on their way. Then there was the one cigarette customer who thought he'd try to help himself by reaching across the counter to grab the pack of cigarettes I had to set aside and suspend while he went scrounging for exact change. Yeah, he got really pissy when I grabbed the cigarettes and set them out of his reach and told him to wait until I finished with the current customer and recalled his transaction.

[Mnemjian]

Wow. I've never seen anyone actually leave the line and go get change elsewhere in the middle of a transaction. I mean maybe if there wasn't anybody waiting, but dang. That's pretty self-centered to just hold everybody up because you don't want to break a dollar

[HorrorFrogPrincess]

Gawd, I hate that. I also hate when they ask if it's okay that they are a few pennies off. You never know what kind of anal manager the cashier might have.

I saw that today whilst getting lunch. I go there everyday, and I like the staff, so I provided the penny. Just in case.

[Plaidman]

Wow. I've never seen anyone actually leave the line and go get change elsewhere in the middle of a transaction. I mean maybe if there wasn't anybody waiting, but dang. That's pretty self-centered to just hold everybody up because you don't want to break a dollar

It happens. All. The. Fucking. Time. They'll bring their crap up. You ring them up, tell them their total, and they will be 'oh wait, I want more stuff'.

So then you have to hold their transcation to ring up other people up, and then you get yelled at by office because they think if your hold a ticket, your trying to steal for some stupid reason.

[MoonChild2007]

Here is what ticks me the most, when the total is let's say 12.35 and the customer will give you a $20.00 bill and right after I have counted the change , they always say I have the change.

I usually tell them I have already counted the correct change.

[ShinyKitsune]

I always get the people that come up to the register and wait until their purchase is totaled out before saying "Wait there while I get my money/card/wallet from my car", usually stated in a way that indicates that they knew the cash/card was in their car for quite some time...So why wait until the last possible minute to get them? Better yet, why not bring it in with you in the first place?

[Andara Bledin]

I once left my ATM card. At home.

I was embarrassed as all hell over it, too. But I've never even considered making the cashier wait while I did something other than finish the transaction.

^-.-^

[Julesy]

They're taking up your time, making people wait for them, but also, this strikes me as a real waste of their own time. Why go through all that trouble to get the correct change from your car? Weird.

As for forgetting one's wallet or atm card at home or in the car (or worse, at home!) - I am SO paranoid about this happening to me that I always find myself checking this upon walking into a store.

[BookstoreEscapee]

Wow. I've never seen anyone actually leave the line and go get change elsewhere in the middle of a transaction.

I haven't either. I've had plenty who either had to go get their wallet or didn't have enough cash and had to go find more, but never anyone who just didn't want change back.

Gawd, I hate that. I also hate when they ask if it's okay that they are a few pennies off. You never know what kind of anal manager the cashier might have.

See, if someone was off by a penny or two and they were digging for it and I was feeling nice and/or impatient, I would tell them not to worry about it. (Usually there was a penny or two lying around, and if the drawer was over by a dime or whatever when I started, I would take out that much in pennies and set them aside in the extra coin cup.) But if someone just asked like that just because they clearly didn't want to look for the change, I'd say no.

[Shalom]

Had a customer once was a few cents short. She's standing there with a screaming baby, fumbling through her purse, "I know I've got some more change in here... Maybe I have some out in the car." I'm gritting my teeth trying to keep the screaming from piercing my eardrums and saying No, it's fine, you can bring it in next time or something. She's still standing there, "No really, I hate owing money, let me just go out to the car and come back." I tell her I'm moichel (I forgive) the three cents, really, you can go. Couldn't get her out the door, I thought I'd have to carry her out to the car myself. By God she wasn't leaving without paying all she owed, and normally I'm fine with that, but not with a shrieking child trying to drown her out. Please, I'll pay the freaking three cents out of my own pocket, just take your child and get the out of my store...

[batmoody]

I would never suspend the transaction for stupidity such as that. If the customer has to go back and finish their shopping, or go out to their car for change, something stupid like that, I wait. If there are people in line, they wait too.

I want the customer to feel the glares of the people who had to wait. I'm passive aggressive like that.

Plus it's a total PIA to get an order suspended. I have to get a manager to come up and issue and override, and then I can't even ring you through in my line. If I suspend an order, you have to go stand in line all over again at customer service and have them bring it up.

People seem to think I can just put their order on hold. Well...I can, but it means I get a break and the people in line are fuming when you get back..

[Indigo]

I don't mind the penny or two under because we're always finding dropped pennies around the store or people just don't want those extra two cents back in their change. What boggles me is this young teen(ish) guy came up to my register and his total was $35 somethin. He digs through his wallet, pulls out $32, counts it out and then hands it to me, saying something along the lines of "Will this be alright?"

Me: Your total is $35. This is $32.
Dude: Yea, will that be alright?
Me: You're $3 short.
Dude: Well you guys always have more than you need in there (points at cash register) so it should be alright.
Me: Um no it isn't. You still owe $3.

He finally coughed up the extra money, but after he left I was like WTF?

[Not_a_Miracleworker]

I must admit I've been guilty of digging for exact change before - but I've NEVER gone out to my car for it!!

I've also committed the ultimate hipocritical sin and paid for my entire gas transaction with change (back in high-school mind you). I *severely dislike* people that pay with nothing but coins - especially double digit amounts!

[MrsEclipse]

By God she wasn't leaving without paying all she owed, and normally I'm fine with that, but not with a shrieking child trying to drown her out. Please, I'll pay the freaking three cents out of my own pocket, just take your child and get the out of my store...

"If you take the child out of here right now, it'll be worth three cents to me."

[Devilot]

Uhm... what is wrong with these people? I've been on the customer end of "miscalculated and been a few cents short." I usually just politely say I'll run home and get some more money -- not asking them to wait for me or anything, mind you -- and they've usually been willing to cover the few cents.

There was one time I was a bit more short and ended up causing a hassle and eventually having to forgo the purchase, unfortunately. I tried to be polite about it, but it should never have happened. I wasn't paying attention to the prices, and they were higher than at the store I usually shop at -- probably because this one was closer to the college; I should have been more careful and made sure I wasn't buying more than I could afford, rather than just assuming I'd have enough to cover it.