Big Bill Epidemic [Language]

[EvilEmpryss]

I guess it really must take a lot of courtesy to think to ask the clerk if they can provide a certain amount of cash back before trying to get it. Since I hate standing around to wait for a manager to bring extra to fill my request, I *always* ask first, even if I just want $5.00. It saves so much trouble.

As for breaking large bills, again, I ask if they can before they start scanning items, but sometimes it isn't an option to use an ATM or credit card. Sometimes the cash I have in my wallet is all I have left. I don't use big bills at small businesses that aren't likely to have the change in the till and I try to buy enough to get less than half the value of the bill in change (no paying for a pack of gum with a $100 bill), but if that's not the way it works out, I'll wait patiently while you acquire the proper change.

Now if it's yard sale season I'll clean you out of $20-$40 in ones if you let me. Gotta have my small unmarked bills for my weekly knick knacks and chatchkies fix.

[Hyena Dandy]

Damn, whenever I see the title of this thread, I think of an epidemic of customers breaking out and singing "The Ballad of Czolgosz" from Assassins

"Hi, I'd like two coffees, a rainbow cookie and...


BIG BILL!
Give 'em a thrill
BIG BILL!
Sold 'em a bill
BIG BILL!
Who'd wanna kill a man of goodwill like... Big Bill!


I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me..."

[blas]

If I didn't have the manager around at the gas station, I'd be screwed.

I started out with...I want to say $100 in 10's, 5s, and 1s and change.

Naturally, my first few customers would only buy $5 in gas or a coffee or a pack of gum or something else small, and pay with 20s. All 20s. Or even worse, large bills.

Then I would have to call my manager and have her come unlock the safe and get rid of all the large bills.

Or it never ever failed, as soon as I did a money drop (to prevent having too much money in the drawer) no doubt no doubt, that's when the rest of the 20s, 50s, and 100s freaks would flock to the store.

[Sunsetsky]

When I worked at Walmart I once had a customer pay for a $2 purchase with a $100 bill. She was also my first customer of the day so I didn't have any money. She got a little impatient when she had to wait for change because she had a bus to catch.

[Aut]

I've gotten those that ask if I can break a $50 or a $100, and they aren't buying anything. <Random Craft Store> isn't a bank....no, wait, it's every store known to man combined in one, forgot about that. o.o

Argh I get that here. We only keep about $100 around for change. And very few coins. There is a self service car wash next door and people will come over here looking for quarters. I usually only have about 3-5 of those, so I tell them we don't do change for the car wash. There's a gas station down the street.

We go through cycles where the car wash frequently runs out of quarters (they have one cange machine that gives quarters and one that gives tokens), and the people at the nearby apartment complexes will drain the quarter machine for laundry change.

[RxBoy]

The biggest problem is that, at least in my area, the ATMs only give out $20 bills and you have to make withdrawals in multiples of $20. The other problem I've noticed is that a lot of small stores post signs saying that you must spend at least $10 to charge..even though this is prohibited by the credit card companies. They seem to get away with it, but I think it does force people to use cash, often times big bills.

[octopi23]

I'm going to start charging a surtax on these people. Oh? $50 bill on a $3 game? Sure! That's three dollars plus I rip out several of your internal organs with a spoon!

[Tama]

On the converse, a few days ago I had a woman buy about $3000 worth of money cards and hand me wads of $100...

[Mongo Skruddgemire]

Your bill: [insert figure UNDER $10]
You pay with: [insert bill OVER $20]

I know this has been mentioned constantly. But seriously, what the fuck possesses you to do this shit?

I agree, this can be annoying.

If I buy something, and it's over, say, $5, and I only have a $20, I pay with my card rather than the cash on hand that I have--either that or add something to the order so the poor cashier doesn't have to practically give me the entire contents of the register.

But do you? No! Shit no! You are entitled to all the contents of the register!

Ok, I get my paycheck. I go to the bank and get it cashed. They hand me $20's. The $20 is pretty much the standard bill they give you unless you ask for larger notes. I also do not have a checking account and thus no debit card.

If I buy something that costs more than $5, say for sake of argument $9.50, and the smallest bill that I have is a $20...

Is it really so unreasonable for me to expect that a cash register wouldn't have the currency to cover the $10.50 in change? Is it too much to ask that I get a $10? Are a pair of $5's so rare these days?

A big FUCK YOU to all the twits who do this!

And may you, I, and my wallet of the dreaded, feared, loathed, and hated $20's never cross paths. Your lowly opinion of the denomination that I frequently carry means that I would not enjoy the encounter. I would sooner avoid such unpleasantness and preserve my normally cheerful disposition.

[Jetfire]

Generally speaking (from reading many threads here complaining about big bills), 20$ bills (or the local currency equivalent) are rarely the issue.

Even in the OP, you'll notice the OP said "Bills OVER 20$", which exempts the 20$ bill.

And a 9.50$ purchase paid for with a 20$ is completely reasonable.

[Andara Bledin]

And may you, I, and my wallet of the dreaded, feared, loathed, and hated $20's never cross paths.

As mentioned (in the OP, no less), the $20 is not the issue. The $20 is likely the most commonly used bill in the US right after the $1 and most cashiers expect to get hit with many $20s over the course of a shift.

No, the problem is with people who get $50s and $100s and then try to buy less than $5 in goods and get the rest in change. 90% of the time, the only reason they're doing that is to make themselves feel important because they've got such a big bill in their sweaty little palms. And, in some cases, they do it just to dick with cashiers because they know that there won't be enough in the till to cover it.

^-.-^

[LadyAndreca]

And, in some cases, they do it just to dick with cashiers because they know that there won't be enough in the till to cover it.

I've run across a guy who did just that. I was brought down to the lumber register to cover someone's break and had a high till, but no large bills so I didn't want to do a strip if I didn't have to (I wasn't at the limit yet and they want to keep $10s and $20s on hand for SCO and refunds--strips go directly to the bank). Some smartass comes up to me with two $20ish items, says he needs separate bills for two clients, and pays with two $100s. I'm thinking "oh, yay, I can get some of this mound of cash out of my drawer!"

SC: *gives me a long look* Bet you can't do that again.
Me: Hmm?
SC: Change a hundred.
Me: Try me.
*He buys another item with a $100 bill.*
SC: But how many more times can you do that?
Me: How many more bills do you have? (I could have taken 3-4 more.)
SC: *tries to decide whether to call my bluff*

He decided not to, and admitted to me he does it on purpose "to send a message to the managers to give cashiers more starting money". I told him that that wasn't bothering the managers at all, it was just stressing out the cashiers who have to deal with angry customers while waiting for change, but he got huffy and walked out during my explanation--which I continued to call out the door after him, since I didn't have anything better to do (no line) and he annoyed me.

[Mongo Skruddgemire]

Ok, so I misread that that point.

But let's look at this from another angle that does follow the OP's post.

The assumption that people made here is that the $20 is pretty standard. I've said it, Andara has said it, and Jetfire has said it.

So the assumption here is that a cashier is going to see a bunch of $20's head their way.

Going back to my $9.50 purchase, if I were to have a $50 why then is everyone acting like the $20 has suddenly become harder to find than fart in a jacuzzi? Have the $50's been abusing the $20's thus causing them to flee for cover in fear of the possible wedgie, swirlie, or wet willy that might head their way?

In light of the abundance of $20 bills, why would a $50 "wipe out" a till? Is it so unreasonable to expect that a till might have a pair of $20's and a couple of quarters for my change?

Truth be told, when I worked registers I found myself in a situation where people kept paying for low dollar items with $20's and making me have to have the till restocked since I quickly run out of $10's, $5's, and $1's.

Should we then start putting up signs saying "nothing larger than a $10"?

[Tama]

A couple 10s and quarters are fine.

However, sometimes I get this:

Your purchase: $2.50
You give me: $50

That's $47.50 in change, which if my cash drawer is low (aka I have no twenties or tens which does happen to me on occasion. The CSMs do NOT give out 10s like they would 20s, or 5s or 1s) you may just end up getting all your change in fives and ones.

But wait! Suppose I run out of fives after I get to $20 or $30. That could mean 27 ones or 17 ones.

It can get even worse, too. Supposing I run out of ones...

Anyway, the point is, this is for the good of you, the customer. We rant at the person who gives us $100 for a $5 purchase because the NEXT person in line COULD just bitch at us because he had to get $10 or more in change in ones, or ones and quarters.

[HYHYBT]

On the converse, a few days ago I had a woman buy about $3000 worth of money cards and hand me wads of $100...

Well, now, to be fair, that's the largest denomination still available, so if you're going to pay $3000 in cash, hundreds is the best you can do

90% of the time, the only reason they're doing that is to make themselves feel important because they've got such a big bill in their sweaty little palms.

Now that's an interesting assertion. I would, and always have, assumed that most people who pay with larger bills do so simply because that's what they happen to have. If you don't mind being asked, why do you believe it's *usually* done specially to show off or annoy?

Going back to my $9.50 purchase, if I were to have a $50 why then is everyone acting like the $20 has suddenly become harder to find than fart in a jacuzzi?

I would much rather see a $50 for an under-10 purchase than over. As you say, there are almost always two 20's in there, and I'd much rather part with them than with the tens, fives, etc that an over-10 purchase would mean. Plus, once the 50 is in there, two or three orders later there will be enough that I can give *it* plus two more 20's as change when the next 100 comes through, and getting a $50 bill *back as change* tends to surprise people

Of course, I'm thinking of situations where there is usually more than one cashier, and always a safe available. If you're the only one there, and have no access to change beyond the unreasonably small float (for such a situation) you're given, that's different...