It may not be much...but it's mine!

[luvsJack]

I don't care one way or the other about the penny but really get miffed when wait staff will assume my change is their tip.

Have had one just bring me the cash and keep the coins. "Ok, buddy, I was going to leave you $10 but now you can keep the .87."

And another kept all of it! I asked for my change and left a dime. He would have gotten a decent tip too but oh, well.

 

[mom2rtk]

I don't care one way or the other about the penny but really get miffed when wait staff will assume my change is their tip.

Have had one just bring me the cash and keep the coins. "Ok, buddy, I was going to leave you $10 but now you can keep the .87."

And another kept all of it! I asked for my change and left a dime. He would have gotten a decent tip too but oh, well.

Don't blame you. I would have done the same thing. I had a server bring my change all in big bills once (after miserably slow service to boot). The smart server brings a variety of bills so the proper tip can be left. I'm sure they were hoping for one of the big bills as a tip. It was one of the few times I stiffed a server. I could have asked them to break the big bill, but everything that night had been so slow I wasn't up to another crazy long wait for them to come back.

 

[*3*Mouseketeers]

The drive-thru teller at my local bank puts my coin change (with my permission) in the 'Relay for Life' can that she has at her station every week. I imagine if she has several customers that OK it they collect a good bit.

 

[Kogo Shuko]

So how exactly does it work in Canada? Say, in a supermarket. Is EACH item rounded up or down when rung up, or just the grand total? After GST or before?

I advocate eliminating the penny in the US as well, but I'd go a step further and eliminate the nickel as well. The grand total rounded up or down to the nearest 10 cents.

For amounts over $100, I'd round to the nearest dollar.

I think it's important to note that only the physical penny has been abolished. If I choose to pay for my bill with debit or credit, they do not round up or down. And they only round it after taxes have been included. So if a product is 9.99, after adding taxes it might come to 11.29, at which point if I gave them 11.30 in physical money they wouldn't give me a penny back.

It should also be noted that they round both up and down once the total comes up. So sometimes I can lose 2 cents and sometimes I can gain 2 cents. If my total came to 11.27, I would only have to pay 11.25.

 

[kamik86]

More reason to use cards and just pay them off every two weeks when I get paid... then I don't have to deal with cashiers taking my money. I'll donate to those I want to donate to.

As for still having prices that end in odd numbers that may be partially for store tracking. My husband works at Target and told me that the ending numbers have meanings for the type of price. Some are for sales, some for temporary price cuts etc.

 

[kamik86]

I think it's important to note that only the physical penny has been abolished. If I choose to pay for my bill with debit or credit, they do not round up or down. And they only round it after taxes have been included. So if a product is 9.99, after adding taxes it might come to 11.29, at which point if I gave them 11.30 in physical money they wouldn't give me a penny back.

It should also be noted that they round both up and down once the total comes up. So sometimes I can lose 2 cents and sometimes I can gain 2 cents. If my total came to 11.27, I would only have to pay 11.25.

I wonder if there are any crazies that insist on "gaming" the system for the few cents each time and using a credit card whenever the total ends in 3, 4, 8 or 9 and cash whenever it ends in 1, 2, 6 or 7.

 

[Kogo Shuko]

I wonder if there are any crazies that insist on "gaming" the system for the few cents each time and using a credit card whenever the total ends in 3, 4, 8 or 9 and cash whenever it ends in 1, 2, 6 or 7.

Oh I'm sure there are!! I know I was angry when I realized they were going to slowly steal my pennies. Mind you, I got over it... but I'm sure some haven't!! lol

 

[kamik86]

Oh I'm sure there are!! I know I was angry when I realized they were going to slowly steal my pennies. Mind you, I got over it... but I'm sure some haven't!! lol

Lol I have a bit of a collection of coins as it is... have since I was a kid. If the US decided to do away with pennies I would honestly keep and just not spend most of mine. As it is I have a book with a penny from most of the years since the lincoln penny started. I know I had one from every year from the 40s on and a few of them from earlier. (as of the year I did this which was 8 or so years ago but I could probably quickly fill in the last few if they were going to get rid of them.

 

[wilkeliza]

Lol I have a bit of a collection of coins as it is... have since I was a kid. If the US decided to do away with pennies I would honestly keep and just not spend most of mine. As it is I have a book with a penny from most of the years since the lincoln penny started. I know I had one from every year from the 40s on and a few of them from earlier. (as of the year I did this which was 8 or so years ago but I could probably quickly fill in the last few if they were going to get rid of them.

Wow if you have pennies from the 40s you could be sitting on a nice collection. Have you checked to see if you have any of the super rare ones?

 

[NFLDERS]

I think it's terrible form, but nothing to get excited about. I'm guessing that cashier just needs to be asked for it back one single time and s/he won't do that any more. FWIW though, the way things are done in Canada would really drive you crazy. There is no such thing as pennies any more; prices are rounded to the nearest $.05. For example, a $.97 item would be charged as $1.00 and no change would be given at all.

Yea, but think of all the money we may save by not having to carry the extra weight, and therefore not need PT from injury. Oh wait.. there's still the darn loonie, toonie, and probable $5.00 coin in our future!

Wonder what we Canucks will call that one? Time to bring out the wheel barrow Eh!

I'm not recalling the Loonie Tunes trademark but maybe something that makes that complete as in Loonie, Toonie, and ----. Otherwise a Fiver's good for me but please keep it paper.

 

[kamik86]

Wow if you have pennies from the 40s you could be sitting on a nice collection. Have you checked to see if you have any of the super rare ones?

There are super rare ones?

I know I have one of the silver ones... but didn't think they were that rare.

I'd have to go back and look through it. Hadn't thought of it much since when I was in high school

 

[goofyintoronto]

Did you take your money back? I would have, that's MY money and not the cashier's call to make.

Same here!! How dare the cashier ASSUME you dont want the change! No matter how small, even if its a penny, its your money! i'd have some serious words with that cashier about her etiquette.

 

[goofyintoronto]

So how exactly does it work in Canada? Say, in a supermarket. Is EACH item rounded up or down when rung up, or just the grand total? After GST or before?

Here's an explanation:

All of our prices are still odd number...and our prices dont include tax.

If you're paying in cold hard cash, they round up or down. But if you're paying by debit or credit card, you pay the amount indicated, no rounding necessary.

Yea, but think of all the money we may save by not having to carry the extra weight, and therefore not need PT from injury. Oh wait.. there's still the darn loonie, toonie, and probable $5.00 coin in our future!

Wonder what we Canucks will call that one? Time to bring out the wheel barrow Eh!

I'm not recalling the Loonie Tunes trademark but maybe something that makes that complete as in Loonie, Toonie, and ----. Otherwise a Fiver's good for me but please keep it paper.

I heard they might call it the FOONIE! Funny right?

 

[wilkeliza]

There are super rare ones?

I know I have one of the silver ones... but didn't think they were that rare.

I'd have to go back and look through it. Hadn't thought of it much since when I was in high school

Yeah in the pre-60s coins there are some rare ones. The biggest ones would be the double struck pennies from the 50s. The 1944 steel penny is worth a bit as well as the 1943 copper penny but those were accidentally put into the standard rotation so are very hard to come by. I use to be obsessed with coins as a kid so I always kept an eye out for stuff that didn't look right just in hopes that it was a mistake because those are the ones that end up being worth up to 100,000.

 

[RedAngie]

I'll admit 1 penny is no big deal and I wasn't miffed in Canada as that is how there system works but I've had cashiers keep .50 cents before and I definitly asked for my change. They said they didn't have any coins in the till. I was kind of taken aback by that as I have workd retail and it is the cashiers job to make sure they have proper change.

Those cashiers are very likely pilfering from the till. If they can get 10 customers a day to forego the change, they have $5. They keep a tally, either in their heads, or most likely with some type of physical "poker chips" near the register. At the appropriate time they swipe the $5 bill so that their till doesn't come out over. It's a lot less prevalent these days since most people pay with cards. But back in the cash only stone ages in convenience stores, the poker chip tally routine was very common among dishonest cashiers.

 

[DeniseinNS]

So how exactly does it work in Canada? Say, in a supermarket. Is EACH item rounded up or down when rung up, or just the grand total? After GST or before?

I advocate eliminating the penny in the US as well, but I'd go a step further and eliminate the nickel as well. The grand total rounded up or down to the nearest 10 cents.

For amounts over $100, I'd round to the nearest dollar.

it is the total after tax that you go by and it rounds to the closest .5. Say the total is $9.99, it then becomes $10 but it if it were $9.97 it would be $9.95 when paying cash. For debit/credit it is not rounded.

 

[NFLDERS]

Yeah in the pre-60s coins there are some rare ones. The biggest ones would be the double struck pennies from the 50s. The 1944 steel penny is worth a bit as well as the 1943 copper penny but those were accidentally put into the standard rotation so are very hard to come by. I use to be obsessed with coins as a kid so I always kept an eye out for stuff that didn't look right just in hopes that it was a mistake because those are the ones that end up being worth up to 100,000.

I inherited my father's penny, and nickel collection which I've added to over the years. There was one that my father saved that had a tiny dot on the penny 1940's something. One day it was reported about the value because of the rarity. I knew I had 2 of them in the collection so I got pretty excited, and when I checked sure enough I had 2, and thought my father must have kept one of them for a special reason but sadly they were identical, and no dot. My DH was happy that I'd been able to recall (were seniors) that I had 2 of them because there are a few coins I'm watching for!

 

[bcla]

I inherited my father's penny, and nickel collection which I've added to over the years. There was one that my father saved that had a tiny dot on the penny 1940's something. One day it was reported about the value because of the rarity. I knew I had 2 of them in the collection so I got pretty excited, and when I checked sure enough I had 2, and thought my father must have kept one of them for a special reason but sadly they were identical, and no dot. My DH was happy that I'd been able to recall (were seniors) that I had 2 of them because there are a few coins I'm watching for!

The one I can see brings up the most talk is the 1947 "blunt" penny:

I remember hearing something about a 1972 S lincoln head penny being worth hundreds and searched a jar and found one. Then I found myself at a coin dealer (didn't bring it) and asked what was so special about it, and he said there were some rare two-headed ones released. So all I had was an ordinary penny.

 

[NFLDERS]

The one I can see brings up the most talk is the 1947 "blunt" penny:

The one I can see brings up the most talk is the 1947 "blunt" penny:





I remember hearing something about a 1972 S lincoln head penny being worth hundreds and searched a jar and found one. Then I found myself at a coin dealer (didn't bring it) and asked what was so special about it, and he said there were some rare two-headed ones released. So all I had was an ordinary penny.

Thanks this reply post took me to my collection again, and it appears some of my coins are out of order so.. We will sort to take a look again.

Btw my post was meant to explain I had 2 of the year that "May" have one of them a winner otherwise why did he save 2, and not that my father had 2 dotted coins; you probably knew what I was stating.

Good luck with your hunt.

 

[NFLDERS]

^ Bcla:. My reply in the expansion.