Not getting coins/change back at restaurant. Ne w trend?

[zurgswife]

Like another said sometimes I would do it as a serve because most servers are in charge of their own bank and getting the proper change could take for ever. But I always did it infavor of the client not myself.

 

[janabananas]

This happened to dbf and I a few weeks ago. We were at the place every Tuesday for trivia for several months. After the waitress kept our .78, we tipped her $2 less then she would have gotten, and haven't been back since. It is Tuesday night, and I am on the DIS instead of at trivia. Oh well......

 

[rewok]

Wow! I would sure hate that... I even feel bad when they ask if I need change)! I would certainly reduce the tip by that amount, and a bit more to reflect dissatisfaction.

However, I very often get back change rounded to the nearest nickel (either way), both in Canada & the US. I don't mind, it's just less trouble for everyone.

 

[ThisIsJason]

One of the bars that I go to has a sign up stating, unless you ask for it, you don't get it.
When I do go someplace and they give me the correct change, I normally leave the change along with the tip anyway, if I do get it back.

 

[happygirl]

One of the bars that I go to has a sign up stating, unless you ask for it, you don't get it.
When I do go someplace and they give me the correct change, I normally leave the change along with the tip anyway, if I do get it back.

That is crazy

 

[C.Ann]

That would never fly with me.. It's stealing - plain and simple - and I would be speaking with the manager about it..

As for the "thief", if it was my server who pulled that nonsense, the tip would be a big, fat zero..

 

[scrapquitler]

Maybe this has been going on for a long time but only just started happening to me. Twice in the last 2 weeks, actually.

Two weeks ago, my friend and I went to lunch. Both of us paid cash. My bill was something like $8.36, I gave $20.00 and I got back $11.00 (vs. $11.64). Same thing happened to my friend but hers came to like $8.84 and she got back $11.00 (vs. $11.16).

So instead of giving her a $2.00 tip, I only gave $1.40 (because she already took .64 from me). This is a chain restaurant, but a local chain, so I just figured that's how they did things and I wasn't going to say anything about it. Figured they knew you probably wouldn't say anything over change which is why they do it, but it still annoyed me. If anything, if they're not going to want to deal with change, they need to make it to the customer's advantage, in my opinion, not the other way around -- especially since I should have gotten back more than .50, you know?

So, anyhow, today, I took my son to the Olive Garden for lunch and the same thing happened!

Is this a new trend?! Or has it been happening all along and I've just been lucky enough for them not to have done this before now? I pay in cash at restaurants a lot, so I would have noticed -- but what a nasty coincidence for it to happen twice in such a short period of time.

Maybe other larger cities have always done this and Nashville is just now jumping on the bandwagon, but I think it's sucky.

Next time I'm saying something -- I just blew it off the first time as an isolated thing for that particular restaurant, and today I was in a big rush and had to go.

I don't use cash in restaurants very often, but I've never not gotten back the appropritate amount of coins when I do. Sometimes even at McD and DD they give me back extra coins to make their own life easier (they'll give me a nickel instead of 4 pennies, for example), but I've NEVER not gotten enough change.

If that happened, I'd count the coins I was shorted as part of their tip, and I might round down even from that a bit.

But normally, I just pay with the credit card.

 

[Music City Mama]

Thanks for the responses -- I'm glad to hear it's not a new trend -- whew! I guess it was just a coincidence that it happened twice like that.

I have definitely had restaurant servers or convenient store clerks round by a few cents (like less than .25) to MY advantage, but never to my disadvantage before now. That's pretty ballsy to not return any coins to you.

I do think it's stealing and I feel like a fool for even giving them the proper tip minus what they already took -- I should have tipped less for taking my money w/o my permission.

Hopefully, these were isolated incidents, but I will definitely be saying something next time.

 

[KristaTX]

Ugh. I tip because that's how we do it here, but things like this scenario are even more reason to hate living in a culture that tips.

 

[a1tinkfans]

I never heard of such a thing. I would have said something,

me too...I think its rude, UNLESS the change was in MY favor

 

[M5ward]

I always pay with cash ( credit cards charge a fee to the vendor which causes price increases) and have never had the change withheld. My change goes into the WDW jar..I always tip, and I tip well.

 

[Lady Godiva]

I've been asked "do you need change?" and I find even that offensive. If I didn't want change, I would have said so. To assume I don't want it is presumptious.

it's not just presumptious, it's rude and bugs the crap out of me.

She was just joking, I have said the same thing a million times to customer must just say sure and laugh.

I have even had customer say I will need change back from a hundred really, I thought you were going to let me keep the 50 dollars LOL.

I don't think it's joking at all, it's offensive. I work hard for my money. On the rare occassion when I go out to eat, I don't want to feel "joked" or "jaded" into leaving more of a tip than is deserved just to supplement the wait staff's meager earnings. Sorry, it's just rude and in poor taste to even joke about IMHO. Tips are earned, they aren't a right

 

[POPCITY]

I got a drink through the drive thru at a fast food place once, paid with a twenty, and they asked if I wanted my change. I just looked at the girl, I'm positive she wasn't joking. An $18 tip? I don't think so.

I've never had any place keep my change before, that's weird.

 

[Lady Godiva]

I have seen this before in cheaper places, it reflects poorly on the server almost like they are begging for money.

not just that but it makes you think they feel you are too stupid to notice you are getting ripped off Nothing I hate worse than someone trying to take advantage of me....it aint going to happen

 

[TinkPirateMom]

When I was a server I was in charge of my own bank of money to give change. I always gave exact change. I did not ask if a customer needed change but I did make a point to say I will be right back with your change, leaving an opening for them to say keep the change if that is what they wanted me to do. I wasn't trying to beg for a tip but rather save time so I didn't go make change and bring it back to someone just for them to say keep the change. 99.9% of the time if a person's change involved coins that was left on the table as part of the tip.

One night, I was slammed and gave the incorrect change to a table. It was off by $0.10. It wasn't that I omitted giving them the coin portion of their change all together. I did give them dollars and cents but was off by a dime. I would have appreciated if that customer would have asked me if I miscalculated or dropped the dime on the way to the table. Instead they went to the host stand asked for the manager and tried to get me fired insisting that I probably do that to each table so that it gets me an extra buck or two a night. I did not get fired nor reprimanded. Thank goodness.

My point is, if you are going to leave the change on the table tell the server before they bring it back and if your change is off by a few cents either deduct it from the tip or ask the server for it. It doesn't need to be a bigger deal than that.

 

[MIGrandma]

I've been asked "do you need change?" and I find even that offensive. If I didn't want change, I would have said so. To assume I don't want it is presumptious.

Totally agree. If a server asks me that, they do get less of a tip than I planned on giving (provided their service was good).

The server should say "I will be right back with your change", then it's up to the customer to say "okay, thanks" or "oh, no, the rest is yours", etc.

As for not getting change (coins) back, I don't think that has ever happened to me before. I probably would give less of a tip if it did happen though, as it's not right to keep a customer's change like that.

 

[happygirl]

it's not just presumptious, it's rude and bugs the crap out of me.




I don't think it's joking at all, it's offensive. I work hard for my money. On the rare occassion when I go out to eat, I don't want to feel "joked" or "jaded" into leaving more of a tip than is deserved just to supplement the wait staff's meager earnings. Sorry, it's just rude and in poor taste to even joke about IMHO. Tips are earned, they aren't a right

you are entitled to your opinion, I have dealt with a lot of people not one has ever being mad, A server wouldn't do anything to make there customers mad.

 

[merryweather20]

Seriously I consider myself a big tight wad (Heck I stiffed someone once who didn't bring me cutlery), but why on earth would anyone demand their 17 cents right there, right then nevermind consider it stealing Heck its better if he/she has it in advance because its 52 cents that no one is going to steal off the table when I leave.

To sum up its my fault. I usually don't need change, so I apprecaite them asking. Saves me some time! I agree saying "I'll be right back with your change" is more polite than, "Do you need change?", but I'm certainly not going to stiff someone over such infinitismal semantics.

In short, be kind to yoiur waitress and waiter, they have to deal with crazy people like me who are completely indifferent towards handing the waitress 47cents and leaving it on the table.

 

[manning]

A server at The 99 did that to a friend of mine. He didn't bring my friend back his coin change (27 cents). When my friend asked about it, the server said, "Oh, you wanted your change back?" My friend made sure his tip was figured to the exact penny...minus 27 cents. It's not cool to keep the change unless the person tells you to keep it!

I would have made sure I left when he was present and left no tip and said "oh, you wanted a tip?" Then put 27 cents on the table.

 

[manning]

When I was a server I was in charge of my own bank of money to give change. I always gave exact change. I did not ask if a customer needed change but I did make a point to say I will be right back with your change, leaving an opening for them to say keep the change if that is what they wanted me to do. I wasn't trying to beg for a tip but rather save time so I didn't go make change and bring it back to someone just for them to say keep the change. 99.9% of the time if a person's change involved coins that was left on the table as part of the tip.

One night, I was slammed and gave the incorrect change to a table. It was off by $0.10. It wasn't that I omitted giving them the coin portion of their change all together. I did give them dollars and cents but was off by a dime. I would have appreciated if that customer would have asked me if I miscalculated or dropped the dime on the way to the table. Instead they went to the host stand asked for the manager and tried to get me fired insisting that I probably do that to each table so that it gets me an extra buck or two a night. I did not get fired nor reprimanded. Thank goodness.

My point is, if you are going to leave the change on the table tell the server before they bring it back and if your change is off by a few cents either deduct it from the tip or ask the server for it. It doesn't need to be a bigger deal than that.

As the manager, my response to them would be "Yiur business will not be missed, if you get the drift, good night."