Odd change confuses cashiers

[Forevermarypoppins]

I am a cashier and I know how to count back change...but do you have any idea what a pain that is in some jobs?? My job is very fast paced , and I hate it when you have someone just trying to get rid of two dimes and a nickel , looking for it in their pockets , bottom of purse, asking the person with them....just to get a $1 bill back, but there are 8 people waiting behind her. Do you know what I do? I suspend the transaction and let the people behind her go, then when the customer is ready with all the change in hand , I take it off suspense. I'm sorry but I don't have 5 minutes to wait for change when I have 10 people waiting in line.
But I do agree, a lot of cashiers do not know how to count back change.

YESSSSSSSS!!! how many people are in a hurry? " I say just take the change you'll get and dump it in a jar at home. When I see a cashier taking a penny or nickel from the "give/take bowl" I DECLINE because I want to save my change. There's a reason so many places have the auto change return now!!

 

[mrodgers]

Be careful with not having exact change these days. More and more stores aren’t giving coins back. So if your purchase is 5.01 and you give a 10 you’ll get 4 back no change. I over heard a mom talking to her young daughter telling her there is no coin shortage (which is true) it is just a way for businesses to steal money from the Salvation Army (pointing to the bell ringer as they walked past.)

Wrong. They would be giving me $10 back.

 

[MillauFr]

Fidelity managed my 401k plan and wanted me to keep my money with them, for a fee. My bank was glad to manage that money rollover for free.

What do you mean manage? What is there to manage? 95% of people's portfolios can be "managed" by having a website ask you 5 or 10 questions. Fidelity has robo advisors that are free.

 

[Praying Colonel]

One of my first "paycheck" jobs was working as a cashier at a department store. I was taking Pre-Calculus at the time so I could handle numbers fine, but the concept of someone handing me $2.03 for something that cost $1.93 baffled me the first few times it happened. I just had no real-life experience with doing that or seeing others do it. I finally had a customer politely explain why they were doing it and it was a lightbulb moment for me.

 

[MillauFr]

And it's really even the opposite.
Very puzzled by that post.

Banks prey on people who are bad a math and bounce a few checks. They are vultures.

 

[kdonnel]

Banks prey on people who are bad a math and bounce a few checks. They are vultures.

Using your analogy, Fidelity is a vulture in a fancy suit that you can only call on the phone.

 

[Lumpy1106]

So glad I am not alone. I round my change to the nearest quarter all the time. It drives my kids nuts. I get strange looks from the cashiers too but that's what the cash register is for.

 

[luvmyfam444]

Whenever I make a purchase, I try to use some of my plentiful change to lighten my purse. When I have exact change, the transaction usually goes smoothly. However, I've noticed definite problems if I try to give inexact change. For example, this morning I offered a $5 bill, 2 quarters, and 2 pennies ($5.52) to pay for a $3.47 purchase. The cashier tried to explain that I had offered the wrong amount. I politely asked if she would just give me change from the amount I had given her. So, I did get my $2 and nickel.

Other occasions, I've had the cashier hand back the change I offered and just make change from the bills, and other assorted odd transactions.

Am I unreasonable and expecting too much "higher" thought from the typical cashier? If so, what can I do with all this change?!?

Peggy

I was not taught how to do this & I'm almost 50 & have a Master's Degree. It would take me time to stop to figure it out & it would take time. And I've been a cashier several times

 

[MelBoba]

Can't you just punch in the amount they gave you and let the register figure out what change to give back? I know a lot like to give cashiers a hard time for not knowing how to make change but if the computer/register can do it for you, use it.

Yes, the register tells me the amount of change to give as soon as I punch in the amount given to me by the customer. My problem though is getting confused when they try to get rid of their loose change...omg actually as I write this out I understood the situation.
If a customer gave me $5.52 for a $3.47 purchase, I would often try and give them the 52 cents back saying the $5 was more than enough to pay for the total, and they would give it back saying they didn't want the change; this would confuse me because I didn't know what they meant by that and my brain would freeze. Now I know to just take the amount they gave me, extra change included, punch it in and give them the amount the register shows ($2.05).

 

[Donald13]

YESSSSSSSS!!! how many people are in a hurry? " I say just take the change you'll get and dump it in a jar at home. When I see a cashier taking a penny or nickel from the "give/take bowl" I DECLINE because I want to save my change. There's a reason so many places have the auto change return now!!

Just start practicing at home… it’s all so simple… for real though your out there doing the lords work

 

[Donald13]

I was not taught how to do this & I'm almost 50 & have a Master's Degree. It would take me time to stop to figure it out & it would take time. And I've been a cashier several times

For a nickel!!! Either give the exact change or just give the bills… all this is not worth the damn nickel

 

[tvguy]

What do you mean manage? What is there to manage? 95% of people's portfolios can be "managed" by having a website ask you 5 or 10 questions. Fidelity has robo advisors that are free.

They are not free. Here is their fee schedule. Including fees for the Robo Advisors unless you account is less than $10,000. Based on my balance, my fees would have been over $800 a year. https://www.fidelity.com/why-fidelity/pricing-fees

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

Banks prey on people who are bad a math and bounce a few checks. They are vultures.

SOME banks seem to prey on the poor. Better watch out for those "bank in a box" places that are in retail stores (without naming any specifically). They are often a last resort for people who cannot get an account somewhere else. Some of those banks will get people hooked into cycle where they are depositing their paychecks just to get their account UP to a 0 balance. It is sad really.

There are reputable banks out there. Some are much better than others. They have so many out there, and you have to shop around to find one that fits your needs. Yes, the bank is always going to put its best interests above yours, but they are not all predators.

Oftentimes, a credit union can be a better choice to handle your money (and for loans). Some are better than others... but this is why you have choices.

 

[kymom99]

Let’s not paint with a broad brush. I was a cashier way back in the day.

 

[kymom99]

As a cashier, I know how to count back, but I don't have to. I just have to punch in the numbers and it comes back with the right amount.

As a customer, I've ran into that a lot. I don't want the change in my pocket either and it confuses a lot of cashiers. Also, most places don't give the cashier time to think. Some places give them about 30 seconds to take care of your order and get on to the next. If they get behind, they get into trouble.

Agreed, I don’t think it’s always that they can’t count, they just don’t have time. It’s a stressful job when you have a line stretched back as far as the eye can see

 

[Sinder]

Agreed. Who uses cash anymore now days?

Uh tons of people

 

[MillauFr]

Uh tons of people

I don’t understand why cash users are willing to subsidize people who use credit cards

 

[soccerdad72]

I don’t understand why cash users are willing to subsidize people who use credit cards

I don't understand how people can't understand why there might be a need (or want) to use cash from time to time.

 

[MillauFr]

I don't understand how people can't understand why there might be a need (or want) to use cash from time to time.

I do understand that Walter White and Jessie don’t accept credit cards. Gustavo Fring would be very upset.

 

[Karin1984]

I don't understand how people can't understand why there might be a need (or want) to use cash from time to time.

Honest question, when do you need or want cash?

The only thing that would be applicable in my life is when I would give money to a beggar or a street musician. And those are rare where I live.