# Breaking a $20 (USD) note for a purchase less than $10. How'd you get your change? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 30, 2010, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-a-20-usd-note-for-a-purchase-less-than-10-howd-you-get-your-change/565883 "2010-12-30T22:47:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-a-20-usd-note-for-a-purchase-less-than-10-howd-you-get-your-change/565883/1 "2010-12-30T22:47:18Z")
I’ve noticed that ten-dollar bills seem to be getting rarer and rarer, at least around these parts. My tentative theory is that merchants favor fivespots as being more versatile for making change. If the customer makes a very small purchase–say $2.50–and pays for it with a 20, the cashier can give him or her three fives, two singles, and .50 in coin–or alternatively one ten, one five, etc. The difference either way is only a matter of one bill out of four or five. So the question is: The last time you used a $20 bill to pay for something which cost less than ten dollars, how did your change come back? ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-a-20-usd-note-for-a-purchase-less-than-10-howd-you-get-your-change/565883/2 "2010-12-30T22:53:51Z")
At any restaurant, a $5 and a bunch of singles. Anywhere else, two fives, singles, and change more often than a ten, singles and change. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-a-20-usd-note-for-a-purchase-less-than-10-howd-you-get-your-change/565883/3 "2010-12-30T23:23:59Z")
I rarely see tens anymore. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-a-20-usd-note-for-a-purchase-less-than-10-howd-you-get-your-change/565883/4 "2010-12-31T00:08:25Z")
Tens are rare because ATMs don’t dispense them. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-a-20-usd-note-for-a-purchase-less-than-10-howd-you-get-your-change/565883/5 "2010-12-31T00:11:33Z")
Oops. Somehow I missed the obvious “USD” in the thread title and the poll. I voted for $10 bills, but I’m Canadian. ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-a-20-usd-note-for-a-purchase-less-than-10-howd-you-get-your-change/565883/6 "2010-12-31T00:14:59Z")
I don’t use cash. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-a-20-usd-note-for-a-purchase-less-than-10-howd-you-get-your-change/565883/7 "2010-12-31T00:28:05Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#): > > Tens are rare because ATMs don’t dispense them. But ATMs don’t dispense fives or ones either. ---
**Author:** ![Enuma\_Elish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5e9695/32.png) [@Enuma\_Elish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enuma_Elish)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-a-20-usd-note-for-a-purchase-less-than-10-howd-you-get-your-change/565883/8 "2010-12-31T00:35:59Z")
My credit union keeps insisting on giving me - for example - 3 fives instead of a ten and a five in transactions, too. Especially the newer tellers. This has irritated me for quite some time - to the point that I will seek out the oldest teller so I don’t have to patiently explain why I want ‘the biggest possible bills’. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-a-20-usd-note-for-a-purchase-less-than-10-howd-you-get-your-change/565883/9 "2010-12-31T00:42:21Z")
Got a ten and some ones in CVS today. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-a-20-usd-note-for-a-purchase-less-than-10-howd-you-get-your-change/565883/10 "2010-12-31T00:55:33Z")
Yes, I’ve usually gotten multiple five-dollar bills in change. It’s so frequent that when I did finally get a ten-dollar bill, I wasn’t even familiar with the new design. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-a-20-usd-note-for-a-purchase-less-than-10-howd-you-get-your-change/565883/11 "2010-12-31T07:30:49Z")
I usually get fives instead of a ten. It seems to be self perpetuating these days. No one has $10 bills so no one uses them to give back as change. Whenever retail outlets count out their tills for the start of a shift it’s usually chock full of $1s and $5s, and a pittance of $10s (if any) I’ve noticed some newer ATMs will give out a combination of fives or tens along with twenties. The one in the lobby of my work will give me $75 in three $20s, a ten and a five. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-a-20-usd-note-for-a-purchase-less-than-10-howd-you-get-your-change/565883/12 "2010-12-31T07:47:17Z")
Haven’t noticed a shortage of $10s. But sometimes I get back multiple $5s. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-a-20-usd-note-for-a-purchase-less-than-10-howd-you-get-your-change/565883/13 "2010-12-31T14:23:42Z")
Back in the olden days, when I was a cashier (before scanners and plastic bags), my drawer was chronically short of 10s. Four or five customers paying with a 20 early on in my shift would wipe me out and then no one ever seemed to pay with them. Got plenty of 5s from customers though. When calling for coins or a pickup I always needed to ask the office for 10s. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-a-20-usd-note-for-a-purchase-less-than-10-howd-you-get-your-change/565883/14 "2010-12-31T14:43:54Z")
I never really gave it that much thought; other than making sure I get the right amount I don’t really pay attention to the denominations (unless I get back something really odd like $14 in twos). Right now my wallet contains 2 tens and 2 fives, so based on that, I can scientifically determinte that I get a ten back exactly two out of three times. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-a-20-usd-note-for-a-purchase-less-than-10-howd-you-get-your-change/565883/15 "2010-12-31T17:01:59Z")
The last few times I used a $20 for something less than $10, I got a ten and some singles back. The last time I bought something for $5 with a twenty I got a ten and a five back. ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2011, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-a-20-usd-note-for-a-purchase-less-than-10-howd-you-get-your-change/565883/16 "2011-01-01T03:43:46Z")
I usually get a ten in change. ---
**Author:** ![Ibanez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a4c791/32.png) [@Ibanez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibanez)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2011, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-a-20-usd-note-for-a-purchase-less-than-10-howd-you-get-your-change/565883/17 "2011-01-01T06:54:40Z")
I worked retail for awhile our float mainly consisted of the standard coinage. Dollar coins, two dollar coins and a lot of 5 dollar bills and very little in the way of ten dollar bills. Running out of 10 dollar bills wasn’t a problem for operations as they usually come and go. But run out of 5 dollars bills time to take a run to the bank ASAP. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2011, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-a-20-usd-note-for-a-purchase-less-than-10-howd-you-get-your-change/565883/18 "2011-01-01T20:23:20Z")
Looking at the poll results at this point, I have to say I’m surprised. Out of 31 respondents, 19 got the $10 bill in their change. If we discount my own response, which is arguably the proper thing to do, it’s 19/30. I hardly ever see $10 bills these days, so much so that I still stop to look at one of the new “peach” colored ones that came out a couple of years ago, whenever I get one. Must be a regional thing. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2011, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-a-20-usd-note-for-a-purchase-less-than-10-howd-you-get-your-change/565883/19 "2011-01-02T04:12:48Z")
I usually only get $10 when there I’m getting more than $20 worth of change, which is usually from a $100, since $50s are rare. Exactly $100 dollars (or more if cashing a check) is always exchanged for as three $20s, two $10s, three $5s and five $1s. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2011, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-a-20-usd-note-for-a-purchase-less-than-10-howd-you-get-your-change/565883/20 "2011-01-02T10:03:55Z")
I noticed this the last time I was in the US too- not many $10 notes as change, quite a few $5s- so $17 would come back as three $5 notes and two $1 notes instead of the expected 1x $10, 1x $5, and 2x $1 notes. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-a-20-usd-note-for-a-purchase-less-than-10-howd-you-get-your-change/565883.md?page=2)