As in - you’re paying for a small transaction with cash. Typical example would be a fast-food drive-in window. Let’s say your total bill is $8.51. You fish the change ($0.51) out of your pocket. When you pay, you hand the cashier the $0.51 (in coins, remember) saying “here’s fifty-one…” and then you hand them the paper money “…and eight.”
Just curious, because when I visited my parents recently we went through a drive-through, my father did this, and my mother had a little mini-rant.
“GAH! Your father always feels the need to hand them the change and then ANNOUNCE IT. This BUGS THE HELL OUT OF ME! WHO ELSE DOES THIS?!”
…uh, I do. Probably from picking it up from dad, but I see this as perfectly normal. Plus I worked retail/fast-food all through college, and honestly when I was a cashier I would have found this helpful, though if my memory serves most people didn’t do it.
Is this an annoying thing, is it normal, is it helpful, or something else? My parents’ marriage depends on it.
I always announce what I’m giving. If it’s $8 charge and I’m paying with a $20 I announce that I’m giving them a $20 (so it’s not confused with a $10). If it’s cash and coins I say the amount too, even if it’s not exact change.
Cashier: That will be $10.21 please
Me: Ok, hold on, I’ve got the change…digging in the bank at the bottom of my pocketbook…finding a quarter, which isn’t right…digging more…find a nickel, a dime and a penny…more digging…five more pennies, jackpot…blowing lint, dust, dirt off of change…
I’ve got it, 21 cents
Cashier: Thank you, but that’s TEN DOLLARS and 21 cents.
Me: Oh yah, here’s the 10
People behind me in line: #%^#@##@@%%^
My mother always says what she’s handing over - a form of insurance, I think. So if the clerk says “That’ll be $7” Mom will respond “Out of $20” - that way she’s letting the clerk know that she knows what she’s handed over, lest an unscrupulous employee attempt to pocket some extra $$.
I’ll usually state how much change I’m handing over, mostly because I’ve been known to count wrong and I’ll invite the clerk to check it. Same with paper money. Frankly, it’s just easier to use plastic.
I announce the change, too, and coins always go into person’s hand first, whether I’m the cashier or the customer. Especially at a drive thru. It is my understanding (from my kids who have worked fast food) that some chains INSIST on bills first, then coins, but they can’t remember the convoluted reasoning behind it. Your dad is not weird, but if your mom is starting to get ticked at his little habits, things might be getting rocky in general for them. Dad needs to step up his romance game.
Nowadays, most cashiers use registers where they enter the amount tendered by the customer, and the register calculates the change needed (even dispenses it, sometimes).
Thus they need to enter the bills first, then the change. So they have to count the coins that you gave them, remember that number, then get the bills from you, then they can finally start entering that amount into the register to complete the transaction. So giving them the coins first is actually both slower and more error-prone.
Back in the olden days (the 90’s) when I used to carry cash, I’d usually throw a handful of changed on the counter and then proceed to count out whatever changed I needed as the cashier watched.
Most of the time, I wouldn’t bother with the change. I’d just pay with bills and get change back. The only time I ever felt motivated to count out the change was when I collected too much of it and the changed was weighing my pants down.
Huh, I’ve never heard of or seen this. I don’t really see the point, as they’re going to have to count it anyway. They aren’t going to depend on your word.
See, I’ve always used change when I have it. I’ve never squirreled it away in a jar or anything. So handing over 30 cents and then a 10 dollar bill is just second nature. And no reason to announce anything.
I usually announce the change. If the bill is something like X.72, I may hand over .02, .12, or .72 depending on how much change I have. Cashiers these days are more often confused if I hand over partial change, like .02 or .12. By announcing it, the cashier knows I meant to give that amount and they ring it into the register and see what change to return.
Probably from picking it up from dad, but I see this as perfectly normal. Plus I worked retail/fast-food all through college, and honestly when I was a cashier I would have found this helpful, though if my memory serves most people didn’t do it.
