# I know it's just two cents, but it's MY FUCKING CHANGE **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 1, 2002, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-its-just-two-cents-but-its-my-fucking-change/111892 "2002-06-01T15:00:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2002, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-its-just-two-cents-but-its-my-fucking-change/111892/1 "2002-06-01T15:00:06Z")
> [@](#): > > Dear **KneadToKnow** , > > A customer at work this morning really made me angry, and may have even gotten me in trouble with my boss. I’ve been working at the drive-thru window at Bojangles for a couple of months now and this guy who comes there from time to time paid for his meal with almost exactly the amount of money it cost. His change would have been two cents. > > In all the confusion of getting his order rung up, getting the food from the guy who gets it together and puts it in the bag, taking the customer’s money, and giving him his food, I forgot to give him his two cents change. I don’t think customers understand how complicated it is to work a drive-thru window and have to deal with all this stuff happening all the time. Sometimes I feel like I’m in over my head! And I have a 10th-grade education and everything! > > Anyway, it worked out OK, because my manager was standing right there when the customer said, “I’m sorry if it’s a bother, and I know it’s only two cents, but could I have my change please?” My manager was able to open the register and we got his change. I was angry, though! My boss! Right there! Didn’t this guy know that I could have gotten in trouble? > > What should I do? > > Signed, > DrivenThru You should learn to fucking count, you stupid twit. And that biscuit was underdone. ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2002, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-its-just-two-cents-but-its-my-fucking-change/111892/2 "2002-06-01T16:02:39Z")
What if your change was nineteen dollars and two cents? Would they have “forgotten” to give it to you then? Idiots. You can either do a job or you can’t. ---
**Author:** ![shannybonanny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@shannybonanny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shannybonanny)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2002, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-its-just-two-cents-but-its-my-fucking-change/111892/3 "2002-06-01T18:30:58Z")
::reads OP:: ::reads OP again:: ::reads OP one last time to make sure I didn’t miss something:: 😕 Look, I don’t get it. She made a mistake and it was corrected. It’s not like they gave you the pennies **anally** or anything. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2002, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-its-just-two-cents-but-its-my-fucking-change/111892/4 "2002-06-01T19:11:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by shannybonanny \* > \*\*…It’s not like they gave you the pennies **anally** or anything. \*\* No, that only happens at Burger King. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![shannybonanny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@shannybonanny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shannybonanny)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2002, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-its-just-two-cents-but-its-my-fucking-change/111892/5 "2002-06-01T19:32:03Z")
You got pennies, huh? I asked for ketchup. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2002, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-its-just-two-cents-but-its-my-fucking-change/111892/6 "2002-06-01T19:37:13Z")
Your point is noted, **shannybonanny** , but **voguevixen** answered your question an hour and a half before you asked it. The problem isn’t whether or not I finally got my change, it’s that of the things this twit has to do in her job (take my money, give me my change, hand me my food), and she failed to do one-third of them. And had the nerve to give me a nasty look when I corrected her. ---
**Author:** ![Potter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Potter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Potter)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2002, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-its-just-two-cents-but-its-my-fucking-change/111892/7 "2002-06-01T20:29:55Z")
Working in the service industry, half the small things you do repetatively during the day become reflex, including the lil shove which closes the register. I’ve forgotten to give change I don’t know how many times, and am constantly called by my staff to open the register when they’ve forgotten it too. None of them are stupid or bad at their jobs, they are human and fallable, and usually extremely busy with a lot of tasks on their minds at any given point. As for the dirty look, she was probably pissed that you interrupted her from the next on her 89752907501 item to-do list over a measly two cents. I don’t blame her one bit, she just should’ve hidden her exasperation better and bitched about you later in the staffroom 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![blur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dbc845/32.png) [@blur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blur)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2002, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-its-just-two-cents-but-its-my-fucking-change/111892/8 "2002-06-01T23:27:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Potter \* > \*\*As for the dirty look, she was probably pissed that you interrupted her from the next on her 89752907501 item to-do list over a measly two cents. I don’t blame her one bit, she just should’ve hidden her exasperation better and bitched about you later in the staffroom 🙂 \*\* Too fucking bad if she was interrupted. Yeah, it gets frusterating to work with customers, but its her job, and she did it incorrectly. Its a measly two cents, but its his money. ---
**Author:** ![blur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dbc845/32.png) [@blur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blur)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2002, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-its-just-two-cents-but-its-my-fucking-change/111892/9 "2002-06-01T23:28:55Z")
frustrating, not frusterating. Shit. ---
**Author:** ![Potter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Potter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Potter)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2002, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-its-just-two-cents-but-its-my-fucking-change/111892/10 "2002-06-01T23:55:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by blur \* > **Too fucking bad if she was interrupted.** Well, in the same spirit, too fucking bad if getting short-changed two cents and the resulting nasty look was enough to spoil his day. A more tolerant person may just have shrugged it off and gone about the rest of their day quite happily, two cents poorer but a little richer for peace of mind. You want to get your panties in a knot over someone who’s obviously incapable of doing their job correctly, all because they short-changed a customer two cents? Go right ahead, it’s your blood pressure. ---
**Author:** ![blur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dbc845/32.png) [@blur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blur)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2002, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-its-just-two-cents-but-its-my-fucking-change/111892/11 "2002-06-02T00:10:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Potter \* > \*\* > > Well, in the same spirit, too fucking bad if getting short-changed two cents and the resulting nasty look was enough to spoil his day. A more tolerant person may just have shrugged it off and gone about the rest of their day quite happily, two cents poorer but a little richer for peace of mind. You want to get your panties in a knot over someone who’s obviously incapable of doing their job correctly, all because they short-changed a customer two cents? Go right ahead, it’s your blood pressure. \*\* Nah, my panties are just fine, thanks. It doesn’t seem like the change was as big a problem as the attitude. I’ve worked fast food registers before, I’ve fucked up people’s orders, change, whatever. But I didn’t get pissy with the customer, or shoot them nasty looks. I waited, (like you said) til I was in the back, and bitched about it then. ---
**Author:** ![Potter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Potter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Potter)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2002, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-its-just-two-cents-but-its-my-fucking-change/111892/12 "2002-06-02T00:28:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by blur \* > **But I didn’t get pissy with the customer, or shoot them nasty looks.** Point taken; any member of staff under me getting even slightly snotty with customers would be rushed up to the office for a right earful. However, little-to-nothing would be said about the change as it just happens, even with the best of staff. She should at least have waited 'til he’d driven off, as then she could’ve gone full-throttle with obscene hand gestures, the works. Maybe she did. My point was that even though he’s got his two cents back, the resulting look she gave him seems to have gone some way to effecting his mood, whereas I’m fairly sure she just shrugged it off. Myself, I’d rather be short two cents than left fuming at the incompentancy and rudeness of service staff these days. And I’d sure as hell be a surly shit if I was working a drive-thru window. Glad to hear your panties are doing ok. ---
**Author:** ![ResIpsaLoquitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b3f665/32.png) [@ResIpsaLoquitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ResIpsaLoquitor)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2002, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-its-just-two-cents-but-its-my-fucking-change/111892/13 "2002-06-02T01:55:35Z")
At the supermarket where I used to work, we once had a lady who was overcharged by six cents. (I think her item was accidentally taxed when it shouldn’t have been.) The cashier who handled her order couldn’t refund the money because 1) he was in the middle of an order, and 2) refunds were a matter for customer services, not cashiers. (Inconvenient, but it has to do with the computers keeping track of how much cash is in the drawer.) This lady raised the biggest hissy fit I’ve ever seen. I mean, everybody in the store stopped and stared at her. And when the manager came to help her, the manager couldn’t help but laugh out loud at how silly the whole thing was, which made the annoyed customer turn several more shades of red. True story. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2002, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-its-just-two-cents-but-its-my-fucking-change/111892/14 "2002-06-02T06:17:50Z")
We don’t have 1 or 2 cent pieces anymore. The smallest cash change we have is 5 cents. Everything gets rounded up or down. Irrelevant, I know, but I just thought I’d say something and see if I continue my threadkilling spree. ---
**Author:** ![Myrnalene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@Myrnalene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myrnalene)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2002, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-its-just-two-cents-but-its-my-fucking-change/111892/15 "2002-06-02T06:29:36Z")
Just posting so that **GuanoLad** doesn’t have to kill this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Pammipoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/87869e/32.png) [@Pammipoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pammipoo)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2002, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-its-just-two-cents-but-its-my-fucking-change/111892/16 "2002-06-02T06:43:51Z")
I just started my ice cream summer job, and with the heat finally hitting, we have lines to the street until well after closing. Store policy is to eliminate pennies, because it saves people from searching for that penny in the bottom of their purse, etc. So if it’s $2.21, we round down to $2.20, and just give back an even 80 cents. Likewise, if it’s $1.79, we round up to 1.80, and keep the penny. We rarely even have pennies in the register, unless someone gives them to us in payment. For the most part it works and no one cares. I had a customer tonight wanting to go to the manager because I shorted her 2 cents. I caved and gave her a nickel. I personally think they should get rid of the penny altogether. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2002, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-its-just-two-cents-but-its-my-fucking-change/111892/17 "2002-06-02T17:02:22Z")
Some of us poor folk have found that using exact change makes our money stretch out further; if my order comes to $1.79, that is probably what you’ll be getting from me. I was taught “Look after the pennies, and the dollars look after themselves” a long, long time ago. If you short me two cents on my change, I probably won’t make a big stink, but I will notice. That two cents you give me now could make a difference in my having exact change next time I buy something, and not having to break a larger bill. It’s some kind of universal law that once larger bills are broken, they tend to just disappear. - feather(thifty but not to the point of insanity)lou ---
**Author:** ![Flamsterette\_X](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/41988e/32.png) [@Flamsterette\_X](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flamsterette_X)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2002, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-its-just-two-cents-but-its-my-fucking-change/111892/18 "2002-06-03T00:38:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by featherlou \* > **It’s some kind of universal law that once larger bills are broken, they tend to just disappear.** I know what you mean. On Friday, I had seven $20 bills in my wallet, and now I only have 3. What happened to them all? I probably gave my brother one (I owed him $15), used one to pay for some purchases at Shoppers Drug Mart, used one at Boston Pizza later on Friday night, and used one at the mall’s book sale yesterday. Still, even though I got change from all these transactions, I’m not sure where the bills go at times. I definitely try not to break my larger bills unless I really have to… thank goodness that I wasn’t my brother on Friday! (he got at least $120 from playing violin at a wedding, of which he had at least two $50 bills; maybe $30 from busking at Granville Island, and all this other money…) Then again, I envy him his fat wallet. 😛 F\_X ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2002, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-its-just-two-cents-but-its-my-fucking-change/111892/19 "2002-06-03T02:02:03Z")
KneadToKnow, I agree with you that those 2 cents are important. The way I figure it, if you’re going to charge me $1.99 rather than just rounding the damn thing up to 2 even then I have a right to that extra penny. But reread your own OP again from the viewpoint of someone who doesn’t know the situation. Not only do you (somewhat sarcastically) make arguments in favor of her position but you give absolutely no reason why this is being ranted on in the first place. You never mentioned her reaction to your request in the OP. The way I read it was this: She fucked up. Big deal. We all do. Ask for your change and move on with life. ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2002, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-its-just-two-cents-but-its-my-fucking-change/111892/20 "2002-06-03T05:02:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Pammipoo \* > \*\*Store policy is to eliminate pennies, because it saves people from searching for that penny in the bottom of their purse, etc. So if it’s $2.21, we round down to $2.20, and just give back an even 80 cents. Likewise, if it’s $1.79, we round up to 1.80, and keep the penny. \*\* Anyone else having a problem with this? I think if you conduct business using United States currency you have to use all of it, pennies included. :rolleyes: [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-its-just-two-cents-but-its-my-fucking-change/111892.md?page=2)