If only the US Treasury would get their act together and pursue my suggestion of introducing the half penny, we could move on to a far more accurate exact change.
But at the same time, why does it so often seem that an old lady has $12 in coins in her change purse that she’s digging through? Suring, carrying around all that extra crap is as bad or worse for a lot of old people, no?
And if it is that difficult, couldn’t they take trips to cash in change more often or have one of their kids or a neighbor or something do it? If they want to get rid of it as they’re going along, couldn’t they at least have it meaningfully sorted rather than just a little bag to dig through for all the right change?
But really, once one gets rid of it, with checks and debit cards and credit cards, there just shouldn’t be a need to keep paying in cash at so many places unless they’re still trying to unload 72 years worth of change they’ve saved up over their lifetimes.
I do get impatient when people seem to be taking FOREVER (and are oblivious and appear to be "doing it on purpose as well). What helps me is to realize that they probably aren’t taking nearly as much time as you think they are. It sounds really stupid but I’ll count off seconds to myself in my head. I helps occupy me enough to keep from getting irritated and lets me know how much time is really spent.
And when it’s far less time (and it usually is) than it feels like, that makes me feel a lot less homicidal toward the “perp”. 
Why, my MOTHER died in the Great Exact Change Delay of 1987!
You bastard! 
It depends whether you’re rummaging through a purse for all pennies or you have a pocket full of change and count it out in 3 seconds.
I got behind a woman writing a check who was completely out of it. Couldn’t find her check book, couldn’t find ID, wrote the wrong amount multiple times. I was torn between feeling sorry for her condition and wanting to set her purse on fire.
I’d like to add to the list those people who get money out of a drive through bank machine and they wait and count it, put it in the wallet, put the wallet in a purse, text messages to their friends… When the green stuff comes out of the machine with a receipt you’re done.
I tender the right amount if possible. If I were to hand over a ten dollar note every time I bought something worth $2 or $4.50, I’d be carrying around kilos of coins at the end of the week. Something costs $1.45? I’ll give the cashier $5.45. I’d rather get two $2 coins back than a handful of silver.
Old people and change drives me crazy, with one exception. When working as a cashier at a National Park (and having a bad day with many, cranky tourists of all kinds, young and old), an older Italian gentleman, who couldn’t speak a word of English, came in and purchased a sweatshirt. He realized that he did not quite have enough bills, so he pulled out of both front pockets, multiple handfuls of change. The lost look he gave me was all it took to melt my crabby ass. I managed to communicate that he should empty his pockets completely. I counted out all his change, then took a few bills to make up the amount he owed. In the end he was left with less than a dollar in coins. He gave me a huge smile, grabbed my cheeks in both hands, gave me a big, smacking, kiss that only a sweet old grampa can give, whispered , ‘Bella’, took his bag, and left.
He is excluded from the annoying ‘old people searching for change’ category, and I will go totally Ninja on anybody’s ass who tries to tell me otherwise.
surrounded by literalists, that is such a sweet story. I’d have counted his change as well.
The lack of pockets in woman’s clothes drives me crazy as well. I’ve always worn men’s jeans until I finally started gaining enough weight to fit into women’s jeans. Go me! I bought 2 pair last weekend and didn’t know that I needed to check to see if I could my hands in my pockets.
I’m one of those people who use change. I’m also one of the ones who have the change in my hand and can pick the right change out by looking at what I have. On those rare times that I’m all dressed up and carrying a purse, I carry bills and drop the change in whatever bottle is on the counter.
You mean re-introduce. They stopped making US half-cents in 1857 because they, unlike idiots today, know when to stop making worthless coinage.
No, at the VERY least, you need to count the money at the window. Once you drive off, even if it’s just pulling up one car length, then if the amount is wrong, that’s too bad. You have to complain about it while you’re at the window, unless there’s no way to complain about it right there. I think some ATMs have a problem button.
I asked my Comic Book Guy, and he said that yes, he’d take my debit or credit card and be glad of the sale, but that a check doesn’t cost him anything. So I write checks when I buy comics or gaming supplies. This man has half a dozen goodsized tables in the back portion of his store, for gamers to use at no charge. I think he deserves all the support I can give him.
That’s why I do it, as well. I’m 44. I guess I’m middle aged now: a large part of the world still insists in calling me “a girl”, but the people who consider me old now includes individuals taller than the table such as the OP (you are taller than the table, aren’t you?).
One reason I hate that supermarket products don’t have stickers with the price any more is that I can’t calculate my total while waiting in line, as I used to do. Yeah, yeah, I could use the calculator in my phone to track it… geroff my potted geranium! (I don’t have a lawn)
Change in your pockets will put holes in them. You are smart to dump change when you can.
I have not had holes in my pockets since I was a kid.