# Rounding off bar bills

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rounding-off-bar-bills/378905>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [November 2, 2006, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rounding-off-bar-bills/378905 "2006-11-02T23:25:29Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Ronald\_C.Semone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cc9497/32.png) [@Ronald\_C.Semone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ronald_C.Semone)\
**Post date:** [November 2, 2006, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rounding-off-bar-bills/378905/1 "2006-11-02T23:25:29Z")

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I was in a bar today and when my bill came it was an even $20. I commented to the cashier on this oddity and he said that in fact my bill had been $20.35 but they rounded off all bills to make things easier. Has anyone else encountered this? Is it a new trend that I have been unaware of?

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**Author:** ![wasson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/4da419/32.png) [@wasson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wasson)\
**Post date:** [November 2, 2006, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rounding-off-bar-bills/378905/2 "2006-11-02T23:54:30Z")

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One of the bars I frequent has very peculiar prices on everything they sell. A cheeseburger for $3.34, or an order of cheeseballs for $4.28. I asked the waitress why, and she told me it was because with taxes, the prices came out to easy numbers (say, $4 and $5, respectively, just an example, ignore the math). My bill there always comes out to an easy number. I think it’s just convenient for them, even if they have to round down a few cents sometimes.

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**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\
**Post date:** [November 3, 2006, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rounding-off-bar-bills/378905/3 "2006-11-03T00:02:42Z")

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I’ve never heard of anyone doing it, but I can understand it. Given it’s common practice to tip a dollar per drink, that often comes out to a lot more than 15% (for one drink I like at the pub it’s more than 25%) so they aren’t really hurting for your 35 cents, and it probably makes for a quicker checkout. Drunk people and math, Man, they don’t mix well.

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**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\
**Post date:** [November 3, 2006, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rounding-off-bar-bills/378905/4 "2006-11-03T03:07:49Z")

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Also, especially if it is a bar that deals with a lot of cash customers is that they don’t need any change except for quarters. Makes it a lot quicker for the bartender. Most bars that I’ve been to will do this.