Who Knows How To Count Back Change?
Bob sent me this article he read, and it struck home with me.
I am in the San Diego airport as I write this. After I got through security, I made two purchases. I bought a bottle of water and I bought a book. I paid for both in cash. I got the change in a way that really irritates me. In both cases, the counter person took the bills, placed the receipt on top of them and then the coins on top of the receipt and handed the whole precarious package to me. This seems to be the new way of giving change to customers – it’s not just the San Diego airport – it’s everywhere.
When I was a young guy, I worked a few retail jobs. I was always taught to first give the customer the coins, saying “that’s 32 cents”, then to hand the customer the bills, saying “and three dollars” and then to hand the customer the receipt. To me, this is common sense. It is easy for the customer to verify the change, and to put it into his pocket or her purse.
The way counter people give change today doesn’t make sense to me. First of all, the coins often fall during the hand to hand transfer. And, even if they don’t, I now have a handful of coins; bills and a receipt which I need to separate and count before I put them in my pocket.
For some reason, this really annoys me – mostly because it is not common sense. It may be easier and quicker for the counter person, but it is more difficult for the customer – at least when the customer is me.
There, I’ve gotten that off of my chest.
Am I crazy? Am I a curmudgeon? Do I worry about things that don’t really make any difference?
Does it make any difference to you how you receive your change from a purchase? Please comment, I’d really like to know.
August 8th, 2007 at 11:06 am
You are not crazy; you just come from a more intelligent time back before we had point of sale terminals which make laziness (and mistakes) possible in retail businesses.
I think people should be counting back change regardless of what the POS says the correct change is.
Dumping the change into the hand of the customer will not catch an extra twenty accidentally pulled out of the register by the sales clerk!!!
August 8th, 2007 at 11:46 am
When this happens I think, “#@!”. Count my change back to me, don’t make me do it!!!
August 8th, 2007 at 6:57 pm
Thank You!!! I am glad that you brought up the subject. Everywhere I buy something they pile it all in your hand in one glob. It is akward every time they dump the package of receipt, coin and bills in your hand. I just take a minute and stay there to separate it all to show them what they have caused. Sometimes I tell them to hold on to it for a minute, then I take the coin out of their hand, shove the receipt in my pocket and then fold the bill around my other bills. Some day a bright cashiers will get the point.
August 11th, 2007 at 6:29 am
I do not think that these cashiers today even understand the concept of counting change back. I myself learned it at a young age when the cash registers did not give you the answers. This is math related and not a hard concept to learn if you use your brain.
The other day I went into a McDonald’s and asked for a relative who worked there. When I asked the girl at the counter if she was there, she just stared at me. I think she understands orders only. Not conversation. This is the kind of service that you will continue to receive. I myself will give the receipt back to the cashier and count my change. Maybe I will tech the cashier the right way to do it.
August 18th, 2007 at 4:39 am
I rarely experienced this problem until this week. From the airport on, aroun 90% of the time - I have had my change handed back to me in in that manner. It is annoying and, as another said, very akward, especially when you have packages.
Makes me miss my small town where people actually know how to count change and hand it back!