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what is it with the local businesses, especially bars and restaurants who feel the need to round down your change without asking you or telling you first. It is a little uncomfortable to be put in the position of asking for all my change back.
—k.l.
This article appears in Dec 17-23, 2009.
21 Comments
We’re talking about a penny here. Holy fuck.
go to a hundred stores, get a hundred pennies in your pocket,need i say more.get a fucking grip and a life, fool.
presumption is usually at the root of miscommunication. Speak up for yourself and get over any embarrassment you may feel…. over a nickel.
The amount may be insignifigant. The point is that businesses are helping themselves to something that is not theirs to keep but rightfully belongs to the customer. It may only be a few cents but it is not the business’ money to claim rights to is it?
i wish bitch commenters would get over the specifics… its often the principle that is the bitch not the actual event. srsly tho… in other words i agree with oceanlady
I have never once had this happen to me. I don’t believe it actually occurs.
I always get all my change back too.
They can have the change – i wouldn’t worry about anything under 5 bucks – after that they better not be rounding to the nearest tenth or i’ll be pissed – if they really need my nickel have it . But yea – It is the principal and not the action – I think its called on their part – taking liberties? Fuck it . I do get the point – but just ask for the change if you really want it back > Why be embarrassed? Are you embarrassed to go to the bank and get your money out? It’s your money ask for it – why be embarrassed?
I’ve got 2.96 in pennies in a yogurt container. If you want it, it’s yours.
It’s not about the pennies…it’s the uninvited hand in one’s pocket that is the aggravating point.
Well I guess if this particular establishment serves lets say 100 people per day – times say 5 times a week at 0.98 cents a head – ummmm rounded to the nearest dollar making it 100 x 5 =500.00 dollars per week extra in there pocket . Nice one – never thought of that !!!!!
I’ve never had this happen to me, quite the opposite, actually. A lot of times I have people giving me a few extra cents so they don’t have to count out pennies.
Hmm, apparently I’m confused. I thought rounding down was making the expected cash less than what is on the total. I always thought taking it to the higher amount was rounding up.
Weedhog’s example, 98 Cents taken to a dollar, I would say, is rounding up. A certain coffee shop I frequent the total comes to $1.01, but they never ask for the penny, so they’re rounding down. Rounding down is a good thing from the customer’s point of view.
depends on how it’s taken… in this case, I think they were rounding down the change, so that your 1.27 in change is returned as a loonie and a quarter… them pocketing the remaining two pennies.
it seems petty to ask for the pennies, but they certainly are rightfully yours.
If they’re a big enough deal to bitch about on the coast, you shouldn’t feel too embarrassed to ask for them back.
How do they balance the cash if they’re always rounding?
it’s not like they’re rounding DOWN adn coming up short, hollah… hmm, what to do with EXTRA cash in the register, I wonder?
sorry…i’m reminded of the seinfield episode where kramer tries to pay for pizza with pennies and turns and taps his foot on the counter…so shemplike
If I may put in my two cents worth. (sorry I could not resist) Try this if it happens again.
Pick up all of the change left to you. First ask it there was an error. If so, let them correct it. If you get a stunned look or a dirty look tell the waiter/ess as you are leaving that they took a tip already, but you would have left them more had they not short changed you due to the otherwise good service. I bet it never occurs again.
An old waiter trick is to give a few cents too much change if you do not have the exact amount.That way the customer never has to feel ripped off for even 1 penny.
By the way always count your change when you leave a parking lot. When busy, a lot of money can be made by “accidently” short changing customers.
Yeh I gotta say i’ve only had them round up, not down… Who would get uncomfortable asking for what is theirs? Grow a set… I think I’ve thrown a few pennies/nickels away over the past week, if you need em, look down…
I can agree with the OP a bit. It has to do with cashiers taking the situation for granted. Sure, its only a penny – but what right does the cashier/store have to just keep your penny and not offer it to you?
The NSLC has attempted to do this to me several times and I make sure to ask for my one-whole-cent back. What tends to happen is I pay $19.99 or whatever and pay with a $20 bill. Most clerks will ensure that a penny is returned (I save mine also) unless its near closing time (within a couple minutes) and don’t have any more pennies in their till.
The good clerks will offer an explanation, “I’m out of pennies. Sorry.” And that’s cool. What gets me is when they take the penny out and just toss it on top of their register and hand me the receipt back. It never bothered me saying, “I can use the one penny a lot more than your profit-generating corporation can.” If the clerks have a problem, fuck them; they shouldn’t be in a CSR position if they do have a problem with lack of service.
A certain coffee shop I frequent the total comes to $1.01, but they never ask for the penny, so they’re rounding down. Rounding down is a good thing from the customer’s point of view.
—
I work there. 😛 *waves*
That’s the example I was going to give.
And yes, that’s rounding down.
Rounding up would be the NGF’s example.
That said, seriously, people getting upset over a penny or two is something that I find incredibly ridiculous and annoying. Most customers don’t *want* their handful of pennies back, and I don’t really care either way.
And on occasion, I’ve been given dirty looks for trying to *give* people their 2 cents back.
So, honestly, sometimes you just can’t win. *shrugs*