Retail Peeve

Remember when retail clerks actually used to count change back to you? I think people don't know how to do it because the cash registers have been dumbed down so the clerks can't screw up their tills. Oh, also probably because hardly anyone pays cash anymore.

Let's see.... the amount owed is $3.46, amounted tendered is $10.00, and voila, the change owed is $6.54. The clerk then (almost without exception) tears off the receipt, places it in your open hand, then proceeds to DUMP a wad of bills and change into your hand, on top of the receipt. What the hell am I supposed to do with this mess?

Am I the only one out there? This drives me absolutely bananas. A) you don't know if you have the correct amount of change. B) the wad of bills are never 'faced' the same way. C) the coins and bill(s) are sliding off the receipt. I end up stepping aside, putting the receipt in the bag, counting the change, facing the bills and putting the change in my wallet. This process usually ends with the person behind me running me over. What did they do with their change and reciept?

If you really want to confuse a clerk, give them a dime or penny or two to even out the change. If you do it after they have entered the amount tendered, they will be baffled. I don't do this to be mean to simple people, I just do it to cut down on the change in my wallet. Honest.