have you noticed an increase in retailers not giving out cents in change?

SanctionII · May 28, 2008 9:11AM

Hello folks. Been a while since I posted.

Over the past few months I have seen an increase in the frequency of simple consumer transactions with cash (i.e. grocery shopping, stopping at sandwich shop for lunch, picking up a bottle of water or soda and a newpaper at a gas station in the morning, etc.) resulting in the retailer (throught the employee working the register) not bothering to give out cents in change. They round up the nearest nickel or dime thereby charging me a 1-4 cents less than the price rang up on the register. Just more evidence that the cent is being viewed more and more as worthless and an annoyance.

Have you seen the same thing?

coinman420 · May 28, 2008 9:16AM

one convenience store near me is sometimes rounding up and i am paying 1-4 cents MORE than the item costs. this really burns me.

cladking · May 28, 2008 9:17AM

Yes. They always round in my favor as well.

I'm expecting to start seeing "No Pennies" signs before long.

rgCoinGuy · May 28, 2008 9:29AM

The only place I notice that is my liquor store, they usually do that. Then again, they give me free stuff like the fifth of Johnny Bahama Rum over Memorial day weekend a lot, so I think it is more of a customer service thing with them.

pontiacinf · May 28, 2008 9:56AM

big time, they round off to my favor, not that I really care to begin with.

yellowjacket · May 28, 2008 12:13PM

I always carry "pennies" with me to give change so the merchant doesn't need to give ME the cents.

BTW, isn't giving free alcoholic beverages a violation of one's liquor license?

Garrow

SamByrd · May 28, 2008 12:17PM

yep, it happens here quite a bit. I never give any one 99 or 98 cents change I round up to the next dollar. People also dont want the cents they often leave em on the counter.

Flatwoods · May 28, 2008 12:18PM

I have not seen this. I was wondering when it would happen though.
I guess it's just a matter of time.

COALPORTER · May 28, 2008 12:29PM

I don't bother with change under 4 cents.
I try to have exact change to avoid getting coins back.
Sometimes I put all the coins in the donation box.
Hope it is used wisely.

WinPitcher · May 28, 2008 12:32PM

Nope, I have yet to see it here in NY.

I do see an ash tray with pennies in it for customers to leave or use.

Steve

WinPitcher · May 28, 2008 12:33PM

BTW, isn't giving free alcoholic beverages a violation of one's liquor license?

Only if you drink it on site.

Steve

vplite · May 28, 2008 12:34PM

It has almost never happened to me in St. Louis.

ProofArtworkonCircs · May 28, 2008 2:47PM

I have noticed it much more lately and it is usually in my favor.

This is in contrast to 50 years ago when nearly every Chinese Restraurant would round up even 1 cent to the next higher nickel or dime.
It got me so mad, I wouldn't leave a tip. One day, the waiter, hostess and manager chased me out of the restaurant into the parking lot.

They wanted to know why I didn't leave a tip. They weren't impressed by my answer. The waiter was most bitter. He said he had to pay income tax on the tip I didn't leave since the government assumed he was always tipped.

I thought that was all pretty strange, but it wasn't but a couple of weeks untill I read about a customer stabbed to death for not tipping a Chinese Restaurant waiter in New York City. So maybe I was lucky after all.

sumnom · May 28, 2008 2:50PM

Yes, I am seeing that here in Seattle. I was supposed to get nine cents in change this morning but got a dime instead. I was disappointed. I wanted five coins instead of one!

mrearlygold · May 28, 2008 2:57PM

Yup but I still save them no matter....in a large water bottle. Been saving them in there for almost 20 years now

illini420 · May 28, 2008 3:00PM

I'd flip out a bit if a retailer was short-changing me! I don't care if it's only pennies, they add up!!! Haven't seen any of this rounding in my area anyways.

lcoopie · May 28, 2008 7:19PM

Yes, it almost never was done years ago, now every once in a while
mostly in smaller stores now that I think about it

tmcsr69 · May 28, 2008 7:58PM

<< <i>It has almost never happened to me in St. Louis. >>

Same for me.

Ceephus · May 28, 2008 9:56PM

I've noticed it also, It is ALWAYS in their favor. Sometimes it is more than just Lincoln's.

When the cashier moves on to something else I just stand there until they give me the change or the manager comes and opens up the register.

I don't make a scene, a long angry stare with my hand out generally gets their attention.

This is on my top ten list of things that irritate me the most.

Not related to rounding, but a Wendy's cashier didn't have my .35c in change in the register and she said she would bring it out to me. Needless to say that idea didn't fly and had to speak to the manager.

RWB · May 28, 2008 10:10PM

Most of the convenience stores I’ve been in lately are rounding cents in the customer’s favor unless you hand them the correct change.

BobaFett72 · May 28, 2008 10:12PM

good, time to get rid of the Penny.

morganbarber · May 28, 2008 10:21PM

I absolutely hate it. I'll make a purchse where the change should be, say, 9 cents. I am excited to get a nickel and four pennies to look at. Suddenly the cashier hands me a dime with a grandiose motion like he's done me some huge favor.

StrikeOutXXX · May 28, 2008 10:34PM

<< <i>Most of the convenience stores I’ve been in lately are rounding cents in the customer’s favor unless you hand them the correct change. >>

That's what I've seen in the last year or two in my little town. I've seen several "We don't accept Pennies" signs, and one with an added line of "Round up or down to nearest nickel, your choice". One place has the leave a penny/take a penny tray replaced with a leave a nickel/take a nickel tray (with a few dimes mixed in too).

A small convenience store doing a few hundred transactions a day worst case scenario is out $4.00, but more than likely about break even. It would seem it would cost more in labor to get rolls of pennies from the bank, count them, etc. The last time I got a cent in change was the wal-mart self checkout machine.

Greeniejr · May 28, 2008 11:07PM

I almost never give out cents in change. Unless I feel really motivated to do so. It is a lot easier to give someone a quarter and a dime vs. grabbing a quarter, nickel and a few cents. When you stop and think about how little it really costs and how much time it saves over the course of the day, it really pays for itself.

TwoSides2aCoin · May 28, 2008 11:31PM

I mostly get receipts with my signature on it. That' plastic for ya

ziggy29 · May 28, 2008 11:48PM

Yes. Many times they'll give me a nickel rather than counting out 3-4 cents in change. Just goes to show what a nuisance they are in commerce today.

garsmith · May 29, 2008 12:00AM

<< BTW, isn't giving free alcoholic beverages a violation of one's liquor license? >>

Ever been to a bar on ladies night, they drink free and no one losses thier liquor license!

And back to the thread topic, convienience stores seem to round up more than any other stores. Maybe they don't worry as much about a penny here or there or maybe the cashiers can't count

dbldie55 · May 29, 2008 12:19AM

I have not noticed this even once.

ricko · May 29, 2008 12:36AM

As Sumnom has said, here in Seattle, it is not uncommon. However, it has always been in my favor (Centswise that is..)... Cheers, RickO

ProofArtworkonCircs · May 29, 2008 12:48AM

June 7, 1956 I bought gas in New Brunswick, Canada and was due 5 cents change. The gas attendant was certainly not ready to make change, so I took perverse pleasure in slipping him a 20 cent piece (Newfoundland - George V) instead of a quarter. It was not much of a victory. Seeeing as the date and denomination were worn off, I could have passed it for a quarter anywhere (including Maine at that period).
Even if the coin was completely readable, everybody took them for quarters.

messydesk · May 29, 2008 1:00AM

The cafeteria here (I'm in Germany this week) prices everything in 5c increments, but some items are by weight. Today, my salad was 0.86 euro. It was rounded down to 0.85. They don't want to deal with the 1c or 2c coins here. Sales tax is not an issue, because the 19% tax is already hidden in the price. The supermarket does give out 1c and 2c coins, and they're quite the nuisance, especially when you're not used to counting a handful of change instantaneously by glance. The 2c coin is almost exactly the size of our 1c, and the 1c is probably the size of a half dime.

madeddie · May 29, 2008 1:04AM

I've noticed that, AND that when I make a purchase at the bakery, the folks actually expect to get my change as a tip! No...I purchased 12 doughnuts and paid for them. What makes you think I should tip you for selling them to me???!!! There was no "service" provided! GRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

SanctionII · May 29, 2008 1:31AM

Lots of very interesting replies to my OP. It seems the practice I described is present in some places and not present in others. I wonder if a year or two from now whether the practice will be more wide spread.

Somehow I think it will be. If it becomes the norm, the demand for cents will drop and if the mint produces only enough to satisfy demand, we may see a large drop off in annual production, eventually leading to the elimination of the cent as circulating coinage.

AlixTCat · May 29, 2008 1:37AM

All merchants here in T-Town accept my credit cards. So I almost never see ANY change.
On the odd occasion I buy a bottle of water or candy bar in a convenience store, I carry change in one of those oval rubber coin holders that every man carried back in the 70's. I bought one in Mississippi over Christmas. I had not seen one in 20 years. Very convenient. So, I carry 3-5 cents and a few quarters, dimes and nickels in there and give THEM correct change.
But, no, I have not seen any rounding going on here. Too many poor people here who would raise a ruckus if they were shortchanged even a cent.

Jonathan

have you noticed an increase in retailers not giving out cents in change?

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