Is this an old person thing? I went through a drive-through a while ago to buy some lunch.

[raccoon]

The price was $7.55. I gave her .55 and then a $20 bill. She gave me back $13.00.

Is this something done mostly by old people? Giving the cashier change so that the customer will get back an even dollar amount.

[brewens]

1. Yup. Did you get it out of one of those old fashioned plastic coin purses? Then you are

really freakin' old! LOL

[raccoon]

3. Nope. But yeah, when you can remember half a century ago without breaking a sweat... nt

[brewens]

20. About exactly how long ago it was I that remember my dad using one of those

coin purses.

Damn. I went to look for a pic and they still make those. I can't say I have ever seen anyone with one decades.

https://www.amazon.com/Rubber-Purse-Change-Holder-Nabob/dp/B0774GCLS1/ref=lp_2475888011_1_4?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1552673231&sr=1-4&nodeID=2475888011&psd=1

[hlthe2b]

2. Hell, some of them act as though paying with cash (at all) is an "old person" thing.

Heaven knows they can never figure out the change if the cash register doesn't spit it out for them.

[lettucebe]

4. Smart but misses opportunity to find silver coins

You don't end up with pockets full of change but you also lose an opportunity to find silver coins which are often handed back in change. Clerks cannot check coins as they come in, so you may get lucky! I keep a magnet in my purse, just to test coins so I don't accidentally spend them.

Why do these valuable coins end up in circulation? Theft mostly. Coins stolen from grandpa's collection, etc. Happy hunting!

[safeinOhio]

16. A little tip for you.

You might get a really dirty one and not sure if it is silver. Drop it on a cement floor. Silver coins ring, other go clunk. Give it a try. Old guy at a coin show it to me. Also you can tell if it’s a fake and helps with foreign coins.

[eppur_se_muova]

23. I once found silver in my change by the sound it made sliding down the chute from the register ...

Bought a meal at Wendy's in Pittsburgh and my change came sliding down a side chute like this



from the sound of the high-pitched 'clink' (alloy coins go 'clunk') I knew I had a silver coin and sure enough -- 1964 quarter !

Once you know what to listen for, you can jingle a handful of change and tell right away if there's silver there.

[Yonnie3]

5. I do it because I don't want the change piling up.

The cashier enters the amount I gave them and waits for the register to figure the change. They seem especially perturbed in the case where I give them a twenty, two ones, and .55 in coins to get a five and a ten back.

I've done this my whole life and I wouldn't be considered young any more.

[CrispyQ]

29. I got this amazing jar, about 10 inches tall & 4 inches wide, sort of a Far Eastern shape to it.

It came filled with pistachios that I ate in about a week. Now we collect change in it, no pennies, & when it's full we each guess how much is in it & whoever is closest without going over gets to spend it. It's been fun over the years, even though my husband guesses closer than I do most times.

[thinkingagain]

31. I really like that idea

I think I will try and do something similar but might involve kids& grandkids. Thanks for a great idea.

[CrispyQ]

32. It's fun.

Our jar is so big it's about $450 & takes a couple of years to fill. It enough that the winner always treats the other to dinner out. Sometimes, too, it purchases something nice for the house. If you accept pennies, it fills up faster.

Have fun!

[True Blue American]

52. I try, but have baskets full of change

Too heavy to carry to the bank. Some day I will.

[CTyankee]

68. I got a box of those paper rolls in different sizes for different sized coins.

I have several that I think are exactly full but I am not sure. I'll take those rolls to the bank and let them worry about it...

[Cracklin Charlie]

6. Both of my kids put together probably couldn't have scraped up $0.55 cents in cash.

They never use cash.

[getagrip_already]

7. I do it sometimes just to see the confused look on their face....

If they don't have one of those registers that lets them enter the amount they were handed, and calculates the change, they look at me like I just handed them pesos. Basically I just hate coins, so I try to get rid of it.

Like being able to read cursive, simple math will be a lost skill before long.

[MyOwnPeace]

28. Absolutely!

SO easy to confuse cashiers anymore. Bill is $17.00 - hand them a $20 and 2 ones -
Indeed, "cursive writing" is being treated like hyroglyphics anymore.

[csziggy]

41. The other day I had a purchase that totalled $4.37

I gave the cashier a quarter, a dime, two pennies, and a five dollar bill. She tried to give me five ones in return! Good thing for her that I am honest and refused to take all five and would only take a single one.

[Johnny Noshoes]

63. Funny thing

Funny thing with people using emojis and all it seems like hyroglyphics might make a come back

[hunter]

8. I always do that.

It annoys some people, both clerks and people behind me in line.

If you really want to be an annoying old person at the supermarket, write a check.

[Ohiogal]

26. Ha ha

My boys tell me that just paying with cash makes me an "old person". I often do the extra change thing, as well.

I was behind a woman at the grocery store some years ago who wrote a check for 99 cents to buy some ginger ale. She wasn't that old, either. 40s, maybe.

[mitch96]

33. "paying with cash makes me an "old person"."

Ha! that's funny... Curious what is the least amount you would pay with a credit card??
I feel weird paying $7 in the grocery store with my debit card...
m

[True Blue American]

53. I pay with a credit card because they pay you back!:)

[Iggo]

57. Cash is king.

"I have cash!" has got me to the front of the line many times.

[dixiegrrrrl]

65. Cash is king when the store computers are not working, too. n/t

[lastlib]

64. Paying with cash might make me old......

...but I don't get my identity stolen with cash......

[sdfernando]

71. Yes, write a check....

but don't get out your checkbook and start writing anything until the bill is rung up. Only then should you take out your checkbook.

[procon]

9. I do the same thing to get rid of all my coins.

Otherwise my purse would probably weigh 2 lbs more than it does now. My wallet has small pocket for coins, but the overflow soon spills all over my purse and takes too long to dig out.

We still have a gallon sized jar to collect coins at home and eventually we roll them up and take them to the bank to trade for paper money. I should buy one of those little coin purses, old fashioned or not, it's a good way to keep organized.

[RockRaven]

10. The REALLY old person thing is when you pay with enough small coins to get a quarter or two back

Like paying $10.13 on a price of $7.88 so you get back two dollars and a quarter instead of two dollars and a dime and two pennies. Because quarters are, or were, actually useful whereas pennies were not so much -- except when using them as above to avoid getting more of them back in change.

[TheCowsCameHome]

11. I do it to get the puzzled looks by the clerks.

[forgotmylogin]

19. I used to hate that.

Of course I learned to count change manually, but usually, it goes like this:

Customer hands me a $20, I'd enter they gave me $20 and the register would display the change they should receive.

CUSTOMER: "Oh wait, I've got change..."

<long pause while the customer digs in purse/pockets, glares from people in line>

<long pause while I have to lay out the coins and figure out what the change is NOW>

CUSTOMER: What, you never learned math, Sonny? Hyuck, hyuck!

MY INSIDE VOICE: I'm perfectly capable of math, Grandpa, it's just that we have machines now to do the math for us and save time in a busy retail environment and your sudden change of mind broke my flow because counting change manually usually involves me counting small coins into your hand which is exactly what you DON'T want so I've got to do it on the counter to make sure I don't screw up and this transaction now has taken more than twice as long as it needs to because I have to do it abacus-style and you keep interrupting me...

CUSTOMER (to another customer): Boy, kids these days don't know anything. (to me) Hey, did you apply my senior discount?

(And yes, I know the change I'm giving them is easier ("You just give me back $13, Sonny! Why do you need to do all this counting?" but since they've removed the register calculation assistance, it's my ass in trouble if I or the customer makes some mistake and the drawer counts down wrong.)

[Iggo]

45. "Oh, wait. I've got change!"

"Nope. Too late. Sorry."

[forgotmylogin]

46. That would have been the smart thing to do.

Those are the times I wished for one of those attached change-making gizmos that would spit sub-dollar change out automatically into a tray.

It's not that I can't do the math, it's just that working with money and a cash register is a meticulous process that needs to be done correctly and the process benefits by doing everything the same way consistently. Most registers immediately open the drawer when you put in the tender amount to make change, and there's no opportunity to back up and re-calculate. Many businesses make you document why you open the drawer when not in the process of a sale.

I'm glad for the people who enjoy the puzzled looks, but if they're going to throw a surprise pop-quiz math problem that requires me to stop in my tracks and work out change manually against what the machine says, you're going to have to hold your horses, Grandpa!

[Iggo]

47. I'm with you. Don't fuck with me when I'm doing my job.

[happybird]

12. I do it, too

but don't think I qualify as old yet at 43.
Oh, god. Or do I?

[raccoon]

15. Not yet. But, when I was your age, I looked away

And 23 years had gone by when I wasn’t looking 😂 .

[CrispyQ]

30. Life is like a roll of toilet paper - the closer you get to the end the faster it goes.

My dental hygienist told me that on my 40th BD & that was a score ago.

[Iggo]

44. Depends on who you ask.

[LisaM]

13. I do it a lot.

I also pay with cash a lot, partly so every fricking thing I do doesn't get tracked and recorded by some algorithm, and partly as a means of budgeting, so I know how much I've spent.

I have noticed in lot of restaurants, they've started rounding up and down to the nearest quarter. I got into an unintended fracas once when I went out with a group of people and someone was shortchanged. When she called the restaurant later, they said that the servers were allowed to round up and down! We were all absolutely floored (not to mention that it's highly illegal to deliberately shortchange customers). I posted about it on social media and was unfriended by someone who turned the whole story into some fabrication that *I* had shorted the server on a tip (untrue, I gave a big tip) and that our group shouldn't have asked the poor server for separate checks (we didn't). For the record, the next time I went there, I was given back something like 12 cents extra.

I guess I'm a dinosaur now, too........

[happybird]

18. Rounding down is very poor form

And an amateur mistake. I can't believe the restaurant tried to defend it.

I always kept a few bucks of quarters in a small purse in my apron and rounded change UP to the nearest quarter or dollar. Nine times out of ten, the guest is just going to leave the coins on the table, anyways. If they don't? At the end of the night, it's worth it to me to pay a total of maybe $2-3 bucks out of my own pocket in order to keep service running smoothly. Going to a register to get change for a dollar is a PITA when you are busy. It takes too much time.

[pnwest]

21. I did this exact same thing waiting tables...

Always just gave them quarters back for change, rounding in their favor because it was usually coming back to me as part of the tip, anyway. Pennies are heavy in your apron! I once actually threw a handful of pennies in the trash and the busboy looked at me like I had two heads, LOL! I, too, figured the little bit of money I might lose in a night was worth it to save time in my service routine. And the most you’d ever need to carry is 6 quarters, in case you’ve got checks down at two tables at once.

[LisaM]

37. Yes, rounding up isn't really an issue.

We were just quite shocked that she rounded down, and then management backed her up. Of course, most of the people at that table had been a cashier at one time or another, and those drawers have to balance to the penny, so we probably saw it differently (and I always assumed before that that the cashiers made the change and the servers just brought it). Not sure why I was accused of stiffing on the tip, which I NEVER do.

[sinkingfeeling]

14. I do it all the time. Will also give them a penny (+ $4) when the

amount due is $3.76.
I love the look of confusion on their faces. Sometimes I will just tell them they owe me a quarter.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

17. Several things to keep in mind about modern cash registers.

They do figure the change so the cashier doesn't have to think about it. Which is nice, except if for some reason the cash register isn't working right. Making change is not something that was ever commonly taught in school. I'm an old person and we weren't taught that. It was just something you picked up as you grew up and paid for things in cash.

Another thing is that the customer who hands the money to the cashier has already figured out what the change should be, while it will take a moment or several for the cashier to do the math in her head. I know. I've been on both sides of the cash register.

Speaking of which, for some ten years I had a job where I had a cash drawer, not a cash register. People paid with cash, check, or credit card, and if they paid with cash I of course counted back the money to add up to what they gave me as I handed them the bills and coins. Recently I had a temp job where I was occasionally selling something and the cash register figured the change, which confused me to no end as I wasn't used to it. So I simply ignored the register and counted back the change as I used to do, some decades back.

A couple of years ago I was in a store, and I forget the exact circumstances, maybe the cash registers weren't calculating the change that day or some such, and the cashier was very confused. I took the time to teach her how to count back cash, and she was extremely grateful. She'd never needed to do it before, and it was as confusing to her as the cash register that told me the change was to me.

It is true that younger people are far less likely to carry any cash with them, which strikes me as beyond dumb. What if you just want to buy a 99 cent bottle of water, but the minimum for a charge or debit card is $5.00? You spend an extra four dollars on things you don't really need. It adds up, and is, in my opinion, one reason young people burn through their money so quickly.

Here's another story of the usefulness of cash. Back in December I got stranded by weather in Boise City, OK. The power was out because of a winter storm. I couldn't continue east, where I was headed, because the roads were impassible, and the road back west wasn't much better. I went to one of the motels, and as I was trying to convince the manager that I couldn't really spend the night in my car, the power came back on. He still didn't have the internet access he needed to process a card, so he asked me if I had cash. Of course I had cash. I always have cash, and carry more than usual when on a road trip. I asked him if he'd give me a room for fifty dollars, he countered with sixty. I gave him the money. I'm sure he pocketed it, and I don't care at all. I believe after a while his internet came back on, because he wound up filling up the motel with other stranded travellers, many of whom probably didn't have much cash with them.

I have not yet had a store tell me they accept credit or debit cards only, but I would walk out of one, even though I do have a debit card and two or three credit cards. I use them when *I* want to. Hopefully I wont live long enough to see the nonsense of a completely cashless society come about. For one thing, if you're concerned about privacy, not only is your smart phone keeping track of everything you do or say, but electronic transactions are completely traceable. Unless, I suppose, you were to purchase a pre-loaded credit card with cash in the first place.

[Totally Tunsie]

38. Counting back is a lost art these days.

I did a stint as a grocery store cashier, and always counted back the change. It never failed...the recipient or some on-looker would be fascinated at the process, but it makes such sense.

It actually saved me once when a shifty gal tried to scam me. She gave me a $10 for a very small purchase, after which I counted back her change. She left the store only to return a few minutes later claiming I had short-changed her. The manager took over and played back the overhead tape for her. As Comey once said "Oh Lordy, I hope there are tapes."

[LisaM]

39. I thought kids were being taught math this way now.

I swear I read that they were being taught math in a way that was exactly like counting back change (instead of subtracting the rows like we did). But I suppose that even if they do learn to do it that way, they might not realize there is a practical application.

[LisaM]

40. Had that happen on a smaller scale on Mackinac Island. The power went out.

I was returning a rented bike and they were having to run the cards in an old-timey machine that ran over the embossed numbers. I asked if she wanted cash (exact change) and I thought she was going to hug me.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

42. Once, some years back, I stopped to get gas

and the computer/credit card machine wasn't working, and only those who could pay cash could get gas. This was before the pumps could themselves take credit cards. Among the many reasons I tend to pay cash for many purchases.

[CrispyQ]

56. I always have cash & can remember at least three times

when people I was with were grateful someone had cash! Once we were in a parking garage & the credit card reader stopped working & we got out because I had cash. I keep $20 in singles in the house, too, for who knows what. Girl Scout cookies, most recently.

[Croney]

22. I try to get back quarters for the parking meter stash

in the little drawer by the steering wheel.

[Fla Dem]

24. I was doing it even before I became a senior. Just to get rid of excess change.

[eppur_se_muova]

25. This is a "thing" for people who are already carrying too much change. Nothing more or less. nt

[bif]

27. When I was in retail, working at a liquor store

We learned to add up to the amount the customer gave us. If they gave us a 20 for something that was say, $15.56, we'd say " four cents makes it 60, 75, $16, and four makes twenty.

[MicaelS]

34. Get some $2 bills and use them.

See what happens. Hopefully you won't get arrested.


https://www.chonday.com/23261/besbubi5/

[MaryMagdaline]

35. What makes us old is to count change backwards without a machine

5.55 price
20.00 from customer
45 cents makes 6
4 ones makes it 10
10 or 2 fives makes it 20.00

**this, before cash registers figured the change.

[customerserviceguy]

36. About the only thing I use cash for

are tips. Also, the occasional fast-food meal.

I'd really rather run everything through my credit card, which is automatically paid in full every month from my bank account, it builds up airline miles for me. Since I like to fly first-class rather than economy, I can afford the trip every couple of years.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

43. Now THAT'S a good reason to use a credit card.

My dirty secret is that I book first class seats when I fly. I've learned that if I book far enough in advance I can get a fare I'm willing to pay.

Even if I switched and used a credit card for all the things I currently pay cash for, it wouldn't add up to enough miles to help me. I gave up on that years ago. So hurrah to you that it works.

Earlier today I helped a friend book a flight (actually two flights as he had to change planes) to Medford, OR in May, and then returning a week later from Sacramento. I had great fun helping him. I spent the time to compare some fares, and pointed out that the cheapest fare possible would result in a $30 checked bag charge, which would make the fare slightly more than the higher fare that allowed for one free checked bag. Plus, he could select his seats right away for no additional charge, rather than be charged for seat selection or have to wait until he checked in at the airport to get seats.

Airlines have trained passengers to select the cheapest fare possible and then more than make it up with various surcharges.

My friend was appreciative, and I actually had giant fun helping him out.

[raccoon]

48. Thanks for sharing this! Nt

[customerserviceguy]

49. When I look at the prices

of first class vs. "cattle" class, I see that first is usually 4 or 5 times the cost of economy. When I use miles, it's only twice as much. So, my miles are in effect a better currency to buy first class seats with. And, you don't have to go through all the nickel and diming games that the airlines play.

I'll admit, just the credit card alone doesn't get me there, but I get a couple hundred miles a month from Sprint for having their cell phone service, and I am also in the dining program for American. By selecting to get emails from them, I get three extra miles per dollar spent instead of only one mile per dollar from participating restaurants. And just down the street from my development is a restaurant with great early bird specials, and acceptable craft brew. Plus, I can usually generate about 2,000 miles a month from the e-Rewards survey website.

There are always ways to max your miles, I've been a follower of www.freefrequentflyermiles.com for years now, and have used a lot of slick tricks in that time. Unfortunately, the deals seem to be drying up, most of what you can get these days are sizable amounts of bonus miles for getting an airline's credit card, and since I froze my credit after the Equifax screw-up, that's out of the question now. But sometimes, things work out well, a few years ago I got a Chase credit card for Marriott that gave me about 40,000 points AND a $200 gift card for Marriott. Yes, there is an annual fee of about $90, but I get a free room once a year, up to category 4, and in many places, a room like that will cost you $125-150 a night.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

69. Good for you for making it work.

In 2001 I switched my green American Express to a Platinum one, and got a second card in my husband's name, and booked first class seats for the four of us (including 2 kids) to Australia, first class, because it was a buy one get one free deal. Well worth it. And the first class seats were a surprise when we got to the airport.

But even though that racked up lots of miles, somehow it was never enough for even a discount on a ticket. I've never quite understood why. Maybe the essential problem is that I simply don't fly enough.

I switched back to a green card a few years later because I simply wasn't using the perks associated with the Platinum card.

I do have the rewards things with several hotels, and occasionally can get a free room. I always appreciate that.

I suppose this matters: I was for ten years (1969-79) an airline ticket agent, and I made full use of the travel benefits. Back then the flights were rarely full, except at the most peak times. Most of the time we were boarded in first class. Sometimes there was an extra charge for a first class pass, sometimes not. We were treated like royalty. The cabin crew always knew we were non-revs (meaning non revenue passengers as we had not paid for the ticket) and if anything treated us better than the paying passengers. We were told we mus ALWAYS let then know we were non revs, and if there weren't enough meals to go around, we'd go hungry. Well, that never happened. The flight attendants always made do. More than once I'd be in the first row of first class and when asked for my meal choice I'd mention I was a non-rev, and perhaps they should take my order last. "Nonsense!" or words to that effect were always said. I was NEVER asked to change my meal order, either.

They were also incredibly generous with the alcohol. I recall one flight from Honolulu to the west coast where I ordered a Bloody Mary. The F/A made it about 90% vodka, 10% BM mix. I drank that one drink the rest of the flight.

Another time there were two of us in first class. We polished off three bottles of champagne between us.

Sigh. It was nice.

Anyway, my point is that early on I got spoiled, and now, in my relative old age, I'm willing to pay for certain amenities.

And I will repeat what I said above: the airlines have trained passengers to go for the cheapest possible fare, regardless of inconvenient routing or the fact that added fees may be more than a higher fare would have been in the first place.

[dixiegrrrrl]

67. they now charge for seat selection??????????/

Airline fees are like the telephone company, sounds like. great low basic monthly price, PLUS fees and taxes and surcharges that almost double the price. and which go up every year at least.

My last flight was 1999. It was nightmarish even back then.

[Kaleva]

50. Old people still use paper money and coins.

I'm 60 and it's now very rare I have money on me at any time.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

51. As an old person, I keep change in the cup holder in the car's console, just for this.

It makes it easier to pay. Ahem, on the VERY RARE occasion when I might grab the occasional junk meal to go. Damn. Busted.

[Iggo]

66. People keep saying it's easier, right alongside stories of how it's not easier...

The problem being, Kidsthesedays® are just too dumb to play along, amiright?

[kairos12]

54. Yes. Confusing cashiers everywhere.

[Cartoonist]

55. I'm a cashier

What I have noticed is that those who do carry cash, don't carry coins. Cigarettes cost $10.08, but nobody ever has a dime.

[Cousin Dupree]

60. Mr Dupree has a bit of a mean streak. He deliberately gives bills and odd change to cashiers

so he can watch them ponder what to do. He thinks it’s good brain exercise for them. He’s an old fart.

[David__77]

61. Seems likely to me.

Also, taking any time to open or close a wallet at a register is something I associated with older people.

[Johnny Noshoes]

62. Two shilling coin.

I got a two shilling coin back in change once a long time ago when I was in London. It was from 1940 and I saved it. I have often wondered whose pockets it was in during the war and all the years after. I like to think about that when I get an old coin in change. Where it has been an all.

[trev]

70. I'm 63

and I never use cash.