1 post tagged “open letters”

Dear Retail Workers Giving Me Change,

Please learn how to give change. No, I don't mean learn how to count it properly. With the cunning machines they have these days that tell you how much to give me, you don't even need to know how to count. But hand it to me correctly. Don't count out the money to yourself and pour it into my hand, coins and bills in a big lump, while I stand there holding my merchandise in one hand and my wallet in the other and trying to juggle it all and determine if you've given me the correct change. I had a scare today that I was shortchanged $10 on lunch (I wasn't) but there was no way to figure that out the way I received the change (repeating: in a big lump, poured into my hand).

This is how you do it. Say my purchase comes to $6.63 and I hand you a $20 bill. Your cunning machine will tell you that the change is $13.37. (I just figured that out without recourse to a machine, cunning or otherwise, incidentally.)

Count out the change from your drawer. Hand me the change and say, "That's seven dollars."

Then count out the bills into my hand. For example, if there are three dollar bills and a $10 bill, count out, "Eight, nine, ten," (while counting out the ones) "...and that makes twenty" (as you hand me the $10).

It would be extra-courteous to wait for me to put away my coins before counting out the bills, but I understand that time is money in retail and I don't expect it.

I know this involves counting and that makes it more difficult, but I would be most grateful if you could oblige.

Best,
Mags