They Refused to Take Change!!
By mzz663
@mzz663 (2772)
United States
December 6, 2009 4:37pm CST
I stopped at dollar general and only needed clothes soap and a small bad of dog food. I got up to the register and what I wanted to buy was less than $5.00. I only had a roll of quarters ($10.00) and the guy at the register told me they do not take change in the rolls, so I started to unroll it, he told me rolled or unrolled, he couldn't take it.
I went out to my car and was fuming....on a normal day, I would use bills or a debit card but was short and could only use the change.
I walked back in and told him it was pretty bad when you walk into a store and can't use good old money and that no matter what it was, penny, nickel, dime or quarter, it was still money. I told him he needed to call security if he wanted me to leave, I was going to stay there until he took my money. He called his manager and they ended up taking the money. A guy that was behind me in line came running towards me to let me know that he had just paid for his $15.00 worth of stuff with a lot of change and thanked me and then showed me his pocket full of bills and told me he paid with change just because of me.
Wasn't dollar general started by a man that had quit school in the 3r grade to work to help his poor family survive? and that he started the stores so that everyone could afford to shop there? If they refuse to take change, doesn't that contradict the principles of the whole idea beind the store?
11 people like this
34 responses
@okkidokitokki (1736)
• United States
6 Dec 09
I may be compleatly wrong but I was under the impresion that if a store refused to take the correct curency (which your change was) then unless they have a sign posted stating their policy (cannot take $50 after a certain time ect) then it was illegal.
I have an aunt and uncle that pay their bills with coins because they have collected coins for over 50 years, and the bill paying places have to accept their money.
I used to work at a register and I never declined change because it was harder to get than bills some days.
3 people like this
@mzz663 (2772)
• United States
7 Dec 09
I have collected a lot of change and when things get tight, I break it out. I did the same as you when I worked at a register, I would take what ever I could get so I didn't run out, always had someone asking for quarters for the soda pop and newspaper machines.
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
6 Dec 09
hi mzz663 I think a lot of cashiers are told not to waste time as they put it in taking change from a person, I think that is stupid but one mylotter who worked in Walmart said she hated people who paid with change if say the bill was five dollars and sixty two cents, she claimed they all wasted her time by insisting in paying the cents with cents and the dollars with dollars, she just wanted people to round it up to the next dollar in other words what would you do if you did not have that extra dollar but had the five dollars and sixty two cents?would she refuse to take it,thats so silly.whatever happened to the customer is always right?when I worked in the library we were taught the patron is always right so whats happened to that?
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[/em]2 people like this
@carpenter5 (6782)
• United States
7 Dec 09
This is crazy! I've worked retail and at Krogers as a cashier. It takes just as much time to count back the coins in change as it does to put their change into a drawer! If a store refused to take my money, I would simply the stuff on the counter and walk out, never to return
2 people like this
@mzz663 (2772)
• United States
7 Dec 09
At first I did put the stuff on the counter and walked out and when I got to the car I just started boiling and if anyone was around, they probably seen the steam coming out of my ears!
Hatley, I think you're right, it does take just as long for the cashier to count out the change as it does for the customer. A lot of the time I can count the money faster than the person at the register and if I have to use change, I sort it out (4 quarters-$1.00) and stack it for them that way so it doesn't have to be double counted.
A few of my friends that live around me have gone after my "little incident" and are using change there for every purchase.
@owlwings (43910)
• Cambridge, England
6 Dec 09
The world has gone mad! The US refuse to change their paper money to something more durable. In the UK the smallest paper denomination is £5 (roughly equivalent to $10). We have good, weighty coins that make you feel that your pocket contains something worthwhile (even though many people seem to think of 'change' as worthless and something to be got rid of at all costs).
I have to admit that I'd often be happier to tender a £5 note and accept the coins in change than I would be to count out the right change that I very likely have in my pocket!
I still think that it's time that the US abolished paper money below the value of $10 and made $5, $1, 50 cent, 20 cent 10 cent and 5 cent coins. The quarter is actually a waste of time (even though it's one of the nicest coins to handle) and anything below 5 cents is actually of very little use.
2 people like this
@mzz663 (2772)
• United States
7 Dec 09
We have $1.00 coins now, not many people use them here, though. As for the quarters, nickels, dimes and pennies....they do come in handy when you save them up, last summer I cashed in a years worth of change that I saved and it paid for gas on a vacation I took my two boys on. We went 900 miles all together and I had enough for one night in a motel!! I love saving any change I get, even if it is only one penny at a time!
@sid556 (30959)
• United States
10 Dec 09
I don't understand any store not taking rolled change. It is money after all. I don't know the phylosophy behind the dollar general but it seems that they are there to help people who don't have much money. I work in a store and sometime I do have to refuse a great amount of loose change and that would be only because my drawer is already too full of change. In that situation, I give the customer some change rolls and ask them to take a seat and roll it and then I can take it and sell it to our safe.
2 people like this
@TashaT (14)
• United States
6 Dec 09
What is the world coming to when Dollar General won't take change!?! This is completly ridiculous! I pay for stuff in change whenever I just don't have anything else but have never been turned down from trying to pay with change. I am already embarassed when I am resorting to paying with change I don't need some punk cashier embarassing me anymore than necessary. I can't believe that they turned it into such a big deal just because you wanted to pay for something with a roll of quarters. I think it's really cool that they guy in the store paid for #$15 worth of stuff in change just to back you up. What a way to be a good guy! I didn't know why general dollar was started or who started it but I wouldn't think the founder would like seeing the store he started turning away people that wanted to pay with change. i would definitely complain on a higher level about this incident.
2 people like this
@mzz663 (2772)
• United States
7 Dec 09
Yeah, I'm embarrassed when I have to use change, too...but sometimes ya gotta do what ya gotta do!
I always figured money is money....adds up the same!
From what all my friends around here tell me, the store takes the change now!! (everyone is paying in change on purpose in my honor) 
@bubblicious0 (87)
• United States
6 Dec 09
I don't shop at general store but I think from the story that the guy is just making a big deal out of it or probably he is just too lazy to count up the money. change is still money
2 people like this
@mzz663 (2772)
• United States
7 Dec 09
I think he was being lazy about it, he said I would hold up the line....there was no one else in line when I set my stuff on the counter the first time. When I went back in I told him there was no line the first time and there would be no line if he would have just taken the money in the first place.
@danishcanadian (28955)
• Canada
7 Dec 09
GOOD FOR YOU!!! I would have done exactly what you did, and if I ever find myself in a Dollar General (i probably won't because i'm in Canada) I'll try and pay the guy with the penny jar (OK it's a little bank that looks like a small Canadian mail box), and i may or may not be nice enough to roll them. haha
I agree, that his actions do defeat the purpose of the store.
1 person likes this
@jennybianca (12912)
• Australia
7 Dec 09
I dont get it? You could have given him a $10.00 note, and this would have needed change amounting to a little more than $5.00? What did he want? The exact amount of money?
There must be something Im missing here...
@mzz663 (2772)
• United States
7 Dec 09
He just didn't want to count the coins....I guess. yes, I would have gotten the same amount back if I had given him a $10.00 note. You aren't the only one thinks you're missing something!!
Funny, now when I go in the store, the guy is soooo nice and pleasant to me and I refuse to be nice to him. Tells me to have a great day, isn't it nice outside? How are you doing today? I just ignore him, pay him and walk out....I guess I'm a bit of a grudge holder!!
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
7 Dec 09
Unbelievable! People are so damned lazy these days--I doubt the guy could even count the change and maybe that's why he didn't want to take it. Good for you for sticking up for yourself!! I think there might be a law he was breaking with regards to legal currency but I'm not sure. Write a letter to your local paper and let people know about this. That is ridiculous.
1 person likes this
@mentalward (14690)
• United States
7 Dec 09
Dragon, I was thinking the same thing! The people they hire probably can't count. They rely on people using credit/debit cards or the cash register to figure out the change for them. That's why they'd prefer you to hand them a $5.00 bill instead of $4.43. They'd have to count out that 43 cents!
I actually did go somewhere once (I think it was a McDonald's) where the total was like $5.25. I handed them a $10.00 bill and a quarter. I didn't have a $5.00 bill and wanted to get change of a $5.00 bill or 5 ones. This person couldn't figure out how much change I was supposed to get!
Sad, huh?
1 person likes this
@cream97 (29086)
• United States
7 Dec 09
Hi, mzz8663. That does contradict Dollar General's principles. I must say that it really does! This cashier was just trying to be a hard pain. If they could not really take your change then the manager would have never took it at all. That cashier probably did not want to take the time to count the change. He was scared to. You know that you can go to your bank and cash your rolls of pennies and quarters in.. They will give you cash back. Food Lion has something like this too. You would have to put all of your loose change in the machine and the system calculates it and in return gives you a receipt. It has the amount on how much you deposited and how much you would get back. You take this receipt up to the service counter and they will give you cash and change back. Plus they will charge a small fee. I think that they charge a certain fee by the dollar amount. I was charged $0.22 one time for all of the coins that I had. You might want to look into this. I know how it is when you would have to go to the store and they don't have enough of change to give back to you, or they just don't want to accept your penny or quarter rolls. It is sad that a store like this is supposed to act on our benefit and not theirs. I don't blame you for standing up for yourself and letting them know that you want service or else! It is bad when a customer has to leave unsatisfied.
1 person likes this
@deemazing (395)
• United States
7 Dec 09
That's crazy! I can't believe they would refuse any type of money, except maybe just pennies. You'd think that the cashier would WANT change because I'm sure he/she has to give out lots of change during the day.
1 person likes this
@mzz663 (2772)
• United States
7 Dec 09
Yeah, I could have understood it if I took a lot of pennies, nickels and dimes but I had quarters and they can be counted out pretty fast!!
When I worked at a register, I always would gladly take change.
Seemed there was always someone asking for change for the newspaper box, the car wash or the soda pop machines. I didn't like running out.
@Khushi309 (139)
• India
9 Dec 09
i dont know anything bout dollar general, but you are right about the principles. no matter in what form, its money. i am so glad you went back to fight instead of going home in a fury and letting them get away with it... with you on this one...
2 people like this
@lelin1123 (15595)
• Puerto Rico
7 Dec 09
I never heard of a store not taking change. That is crazy. Walmart would take change if that was all you had. I'm happy the person behind you did the same thing. Not for nothing but coins are money, are you kidding me. Maybe its because they don't know how to count it and thats the real problem.
1 person likes this
@mzz663 (2772)
• United States
7 Dec 09
Funny thing about the guy that came running out behind me, I found out that he is one of my neighbors!! (I don't socialize with the neighbors, a lot) So it was a funny way for me to meet the neighbor!
I think maybe you're right and he didn't know how to count change.
I have noticed, they take their time when they count the change back to me when I hand them a $20.00 bill.
@katherine_bla (1)
• United States
7 Dec 09
I know how you feel the same thing happened to me but i had bills and change. I went to the gas station and i had 4 dollars in change 2 two dollar rolls and like 26.00 in bills the attendant told me they couldn't take the change and I told her that well if you can't take the change then you can't take the bills and you don't need my business so i walked out and never went back again I know that my business didn't kill them but it's the principle...I work at a sonic where as a carhop we live for change.
1 person likes this
@mzz663 (2772)
• United States
7 Dec 09
We don't have a Sonic around here (wish we did though!) but if I ever get to stop at one, I'll make sure to ask if they need any change!!
Yeah, I think it's the principle, they'll take your money when and how it's convenient for them and the funny thing is, it's the customers money that keeps the business running!
@carpenter5 (6782)
• United States
7 Dec 09
Sounds to me like the clerk was just too lazy to count out the quarters. That is totally Rediculous.
I do understand about the roll though. When I worked at Krogers, we weren't allowed to take rolled money. This is because people will do anything to make a buck. (NOT Saying YOU would) They had made that rule after someone came in and cashed a whole bunch of rolls of quarters, nickles and dimes in. When we opened them at the registers to put them in our till...about the first three on each end were actual coins. The rest was filled with plastic play money. It was hard plastic so you couldn't tell a difference really by feeling, especially if someone was in a hurry.
1 person likes this
@mzz663 (2772)
• United States
7 Dec 09
I had even offered to write my name/number on the roll and then I took the change out of the roll. I wouldn't be able to do anything like putting plastic play money in a roll....lol...seems anything I've ever tried to get away with, I end up getting caught, I gave up that kind of stuff when I was just into my teens..
......I can't ever get away with anything!!
......I can't ever get away with anything!!
@maezee (41988)
• United States
8 Dec 09
LOL. I'm glad you stuck up for yourself. There was no reason for this man to be difficult about taking your change. Money is money, as far as I'm concerned! Whenever people come into my store (a dry cleaners), I'm ECSTATIC to take change, because as a small company, we are almost ALWAYS running short on change - and when customers GIVE it to us instead of take it..Well, we love to thank them for it! It makes our lives easier! lol! So good for you. And I hope that employee learned his lesson!
1 person likes this
@cyrus123 (6363)
• United States
10 Dec 09
I should think so! You go girl! I'm glad they took your change after all. Most stores like change and it looks like to me that he could have used it. I ran a bookstore from 1984 to 1986 and I was always glad to get changve no matter whether it was rolled or not. Kathy.
1 person likes this
@greenfeathers (1206)
• United States
8 Dec 09
Well, I've been in stores like that. Their excuse being they don't want to be burdened down by the change..But, to my way of thinking, its all legal tender 'for all debts public and private' and, as such, can't be refused in this monetary barter system. You were right. They were wrong..Enjoy!
@ziyadahinc212 (552)
• United States
8 Dec 09
MZZ, Remember CASH IS KING...ALWAYS!!LOL U did right "U GO GURL!"
1 person likes this
