Counting Change

I was out shopping the other day, and watched in horrified fascination as the cashier counted the change back to the customer in front of me. Or rather, conveyed money from the till to the customer, since there was no counting involved. As well, the way she handed the money back made it very difficult for the customer. The cashier stacked the change on top of the bills, then handed the bundle to the customer, turning the bills vertically on end.

From the customer's point of view, they got a cascade of coins, followed by some bills falling into their hand narrow end first. Most of it ended on the counter, but the cashier didn't notice. She was fussing with the cash register again. When my term came she didn't even try to hand me my change. She put it down on the counter. This was after she had peered at the cash register to find out how much change was owed, then shuffled slowly among the bills and coins. There was no request for the total owing, or even a thank you.

This brought things to a head for me. Dealing with cashiers over the last few years has become an increasingly unpleasant experience. I mean unpleasant beyond parting with hard earned money, but unpleasant to the point of dealing with outright rudeness. What exactly is going wrong with what ought to be a simple transaction with at least neutral emotions involved, and the possibility of a pleasurable interchange with another person?

Before cash registers told the cashier how much change was owed back, they had to count it for themselves and the customer. It worked very neatly. They handed the coins to the customer, and allowed them to cup their hands pointing thumb and forefinger upward. Then the cashier held the bills above the customers hand, long side down, so the customer could easily grasp them. The customer could hold the change and transfer the bills to a wallet, then the coins into a purse or a pocket. No fuss, no muss.

You'll note I passed over the actual procedure for counting change. Here it is. The clerk announces the total. "That will be three dollars and eleven cents, please." When the customer hands over a bill, the cashier puts it on top of the cash register drawer, and says, "from twenty dollars" or whatever the bill size is. Then the cashier starts at the purchase total of 3.11, takes 4 cents, says "4 cents makes 3.15", takes a dime, says "10 cents makes 3.25", takes 3 quarters, says "75 cents makes 4 dollars", takes 1 dollar, says "1 dollar makes 5", takes a 5 dollar bill, says "and 5 makes 10", takes a 10 dollar bill, and says "and 10 makes 20, thank you very much." Then, and only then, do they put the 20 dollar bill in the till. This avoids the "but I gave you a 50" dispute.

At this point, neither party knows exactly how much change was counted out, unless they are really quick at mental arithmetic. But they do know that it is the difference between what was owing, and the amount tendered. This is extremely fast once you get a little practice. A cashier ought to be able to count back change as fast as their fingers can manipulate the coins and bills. The principle is simple. Start at the purchase price, then use the smallest coins to build up to larger and more even amounts, until you come to the amount of the bill presented. Hand the money to the customer so they can hang onto it all.

Why do so many people have trouble with this? Are they so used to the cash register telling them the total that they don't think about it any more? Watch them. They see what the change total is, and they start with the biggest bills, and work their way down to change. Wrong, wrong, wrong. And why are they so rude to their customers? Quite literally, this is where the money comes from to pay their wages. Granted, many transactions take place using a debit or credit card, but you don't pay for your newspaper or coffee with those. There's still lots of places where people pay cash. Now that I've thought it out, I'm going to start talking to the cashiers. Gently, of course, since the person that trained them probably doesn't know how to count change either. Won't you join me, and help make paying for something a more enjoyable experience?