Why do cashiers ask "do you want your change"?
leno...@yahoo.com
(Note that I'm not talking about waiters who ask that - I understand
they have personal limits on when and how often they might do that.)
It usually happens when the change is less than a nickel. Again, there
are times I don't quibble - such as in a cheap, open-air produce
market where it says "3 lbs. for 99 cents." (Though in the market I go
to, most such signs have been replaced with "3 lbs. for $1.") However,
when we're talking about an indoor store with electronic scales and
modern cash registers, aside from the obvious rudeness in such cases,
haven't the cashiers ever heard of a little word called
"bookkeeping"?
Your opinions?
Lenona.
P.S. I heard one student from a prestigious university tell how that
happened to her at the CVS next to the campus - she said when she
asked for her change, the cashier glared at her as if to say "what
does a privileged kid like YOU need it for?"
Serene
> It doesn't happen often, but.....
>
> (Note that I'm not talking about waiters who ask that - I understand
> they have personal limits on when and how often they might do that.)
>
> It usually happens when the change is less than a nickel.
Maybe most people don't want the pennies. I know that when I see a
penny dish to leave them in, I do.
Serene
--
Spin the auto-sig generator, and she says:
"Christianity is the most perverted system that ever shone on
man." Thomas Jefferson
Userb3
@o6g2000hsd.googlegroups.com:
> It usually happens when the change is less than a nickel.
Are these stores that keep an "extra penny" bowl? Is there some sort of
charity cause with a bucket at the cash register? Is the store
participating in a "round up" charity?
> P.S. I heard one student from a prestigious university tell how that
> happened to her at the CVS next to the campus - she said when she
> asked for her change, the cashier glared at her as if to say "what
> does a privileged kid like YOU need it for?"
I think "as if to say" is the key here. Its entirely possible that the
insult was in teh eye of the beholder.
--
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Miss Elaine Eos
<551f8941-fed7-47d5...@o6g2000hsd.googlegroups.com>,
leno...@yahoo.com wrote:
> It doesn't happen often, but.....
>
> (Note that I'm not talking about waiters who ask that - I understand
> they have personal limits on when and how often they might do that.)
IMO, it's presumptuous regardless of the venue. When my spouse and I
discuss "how things will be when WE own a restaurant", one of the big
ones is that the staff will inform the customer "I'll be RIGHT BACK with
your change", and then do so without dilly-dallying.
Around here, this is unheard of except in restaurants where, as above, I
don't think it's polite.
--
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unsolicited commercial e-mail or that advertises in discussion newsgroups.
mm
>It doesn't happen often, but.....
>
>(Note that I'm not talking about waiters who ask that - I understand
>they have personal limits on when and how often they might do that.)
I don't understand this paragraph.
>
>It usually happens when the change is less than a nickel. Again, there
>are times I don't quibble - such as in a cheap, open-air produce
>market where it says "3 lbs. for 99 cents." (Though in the market I go
>to, most such signs have been replaced with "3 lbs. for $1.") However,
>when we're talking about an indoor store with electronic scales and
>modern cash registers, aside from the obvious rudeness in such cases,
>haven't the cashiers ever heard of a little word called
>"bookkeeping"?
>
>Your opinions?
I think it's obnoxious. It's only happened to me once or twice, and I
said "Of course". Next time I may say, "Of course. Didn't you just
call it MY change."
I assume you are including the case where the bill is say 17 dollars
and I give the waiter a 20. Yes I plan to give him the 3 dollars
change as a tip, but his job is to bring me my change, not to try to
read my mind nor to encourage me to give him 3 dollars.
(Otoh, if the bill is 18 dollars and I give him 21 or 21.50, or I
guess anything short of 25, I think that plainly implies Keep the
change. I'm not annoyed if he brings me the change, but if he
doesn't, that's fine too. If it's 19 and I give him 25, I'd probably
say I need change for the 5.)
When I'm in a hurry at a restaurant, especially if I"m alone and in a
hurry (or maybe I'm not in a hurry when I'm not alone), I ask for the
bill when the food is brought, or even when I order. Once in a
while, especially if I have an idea of the total, I have the money**
or card ready and I glance at the bill when it comes and pay
immediately. Otherwise, I look at the bill when it comes and I pay
the next time the waiter is there, which is usually when he comes back
to ask me if everything is all right. So far when I do this, they
always bring back the change or credit card pretty quickly, because
they can tell I'm not in the mood to waste time. When I've done this
afaicr, I've never had to wait past the time it takes me to finish
eating.
**I rarely pay with a credit card, except towards the end of a foreign
trip if I don't have a lot of local money and I don't want to change
money again.
>Lenona.
>
>P.S. I heard one student from a prestigious university tell how that
>happened to her at the CVS next to the campus - she said when she
>asked for her change, the cashier glared at her as if to say "what
>does a privileged kid like YOU need it for?"
If you are inclined to email me
for some reason, remove NOPSAM :-)
Serene
> I assume you are including the case where the bill is say 17 dollars
> and I give the waiter a 20. Yes I plan to give him the 3 dollars
> change as a tip, but his job is to bring me my change, not to try to
> read my mind nor to encourage me to give him 3 dollars.
I gave the server $40 for a $25 tab a few weeks ago, and he asked me
if I wanted my change. He had just brought me my check, and he could
clearly see I was handing him two twenties.
Um, YES. It took me a minute to even sputter that out, I was so
stunned that he would ask.
Serene
Miss Elaine Eos
mm <NOPSAM...@bigfoot.com> wrote:
> I assume you are including the case where the bill is say 17 dollars
> and I give the waiter a 20. Yes I plan to give him the 3 dollars
> change as a tip, but his job is to bring me my change, not to try to
> read my mind nor to encourage me to give him 3 dollars.
To clarify -- while you are right that he should bring your change
without asking, a big part of his job IS to read your mind and
anticipate your needs.
> (Otoh, if the bill is 18 dollars and I give him 21 or 21.50, or I
> guess anything short of 25, I think that plainly implies Keep the
> change. I'm not annoyed if he brings me the change, but if he
> doesn't, that's fine too. If it's 19 and I give him 25, I'd probably
> say I need change for the 5.)
The correct way for wait-staff to handle this is to NOT say "do you need
change?" but, rather, "I'll be right back with your change", which
offers you the chance to say "no need, thank you", if that is what you
desire.
But, to he original question, which I believe was directed at situations
in which tipping is either not the norm or at least a surprise to the
customer, the answer is "yes, thank you."
leno...@yahoo.com
> On Thu, 15 Nov 2007 09:18:50 -0800 (PST), lenona...@yahoo.com wrote:
> >It doesn't happen often, but.....
>
> >(Note that I'm not talking about waiters who ask that - I understand
> >they have personal limits on when and how often they might do that.)
>
> I don't understand this paragraph.
See your paragraph below. I read an advice column where a waiter told
how she only asks the question when it's very urgent for her to attend
to other tables ASAP - AND the change would be very close to what the
tip would be. She said she'd never had any unpleasant results from
asking.
But Elaine's suggestion sounds safer, I admit.
> I assume you are including the case where the bill is say 17 dollars
> and I give the waiter a 20. Yes I plan to give him the 3 dollars
> change as a tip, but his job is to bring me my change, not to try to
> read my mind nor to encourage me to give him 3 dollars.
Lenona.
leno...@yahoo.com
wrote:
> But, to he original question, which I believe was directed at situations
> in which tipping is either not the norm
(snip)
> the answer is "yes, thank you."
Personally, since I don't see how it's a polite question under those
circumstances, I would never say anything other than "yes." Stated
with a cold look.
Lenona.
mm
wrote:
>mm wrote:
>
>> I assume you are including the case where the bill is say 17 dollars
>> and I give the waiter a 20. Yes I plan to give him the 3 dollars
>> change as a tip, but his job is to bring me my change, not to try to
>> read my mind nor to encourage me to give him 3 dollars.
>
>I gave the server $40 for a $25 tab a few weeks ago, and he asked me
>if I wanted my change. He had just brought me my check, and he could
>clearly see I was handing him two twenties.
A 60% tip! I think to him I would say, especially now that i've had
time to think about it,
"Damn right. I do. Are you trying to fool** me into giving you an
exorbitant tip?** Because that's what it seems like and I don't like
it." And then I would have given him 5% or less and made it clear
that was because I didn't like the "game" he was playing. (As in
"gaming" the system.") "I don't like waiters who crap on me."
**Because you might momentarily forget*** the numbers involved, how
much the bill was and how much the change was going to be, and think
he wouldn't ask this question unless a Yes answer was reasonable.
***I would be likely to forget, permanently. I'm terrible with
numbers, and if I let the waiter take the bill with my money, I
usually can't remember what the bill was and how much tip I should
leave. If I try to work backwards from the change I get, I also can't
remember how much money I gave in the first place, so I still don't
know how big the bill was. I've taken to writing the bill amount down
before I pay. I was a math major btw.
On further thought, I suppose it's possible that he has gotten into
the abominable habit of asking this question of people whose change is
about 15 percent, and asked it here without thinking. One more reason
not to ask that question.
>Um, YES. It took me a minute to even sputter that out, I was so
>stunned that he would ask.
Me too.
>
>Serene
Miss Elaine Eos
<4cac2673-9ea5-4615...@k39g2000hsf.googlegroups.com>,
leno...@yahoo.com wrote:
I was taught to attempt not to attribute to malice what could be
explained in other, more gentle ways. To that end, I assume that the
person asking "just wasn't thinking" (hurried, or whatever), and it's
never impolite to say "thank you"... :)