Saturday, January 10, 2009

My Two Cents?

Or your two cents?

Today I stood waiting in a shop for two cents' change. After about five seconds, I realised that they weren't coming and, at precisely the same moment, the shop assistant realised what I was waiting for and scooped a two-cent piece out of the till for me. A friend of mine had an almost identical experience last night, so I got to wondering: what's the protocol in situations like this?

If you just walk off without waiting for your coppers, is that not a bit blasé? A bit "the extra few seconds of my precious time that I've saved by not waiting is worth a lot more than two bloody cents"?

Or is it perhaps courteous to leave those cents with the shopkeeper, particularly considering the recessionary times we're living in? Maybe all the cennies will build up and help to postpone liquidation just that little bit longer?

[Image: Flickr]

4 comments:

Suz said...

ha, I hate when they do that! Even worse, I was in a little shop in Gorey getting my bus ticket. The bus was outside and the lady in the shop (who has sold bus tickets for YEARS) knew it. She went really slow, seeing how frustrated I was and shorted me a fiver in the change! I was in such a rush I didnt notice until I was on the bus. A similar scenario happened to me at an O'Briens sandwich place the very same day in Dublin. I realise its a recession, but geez!

Anonymous said...

Haha SUSAN! There's a bit of a difference between a fiver and two cent!

If it's going to be one cent or two cent I usually walk off but if it's five cent or more IT'S MINE BITCH

TheMiseducationOf said...

I always walk off. always... I wouldn't like to think that the shopkeeper thinks I need those two cents. and I don't...

Pathetic, yes. But true...

Suz said...

On the other hand - I used to work in a shop and its a pain when people leave their 2 cents change. I never wanted my till to be over - so I'd leave the unwanted change on the side. It annoyed me!