1 penny change from shops

Hedgehog99

I've only had this happen once and I made the girl give me my 1p. She was most put out.

If the corner shop cannot be bothered to deal with small change, they should round their prices up so that customers don't need change. Sounds more like a staff scam.

I fully expect there to be some inflation when the inevitable happens and the penny is scrapped. The inflation threat is probably the only reason it hasn't happened yet.

jackyann

Thanks theoretica - I wondered what those saucers of pennies are that I occasionally see!
And I didn't know that giving a penny less change is a "thing" - it's never happened to me!

Spendless

What sort of shops are not giving the penny change back? Small corner shops or large chains? I agree with the comment about bigger shops liking the till to match to the penny. I used to work in a cash office of a DIY chain, when credit and debit cards weren't common. We had one cashier and if her till was ever 1p out we used to look for the mistake we'd made in adding up as she was so accurate.

jrtfan

Thank you, some interesting points of view here and it's also interesting to hear how this same issue is tackled in other countries, I appreciate everybody having taken the time to reply.

I agree that it does seem cheeky for a shopkeeper to pocket the penny and that over the course of a day/week/month, these pennies could amount to quite a tidy sum! (I put my small change - 5p and under - into a jar too for my son and probably exchange them at the bank for £40 each year). I've had 2 jobs involving having to work the cash register and must say that my employers on both occasions were very clear about returning the exact amount of change to a customer - I think it's just accepted as being standard business practice here and customers have come to expect it. More than that, maybe it's implied that when a customer gives a shopkeeper an overpayment for the stated price of an item then unless they explicitly tell the shopkeeper that they're offering to pay more than the price shown for that item, they expect the difference to be refunded to them.

When it comes to buses and vending machines (car parks, too, in my experience!) where there is clear signage saying to use the correct change/no change given, that at least is pre-warning the customer and letting them make an informed choice about whether or not to use the service.

HappyMJ wrote: »

They can do what they like. If you don't it then pay £1.49 in exact change. There's no law that says they even have to give any change at all. Think about the buses that don't give change if you don't have the exact fare.

I'll have to take your word for that because I don't actually know the law, myself. However, in that case when I handed over my £2 coin to pay for my £1.49 bottle of milk (the price showing on the item, itself), then the shopkeeper had the choice either to pocket the whole of the difference/refund, or to give me the full refund. By keeping back the penny after the transaction had been agreed, wouldn't he in effect be altering the price of the item at that point and isn't that considered dodgy practice?

jrtfan

Spendless wrote: »

What sort of shops are not giving the penny change back? Small corner shops or large chains? I agree with the comment about bigger shops liking the till to match to the penny. I used to work in a cash office of a DIY chain, when credit and debit cards weren't common. We had one cashier and if her till was ever 1p out we used to look for the mistake we'd made in adding up as she was so accurate.

These are small, independently (or family) owned and run corner shops.

System

The local corner shop by me doesnt like 5ps i am told. I make a point of paying with a few 5ps if i can.

Hedgehog99

I once had the exact change for a train fare, but the ticket machine spat out my 1p & 2p coins. It annoys me when they do that - surely it's no problem for a machine to count coins? Anyway, I had to go and pay at the ticket office instead and, despite my coppers being less than 20p (the legal amount they must accept), he said something along the lines of not using him to dump my unwanted small change. Well, set up you machine to take them then.

It's the thin edge of the wedge - more and more machines refusing perfectly legal tender.

System

Never had this happen in my shop, though its rare that someone would need 1p change (bar staff members who get discount), if i'm short on change i'd either get my supervisor to take it out of another till or ask the customer if they had say 5p spare so i could give them 10p etc.

jrtfan

It was my son who first brought this to my notice (think he was aged 10 at the time). He was taking coins from his pocket money to buy himself a drink or sweets etc from one of these shops in particular, and one day he complained to me that he often wasn't given the correct change back (short by 1p or 2p). I suggested that he use a different shop initially, but then I started to notice the same thing was happening to me, too, at a handful of the local corner shops!

[Deleted User]

outside the local newagents/sweetie shop children from the local school often throw away 1.p and 5p.s as they don't seem to be bothered about them My three grandsons always pick them up and give them to me 'road-kill' and they go in a small tin money box and as soon as its full we change them up and its their ice cream cash when we are on holiday Last year I think we had well over £37 all gleaned from small change (shrapnel) found on the pavement I'm not bothered and will happily
'See a penny ,pick it up,and all day you have good luck'
as the old saying went.But then I do hate to see any waste at all :):) I also wait for the correct change as after all it is MY cash and not a shop keepers.Nine times out of ten if there is a charity box I will put the odd copper into it.I also have a small dish near the front door that I keep with small change for the little charity envelopes that get popped through the door e.g. Sally Army,Christian aid etc Every little helps don't you know :):)