I know there's a coin shortage...

[Dave in MD]

I've refused to take $100 bills first thing in the morning. I'll ask people if they have anything smaller and the say no while holding their money roll that I can see has smaller bills.

[EricKei]

Dave - That has almost always been my experience, as well. They're being assholes, but I'd appreciate them at least giving our intelligence SOME credit by being honest about it.

[Sparklyturtle]

When I was a waitress I lived in a small trailer with a monthly rent of $150. I usually went to the bank and deposited my tips and wrote a check for the rent, but one month I didn't have time to go to the bank. I had the rent in cash - but it was in $1 bills, $5 bills, a couple of larger bills, and $40 in quarters, so I asked the manager if she minded if I paid my rent that way. If she didn't want all that I could run to the bank, but she told me, "Oh, I could use all those quarters for the laundromat!" So, I gave her the cash and she gave me a receipt for it.

[Argus]

A few years ago, I made a small purchase from an office supply store in cash, and the cashier started to apologize for running out of $1 bills and having to give me a dollar or two in quarters. I stopped him to say that I live in an apartment and the laundry machines there only took quarters, so that meant some additional time before I would next need to hit a change machine.

[SpyOne]

Quoth Nunavut Pants

It was obvious the kid had raided someone's coin collection, but there wasn't a lot she could do about it at the time. IIRC, a parent stopped by to collect the kid and she warned them what the kid had been doing.

One of the rare perks of being a cashier is buying the weird stuff that passes through my drawer.
I remember one night where a family came in and each kid came up to the register and paid in bicentennial quarters and half-dollars. When Dad came to the register, I quietly said that someone might have gotten into a coin collection, and he said "No, I gave them to them and they insisted on spending them."

I have gotten a 1948 half-dollar.
I have gotten a $10 bill from 1963 in shockingly good condition.
I have gotten 12 uncirculated 1976 $2 bills.
I have gotten a $2 bill from 1963
I have gotten a $2 bill from 1928.
I have gotten a $1 bill from 1957
I have gotten a $1 bill from 1935 on two different occasions.

I have had people spend commemorative silver dollars. Painted and unpainted.
And I have had someone spend as $5 a commemorative $5 US coin that was 1/10 oz gold. Actually they didn't precisely spend that one: they said "this is five dollars, right?" and I said "I'll give you five dollars for that."

[Racket_Man]

When I was at the gas station someone must have rolled a bunch of silver quarters and sold them to the bank we used. Got about $10 in silver.

Another time someone paid for gas with (40's or 50's era) blue seal $1 and $5s in good condition.

[workerbee222]

Taking a tip from a 'decluttering your home' site, I've started to keep my change with me instead dumping it in a jar at home. I go through the SCO usually, dump in the change in my pocket and pay the remainder on my debit card.

Last time I went to my bank, the teller and I stood there for twenty minutes counting my change.