Dear Abby - April 23, 2007 column

[CaroPhoenix]

(If anyone clicks on this link AFTER April 23, you'll have to either press previous date or click on the calendar on the right hand side of the column).

The second letter of this column is about how a woman went to a dollar store and tried to pay for her purchase with $2 worth of dimes. The owner told her to go & get paper money from a bank and come back. She was writing to Dear Abby because she was mad at this person. Dear Abby agrees with her. What do you think?

[Banrion]

You forgot your link!

[Plaidman]

DEAR ABBY: I recently bought a couple of items in the dollar store here in town. I had $2 in change to pay for them. The owner of the store refused to accept the dimes and told me to go back to the bank and get paper money.
I was under the impression that dimes are legal tender and should have been acceptable. It was a humiliating experience. Am I wrong? -- MISS J. IN WHITING, N.J.

DEAR MISS J.: You're not wrong. Coins are legal tender, and the store owner should have accepted them. By not doing so, the store owner was telling you that your business was not welcome. I wouldn't blame you if you never set foot in that establishment again.

http://www.uexpress.com/dearabby/ (current link, about half-way down the page).


Well, I too agree with the woman. Two dollars in change is NOT that huge. Especally twenty dimes. Telling the woman your only taking paper money is BS.

[CaroPhoenix]

OoO! Plaidman! Thank you sooo very much! You're definitely my hero right now!

I posted it before I had my coffee. Mmmm ... coffee ... I might have some more.

I can think of a reason why he wouldn't accept the change: He already had too much and didn't want any more? I'm not defending his attitude about it, but that could be an explanation.

I just don't like the fact she had to write to a nationally syndicated column and complain about it. Just decide to not go there anymore.

[Boozy]

They really should have taken the dimes for a purchase under $2. That's a bit ridiculous on the store's part.
I just hope this potential SC understands that if she had bought $10 worth of stuff, the store would have been well within reason to say no to that much change.

[Becks]

It could've been worse...she could've had PENNIES.

[LostMyMind]

Coins are legal tenor for debt. When you buy something at a store it's not debt. Unless the store takes IOU. So they can say "We don't accept any coins" if they damn well please. Stupid, but they can.

However you can go to your electric company and demand them to take your stacks of coins to pay your debt. If they tell you no, go get paper bills and come back. Then you would have a legit complaint.

[Rapscallion]

The UK has a law to say that there is a maximum allowed for tendering coins for goods, though I can't remember what it is and it's probably old enough to include farthings. Nothing like that in the US?

Rapscallion

[Kiwi]

Im fairly sure Canada has that as well, dont ask me to back it up though!

Its something like.... if you can make the change into a roll amount the store doesnt have to take it..

example... more than 50 pennies, $2 in nickels, $5 in dimes etc, although alot of stores wont take over $1 in small small change. It is a stores right to refuse service to anyone at anytime, is it good for business.... no... does it happen... yes

I remember at the airport once, I was trying to get rid of my change asap so I went to buy a bottle of water and a magazine with change.... the cashier yelled at me that it was a "waste of her time, this is so difficult" because it was a real mix of pennies, dimes, nickles, quaters etc.

I was pretty sucky in my reply that "blame your government for making 6 billion demoninations in coins" and walked off with my purchase. Not my proudest moment, but I was jetlagged, sweaty and I HATE LAX!!!

my country only has 3 coins under a dollar, pennies are SUCH a waste of time!!!!!

[Giggle Goose]

The cashier shouldn't have complained, especially if it was rolled. Like Becky said, it could have been worse. But who knows? It might have been really busy and she might have had a bunch of loose change that would have taken forvever to count and have caused a big inconvenience, so maybe the cashier had a reason to gripe. I guess we'll never know.

Just grin and bear it, cashier, we've all been there

[XCashier]

Having been on that side of the counter, I can honestly say that I would much prefer $2 (or even $10) in dimes to having to break a $100 bill for that small of a purchase. I will, however, count it right there.

Now, all nickels or all pennies, yes, that's annoying. They're bulky, heavy and take up a lot of room. Still, you'll eventually give them out as change anyway.

[LostMyMind]

The UK has a law to say that there is a maximum allowed for tendering coins for goods....Nothing like that in the US?

No, as far as I know. There isn't any law regarding maximum "coins". However, each states can have their own rules.

As far as U.S. is concern, stores are allow to refuse specific bills (no bills over $20, etc...).

It goes back to you're trading your "coins" and "bills" for the items you want in the store. So the store can refuse anything they want.

However, if you're paying a debt. That's a different story. They can't legally refuse to accept your coins as payment for that debt. Federal law says their minted coin/bills are legal tenor for debts private or public.