We don't take bills over $20.

[notlovinit]

This first story is from when I wasn’t a manager yet. We have signs everywhere stating that we don’t take bills over $20, but we are supposed to take them if we have the change for them. One morning it seemed like EVERYONE was paying with either a $50 or $100 and I had to go get change from my manager so much that we eventually ran out of change and the bank wasn’t open yet. She told me to not accept any high bills anymore. I’m thinking it won’t be a huge deal since the bank was about to open anyway. Of course, some asshole decides to pay with a $50.

Me “I’m sorry, I don’t have enough change for that. Do you have anything smaller?”
SC “GO get your manager and tell HIM to go into the SAFE and get change!!!!”
Me “I’ve already asked my manager for change so much that SHE ran out of change and we no longer have any, even in the SAFE.”
SC “Then you guys need to go to the bank. I’ll wait.”
Me “The bank doesn’t open for another half hour and besides we don’t bank with *bank that is right next door*. Our corporation banks with *bank that is across town next to owner’s office*.”
SC “FINE!!! I’ll go to the ATM.”

Thanks for suggesting that I am stupid and don’t know how to ask my manager for change.

This next story is even worse, because the SC in question works for us, but at a different store. (This one happened much later and I am the manager in this story.) She tries to pay with a $100, but I didn’t have any change for it so I told the cashier we couldn’t take it.
SC “WE take $100s at *other store*.”
Cashier “We take them too, but we don’t have enough change for this.”
SC “It’s the same owner for both stores! I don’t get why your policy would be different.”
Cashier “I think you are misunderstanding. We just don’t have enough change to give you.”
SC pays with a $20. I don’t have any idea why she couldn’t have just don’t this in the first place, but whatever.
Then when she is getting her food she says she is missing a Mcflurry. I very clearly heard her tell the cashier to take off that specific McFlurry from her order, so of course I am going to make her pay for it.
Me “Oh I’m sorry, but you weren’t charged for that. It will be $X.XX.”
SC “But I ordered it!!!”
Me “I heard that, but I think where it got confused is when you told her you no longer wanted it.”
SC “At my store we don’t make people pay for our mistakes.” (Note: the store she works for is notoriously bad. People that live by it will drive further to get to my store, just to avoid it. It has a really bad reputation.)
Me “Well, I’m sure your store has similar prices to this one, so I think it is reasonable to assume that when you heard your total was only $3.XX that you knew that was a little low for X item plus Y item plus Z item, plus a Mcflurry. It will be $X.XX for the McFlurry.”
When I told this story to the other managers they ALL knew her and had a similar story about how she had tried to rip us off before. I wound up telling her supervisor about it and I don’t know if she was talked to, but she hasn’t come back since.

[Sapphire Silk]

SC pays with a $20. I don’t have any idea why she couldn’t have just don’t this in the first place, but whatever.

I suspect she wanted to break the big bill and keep the "smaller" one because $100's are so hard to use . . . many stores reject them.

[Android Kaeli]

I really wish Random Craft Store wouldn't take bills above a $20, or at least only allow us to take them after we get a certain amount in the till after a while. If I've only gotten onto a register for the first time that day, that $100 bill will just make you wait longer -- that, or I can give you all the change in my drawer, including the coins.

[AmethystSquirrel]

It always ticked me off when people would come into the donut shop i used to manage 10 minutes after opening and wanting to pay with a $50 or $100. They knew I was the manager and EXPECTED me to make change.

[XCashier]

I suspect she wanted to break the big bill and keep the "smaller" one because $100's are so hard to use . . . many stores reject them.

Then perhaps she should break the big bill at ... oh, I don't know ... maybe THE BANK?!

I hate the big bill users. What, they think we're going to be oh so impressed with their almighty $100 bill? Yeah, that'd be soooo impressive (not) if we didn't already take five others this morning, and it isn't even 10:00 yet!!!

[kpzra]

I understand not taking large bills, but I had to just stare at a cashier one time when I was using one and my change would have been less than $5...she kept saying she couldn't break it. When I worked at the grocery store there was a regular who would come in every Tuesday when we opened, buy a newspaper (50 cents) and try to pay with a $100. Every week I had to say no.

[notlovinit]

I understand not taking large bills, but I had to just stare at a cashier one time when I was using one and my change would have been less than $5...she kept saying she couldn't break it.

It's very weird she would say that she couldn't break it, but perhaps she meant that she just couldn't accept it. I know for a while at my store we weren't allowed to take $50 or $100s at all, regardless of what the change would be. We got too many counterfeits. However, that policy changed.

On another note:
I feel I must add that I do not think anyone paying with a high bill is a SC, just the ones that react poorly to us not having change for it.
Re-reading this thread reminded me of another $50 story. I may have posted it before, but I don't remember.
SC comes in and orders $2 worth of food and tries to pay with a $50. We had just changed drawers and therefore, didn't have any change. I told her I would check the safe, but alas, no change there either. I tell her we cannot take it.
SC "Wait, so you're just not going to give me my food?"
Me "Not unless you have another way to pay."
SC "I have this." *shows me her $50 again*
Me "I don't have change for that."
SC "That's not my problem."
Me "If you have a smaller bill, we can finish the transaction."
SC" I don't! You should just take this!"
Me "Again, I don't have any change for it. Also, see this sign? We aren't even supposed to take a $50. If I had change I would help you out, but I don't, so you are out of luck."
Sc "Fine! Whatever!" *magically finds a $20*

[taeraresh]

I understand not taking large bills, but I had to just stare at a cashier one time when I was using one and my change would have been less than $5...she kept saying she couldn't break it. When I worked at the grocery store there was a regular who would come in every Tuesday when we opened, buy a newspaper (50 cents) and try to pay with a $100. Every week I had to say no.

We used to get those when I worked at Borders. 7:00am and they want to pay for their 50 cent newspaper with a $100 bill. The same people tried it day after day, too.

[BrenDAnn]

Can we just gather all the $100 bills in current circulation in the US and burn them? That would solve the problem for all of us, now wouldn't it? Actually, just making a rule that we won't accept $100's for anything less than a $50 total would help. I swear I can always tell when it's payday in the town I work in, because everyone has $50's and $100's. I had two $100's in a row tonight, and had to apologize profusely to the second woman because I had to give her mostly $10's as change. She was, thankfully, cool with it.

[Mongo Skruddgemire]

Then perhaps she should break the big bill at ... oh, I don't know ... maybe THE BANK?!

I hate the big bill users. What, they think we're going to be oh so impressed with their almighty $100 bill? Yeah, that'd be soooo impressive (not) if we didn't already take five others this morning, and it isn't even 10:00 yet!!!

In some cases it is not the fault of the Big Bill user that the have them in the first place.

I could wax poetic about how much of a snit fit my previous bank would get into if I asked for smaller bills. "They're legal tender too" they would say. "But stores are not legally required to take them" I would reply. "That's just too damn bad" the bank teller would say as they handed my my hundred dollar bills.

Well not really, but that's the implied attitude behind the brusque attitude and the cat-butt faces.

But I understand and I'll break my large bills at the Big Box Store of Doom since they'll take any bill. That way I don't honk people off and I don't get honked off either when I can't buy something.

In fact the only time I got mad about the policy was recounted here.

[emax4]

Why don't they just pay with a credit or debit card? I didn't see that offered in any of the stories.

[blas]

I pay for everything with my debit card. I don't feel safe with more than what I keep for lunch cash on my person.

Of course, my bank is the devil and they charge me extra fees for using my debit card. For what it was intended for. To be safer and more efficient than cash.

Meh, whatever.

[wynjara]

I always feel guilty paying for a small total with a big bill. Paid in quarters last week rather than make the dollar store guy change a 50 for a two item purchase
The thrift store by me has a sign on the register saying they'll only accept a $50 if the total purchase is over $35. That's fairly practical, I think.

[dbuzman]

Why don't they just pay with a credit or debit card? I didn't see that offered in any of the stories.

Because too many banks/credit card companies charge a fee when you pay by debit or credit.

[notlovinit]

Why don't they just pay with a credit or debit card? I didn't see that offered in any of the stories.

I feel like the customer would know if they possessed a card they could pay with instead and not have to wait for me to suggest it. Also, our signs say "Sorry, no bills over $20. Credit and debit accepted." But then again, we all know customers don't read.
Honestly, I don't care when People pay with high bills, even for small orders. We usually have the change. The problem with the first guy was that he became sexist and rude when I didn't have change and the problem with the second one is that she was an employee and was rude and also tried to scam free food.