We don't take bills over $20.

[Dreamstalker]

When I work the morning shift at Pause And Browse, we tend to get SCs paying for a $2 paper with a $100 and being smug about it. There's an ATM at the front of the store..."But they'll charge me!" (if you have enough cash to wave around a c-note at 8 AM, you have enough to cover the $2 or so the ATM charges). Then they get anal about counting out each bill and coin into their hand.

I can understand if a grocery order is over $50, but paying for a coffee and pastry with a $100 bill...?! (note to MOD: that's why some days change gets depleted in an hour)

[cheerfulnyu]

i remember one morning i did a day shift at kfc (where i still am) our tills start with $150 this particular morning i had 9 $10 notes first order i get right at open was a snack box (at the time $3.25 they're now $3.50) and paid with a $100 note the manager that morning was shocked that i needed change within 5 min of us opening

[Treasure]

why don't they pay with a card? Why do they have all these big bills?

Ya'll are presuming that everyone has a bank account.. a lot of people use those "Check Cashing places" (that charge like 1% of the check) because they don't have a bank account. Those places pay you in largest bills first - imagine getting a 700.00$ check cashed - do you want that many $20's in your possession (it's about 35 of them)? Which ends up leading to "who carries around that much cash on them at one time!?" rants

Don't get me wrong - I understand that the guy in the OP was rude, and the OP's store had JUST run out of change - and for that he is sucky; when he was told "Sorry, we're out of change, I can't accept that" he should have gone directly to his last response(since the ATM was a viable option for him) with out being a PITA before hand.

I hope Scammer Girl co-irker got her butt fired for that kind of behavior - being employed by the company not only should she have known better, but if she had anything to identify her store she may have gotten the employee rate (although I am aware that most fast food chains only feed you for cheap during your shift)

[Jay 2K Winger]

We took big bills at the wholesale club, of course, but we sometimes ran into those early morning customers with a small order paying with a big bill. It was always a pain.

The worst was when it was a CW buying a small order, hands me a $100 bill. I tried to explain to her:

J2K: "Do you have anything smaller? You know I don't have the change to break this--"
SCW: "I know. But that's not my problem. Call the manager."

[manybellsdown]

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

If I have a big bill, I always offer. "Is a $100 okay, or shall I use my card?" It's amazing how willing cashiers have been to take my $100 if I just ask nicely. ...Oh right, forgot where I was.

My ex always used to pay his child support in $100 bills. He didn't have a bank account, so he'd carry all his cash around loose in his pocket. Nothing like pulling into a fast-food drive through and suddenly realizing all I had was this big bill he'd given me.

[emax4]

Depending on your location, I can see banks charging $1 or $2 to use a credit card, but that's only at an ATM. Here in SouthWestern PA, I can go to a drugstore, buy a pack of gum, and pay for it using my credit/debit card.

Total charge to me = the cost of the gum.

I'll intentionally do this as well! Some ATMs here charge $2, and the casino ATMs charge a whole lot more. So if I need cash I'll go in a grocery store or drugstore, buy stuff that's at least a dollar or two, and just get $20 or so out while I'm there. This way I'm buying things I actually want or need, the business is getting the overhead from the dead cost of the item vs what the consumer is paying, (so their CC fee is partially covered), and I'm saving a few bucks by not making a special trip to the ATM.

And i do assume most people have a checking account. If someone doesn't have a pressing credit history, and can carry $100 bills around on them multiple times, I don't see why a bank wouldn't allow them to open up a checking account. If their financial situation is to the point where they only have those check cashing places to go to, perhaps the feeling of carrying around $100 bills at a time might feel good, but time after time of dealing with the hassles of braking that bill first thing in the morning might change their mind.

[kpzra]

Not everyone has a local bank to be able to deposit large bills people pay you with into. My bank is in Texas, so when someone paid me cash for a car I was selling in Alaska, I had those bills on me. Add to that that we were moving the next morning to Nevada and I was getting supplies for the trip...I would have understood if the cashier had told me she couldn't have taken the $100, i would have gotten in broken or gone elsewhere since my debit card was deactivated for fraud and all I had was the cash.

[EricKei]

they want to pay for their 50 cent newspaper with a $100 bill. The same people tried it day after day, too.

Do that once: honest mistake or neglecting to make change elsewhere. Do it daily? : SCAMMER.

re the topic at hand -- While i have been in the position of having only big bills myself, and I can certainly see it happening, it has been my experience that, including sales I ring up, sales I've seen rung up, and sales I see talked about on here, that 90% of the people paying with 100's have either TONS of smaller bills, or plastic, on hand, and simply don't want to use them.

[Teefies2]

I don't mind big bills. If I don't have change, you can find a smaller bill, use a card, or you can wait for the change. <shrug>

The ones I do have a problem with are the ones that argue price with you on EVERY item, use every dang coupon they can, use their food stamps (and argue the price AGAIN on the food stamp items, saying "I'm poor, I NEED the price lower!!!!". Then when they get the price as low as they possibly can ... all the while saying how poor they are .....

They whip out a $100 to pay the balance. I haven't EVER had a $100 bill of my own in my hot little hands --- but you do, and you're "poor"????? Meh.

:end rant: Sorry

[Gizmo]

I saw on a consumer website the other day that to avoid impulse purchases you should only carry $50 and $100 bills as you won't want to break the bill for a chocolate bar etc. My mind immediately jumped to "because no one accepts them/or can give change for them". Then of course I jumped to the fact that the SC will still want that chocolate bar and expect $49 in return and will moan when you can't do it.

[Dreamstalker]

The ones I do have a problem with are the ones that argue price with you on EVERY item, use every dang coupon they can, use their food stamps (and argue the price AGAIN on the food stamp items, saying "I'm poor, I NEED the price lower!!!!".

I got a lady like that yesterday...in a lane which was supposed to be Express. So not only is there a growing line, but while she was nitpicking each price as an item was scanned the timer is still running so my IPM probably went down.

Then she had a few (small) nonfood items that for whatever reason wouldn't qualify for EBT. Apparently charging tax on those, as well as a deposit on soda, is illegal

She whips out a $100 to pay for that stuff, and has the balls to ask if she could get change for a second one (I had to send her over to customer service for the change; that didn't go over well).

[dragon_wings]

One morning I had a customer come up to my register with a big bill for a small (under $5) order. I had just gotten a pick up or my manager had taken the $20's or higher that I had to get me some change I needed badly.
I told her I couldn't break her big bill as manager just took all my big bill.
Her response was 'Well tell your manager to get back out here!' said in the most condescending snotty EW voice ever.
After my manager got back and Miss EW left I looked at my manager and said 'This is why I hate people.' He was definitely in agreement with me.