Believe it or not, this can also work in reverse as well. At one place I get coffee, the total comes to $3.07 and the clerk says just give me $3.00 when I pay with cash. TC
North of the border, we have stopped production of the 1-cent with plans to phase it out of commercial commerce at the end of this year. http://www.mint.ca/store/mint/learn/eliminating-the-penny-6900002
Well, today folks treat pennies like we used to treat State Sales Tax tokens. Worthless government trash.
IF cashiers could "count" change back without relying upon the registers computer displaying "what" amount of change to give, the lines would not be affected. I ain't no spring chicken so I do recall the days when change was counted back but I don't EVER recall the lines being longer or slower because of that. I was in a Sam's Club the other day. They had installed a series of "Self Checkout" stands. UGH! I HATE self checkout stands as they are nothing more than a display of corporate greed that sucks the life out of this country. Personally, I'd much rather have a clerk checking me out as when they or the scanner messes up, I con voice my displeasure or point out the error with them. (Uhhh, excuse me but that should have been .49 a pound since its on sale.) When the self service computer screws up, I cannot do this but have to wait for the "clerk" thats servicing the self service registers? Too many folks are out of work for large corporations to start installing "self service" check out stands as these only serve to boost corporate profits. They do NOTHING to save me time or money on the items I purchase. Sorry, seem to have gotten a bit off track.
Well, they still slow the line down a little. Its worst though when someone tries to pay in pennies. I worked in college at a busy convenience store where all change was made on the fly. Personally, what I think has slowed down lines is the stupid machines telling you how much change to give back. Maybe I am just optimistic, but I believe most people could learn how to make change quickly and not have a machine have to do it for them. To this day I bet you I can make change quicker in my head than a cashier can input amount tendered and have a machine do it for them.
I agree with the point about pennies lying on the ground. I find change everywhere I go and have ever since I was a kid. I feel like I do a lot more often now. I think most people don't feel it's worth bending over to pick them up. And how can you not hear them hitting the floor or pavement when you drop them? I think people either drop them deliberately or do it accidentally but don't bother to stop and retrieve them.
My wife and I went to dinner recently with her brother and his wife. He told a story about how he had a bag of quarters in the house and she threw it away because it was in the way. My wife and I were kind of mind boggled about that. It was probably several dollars worth of change, but apparently it's not real money to her.
