Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Where Does All the Change Go?

I have refrained from bitching here (because I don't do it all that often "live" either), but I can't hold back about this any longer. How come it so often happens that when you are in a store, pharmacy, taxi, even cafe or bar in Bulgaria, purchase something, and hand over a bill of 20 leva or larger, the sales person's, cashier's, waiter's, etc. first reaction is "Don't you have anything smaller than that?" I mean, come on! (Btw, this initial question is usually followed by a retort of the sort, "Well, I don't have enough change to give you" or if not, then by a mighty HUFF and PUFF making it known full well that that person is doing you a HUGE favor by breaking up your large bill.)

First of all, you are the entity that is selling something and in so doing is supposed to have enough change on hand. If you don't, then go break up your large bills somewhere. That's not my job. Second of all, I am not some change hoarder, so if I have "anything smaller than a 20" I would gladly give it to you (as I always do), but I DON'T!

This BG practice has driven me crazy since I got here... and not only me. I had to walk out of a pharmacy once, leaving my potential purchase at the counter, after the pharmacist explained that she couldn't give me change for a 20 because she needed to save it for the following day (which was a Saturday) as the bank would be closed and she wouldn't be able to get change. Seriously!

So can someone please PLEASE explain to me--where the f*$% does all the change go?

1 comment:

DJ said...

An addendum to this post:
Yesterday morning I went into a supermarket to buy some yogurt for breakfast. I head to the cash register and have to pay 2.20 leva. I hand over a 10. The response: "I don't have change for a 10." (WTF, a 10 is not THAT large of a bill especially since I have to pay over 2 lv).
I literally exploded (and this does not happen often as people who know me well can attest to): "Excuse me, but it is not my job to carry around all denominations of money on me just in case a store doesn't have change to give! It is your job to have enough change at all hours while you are open!" The cashier mumbled something about it not being her fault and that she is not given enough change. Which while it may be true, still doesn't release her from the responsibility of telling her superiors she needs to have more change. Anyhow, after I vented for a bit and refused to leave the cash register before I got my yogurt and change, the cashier got change from the customer behind me...but why does even the seemingly brainless act of grocery shopping have to become such a big event? Well, I admit I was in a bad mood yesterday morning, otherwise I probably wouldn't have taken it as hard and responded the way I did.