The penny dish at the register - ettiquite?

Thread Starter

RogueRose

Joined Oct 10, 2014
375
I've seen penny dishes with nickels & dimes and sometimes 50+ pennies in it. What is an acceptable # of pennies to use for a purchase to either make it easier on the cashier or cover the difference so a large bill isn't necessary (like having to use a $50 for a $2-5 purchase).

Example, - Someone goes to same store 3-4x a week for 3+years and knows the owners and cashier (the cashier for 25+ years). The total is $2.21. Buyer has 2 dollar bills and a dime and a fifty. For 3 years buyer has put pennies and at times 5 & 10 cent pieces into "pennies" dish. When asked if 11 pennies could be used (out of 40+ in the dish) the response from the cashier (not owner) "I think that is a little much" with a shameful glance. At the time she didn't know the only other cash was a fifty. It would be different saying this to a random customer, not a regular customer IMHO - or is that mis-thinking? Also putting change in a dish like that at a store a person frequently shops there is kind of an expectation that in a situation like this it might be returned to them.

Am I out of line in my thinking and if so, what are the "social norms" in something like this. What do you guys think is common etiquette when taking money from these dishes.

Heck I've seen people empty the dish to pay for stuff, clerk did object in that case, but it was allowed.
 

Aleph(0)

Joined Mar 14, 2015
597
IMO Leave it be! I wouldn't be caught dead tapping the change dish:eek:! But I say is ok to just tell the cashier to put your change in the dish so you can move on without waiting for change:)
 

wayneh

Joined Sep 9, 2010
17,496
Personally I'd be embarrassed to take more than about 4 pennies from the dish for any reason, under any circumstances, unless it was the only way I could complete the transaction, or unless the clerk made the choice for me.

I feel the dish is intended to allow rounding to the nearest nickel or dime and thereby eliminate the penny economy.

Past history at this store is not really a factor. Not picking your nose for ten years won't matter when you're spotted doing it today. Some things are all about the moment.
 

atferrari

Joined Jan 6, 2004
4,764
Hola RR,

Intrigued.

Out of curiosity, what is that dish actually for? I've been to the States many times but did not realized there was such a thing. The coins there, they belong to whom?

Is it involved with tips in any way?

Is just a question. I cannot contribute with an opinion at all.

/EDIT

Found already the answer: "take a penny, leave a penny".

EDIT/
 
Last edited:

dl324

Joined Mar 30, 2015
16,839
Taking more than 4 cents is a bit much. But, I've seen people who acted like they had their last penny on the counter take much more and I'm okay with that. If the change dish didn't have enough money, I would have made up the difference. I've done it before and would do it again; especially for children. I've even seen cashiers do make up the difference for a child.

I've never taken any change from a penny dish, but I've had cashiers do it on my behalf and I don't object.
 

SLK001

Joined Nov 29, 2011
1,549
It's a communal cache of loose change. If you add to it, you can pull from it. But since it's communal, even if you DON'T add to it, you can still pull from it (it's up to you to weigh the hit to your karma if you don't add).
 

tcmtech

Joined Nov 4, 2013
2,867
A guy I worked with years ago would always take the whole penny cup and then say, "take it from there and I will pay the differnce."

One day our boss was with us and saw that which lead to a rather nasty loud public scolding about how much he gets paid that ended with him getting warned that if he ever sees or hears about him do that again he will be fired. :eek:

I fully agreed. Come up 10 cents short and the cup is full no problem but take the whole thing to put it toward your $50+ fuel and or food purchase while you break a $100 to pay the rest and you're just a pathetic cheap ass. :(
 

JoeJester

Joined Apr 26, 2005
4,390
It gets more interesting. The drive away from cash is in full swing.

from the Canadian Mint
The calculation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) or Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) on purchases, whether for cash or non-cash transactions, will continue to be calculated to the penny and added to the price. It is only the total cash payment for the transaction that will be rounded.
You can bet the vendor will take the hit for rounding down, not the government. I serious doubt it would even out periodically within a business fiscal year.

Maybe one of our Canadian friends can tell us how the vendor calculates and pays the sales tax to the government on the preferred periodic basis.
 
Last edited:

MaxHeadRoom

Joined Jul 18, 2013
28,617
The dual sales taxes, Provincial & Federal are calculated and recorded at the time of sale, they are then submitted to the Govt's at either the end of 1 month, 3 months, or 1 year based on the total due.
This also applies to charged or billed sales, whether the billed amount is received or not.
Both Govt's can carry out periodic on site audits.
All my sales were charged amounts so no rounding up or down was needed, or carried out.
Max.
 

JoeJester

Joined Apr 26, 2005
4,390
Do you get a percentage of those sales tax monies like they do in the states because of your additional expense filing the papework? I always said it was payment for me to act as a revenue agent for the government. :)
 

MaxHeadRoom

Joined Jul 18, 2013
28,617
Yes you hold back a certain %.
With the Federal tax, you can also offset the tax owed by any federal tax you may have laid out in the purchase of business expenses.
With the provincial tax, you issue a tax number for this at time of purchase.
Max.
 

Thread Starter

RogueRose

Joined Oct 10, 2014
375
The penny tray is funded by customers who put change they don't want to wait for or don't want. If the amount is $4.96 and you say "keep the change" many stores put the pennies in the tray. I've seen some keep "silver" when you say "keep the change" but put the pennies in the tray, so $4.91, the 4 cents goes to the tray, 5 cents in the drawer. I'm sure it varies from store to store.

So having $52.10 on my person (fifty, 2 one dollar bills, dime) and the total is $2.21, taking 11 pennies seems out of the question to most people here. I would probably agree if I rarely visit the store, but when I know the owners and cashier by name & know bakcground/family situation/etc & chat with them, I am not a stranger. If it were the owner I think it wouldn't have been a question at all, but the cashier (I REALLY don't think it's a question of getting in trouble here either) says no.

I find it interesting that if someone goes to a store about 180 days a year for 3 years and probably puts in .$10 each week (that's $15+ over the years) that this would be the response. I can remember taking 1 -2 pennies maybe 3-4 times over the 3 years. I use it when I don't want to break a much larger bill, not if I have a nickel/dime/quarter.

I'm really surprised at the responses from the community as well as I wasn't suspecting some of the responses and am curious why some people have such a bad/distatseful view of the penny tray. Is it related to superstition at all or from a moral standpoint? Do the people who would never use it ever put it in or not?
 

MaxHeadRoom

Joined Jul 18, 2013
28,617
I thought cash was becoming obsolete anyway, for 99.9% of my daily transactions I use a debit card.
Most I know are going the same way.
Max.
 
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