Retail Staff Copping an Attitude. Was I in The Wrong?

This happened this morning and i'd be interested if i you think i was in the wrong or not..

I finished work at 2am and got in my car where i keep my phone (I'm not allowed to keep it at work due to the nature of the work i do) and there was a message from my wife, asking me to pick some milk up for my 3 year old as she will need it for her 3am wakeup. No worries, this is something i have done multiple times.

It was also payday and i'd already been to the ATM and got my pay out (i'm an old school cash guy)

I stop at the 7/11 near work and grab a litre of milk, a meat pie and a coke (ie.. milk and dinner). I hand the cashier a $50 note as it was all i had. the purchase came to around $13.

The cashier proceeds to huff and puff, then proceeds to ask if i had anything smaller. When i told him i didn't, but if it was an issue he can give me back the $50 and i'll go elsewhere he snapped at me that "it's 2am and i should not be giving him a $50 but he will look after me this time"

Now, i understand it could be an issue, especially at that time, but he's less than 700m from a major office building running 24/7, as well as being in the CBD. I told this story to some people when i arrived at work tonight and to say they were not surprised is an understatement. A number of people i spoke to have told me they have also had issues with this cashier complaining even with a $20. however, i'm thinking… am i the arse for going in with a $50, is he cashier the arse for giving me grief, or is it shared?

Related Stores

7-Eleven
7-Eleven

Comments

  • +273

    Cashier is an arse

      • +44

        This is lunacy. What if a customer came in to purchase a hundred dollars worth of items? Tell him to F off and spend Twenty instead?

      • +22

        That'd be a stupid policy and still not OP's problem, and no reason to give OP attitude instead of just telling OP politely.

        • The cashier is in a difficult position. Accepting large bills increases the risk for him, but any potential reward goes to the company. With a company as dodgy as 7-11, if a note did end up being counterfeit or the place was robbed, they may try to make the cashier pay for it, illegal as that is. Given the dwindling use of cash for everyday transactions, there is a raised likelihood of notes being counterfeit.

          • +13

            @outlander: I wouldn't actually have a problem with the cashier flat out not accepting it, for the reasons you just said. But there's no reason he can't tell OP that politely.

            • -5

              @HighAndDry: Oh yes, whatever the pressures on his shoulders that's no excuse for rudeness. OP would have been fully justified in pulling an 'Terminator 1' move and delivering a F You A-hole and demanding he take it.

              • +1

                @outlander:

                and demanding he take it.

                Can demand all you like. Cashier can then ask you to leave. And if you don’t leave, you’re then trespassing and they can call police.

                Cashier was a (fropanity), sure, but you just get your transaction done, leave and never use the store again, or next time you use it, you troll them.

                • +9

                  @pegaxs: My life is about as pathetic as it gets, but wasting time tormenting some lowly cashier with a shit job? That's too pathetic, even for me. I got things to do, worms to eat, places to be.

            • +1

              @HighAndDry: probably against company policy even it wasn't, they would still be a pis.sed customer complains to head office, cashier is fired

      • +12

        This is true, some shops are required to have less than $200 in the till during the night shift. If they are given a $50 bill or higher, they are supposed to deposit this into a safe immediately which only armaguard workers have access to. By giving the worker $50, thats a quarter of his till made useless in one go (not to mention the $35 he had to give in change as well). If this happens more than once it becomes challenging, especially as he prepares for the morning rush post 6am. He would need to wait till his manager gets in to sort it out.

        • What the hell? They don’t have a one-way cash drop? Surely they don’t need Armaguard to drop cash in safe.

          • @kipps: I believe the access referred to is to open the safe, not deposit…

            • +5

              @[Deactivated]: This. Worked at 2 different 24 hour servos in my time, both have safes that anyone can deposit into (which policy is to do when there is more than $200 in the till), but only Armaguard are able to take the money out.

        • +1

          Well, customer has actually only increased the till by $15, due to the $35 in change that was given, not the full $50….

          • @Genga: The Customer has removed $35 worth of change because it is unlikely that anyone will need $50+ in change.

            7-11 needs to step up and make a clear policy since they are no doubt going to punish the cashier if he has to turn away customers because off insufficient change.

      • +50

        The real theif was 7eleven. $13 for a litre of milk, a pie and a coke!

        • +5

          that actually seems kinda cheap, litre of milk at servo about $4, coke ~$4.50, pie $5 (+50c for sauce)

          • +7

            @wordplay: Which is why we do all our grocery shopping at our local servo.

            • @iDroid: I try to avoid,but only have one supermarket in town, so if get home too late have no real choice.

            • @iDroid: Agree to trying servos and you'll probably find a better selection of healthier food, maybe 7 11 is presuading you to shop elsewhere for the better?

      • +2

        Correct change must always be given after 1 AM. It's the unofficial policy in 2 states by geniuses who deserve their $$$ packages. Caveat venditor.

        There ain't no geniuses involved here, just a bunch of idiots, like the people who believe that dribble.

        • -1

          I think that maybe you missed the the sarcasm there.

      • +2

        Have you heard of the concept of legal tender?

        Whenever I find myself in this situation, I simply say, "I've got a five". That usually gets the moving to arrange the change pretty quickly.

      • Are the 4 people up voting this lunacy just to offset the 84 neg votes?

      • +2

        Do they give incorrect change before 1 AM?

      • I've never seen so many negative bitch slaps.

        • I really should have added a /s to it. Who quotes latin in a serious post?

      • 7 eleven have a timed safe right there underneath the cash register, or at least most stores should.

      • It's actually quite normal. Tills are supposed to be kept to a minimum amount late night/ early morning. It limits the amount stolen if they get held up. The cashier should not be taking it out on the customers though.

      • -2

        Huh? No matter what cash denomination is used, the till will still hold the same amount when robbed.

        Let's say till holds $500. Purchase of $13 is made with $20 note so $7 change, till now has $513 ($500 + $20 - $7).
        Now lets say instead purchase of $13 is made with $100 note so $87 change, till will still have $513. ($500 + $100 - $87).

    • +7

      Must be Indian or Pakistani, low wages and work longer hours. That where the bad Attitude come from.

      I know I'm going get neg for this but fck it that is the truth.

  • +50

    Cashier probably came to the land of milk and honey with dreams of being a surgeon…

    then ended up working graveyard shift at your local 7/11… Probably just shitty with the world and the way things worked out in general lol

    • -6

      I don't really get this comment

      • +11

        Where is the racism?

        • +6

          I don't think you understand, they didn't praise immigrants of all colors and creeds as the Savior of Australia, so obviously they are a raging racist!
          /s

  • +37

    You are way too nice to be even thinking about this.

    • +2

      I think I know which 7-11 is this. Melbourne cbd and youngish dude cashier?

      • +1

        How many 7/11s with youngish dudes in Melbourne CBD? Isn't that every couple of blocks?

        • Lol true. Only one with an extremely rude guy though. Most of them just dont care

  • +14

    Great story, could put your kid to bed, but was the first half really necessary?

  • +9

    If you gave him 100, 50, 20 what’s the diff. He still only has +13 after the transaction.

    Don’t They should have facility to lock money always?

    I’d tell the bloke to get ****** and ring his store owner up and roast him

      • +3

        So what's the difference if he bought $49 worth and paid with a $50? The cashier would still have $50 in the till. Your point is baseless.

        • The issue is not taking the 50, it's giving out 1/4 of the change in the till.

      • +2

        Simple maths, which I am gob smacked your cant grasp

        Your till has $500 in it.

        I am feeling toey as hell and I picked some bird at a bar, and buy pack of condoms for $12 on the way home.

        I use $20, amount in your till is $512

        I use $50, amount in your till is $512

        I use $100, amount in your till is ……. have a guess

        No matter what note I use, you have the same amount to steal

        So big note, small note it’s the fact you sold a product that increased your till amount, so maybe you need to shut your store

        If I was feeling like a porn star and bout 4 packs of condoms, and used 50 you have an extra 48 in your till…. it’s the purchase amount that is the issue not the note used.

        Sure you can insist people use cards, but risk losing customers.

        But that’s where smart places like Woolworths allow you to take cash out free of charge, I reckon the 7 eleven in question doesn’t allow that so their own cause

        • -1

          How many Woolworths in Brisbane is open at 03:00?

          • +1

            @whooah1979: What?

            U realise I used them as a mere refernce to a shop that lets you withdraw cash for free, which gets cash off a premise. Nothing to do with the actual problem being discussed.

            Did you even read what I wrote? Your comment makes no sense in the slightest

            • -3

              @Donaldhump: You're right. Most of your post is OT.

              • @whooah1979: It’s related, if I ran 24 hour shop, and was worried about being robbed, I’d let people withdraw cash for free instead of having an atm in store chargin for the service

                And if 3 lines of 15 lines equates to “most” then your maths needs brushing up

        • +18

          It's not just about the amount of money in the till being available to steal.

          My till have $200 at the start of my shift, 2 twenty, 4 ten, 6 five, $50 in $2, $20 in $1, $10 in 50c, $4 in 20c $4 in 10c and $2 in 5c.

          Someone buy something worth $12 and give me $50 now my till is $212 but effectively only $162 in available as changes.

          Now the next two guy does the same profanity thing. Now i have $236 but only $86 left for change which consist of one five dollar note, $44 in $2, $17 in $1, 10 in 50c, 4 in 10c and 2 in 5c. Then you come along, and of course you would use $50 for another $12 purchase, i give you back $32 in $2 coin, a fiver and a $1 coin. You tell me to profanity off.

          I tell you i can't do anything about it cause it is literally out of my control. I can't access the safe because only the boss can do it.

          I want more change in till but the boss doesn't cause more money in the till = more risk. You can talk to my boss and tell him differently but of course the boss is not working at 2am in the morning. You tried ringing the boss at 2am but he doesn't pick up because he is sleeping or to busy shagging his missus. You then left the store angrily. It's 2am and i still have 4 hours of this shit to deal with. Now every unclesnake come who in to the store is going to abuse me because i don't have change(and there are a bloody lots of you). The boss then abuse me in the morning cause and told me i shouldn't have accept the fifties from the first 3 customer. I told him may be we should have more change in the till. He told me i am fired, i told him i quit and move one with better thing in my life.

          • @highdealer: Are you the cashier in question?

          • @highdealer: Is the problem here

            1.) lack of change
            2.) amount of money in the till and being robbed

            What you say isn’t disputed, the questioned is concerned with the amount of cash on site.

            But either way a shop should have anough change in reserves, in a back office hidden in a safe, or something less obvious, and yet some shops go bananas when you pay with coins

            The shop keeper. Can ask politely for smaller note, or say I’m unable to give change, but if they are ever rude to me about it or roll their eyes, their boss will get a call the next day. Customers pay your wages, without them you have no job, decide which one you want.

            I did similar job in my youth and got called every swear word possible, but I am still working so I ignore it and be polite.

            If you have a boss like that, then smile as you know they are gronks, and put you in am impossible situation

        • +1

          Large notes like that go straight in to a time delay safe and not in to the float of the till. So getting a 50 that disappears and then you have to hand out $35-37 from a small amount like $200-250 would make a dent in what cash you have to hand out.
          But that said who uses cash these days?!

  • -4

    It’s legal tender, they can’t decline.

    However from their perspective, the more cash in the till, the more money that can be stolen if they’re held up. That’s a security thing that a lot of stores to. Used to work at Coles and we regularly removed $50 notes from the till. Moreso at night. We would probably only keep up to 4 in the til in the evenings and would also remove smaller bills if our till had too much cash.

    Either that or giving you change meant they would be almost out of smaller notes/coins.

    Doesn’t excuse their attitude though. At all.

    • +20

      It’s legal tender, they can’t decline.

      Oh, my word they can. They do not have to accept any currency you produce for them, “legal tender” or not. There is no law that says “you MUST accept legal tender if it is issued”… but there are laws that do say, if you have other payment options available, you do not have to accept cash. And the cashier also has the right to decline service. They do not have to sell anything to you if they don’t want to.

      Australian currency has legal tender status, Australian banknotes and coins do not necessarily have to be used in transactions and refusal to accept payment in legal tender banknotes and coins is not unlawful.

      From the RBA website.

      • +4

        Yup, the place we go to for breakfast has a card only policy. Wouldn’t surprise me if more places don’t go for that option. I very rarely have much cash on me but you have to get the right amount out of the ATMs to avoid $50s. There was a big problem with counterfeit $50s last year, the guy was probably worried he might get one. If I have a large note I usually apologise to the counter person, it takes their change. Personally most of my transactions are card now. Let the Government track my rampant chocolate addiction.

        • +4

          I won't. It interposes a third party into a transaction that has a responsibility only for its shareholders and managers - rent seekers who are enforcing a compulsory charge to provide a "service" I neither requested nor needed.

          We have been bamboozled into moving from a situation where I would hand small change or notes to a person who needed to make changes in a book, take a copy of a form, make notes in a ledger and at the end of the working day send a copy of the ledger and form to the central office for consolidation. I was also paid a modicum of interest that kept my savings in step with inflation.

          We have moved from there to a point where almost all pay and salary is direct debited, funds, although more accessible for withdrawal are subject to a delay while depositing unless you can find an open and staffed branch and where there is a fee for even holding the account and a charge applied to transactions using an automatic machine.

          It's called " rent seeking", and the banks are the experts.

          • +4

            @terrys: Businesses are moving to card only to avoid theft by staff or armed robbery and costs in handling cash.

            Your description of making changes in a book, make notes in ledger etc seems to relate to many decades ago. These days software does all that work. Just need to ensure the til balances

            • +1

              @chumlee: Absolutely, cash is becoming an increasing nuisance for places unless they are trying to hide how much they are taking in. I’m remember when banks were all handwritten accounts in branches and the state banks had no way of giving you money when you went interstate. Pre ATMs, pre Bank Cards; it was a PITA to bank. Roll on the cashless society.

            • +2

              @chumlee: Problem is eftpos fees are more than someone would get out of my till if I was robbed 4 times a month!

          • +1

            @terrys: I think you need a new bank.

      • +2

        I stand corrected.

  • +10

    Cashier didn't handle it well.

    But if it is anything like the servo near my house. People come in and treat it like a bank teller. In the last two visits I've seen two guys, the first came in and wanted 1000s of dollars in cash out, when they told him they could only do $100 (or whatever it was) he looked absolutely astonished that his request couldn't be fulfilled and stood there thinking about it for a moment before huffing away. The second guy wanted $20 out but wanted 8 x $1 coins 1 x $2 and 2 x $5 notes, when the guy said he didn't have enough $1's the guy just blew his top and said "How can you not have that many dollar coins?? I need exactly 8 dollar coins!" and then cracked the sags and swore all the way out of the store.

    I'm sure this is just the tip of the iceberg, they must get so many BS requests every day, so go easy on them snapping. But from your end don't worry about it.

  • +8

    Next time pay with 5 cent coins

    • +10

      They can simply refuse to accept the coins.

      The maximum they have to accept is $5 worth of any coins up to and including 50¢ coins. But even then, they still have the right to refuse any coins at all.

      • +5

        You saw that ABC Facebook video too?

        • +12

          No, I just have a hobby looking up stupid laws. I don’t have Facebook, but now I am curious.

          We had a bad debtor at work who came in to pay their $800 bill. They came in with bags of 5¢ pieces. They started with the “rah rah legal tender!!” Sovereign Citizen bullshit. I found the legislation on how many we had to accept and refused to accept the 10 or so bags of 5¢ coins.

          • +6

            @pegaxs: Ah I see.

            Lol $800 in 5¢ coins.
            $800 in 5¢ coins that's 16000 coins, 45.28Kg lol!

          • +5

            @pegaxs: Was it MrBeast?

          • +6

            @pegaxs: I got rid of $8.95 worth of 5 cent coins once in a laundromat. I won't say why, how or where as it's been less than 5 decades and the owner may still be looking for me.

            • +1

              @terrys: You can get rid of as many coins as the person wants to accept. If we wanted to accept $800 in 5¢ coins, we could have. But then what do we do with them?

              And I think I saw your photo on a “most wanted” poster. Dead or alive. $5,000 reward… of course, all paid in low denomination coins… :D

  • +2

    Name and shame.

    • +3

      “Shame”, really? Given what has happened with counterfeit $50s, and the late hour, I can understand the counter guys reluctance.

      • +7

        Reluctance to accept it is fine. No need for the attitude.

        • +5

          The attitude comes with the job that they hate. Imagine getting paid $4 to $12 p/h.
          https://www.smh.com.au/business/workplace/7-eleven-operator-…

          • -1

            @whooah1979: No one forces them to work that job. Certainly OP didn't.

            • +7

              @HighAndDry: Who is going to serve op if not them? You won't find a Centrelink recipient working for $10p/h.

              • +5

                @whooah1979: Then no one, and the shop owner would have to pay someone more. This is just price competition.

                • +6

                  @HighAndDry: The owner would probably just close at 23:00 which means no milk for op.

            • +6

              @HighAndDry: Blackmail, withholding passports and other illegal and exploitative practices constitute a form of force.

              • +1

                @tranter: Blackmail and withholding passport, call the police.

                "illegal and exploitative practices" is far too broad a term and quite frankly, loopy. Use of force is illegal so illegal practices is illegal, we understand.

                Exploitative? If I bat my eyelashes (and believe you me, you'd be pudding) have I used a form of force?

                • +2

                  @[Deactivated]: That's the whole idea of blackmail; to threaten, intimidate and instill fear. Exactly why in these situations of power imbalance they don't call the police.

                  The rest of what I said is well documented.

                  • @tranter: Then no one can help them. We already have the laws, enforcement and awareness.

                    We do not build a legal system based on people not reporting. It would be a failure by design or one easily exploitable.

                    • +2

                      @[Deactivated]: You might like to think so in this wonderful country but in reality it's not the case.

                      These are tricky cases and employers know it's hard to prove certain things. That's why they do it and continue to get away with it.

                      It's also another reason why there's limited reporting. What's the point of reporting when nothing is done about it? That's even if they are aware of what they can report.

                      • @tranter: That's all true but it doesn't change the fact enforcement cannot accommodate non-reporting. If we tried, we would surely fail as we it is creating a system where objectivity and metrics are removed in favour of speculation.

                        At some point, people have to take action or responsibility for their predicament instead of accusing the legal system of being inept at dealing with their particular unreported crime.

                        • +2

                          @[Deactivated]: I don't agree with you but anyway this got on to a bit of a tangent.

                          I made the original point about illegal and exploitative practices. Responsibility lies with those that perpetrate such things against the vulnerable.

              • @tranter: Don't give them the passport.

          • @whooah1979: Wasn’t there don’t know what the circumstances with the guy. However, there are ways to defuse situations rather than escalate them. Maybe both sides could’ve handled this better.

  • +25

    If I show a $50 note and they ask me if I have anything smaller, I fold it in half and say “sure, here you go…”

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