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Most business's want cash. I was in Philly recently and went to this really nice Chinese Restaurant there. We paid in cash and she returned with a 10% refund, the business's there were trying to encourage the use of cash. Every time you use that card it cost them money.
A friend of mine has small hardware store, he stays in business because he is well stocked. You wouldn't buy from him if you needed thousands of screws but if need a box or even one machine or specialty screw he'll sell it to you. He gets a lot of traffic that way and people know they get exactly what they need without having to travel another 30 minutes. He can't sell that stuff if someone is using a card, if it's 50 cent bolt he'd be better of giving it to them than the CC.
I had pizza delivery once and my bill was $22.xx. I gave the guy $40 and he asked if he could keep the change $18. No!
If I'm ever handing someone money and expect money back with tip involved I simply tell them what I want back before they even have chance to assume it's all a tip.
I would also, but if they didn't give me the change that would only be their tip.
I haven't encountered that here when I go out, but I usually use a credit card.
I had pizza delivery once and my bill was $22.xx. I gave the guy $40 and he asked if he could keep the change $18. No!
Wow. That takes some nerve. But at least he asked. On one occasion, I paid a bill in cash. It was $28 max. I gave the waiter $40 and waited and waited for the change. My wife and I finally asked what was going on. We never said the waiter could keep the change, but he assumed he could take a 30% tip by not returning it, then waiting for the gratuity amount we chose.
I don't know where this thread should go, so if it's in the wrong place mods (I thought it might be controversial), please relocate. I have noticed this happening over and over in my hometown of Houston, and wanted to know if anyone else has experienced this. My wife and I go out to sit down restaurants once or twice a week and frequently pay the bill in cash. For the past year or two, the server often brings us back the dollar bills and neglects the change. When they do this, they always short us on the change; they never round up to the next dollar as they should if they had no change available to give us. If we point out the problem, they act like they forgot to bring it to us.
This happened again yesterday after the server gave us crappy service throughout the entire meal, and he did not return our $0.40 in change. I had it happen at a bookstore, when the bookseller didn't give me my $0.20 in change. Starbucks has done this to me more than once. Over and over again it has happened. For those who think I am being petty, I disagree. It is not the store or server's money, it is mine.
If the item is $5.82, I deserve $0.18 returned to me, because the item did not cost $6.00. It is a form of overt thievery. And when store staff does this to customers repeatedly throughout the day, they can pocket a lot of customer money without the store knowing it. I'm sure many customers won't confront the employee or tell the store because they think they are being petty. What do you think?
Must be the side of town you patronize.
I'm in Houston about 10 times a year for the weekend. Never happen to me. I usually stay over in the Kingwood area,
We always tip very well if the service is good. My point is, staff should not automatically keep change for themselves. It's not theirs to keep. As for the bookseller, that was very odd. She owned the store and attempted to keep my change, so it wasn't even about tipping at all.
There is an easy solution to this. And I suspect 90% of restaurant customers already do it this way.
When I pay cash in a restaurant I include the tip with the check so expecting change back is never an issue. Lets say the lunch bill is $39.17 or $40.32. I calculate a 20% tip and leave 50 dollars. I walk away and do not have to wait for change.
I never have had this happen. However I rarely pay in cash.
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