A question for anyone working in retail ...

[MitchT]

When you hand a customer their change is there some kind of unwritten rule of retail telling you to put the bank note in their hand and then the coins on top, because it's bloody annoying! You end up with your wallet in one hand and a load of coins sliding round on top of the note that's on the palm of your other hand and no way to get the note and coins into your wallet. If you try to do anything at all with the hand that has the money in the coins invariably slide off the note and end up all over the floor.

If they were to hand you the coins first you could then close your hand around the coins before taking the note between your thumb and forefinger. You could then slide the note into your wallet and then use your now available thumb and forefinger to unzip the coin pocket on your wallet before pouring the coins in.

Is it considered some kind of compulsory retail etiquette that the coins have to be visible to the customer, because it's not helpful?

[Negative Creep]

Yes, all staff are specifically told to do it just to annoy you

[V8LM]

In the good ol' days our staff were told to count the change out when giving to the customer and not rely on whatever the till said the change should be. That way the coins went first and moreover the customer was very rarely short for over changed.

[bernie_eccle]

Used to annoy me too but I couldn't think the last time this happened to me and realised it is because I very seldom use cash any more. Problem solved 😉

[romeogolf]

For many years I worked retail and would make a point of giving coins, then notes. I also hate receiving the notes first.

I think it's because as a cashier, without thinking it just feels more natural to give the notes and then the coins while counting it out.

"That's £10 *hands note* 95 *hands coins* change!"

My issue now, as a card user rather than cash, is stores (usually smaller ones and bars with handheld terminals) who insist on taking your card off of you to put it in the reader or to use the contact-less function. Store staff should never handle your bank card.

[Mojooo]

I used to

Probably 2 reasons

You tend to count down from highest first so that prob leads to giving the biggest money first

Also I took the theory that the customer took the note son the palm and the coins on top - so they could dead with the coins first. Personally I have never had a problem with it. I think notes on top could be a pain if you have a lot of coins and don't have the hand size/dexterity to be able to control the notes with the coins in your palm.

Or you could just do what i do and put it all in your pocket and deal with it later.

[Derish]

romeogolf said:

Store staff should never handle your bank card.

^ Interesting point re: the card.

In some countries there's still no chip & PIN system, so the card in normally handled by the person at the till. The other extreme is South Korea, where practically every pay point has two LCD screens - one for the clerk and one for the customer, so you can see exactly what you're paying for as you insert or swipe the card. Many of these terminals also have little touchpads next to them, used for electronically signing off on the transaction.

[Ultuous]

MitchT said:

If they were to hand you the coins first you could then close your hand around the coins before taking the note between your thumb and forefinger.

Rather coincidentally someone did that to/ for me last night - it actually stood out out to me as being unusually well thought out and considerate, despite the fact one would have thought it would have become standard practice over the decades!

[CB2152]

I always give coins first, paper items after. Otherwise you end up having to close your hand round your receipt/banknote and scrunch it all up. Bit crap really and certainly annoys me.