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Expert: - 1/19/2009


Question
QUESTION: Hello:

Would it be logical to pay for something that costs $0.41 with the amount of $1.06, $1.00 plus a nickle and one penny? The change would be $0.65.

Would the consumer get his nickle back that he used as a portion of his payment as part of his change?

If he paid with $1.01 (this amount would be more logical), his change would be $0.60.

I thank you for your reply.


ANSWER: Maybe if you added a dime to that payment, then your change would be 75 cents, or 3 quarters.

Yes, the consumer would bet back (most likely) 2 quarters and a nickel.  With the funky new change machines, he might get back a quarter and three dimes if there was an excess of dimes in the change machine or a shortage of nickels.

It would be better to pay only a $1.01 and get back $0.60.
It would be good to do what I stated at first and get back 3 quarters if you're trying to drop small change and turn it into quarters.


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hello:

I want to thank you for the reply.

If you were a cashier clerk, how would you return the correct amount of change?

Imagine this situation. If a cashier left the amount given to him/her on the counter, $1.00 plus one nickel and one penny, the cashier would enter the amount received ($1.06) on the cash register and the register would then indicate that the amount of $0.65 would be returned to the shopper as change. If the cashier removed two quarters, one dime and then returned the nickle left on the counter from the payment of $1.06 to the shopper, that would be logical, wouldn't it?
Why place the nickle in the cash register from the payment of $1.06 and then take another nickle from the register to make the change of $0.65?

I thank you for your reply and your willingness to help.

Answer
A wsie cashier would recognize that the nickle would be returned anyway.  Seeing this, they would leave it on the counter and
enter $1.01, then give the change that came up on the till.

If they entered 1.06, they would take all of the money first and then return the amount of change owed, which would include the nickel they took.

The best practice when you are a teller is to take the amount you entered in cash and the to dispense the amount that the machine says to dispense.  If you have had practice, don't bother taking the nickel and only take the $1.01.  The machine would say to return 60 cents.

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