Customer refuses to listen to store's policy, which forbids paying in nickels and dimes, cashier gets payback by giving her change back in cents only: ‘Money is money, right?’

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Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Nov 7, 2025 7:00 AM EST

Until cash completely goes extinct and even our parents get used to paying with their phones, finding ourselves with tons of loose coins in our wallets and pockets is just something we learn to live with. 

Finding ways to use that spare change, now that is a problem. We're not even sure why, but it's so awkward to get to a cashier and spill the dozens of coins you have collected so you can pay your $5 bills with quarters and nickels. We would much rather hand over our Apple Pay than have to deal with that human interaction. 

Which is exactly why we keep collecting coins in our wallets.

The woman in the story below, however, has no problem facing cashiers with her spare change, even when the store's policy doesn't permit her to pay with that change. So, after she annoyed the cashier and demanded to pay with her nickels and dimes, this cashier found a way to return the petty favor…

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  • 01
    Asian senior or elderly old lady woman holding counting coin money
    via @sasirin-pamais-images

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 02

    Money is money

    I work as a cashier in a supermarket. I mentally scream every single shift because people really stress me out these days but alas, i can pay my bills.
    via kittyqueen_gataorli
  • 03
    My workplace has a ton of rules; some stupid, some not. For example we have a minimum of 5 dollars per card transaction (yes ma'am, even apple pay), but personally i gotta say i only follow that rule when a manager is around...
    via kittyqueen_gataorli
  • 04
    Or if the client is a real jerk. You understand. There's a rule that i do understand: we cashiers can't accept a huge amount of loose. change or change rolls without a manager's approval.
    via kittyqueen_gataorli
  • 05
    We can totally accept something like 4 dollars in just quarters, but not that same amount in just dimes and cents; we have a Coinstar machine literally steps away for that.
    via kittyqueen_gataorli
  • 06
    Well, guess what happened some days ago... This oldish lady, who couldn't even grant me a "good evening", wanted to give me her whole total in quarters, dimes, nickels and cents.
    via kittyqueen_gataorli
  • 07
    Her totall was about $12 with some cents, so i couldn't definitely accept it. I explained the rules, what i stated before, and even offered her help to manage the machine but she refused and said that "money is money, you're just being a lazy bitch because you probably don't even know. how to count".
    via kittyqueen_gataorli
  • 08
    I stood there, mentally insulting her, but physically still smiling, staring at her. She sighed and fetched a 20 from her purse but stoped.
    via kittyqueen_gataorli
  • 09
    close up of woman giving money to shop assistant in supermarket
    via Getty Images

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 10
    This lady suddenly had a huge grin, put the bill in her purse again, gave me a 10 and $3 in nickels, dimes and quarters.
    via kittyqueen_gataorli
  • 11
    "You explained the maximum was 4, right?". Now i wanted to scream, but i remained calm.
    via kittyqueen_gataorli
  • 12
    I simply sighed and admitted defeat until i had the brightest idea. I was supposed to give her .67¢ in return and i made sure to open the roll of cents i had.
    via kittyqueen_gataorli
  • 13
    Slooowly, i counted and gave her whole change in JUST cents. She scoffed and asked me "what the fuck is all this?!" My answer?
    via kittyqueen_gataorli
  • 14
    With a huge customer service smile I just answered "Money is money, right?" She just dumped it all in her purse, grabbed her stuff and walked away fuming.
    via kittyqueen_gataorli
  • 15
    Oh well ¯\(")/¯¯
    via kittyqueen_gataorli
  • 16
    ladie_bugg I think I'd say she did more of the malicious compliance. She is right. Money is money. She followed the stupid rules of management. But she shouldn't have gotten mad when you were following policy, no matter how stupid.
    via ladie_bugg
  • 17
    Ok-Lunch3448 The coinstar does take a percentage of the money you put in. Doesn't bother me but old people, you know?
    via Ok-Lunch3448
  • 18
    jeffrey_f I usually put change from my activities of a few weeks into the ashtray in my car or in a jar in the house. There was a convenience store about a block from my house where I stopped frequently. The owner got to know me. One day they were scrambling for change on a saturday evening after their bank closed. I told them I can get some coins from my house and help them out, which they agreed. I came back with about $30 or so in coins. Every few weeks I would just show up with a pocket full
    via jeffrey_f
  • 19
    -DethLok- I'm so glad that my country has limits on what is legal tender, and that's NOT $12 in coins unless those coins are $2 and $1 coins. The limit is usually 10 coins of the same denomination, roughly.
    via -DethLok-
  • 20
    _Ceaseless_Watcher_ Based on her initial attempt, you might not have been the first cashier to do more or less this exact thing to her that day lol.
    via _Ceaseless_Watcher_

  • We understand if someone wants to get rid of the annoying and heavy change in their wallets, but we are not sure that is the way.

    What do you think? Comment below your thoughts!

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Tags

customer service aita shopping customers reddit story petty revenge cashier coins entitled change Reddit money entitled people grocery store
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