count the change
After paying for my purchases in big establishments, I don’t usually count the change, particularly the coins. The cashiers usually count my money as they lay each bill and coin in my hand, so I often feel there is no need to count again.
However, my ever-reliable gut instinct made me do just that, even after a cashier of a big supermarket displayed a careful count of my change of PHP 272.50.
I counted again before I left her counter, but all I could see was PHP 262.50 on my hand. I was beginning to doubt my math.
“Miss, ” I was mentally preparing myself for a potentially embarassing situation.
“Sukli po?” She asked. Huh? I hadn’t said anything yet.
She looked at the change in my hand, and dropped a ten-peso coin.
Now where did the coin come from?
I have made countless purchases (and I once worked in a department store and a fastfood resto), so I know how these things go. They make sure that they get the exact amount of change from their cash trays; an extra peso and they would have to pay for it. They count again when they give the change to the customer, at which point their hands should now be empty. And soon after, they slam their cash registers shut. So if the customer is justified in asking for more change, customer would have to wait for the cashier to open the register.
Besides, there should be no extra money in our transaction. One hundred, two hundred, fifty, sixty, seventy, two, fifty. She was careful. I saw that.
But this cashier simply handed the coin without touching her register. The coin was in her hand all along.
And she didn’t even apologize, nor did she attempt to make a quick explanation, like most employees in service industries are wont to do. No apologetic smile either. Gave me the coin, turned her back. Just like that.
Of course it may be a mere oversight, or it may be part of a plan. My previous jobs made me quick to identify spots where store thieves would likely operate. I’m not working anymore, but I guess that has become second nature to me. And (the way I see it), her station was perfect.
You see, she had no checker or bagger, and no security guard was manning her area. Right behind her post was the exit door leading to a busy street. So in this cashier’s case, it would be so darn easy to hand a collection of extra change over to another thief. And come to think of it, there must be many customers out there who do not bother to count their change.
Why did I not report to the authorities? And what, waste time waiting for the manager, who is usually busy with a dozen other things, to talk about something which I doubt he/she will act on right away, because most likely, there are other issues which have made things that way. It’s not a matter of life and death anyway, there’s just a possiblity that the store and/or the customers will lose money and I’m sure they are all aware of that.
I’ll just blog and warn you, to count your change. It doesn’t matter whether that was a small mistake or an evil plan. Count again, even if the cashier already counted it for you. Unless of course, you can afford to ignore your change.
Jho:
First ako???
LC: haha! nagiging consistent ka ha?
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23 April 2007, 4:56 pmJho:
First nga! Hehehe.
I remember last year i went to have my pants altered at a department store. I paid for the alteration service. Naglibot muna ako sa mall kasi nga sandali lang naman daw yung alteration. Tapos, kinapa ko yung money sa bulsa ko, nagtaka ako kasi parang kulang yung sinukli sa akin. So balik ako uli dun sa counter at sinabi sa cashier na kulang yung sukli niya. Tinawag pa niya yung manager. Sabi nang manager, at the end of the day pa daw malalaman kung kulang ba talaga yung nasukli sa akin kasi magreflect sa pagbasa sa sales for the day ng POS nila. So pinapirma ako sa isang paper (name, address and telephone number) para incase na “over” nga sila. Fortunately, over nga at nakuha ko yung kulang na sukli sa akin.
LC : o nga, end of the day pa malalaman, pero mukhang honest mistake naman, kasi the fact that they called you up meant dineclare nung kahera ang over niya. swerte ka pa rin nakuha mo. pero buti napuna mo early on na kulang.
I also remember when i was still in my teen years, i was with my mom at Quiapo. She was buying sa may sidewalk e wala siyang barya, sabi nun kasama nun vendor, babaryahan niya yung pera ni mama. Mabilis ang kamay niya pero mas mabilis ang mata ko. I told my mom na bilangin uli yung pinapalitan niya. alam niyo ginawa noon nagpalit? Ibininalik na lang sa amin yung pera namin. akala niya makakaloko siya.
LC: hay naku, quiapo is quiapo is quiapo. buti you noticed. at buti binalik sa inyo ng matiwasay.
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23 April 2007, 5:08 pmmaiylah:
oopppsss… i’m one of those “guilty” ones. i almost always never count my change.
thanks for the advice!
enjoy the rest of the week! :))
LC: youre welcome. or bilisan ang mata
my eyes are apparently not quick enough 
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23 April 2007, 5:49 pmwendy:
Naku Mommy Cess, sakit ko ‘yan… never akong nagbibilang ng sukli, pagkaabot sa akin nilalagay ko kaagad sa bag/pocket/wallet ko…
Anyway… pilitin ko na ring magbilang ng sukli… sa panahon ngayon, bawat piso mahalaga.
Happy Monday Mommy Cess!
LC : yup, mahalaga ang bawat piso. dyan nagsisimula ang milyones mo
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23 April 2007, 6:38 pmmousey:
salamt at pinaalala mo! minsan kasi sa pagmamadali nakakalimutan na. oks ba kung kendi na lang ang barya? ako naiinis dyan.
LC : hahaha! ay talaga, ayoko rin yan. pero minsan hinahayaan ko na lang.
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23 April 2007, 6:57 pmkneeko:
dapat talaga bilangin ang sukli… last week nakalimutan ko na me sukli pa pala ako sa isang resto, binalikan ko talaga wheeww..makalimutin na talaga ako hayyy
LC: baka kulang sa pork, beef.. (hmm.. alam mo kaya yung commercial na yon? )
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23 April 2007, 7:26 pmPipay:
Sa supermarket dito, palibhasa halos puro pinay, wala kang magiging problema sa change saka hindi sa kamay mo nila ilalapag ang pera, kundi sa mismong table, so kita mo agad.
LC: mas ok nga kung nakalatag ang sukli. di ka masasalisihan, at least not too easily.
Pero sa mga pakistanong driver ng taxi, once na pumatak ang metro mo with 0.50 change, bahala ka na kay batman. Kapag nagpasukli ka…kung ano anong bulubudur na salita ang maririnig mo. Mahirap namang makipagtalo, come to think of it..sa value ng pera natin 0.50 fils is 7php pa rin. Isang softdrink na!
LC : hahah! ganun ba sila? sayang din yung 7 pesos. dapat pala may coins ka palagi.
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23 April 2007, 8:01 pmelizar:
hmmm… your post made me think.. Im one of those who just buy, pay, go.. never bothering to count the change.. thanks sa warning!
LC : youre welcome. sayang din ang barya, pag naipon yan, malaking bagay din diba?
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24 April 2007, 12:15 amrazberry:
Never din akong nagbilang ng sukli.. Tapos minsan, hindi ako tumitingin, minsan sa pagmamadali, hindi ko na rin iniintindi yung sukli, basta lagay lang ng lagay sa bulsa or bag…
Simula ngayon, try ko ng magbilang at maging aware, aba bawat piso ngayon ay mahalaga…
LC: oo nga e, pag nagbilang ka ng sukli you have to pause for a couple of seconds, and this fast-paced world, those seconds seem to be too precious for just counting change. hay, ganyan din ako e
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24 April 2007, 12:46 amEra:
hindi rin ako nagbibilang ng sukli.pagdating na lang sa bahay ang accounting. hehehe! feeling ko kasi hassle yon lalo na if madami akong pinamili or bitbit. ;D
dito, hindi ko worry yan kasi if kasama si hubby at madaming pinamili, we don’t use cash but the plastic money (sayang ang FF points).
yong sa mga convenience stores, bookstores or bakery lang ako nagbabayad ng cash and exact pa yon kasi mahilig akong magcollect ng coins. hehehe!
thanks for the heads-up cess. ill do it sa sunod na uwi ko jan. sa hirap ba naman ng panahon ngayon.
tsaka kung laging ganyan, kahit piso lang..malaki na rin yon in one year.
LC : hay, there are a lot of other possible scary things that happen in credit cards here, but that’s another story.
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24 April 2007, 7:52 amtekla:
never din akong nagbibilang ng sukli. minsan pa nga nakakalimot pa akong kunin ang sukli buti na lang mabait yung cashier at inihahabol sa akin.
ngayun alam ko na ang hocus focus nila. salamat sa warning
LC : naku, maswerte ka at natataon ka sa mabait na kahera. magbilang ka rin sa susunod in case mataon ka sa hindi mabait
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24 April 2007, 11:31 ammalaya:
I do count my change, it’s not because i don’t trust the cashier/vendor but a peso is hard to earn nowadays.
There are lots of modus-operandi and we should be careful of it. Thanks for this informative post.
LC : buti pa ikaw, habit mo na. ako, honestly, i need to exert extra effort to remember doing that,samantalang ako nagpost, harhar!
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24 April 2007, 12:06 pmRach:
I don’t bother to count the change din. I assume they give me the right change since I often see cashiers count twice. You’re right, we should always make sure that we’re getting the right change because every peso is after all hard earned. Thanks for this timely reminder.
Back in college, since I lived very near the school, I often took the jeep. Naalala ko dati minsan kulang ang sukli pero ewan ko ba nahihiya ako sabihin sa driver na kulang. I realized now that I shouldn’t have felt shy at all because I deserved to get the right change. Well, charge it to experience nalang.
LC : ako makapal ang mukha ko sa jeep, at least during mycollege days. kahit bente singko lang hinihingi ko. i was thinking it was also my way of encouraging honesty among them drivers
BTW, thanks for your comment on my post regarding “Friendships Gone Astray.” Thank you very much for sharing your personal experience. It’s good to hear it from your perspective. The incident brought back sad memories and I’ve been rewinding the past a bit trying my best to determine what has caused the falling out of our friendship but I couldn’t understand what happened. I’m sure it was a petty thing but I just wished she talked to me to clear things first. But past is past. I’m sure everything happened for a good reason. I haven’t thought of her for many years but the recent incident made me curious. Thanks for the advice, I did just that. I googled her but as you said, chances are she is already married and have a different name. I couldn’t find her in friendster either. But come to think of it, I wouldn’t know how to start the conversation if I find her. Thanks for your heartfelt advice. I really wouldn’t want to feel hurt and disappointed again so if ever our paths will cross, I will not put my hopes too high.
LC : youre welcome. your post was really touching.
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24 April 2007, 1:19 pmZherwin:
ako, I usually use the EPS/debit card para di masyado hassle pagdating sa money, pero sa mga case na offline or kelangang pera talaga yung pambabayad, i always count my change at maliban pa dito, i always demand na dapat eksakto at hindi kulang ang sukli at kahit 5 cents yan, hihintayin ko at kelangang ibigay sa akin (i read somewhere that malls/groceries are earning millions from loose change and these were not taxed). and besides, it’s against the law not to give the exact change. (hehehe, just blame the OC in me)
LC : haha! i’m so not surprised youre like that after reading your belvita post
pero cheers to you. tama lang yan.
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24 April 2007, 1:26 pmdangkin:
kaya ako, laging nakabantay pag cash ang binabayad ni hubby kasi ako ang taga tanggap ng sukli.. pag palagay ko kulang, pinapabilang ko ulit sa cashier.. he.he.he.
LC : correct! dapat vigilant!
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24 April 2007, 2:49 pmsexy mom:
P10 x (the number of times the act will be repeated)x (the number of days in a month) = well that is MONEY. but, then, we can still give the benefit of a doubt.
and guess what? to this day i keep in my wallet a 1/2 P20 bill. It must have been the ploy of whoever gave me the change–to rip into half a P20 bill to serve as change. then his money would earn 100%, no sweat! (is my math correct?) only in the Philippines
LC : hahaha! pero parang a different version of serendipity the movie
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24 April 2007, 3:34 pmannamanila:
Signs of the times. Hirap ng buhay? Sobra liit ng sweldo? Apparently, SOP na nya yon.
To report or not to report?
Hard to say.
If we dont, we condone dishonesty. If we do, we sometimes imagine a family, young children going sick and hungry.
I don’t have an answer.
In your place I wouldn’t have reported. If I feel ambivalent, unsure of my footing — I take the path of least action.
LC : yup yup. kaya ako i decided not to do anything. mahaba at malalim ang kwento sa likod ng mga ganyan. besides in this case, it’s our responsibility anyway to watch out for our money.
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24 April 2007, 3:43 pmannamanila:
Btw, the appliance is already in my home. Uninstalled. Kagabi, i was as usual sweltering. I see that big box in my living room. Parang mas lalong uminit.
I hope by the time I reach home tonight, I hear a humming i usually hear only in the office.
LC : wow, ansarap matulog nyan!
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24 April 2007, 3:45 pmmelai:
madalas mangyari sa kin yan …tsk tsk tsk dun sa convenient store sa baba ng condo dati.. yumayaman yata ng husto yung may-ari dahil sa ganyang diskarte..as in mga may-ari pa ng store ang hindi nagsusukli ng maayos..minsan nakakakahiya ng kunin yung naiwang sukli kasi naiuwi ko na ng bahay yung pinamili ko.. ako pa nahiya e no.
LC : haha! ikaw nga ang nagpapayaman sa kanya. wag ka na mahiya sa susunod. sayang din yon kahit barya. chocnut din yon
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24 April 2007, 4:14 pmiskoo:
di ako aware dito, dapat nga binibilang kasi kung sobra naman ibinigay nila cashier ang magbabayad. back to your topic, meron palang mga ganitong modus operandi, naku kung ako yun isusumbong ko talaga sa manager.
LC: honestly, im still not sure if it was an MO or an honest mistake. pero may tell-tale signs lang ako na there was intent to fraud. basta mag-ingat pa rin tayo.
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24 April 2007, 4:37 pmMich:
wow galing, napuna mo yun! yeah, i better count my change from now on. Nakakatamad kse mismo i-count ang coins. hihihi!
LC : thanks! hay, i understand nakakatamad magbilang lalo na pag tigsi-singko.
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24 April 2007, 4:59 pmann:
Madalang lang akong magbayad ng cash, laging atm gamit ko, pero hindi rin ako mahilig magbilang ng sukli lalo dito na (siguro) bihira yung mga intentional na gagawa ng ganyan, takot lang nila na mawalan ng trabaho.
LC : mahigpit kasi dyan sa inyo, and it’s actually a good thing kasi tulad nyan, secure at safe kayo. dito, hay naku, may problemang hatid din yang mga atm at credit crd ang gamit sa pagbayad.
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25 April 2007, 11:28 amcat:
Meron ding instances na kulang sukli binibigay sayo, pero sasabihin nila. Like kulang ng 25 centavos, mostly, magsasabi na lang na ok lang, 25 centavos lang naman, pero come to think of it, kung meron 100 customers siya at ginaganyan nila, eh my P25 siya..kaya ako, hindi talaga ako pumapayag, kahit ano pa sasabihin nila, hehehe
LC: oo nga, nakakainis yung mga ganyan. pero minsan pumapayag ako makaalis na lang ako. pero pag antipatika ang kahera, di ako pumapayag
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25 April 2007, 11:42 amsasha:
Ngaun ko lang nalaman ang ganito. Thanks for the info, Cess! Naku, ako rin I don’t count my change talaga. Normally binubulsa ko agad. Mahirap yang ganyan kasi maraming katulad natin na, lalo na at nagmamadali, tiwala sa kahera na sinuklian ka ng tama.
Sang store yan?
P.S. Dito na rin ako magha-hi at nagloloko ang cbox… Happy Wednesday! Kumusta na?
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25 April 2007, 3:48 pmkneeko:
anong commercial un wheeww.. di ata alam yan
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26 April 2007, 2:36 amJO:
i never count my change either… that’s why it is always convenient for me to pay with my debit card or credit card. that way, less hassle when paying.
but thanks for the tip.
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26 April 2007, 6:44 amMommyBa:
95% of the time I count my change. Maraming beses na rin nangyari na kulang magsukli ang mga kahera. Pero nangyayari rin naman na over ang sukli nila sa ‘kin. Madalas naman yun mangyari sa mga fast food chain. Believe it or not, isinosoli ko kahit 25 centavos na over. Minsan tinanong ako ng isang kaibigan bakit sinosoli ko pa. Isa lang naman ang dahilan ko dun, ‘di ko ikakayaman ang ‘di dapat na sa akin.
Thanks for the heads up, Cess. Iba na ang panahon ngayon dahil nga ang hirap ng buhay. let’s just be conscientious about our spending.
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26 April 2007, 9:46 amwatson:
Naku…. guilty as charged ako Cess. I don’t count my change. Sige po gagawin ko na next time… pag nahuli ko sya, isusumbong ko sa yo.
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26 April 2007, 6:06 pmTiKey:
Ibig sabihin she counted your sukli at tama nman ito, pero once she handed it to ur hand, iniwan nya ung 10 pesos? hanep na strategy un ah! kung 10 kayong customer nya, naka 100 na sya…. hanep ah!!! Naku Ate khit 10 pesos lang un dapat tlga sinabi mona sa boss nya or kung sino man manager dat time, khit 10 pesos lang un, sa pawis at pagod galing un, tapus kukupitin nya.. hmmppp.. mabatukan nga yan..
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26 April 2007, 8:15 pmidealpinkrose:
nice post! ako rin yong taong di nagbibilang ng sukli at pag inabot yong pera ay bagsak lang sa bag at hindi sa wallet. kaya nga napapansin ko na ang cashiers ay laging tumitingin sa akin sa ginagawa kong yon.
ako rin kasi yong taong masyadong mapagtiwala sa tao. ngayon alam ko na ang gagawin ko..salamat sa post mo sis…
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26 April 2007, 10:20 pmghee:
hmmm,mukhang sanay na sanay na sha..ilang sampung piso nga lang at makakarami sha sa isang araw..next time pala,i need to count my change,kahit na coins.pag nasa pinas ako,i dont bother talaga,nakasanayan ko na rin dito,na honest ang mga tao,pero pansin ko agad pag malaki ang kulang,syempre,lalo na pag papel
buti na lang at binilang mo,disgusting,di man lang sha nag apologize sa yo…a real veteran and pathetic one…tsk tsk…
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28 April 2007, 5:37 pmPipay:
Real mom…oo nga ano? eheheh. Hindi ko i dedeny, stage mother ako. Ever! ahahaha!
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29 April 2007, 9:00 pmBetty T. Lopez:
Mas madalas you are shortchanged if you dont count your change. Small cents can add up to hundreds of pesos consdering the bulk of transactions in big shops.
Thanks for passing by my blog!
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30 April 2007, 1:23 pmlazarus:
i don’t usually count my change. There is one store here na palagi kulang yung sukli. Meron naman na sobra ang sukli.
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30 April 2007, 4:39 pmauee:
hi got here from PinoyMom
This is new to me. Mabilis din ang kamay nung cashier ha.
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2 May 2007, 8:18 pmRowena:
hi lady ces,
this is my first time to visit your site. got your name from teacher julie’s blog roll. naaliw din ako sa mga stories mo…like you, never din ako nagbibilang sukli. automatic na saken to put it inside my pocket. the worst are the manila taxi drivers…magbigay sila change less P10.00 then they will say, la ng barya eh…have to jot down all their names and plate numbers and report them to ltrb…eh naperwisyo din sila.:-)
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20 May 2007, 9:15 pmRowena:
hi, i mean ltfrb…from now on, ill be visiting this site everyday…
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20 May 2007, 9:16 pm