Grocery store refuses payment in coins

[The Straight Story]

PORTLAND, Ore. – A Portland woman says a grocery store wouldn’t let her pay for her family’s food because she was paying for it with loose change.

“Jean” was too embarrassed to show her face or use her real name, but she wanted people to hear her story.

“We had nothing to feed our children with,” she said. “So we broke out the change.”

Jean said she brought $32 in quarters to Save-a-Lot in Southeast Portland. After she grabbed her groceries, she waited until the checkout line cleared so she could pay.

“And when I went up, I told them, you know ‘I have change. Sorry, it’s hard times right now.’ And they go, 'well we can only accept $5,'" Jean said.

http://www.katu.com/news/local/133019318.html

[mwooldri]

1. Oh the power of the media....

Call up stating that you're from a TV station and get told one thing... call up as Joe Public and get told another.

It is amazing what a TV camera can do. Many moons ago, I participated in a charity "Jail Break". Our two groups - one with a TV crew and one without - raided coaches (National Express - like Greyhound Buses) stopped at a motorway rest area. The group that went on the bus with the TV crew got significantly more donations than my group... without TV camera.

[Angry Dragon]

2. Bottom of article

'The KATU Problem Solvers checked with the Oregon Attorney General, who said while there is a federal law saying coins are legal tender, there is not a law that mandates private businesses accept them as payment.'

I believe the AG is wrong.

[ParkieDem]

5. No, the AG is correct.

Currency and coin are legal tender for all DEBTS, public and private. Courts have ruled repeatedly that retail transactions such as these are not debts.

That's why convenience stores can refuse to accept bills larger than a $20, and why Apple Stores can require payment with a credit or debit card.

On a side note, IMHO, we need to seriously revamp our currency system and get rid of the penny, and get $1 and $2 coins out there like they have for the Euro, but that's an entirely different argument for another thread ....

[Shagbark Hickory]

12. Except that this is DU and we must continue the different argument right now.

Except that I happen to agree with you.
:+

[PetrusMonsFormicarum]

3. If it was a wheelbarrow full of pennies

I could understand, but a quarter is still a quarter, and Sav-a-Lot (not known to let pesky brain cells get in the way of doing business) are essentially idiots.

Hey, there's no slot in the cash drawer for 2-dollar bills, so I guess they won't accept those either.

[MineralMan]

4. Dumbass store people. If I had been there, I'd have paid for

the woman's purchase with my debit card and taken the quarters in exchange. Idiotic store employees are morons.

[ParkieDem]

6. Not to brag on myself, but ...

I did something similar the other day. It just made me so happy to do it.

As background, a couple of days before we had talked in my Sunday School class about "handouts," being generous, etc. I then found myself in Aldi, in the checkout line behind a couple that was taking a while to pay for their groceries (nothing much, maybe $12 worth of essentials - pasta, cheese, some meats, milk, etc.) For some reason, their debit card wasn't working. I don't know if it was a bank debit card or an EBT card, and I really didn't care - so I just offered to pay for their groceries for them.

They were so grateful and it made me happy. Not much $ out of my pocket, but it apparently made their day. I'll admit I'm normally not a "random acts of kindness" person, but that was very fulfilling.

[MineralMan]

9. That's good of you to do. I've often made up the shortage

when someone in front of me discovers they don't have enough cash to pay for all their groceries. It keeps the line moving and solves a problem. I just hate to see anyone have to take something out of their pile of stuff over a small amount of money.

On the other hand, I was behind someone recently who had picked up the wrong size package on a 2 for 1 deal at the store. Rather than pay for the mistake, an ugly argument started between the shopper and the customer. There were three people behind me in the line, and I was right behind this person. After a very short time, I heard the amount in dispute, got my wallet, and came up the exact amount. I got the checker's attention, handed her the amount, and gave the customer "the look." The argument ended and the line started moving again. In that case, I wasn't trying to do the customer a favor. I was just trying to get rid of the bottleneck.

Usually, I use the self-check lane. I'm somewhat impatient with people, I guess.

[TheMightyFavog]

7. I know it's a little different in the UK...

IIRC, a merchant there is under no obligation to accept any more than 20p worth of 1 or 2p coins.

[Codeine]

8. It's a pain, but I take coins at our store all the time.

If they have a huge shitload of pennies I'll give them some empty rolls and a space to roll them, but I'd much rather have a happy customer and a sale on the books than a pissed-off customer and groceries unsold regardless of the currency on offer.

People need food and I need money. :shrug:

[gvstn]

10. For a grocery store this is ridiculous.

I worked in a grocery store and we bought $1000 dollar boxes of quarters from the bank nearly every day. We never got enough quarters from customers for out needs.

There are 40 quarters in a roll. Takes about 30-60 seconds to make a roll of quarters. Big deal--three extra rolls at the end of the shift. Seems they just want their % commission from CoinStar. Poorest people get hit again. :(

*BTW, I was infuriated the other day when I went to cash a check I received at the bank it was drawn on and they had a $5 charge to cash their OWN check (for non-customers). WTF!
I purposely didn't want to put it through my checking account because it was "fun" money and I didn't want it to end up paying bills. I couldn't believe this was legal but they wouldn't budge. Something wrong with that system. I had a choice but someone without a checking account is stuck paying $5 just to cash their check at the bank it is written on. This should be illegal.

[Codeine]

18. Totally agree.

I love buying rolled coin; the bank charges us a coin fee, so we save money when customers bring in their coins. They save on the Coinstar cut, we save on the bank cut.

[pipi_k]

11. There's a real simple answer to that...

You go to a bank, ask for those paper coin rollers.

You roll up your coins, put your name and address on them, and then turn them in at the bank for paper money.

I have done it many times.

The bank doesn't care how you got the coins. Nobody judges you there, and you don't have to feel ashamed.

[LeftinOH]

13. There are lots of people who *never* go to banks; don't have a bank account, and cash any checks

they may receive at those check-cashing places. This family may not be among them, but the various services which banks provide are unknown to some people.

[WolverineDG]

16. And if the bank is closed & you need the food now..... nt

[dionysus]

17. i managed to get denied doin that at a credit union once... but their "office" was little more

than a cubby-hole on a college campus.

[dionysus]

14. shit, i went to my tiny credit union with a couple hundred bucks in quarters... they wouldn't let me

deposit it! (they were so small they didn't deal with change at all! it was a little tiny room in the tunnels underthe RIT campus, not like a full service branch of a CU or bank)

[WolverineDG]

15. But if it had been a federal holiday

they'd have been overjoyed to see all those quarters.

I used to hate working the register over a federal holiday weekend. Seemed that everyone waited until those weekends to need all those freakin' pennies. :grr: Anyone paying with correct change or dumping coins (especially pennies) got something free from me (usually a drink or fries).

dg

[dixiegrrrrl]

19. Our Dollar General store LOVES to get coins from me.

I keep about 200.00 in coins wrapped at any given time, often grab a few roll when I have to dash to the local Dollar store.
They are happy to take them, since it saves the manager from having to drive a few miles to the bank to get change. They never count the coins, they know me.
What they are NOT happy about is having to break 50.00/100.00 bills on a Friday afternoon
( payday around here).

I suspect the "big" grocery stores would not be as happy, and would want to count the coins.Even tho they know me also.