The Editor,
I've noticed a growing trend when paying with cash: In three cases, I was intentionally short-changed.
One clerk, after charging me for a grocery bag, informed me when I asked about the incorrect change I was given, said, "You don't need the pennies, do you?"
At a restaurant where my purchase was $38.68, I was only given a loonie change for the $40 I had given to my server. When I brought that to her attention, she informed me that the restaurant was not giving out any coin less than a dollar.
And at a gas station, for a $24.93 purchase, I was only given back $5 from my $30 cash. If the attendant wasn't giving coins back, why didn't he pump to an even amount?
I find this trend quite unsettling. Is it not the retailer's obligation to return what is due to me? Is it not up to me to decide whether I will leave the change if I do not want it?
And in the future without pennies, how are the retailers going to ensure the public is satisfied with how our change is handled? Are they going to use the situation to their advantage?
Annie Watson, Port Coquitlam
