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Loose change

Started by bgmnts, January 10, 2019, 01:59:13 AM

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shiftwork2

I put a few years' worth of coppers into the Coinstar machine in Asda the other week and broke it.  It was quite an interesting interaction.  First off it displays 'My, what a lot of coins you have!' (it was six or seven good handfuls), then there was the sound of the entry chute closing followed by 'Hey, wait while I catch up!'.  Then it properly fucked itself and displayed a big frowny face emoji thing with an 'Oh Dear!' as the alarm went off and an employee went off to fetch the key.  So, in summary, coins are bollocks and I can't wait till they go.

The student union bar across the road doesn't take cash at all.  Oh Dear!

seepage

Quote from: shiftwork2 on January 10, 2019, 04:49:50 PM
I put a few years' worth of coppers into the Coinstar machine in Asda the other week and broke it.  It was quite an interesting interaction.  First off it displays 'My, what a lot of coins you have!' (it was six or seven good handfuls), then there was the sound of the entry chute closing followed by 'Hey, wait while I catch up!'.  Then it properly fucked itself and displayed a big frowny face emoji thing with an 'Oh Dear!' as the alarm went off and an employee went off to fetch the key.  So, in summary, coins are bollocks and I can't wait till they go.

don't know if if was the  same model but - sainsbury's mate - dumped a rehoboam-full down it and it coped admirably - still had to endure an odd look at the counter cashing in the ticket though

Cloud

I accumulate pound coins if a meal out is expected as I have one of those mates who talks everyone into bill splitting then uses people's "I only have a 20 I'll just throw that in and call it done" to fund his own in a £17each kind of scenario.  Though I'm tending to avoid going so often now as it's embarrassing watching what is basically tip theft.  (Has a bit of a "lots of these guys are paid more than me" justification, he'd make a great socialist if he didn't vote Tory)

Local pubs also still are cash only around here, but with those I'm usually trying to minimise the amount of coins I get back

Can't think of any other use nowadays, even the buses take contactless.  Maybe if out in a city I'll try to remember to have some spare for the most legit looking homeless.

Replies From View

£3 tip not enough for a £17 bill?

Maow

#34
I hate generating data about myself when I have the option not to, so I pay for most things in cash. Cashiers sometimes turn the EFTPOS machine towards me and seem thrown when I produce actual money; they raise their eyebrows or joke that I'm one of those people. I'm a human being; I have rights, I think sadly, but I smile along with them. I'm in my early thirties, but already I feel like I've become an old person, out of sync with the dying world I once knew.

Icehaven

Quote from: Cloud on January 10, 2019, 09:33:09 PM
I accumulate pound coins if a meal out is expected as I have one of those mates who talks everyone into bill splitting then uses people's "I only have a 20 I'll just throw that in and call it done" to fund his own in a £17each kind of scenario.  Though I'm tending to avoid going so often now as it's embarrassing watching what is basically tip theft.  (Has a bit of a "lots of these guys are paid more than me" justification, he'd make a great socialist if he didn't vote Tory)

At a family meal a few months ago there were 12 of us, and (thanks to the meerkat deal) the bill worked out to £18 each. My cousin's boyfriend, an accountant who apparently immediately checks the house prices every time he goes somewhere new, soon clocked everyone was just chucking £20 notes in and offered to pay with his card and have the money, and I don't doubt for one minute that he'd have paid the exact bill then happily gone away with his meal paid for and £4 profit. Luckily my other cousin's girlfriend (who'd organised the meal) was on to him and gathered the money sharpish and paid in cash. Utter shamelessnessnessness.

Cloud

Quote from: Replies From View on January 10, 2019, 09:53:56 PM
£3 tip not enough for a £17 bill?

It's a rough example (and £17 each, not in total!).  Not to start on any "should and how much should you tip" debates.

Quote from: icehaven on January 10, 2019, 10:56:48 PM
At a family meal a few months ago there were 12 of us, and (thanks to the meerkat deal) the bill worked out to £18 each. My cousin's boyfriend, an accountant who apparently immediately checks the house prices every time he goes somewhere new, soon clocked everyone was just chucking £20 notes in and offered to pay with his card and have the money, and I don't doubt for one minute that he'd have paid the exact bill then happily gone away with his meal paid for and £4 profit. Luckily my other cousin's girlfriend (who'd organised the meal) was on to him and gathered the money sharpish and paid in cash. Utter shamelessnessnessness.

Haha good on her.  There are some very calculating people out there, I just find it hard to understand when someone's doing it to their mates.  Everyone knows what's up.  The other week this guy took charge of the bill (which I saw) and actually added a quid on to the "it's soandso each" for a better chance of subsidy.  This is not someone who would make a miscalculation, he was always by far top of the class at mental arithmetic.

Cuntbeaks

Quote from: Replies From View on January 10, 2019, 06:35:36 AM
I have never heard of people treating loose change as a fashion accessory.  Is it the noise people like?

I carry loose coins because I need them to buy stuff, and in particular need to stockpile £1 coins for my elecriticity meter and the launderette.

Are you an ex junky that sold their washing machine and couldn't pay the lecco?

Jockice

Quote from: icehaven on January 10, 2019, 10:56:48 PM
At a family meal a few months ago there were 12 of us, and (thanks to the meerkat deal) the bill worked out to £18 each. My cousin's boyfriend, an accountant who apparently immediately checks the house prices every time he goes somewhere new, soon clocked everyone was just chucking £20 notes in and offered to pay with his card and have the money, and I don't doubt for one minute that he'd have paid the exact bill then happily gone away with his meal paid for and £4 profit. Luckily my other cousin's girlfriend (who'd organised the meal) was on to him and gathered the money sharpish and paid in cash. Utter shamelessnessnessness.

I literally don't understand this sort of stuff, the being competitive about how much you can personally benefit from a joint bill. I have the feeling I've been done in such circumstances before (and others too, fake beggars and  suchlike) but frankly I don't care.

Actually I don't care too much for money anyway. Financial stuff bores the shit out of me. And because I'm not bothered about it I've ended up being not badly off. If that makes sense.

Lisa Jesusandmarychain

Quote from: Jockice on January 11, 2019, 08:22:16 AM


Actually I don't care too much for money anyway. Financial stuff bores the shit out of me. And because I'm not bothered about it I've ended up being not badly off. If that makes sense.

The Beatles in the early 60s advised to " tighten up the lyrics a bit ".

checkoutgirl

Quote from: Replies From View on January 10, 2019, 06:35:36 AM
I have never heard of people treating loose change as a fashion accessory.  Is it the noise people like?

I carry loose coins because I need them to buy stuff, and in particular need to stockpile £1 coins for my elecriticity meter and the launderette.

Don't have electricity meter. Do have washing machine. Everything else from a loaf of bread to a bus fare is on some card or other. The only things I can imagine I'd need cash for is drug deals or prostitutes but that would be folding money presumably. As for coins? Maybe for beggars or those candles you get in churches but I wouldn't go out  of my way to obtain change for either of them.

I think tap pay cards are going to put beggars out of business if they haven't already. They'll have to diversify and start robbing people. Or get a job. Or a credit card reader.

thenoise

Quote from: icehaven on January 10, 2019, 10:25:20 AM
They should get one of these;


I reckon they'd make a lot more, the same feeling of not spending anything would apply and more people would be inclined to give if there was no embarrassing handing over of a few measly coins.

Why don't they just buy a house? Then they wouldn't be homeless any more, seems much nicer than sitting about in the cold and getting dirty.

I suppose they'd have to get a proper job then wouldn't they??!? #fuming

Cuellar

Quid for the trolley in Aldi.

But I've got a little token thing now.

Icehaven

Quote from: thenoise on January 11, 2019, 11:15:22 AM
Why don't they just buy a house? Then they wouldn't be homeless any more, seems much nicer than sitting about in the cold and getting dirty.

I suppose they'd have to get a proper job then wouldn't they??!? #fuming

Well I was making a (admittedly flippant) joke, however further down the thread someone said that some Big Issue sellers do actually have them, which was unexpected.

Cloud

Quote from: Jockice on January 11, 2019, 08:22:16 AM
I literally don't understand this sort of stuff, the being competitive about how much you can personally benefit from a joint bill. I have the feeling I've been done in such circumstances before (and others too, fake beggars and  suchlike) but frankly I don't care.

Actually I don't care too much for money anyway. Financial stuff bores the shit out of me. And because I'm not bothered about it I've ended up being not badly off. If that makes sense.

I wish I didn't care either in the similar situation I described, as to be fair as much as I bitch he is still a mate and definitely not one I'd throw away over a few quid.  (It's not so much the money anyway, it's the sneakiness and the feeling that it's insulting our intelligence).  Everyone has their faults and bad habits, this is one of his...
I feel it's one of those "quite British" things that we're all fully cognisant of what's going on (there are many other tactics used, it's become like a game to the guy and it's WAY more obvious than he seems to think) but afraid to say anything and instead let ourselves wallow in resentment or bitch semi-anonymously on the internet.

Maurice Yeatman

Quote from: icehaven on January 11, 2019, 11:23:58 AM
Well I was making a (admittedly flippant) joke, however further down the thread someone said that some Big Issue sellers do actually have them, which was unexpected.

Here's a recent Guardian article on it: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/dec/03/big-issue-to-trial-card-readers-after-steep-decline-in-carrying-cash

A few individual sellers were buying them off their own backs, reported that they sold more copies, so Big Issue management are currently trialling it across England.

Sony Walkman Prophecies

Quote from: Maurice Yeatman on January 10, 2019, 12:24:39 PM
Some Big Issue sellers have those card readers too. Haven't seen any yet, but it was mentioned in a Big Issue a few weeks ago.

Met a Big Issue seller outside Liverpool Street station last year who had one.

Jockice

Quote from: Cloud on January 11, 2019, 11:31:37 AM
I wish I didn't care either in the similar situation I described, as to be fair as much as I bitch he is still a mate and definitely not one I'd throw away over a few quid.  (It's not so much the money anyway, it's the sneakiness and the feeling that it's insulting our intelligence).  Everyone has their faults and bad habits, this is one of his...
I feel it's one of those "quite British" things that we're all fully cognisant of what's going on (there are many other tactics used, it's become like a game to the guy and it's WAY more obvious than he seems to think) but afraid to say anything and instead let ourselves wallow in resentment or bitch semi-anonymously on the internet.

I just have a 'you win some you lose some' attitude. My mates aren't really that sort anyway and there have been times I've gone to the pub with them and not bought a round because I've been the last one to turn up and recently a mate of mine bought me a ticket (along with several others) to the cinema and I never made it. I offered to pay but he wouldn't take it it so it's swings and roundabouts really.

With strangers it's a different matter. Very recently I 'lent' some money to a guy who claimed he had ran out of petrol on the motorway and the garage wouldn't accept his card. He gave me an email address to contact him afterwards but I'd be very surprised if it was his. I haven't even tried it yet. But I work on the principle that to do that sort of thing you have to either be desperate or just a total cunt. I feel sorry for him whichever it is. It's really no skin off my nose. If I was skint I might feel differently though.

Cloud

Quote from: Jockice on January 11, 2019, 01:04:55 PM
I just have a 'you win some you lose some' attitude. My mates aren't really that sort anyway and there have been times I've gone to the pub with them and not bought a round because I've been the last one to turn up and recently a mate of mine bought me a ticket (along with several others) to the cinema and I never made it. I offered to pay but he wouldn't take it it so it's swings and roundabouts really.

With strangers it's a different matter. Very recently I 'lent' some money to a guy who claimed he had ran out of petrol on the motorway and the garage wouldn't accept his card. He gave me an email address to contact him afterwards but I'd be very surprised if it was his. I haven't even tried it yet. But I work on the principle that to do that sort of thing you have to either be desperate or just a total cunt. I feel sorry for him whichever it is. It's really no skin off my nose. If I was skint I might feel differently though.

Getting deja vu as I think I made the same rant in another thread and had the same conversation... this is a case where it's all swings and no roundabouts (or is it all roundabouts and no swings) but to be fair to the guy I can only go by my own relationship.  I'm one of those who if I "owe" someone a pint there's a burning desire and mental note to get it back asap (to the point of actively avoiding rounds as best I can as I don't like trying to remember who I still owe one at the end of the night) and that includes him.  So usually I end up on the losing side.  TBH, that's the side I'd rather be on anyway.  When it comes to others he is probably getting rounds in and not getting them back too often, and so finding that it evens it out.

I should probably have a more relaxed "let people buy you a drink, don't sweat it and try to maintain your fair share" approach, perhaps that would cancel out both worries.

Still not good for the restaurant staff having their tips absorbed though but I guess if it's just seen as a "pool" of money that will happen.

As for beggars, who knows, maybe you were conned maybe not.  You did a nice thing - maybe even if he was pulling a trick, eventually later in life he'd look back in shame and reflect on how people can be nice and just maybe turn a corner.  Or maybe he was telling the truth and will pay it forward to someone else.  I think within reason I don't mind the risk that a beggar (thinking in general on the street) is pulling a fast one as it's a shame to deny those genuinely in need just because of that chance.  But this video is pretty interesting on it.  You can tell if someone is genuinely sleeping rough (which is not the only form of homelessness, but probably the most urgent at this time of year) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00dLRALWI8g
I don't mean any of this in a virtue-signally way and have walked past many a beggar, sometimes in shame, and frequently because of wanting to get from A to B without getting hassled.  There can be all sorts of reasons other than that they might be a professional.  Just mulling the subject over really

Jockice

I think we (or maybe I and someone else on here) have had this conversation before. I used to drive my dad mad with my unbothered attitude to money. He (and to a lesser extent my mum) were absolutely convinced that I was a naive little boy who would fall for any scam going. Which I'm not. I'm not that daft. I also got repeatedly urged by them to get rid of my credit card because of 'all that interest' I was apparently paying. Even me telling (and showing them) that I always paid it off before I got charged (a record I've kept up for the last 35 years, apart from one occasion when the payment for a holiday went through too quickly and I went over my limit and another occasion when I accidentally paid off too little) didn't convince them.

When my dad died we found the last 25 years worth of bank statements filed and annoted. Fair enough if that's the way he did things but I'd barely even look at mine once. And more recently I was visiting a cousin who had a 50-minute conversation with someone from his mobile company over an apparent tenner extra on his bill. I could of course only hear half of this but was so bored rigid that in the end I was practically praying for him to realise that it was only a tenner and give up.

But that's just me.

Jockice

Quote from: Jockice on January 11, 2019, 01:04:55 PM
With strangers it's a different matter. Very recently I 'lent' some money to a guy who claimed he had ran out of petrol on the motorway and the garage wouldn't accept his card. He gave me an email address to contact him afterwards but I'd be very surprised if it was his. I haven't even tried it yet. But I work on the principle that to do that sort of thing you have to either be desperate or just a total cunt. I feel sorry for him whichever it is. It's really no skin off my nose. If I was skint I might feel differently though.

Well I've tried it and it does seem to be a genuine email address, which is a bit of a turn-up for the books. Maybe he was on the level. There was something about him that made me think he might have been (and take it from me I've had enough people trying to rip me off in the past), although of course if someone really is a good conman you wouldn't suspect him either.

So I've sent him a short email saying happy to help and giving my address on the off-chance he wants to send me the money. It wasn't a huge amount and if he doesn't I'll just put it down to experience. Of course, he'll probably now burgle my flat next time I'm out.


Jockice

Quote from: Jockice on January 11, 2019, 01:04:55 PM
I just have a 'you win some you lose some' attitude. My mates aren't really that sort anyway and there have been times I've gone to the pub with them and not bought a round because I've been the last one to turn up and recently a mate of mine bought me a ticket (along with several others) to the cinema and I never made it. I offered to pay but he wouldn't take it it so it's swings and roundabouts really.

Actually, as I don't drink, I usually end up driving people home from (and with a certain group of friends to) the pub anyway. I don't have a problem with that at all, but as I usually only have a couple of cokes whereas they have several pints and then don't have to bother getting and paying for a taxi, I think they do not bad out of it. I do usually offer to get a round in though (and dry roasties and normal-flavoured crisps. NO FUCKING DORITOS PLEASE) but sometimes they won't let me buy one.

Maybe someday I'll work out whether I benefit financially or not. But I suspect I'd have to be more bored than I've ever been in my life to do so.

Brian Freeze

Got an old pound coin in some change the other day. Please make sure you check your change as mistakes cannot be rectified.

It works in trolleys and lockers so it's not too bad, still galls me though. Dreamt last night that I'd been given a tenner worth of old ones. Nightmare!