primitives discuss using change to buy groceries

[franksolich]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x2249775

Oh my.

Liberal_in_LA  (1000+ posts)      Sat Nov-05-11 11:51 PM
Original message
 
Broke mom tries to pay for groceries for hungry kids with quarters. Store refused.

Mom Denied Groceries for 'Hungry Children' Because She Can Only Pay in Change

A mother, who's too embarrassed to release a photo of herself or her name, was denied at a grocery store when she tried to pay for her hungry family's food in loose change. The woman who's using the name "Jean" to get her story out said, "We had nothing to feed our children with. So we broke out the change."

Jean says that she brought $32 in quarters to the Save-a-Lot in Portland, and grabbed what she could afford from the store. When she got to the register, she told the clerk, "I have change. Sorry, it’s hard times right now." And he pretty much said, "Oh, hell no."

Actually, according to Jean, what he really said was, "Well, we can only accept $5." To which Jean responded, "It's money. Money's money." But he wouldn't budge. Jean was "mortified," so she went to another grocery store, where, at first, she was met with similar results.

The manager of the second store refused to accept her change as well, and instructed to her use to the change machine, which charges a 10 percent fee. Jean couldn't afford to lose the money, so she broke down and started crying in front of another customer. The stranger was moved by Jean's tears -- and disgusted with the store's policy -- so he told her he'd buy her change from her at no fee. After hearing that, the store agreed to just pay for the fee if she used the change machine.

http://thestir.cafemom.com/in_the_news/128227/mom_denie...

"We apologize for the inconvenience the customer experienced at the store," said Fred Meyer Public Affairs Director Melinda Merrill. "Receiving change for a payment is a rare occurrence. Fred Meyer stores do accept change as payment and we will work with our store directors and management teams to ensure they know this."

•QFC would only accept $5 or $6 in loose change.
•Albertsons said they would only accept $5.
•WinCo and Safeway didn’t have a cutoff, but said they tell customers to use the change machine.
•Only Whole Foods and New Seasons were open to accepting change, no matter what the amount.

http://www.katu.com/news/local/133019318.html?hpt=us_bn...

The campfire's miles and miles long, full of the Indignation of the Primitives.

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jeff47 (1000+ posts)      Sun Nov-06-11 01:58 AM
Response to Reply #19
 
42. Depends on the bank.

Some will roll for business customers, especially retail.

Horse with no Name  (1000+ posts)        Sun Nov-06-11 08:22 AM
Response to Reply #19
 
58. NOBODY takes rolled coins.

Codeine  (1000+ posts)      Sun Nov-06-11 10:05 AM
Response to Reply #58
 
71. I love taking rolled coins at our store.

Our bank charges a fee to buy rolled coin, while swapping it out with a customer is free and makes the customer happy -- win/win.

Horse with no Name  (1000+ posts)        Sun Nov-06-11 10:26 AM
Response to Reply #71
 
73. They don't around here

people have been known to put washers or slugs in the middle.

Hmmmm.

One wonders who's done that, putting washers and slugs in the middle.

I wouldn't take rolls from Ms. Ed nohow.

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Horse with no Name  (1000+ posts)        Sun Nov-06-11 08:42 AM
Response to Reply #43
 
62. Lots of transactions at the grocery store take up time.

So...how do you feel about couponers?

They take up lots of time.

What about new cashier trainees that don't know their produce codes and have to stop and look everything up?

They take up lots of time.

What about people buying a months worth of groceries at a time?

They take up lots of time.

What about Food Stamp, WIC transactions, and a cash purchase all in one?

They take up lots of time.

What about folks who buy cigarettes or Lottery Tickets? Most stores lock them up at a separate location and the cashier has to go across the store to get these items.

They take up lots of time.

What about allowing old people to write checks? It takes forever for some of them to write it out because of decreased motor skills, poor vision or generalized weakness.

They take up lots of time.

Why is that counting out MONEY in any form or fashion is more of a burden than any of these others types of transactions?

I'll give you the answer. Aesthetics. It is because most people do not want to SEE poverty and the stores do not want their other customers to feel uncomfortable about what they are being forced to witness.

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nadinbrzezinski  (1000+ posts)        Sun Nov-06-11 12:14 AM
Response to Original message
 
12. Ah yes great Depresion here

By the way have completed bill fr more than a few people. Happening more and mre often.

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

[Ballygrl]

If that happened then I think the store is totally wrong.

[Evil_Conservative]

If that happened then I think the store is totally wrong.

Agreed.

$32 in quarters, dimes, nickles and pennies is still money.  At least the mother wasn't out stealing food from someone's unlocked BMW.

[Mr Mannn]

No picture. No name of the victim...the source is a site I've never heard of before...

Sorry guys, I'm not believing this. Especially the part where its for hungry children-way too emotional.
The gal had gas to go to numerous stores...why didn't she go to her bank?! Oh. Right. Banks are eeeeeevil now.

Maybe for DUmmies this will work. But I'm calling Bullsh!t on this.

[Freeper]

Horse with no Name   (1000+ posts)             Sun Nov-06-11 08:34 AM
Response to Reply #53
60. Exactly.
   
Most of the grocery stores around here are trying hard to keep their doors open.

I have heard second and third-hand stories of that happening around her. In one story from an employee, the manager was running the register (regional chain)and a woman came up with a few groceries and had mostly nickels and dimes and pennies to pay for them. The groceries came to about the amount she had in change. The manager (who is a republican, by the way--but not a tea party idiot)told the woman to keep her change and he no-saled the purchase. He pulled the woman aside (who had a few kids with her)after she checked out and told her that if she needed anything else, to get it.

Human kindness exists out there...and hopefully as times get tougher, people will start seeing more of it.

Miny bouncy from the dick inspector. I love how she claims he is a repuke, but not a tea party person. 

[zeitgeist]

It would appear DUmmies are making the Republicans case that Obie Wun has created:



 

Good job Barry you have reduced the country to turning out the sofa and chairs for beer and travel money like a bunch of college students heading to spring break. 

[GOBUCKS]

If it happened, which of course, it didn't since this is a DUmp bouncy, the $32 was in a bag of mixed pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters.

The DUmbass wrote $32 on the bag, and expected the store to take it at face value.

No store would accept that, or count out a bag full of pennies, nickels, and dimes.

But of course, it didn't really happen at all. Remember, this is the DUmp.

[BattleHymn]

Hmmmm.

One wonders who's done that, putting washers and slugs in the middle.

I wouldn't take rolls from Ms. Ed nohow.

I wouldn't take rolled coins from any primitive.  I'd be relying on them to not pull a confidence scam, and if that wasn't the case, I'd be relying on their counting ability, which we know lies somewhere on the scale between piss-poor and non-existent. 

[Ballygrl]

The manager (who is a republican, by the way--but not a tea party idiot

How do you know he's not a Tea Party member? and what the hell does politics have to do with this?

[BattleHymn]

•QFC (union) would only accept $5 or $6 in loose change. 
•Albertsons (union) said they would only accept $5. 
•WinCo (not union) and Safeway (union) didn’t have a cutoff, but said they tell customers to use the change machine.
•Only Whole Foods (not union) and New Seasons (not union) were open to accepting change, no matter what the amount.

Maybe they should adapt the grasswire primitive's theory on pies, and only accept change from union members, or highly-paid employees of the state. 

[longview]

Oh, man.  That brought back memories.  But I don't buy their version which, as usual, is full of victimhood.

When hub first got sick, he went pretty nuts.  Got to the point that we didn't have enough to eat.  We were very far from anywhere, too.  I scrounged for all the change I could find, gathered the kidlets, found the car keys, and headed to the nearest town.  Saw a fruit stand and since the kids were hungry I stopped to buy what I could.  The guy at the stand started loading bags of fruit saying it was just going to go bad (not true).  His mom came out of their camper and told him, "You have never outgiven me yet," and she started loading things that would last.  They wouldn't take my change, either, though for a different reason. 

By nightfall we had a little house, I had a job, the kids had a babysitter, and the local grocery gave me $100 credit for whatever we needed.  Damn, that was an awful day that ended up beyond wonderful, though my pride was smashed and trampled.

I guess I suck at bouncies.  There were some small business owners, a couple corporate fellas, and a landlord that did nothing but help when they didn't have to.  This is about the only memory that can tear me up.