I was in the newsagents just behind a girl who was buying a bottle of fizzy drink. Oh, just keep the (5p) change she said, dismissively, to the man behind the counter
He told me that I would be surprised at how often that kind of thing happens these days. People just cannot be bothered
Now I have what I know is close to an obsession with giving the right change, if I can, when paying by cash. This is because I hate accumulating a mass of cash in my purse – it is surprisingly heavy, & if not kept under control will eventually lead you to having to scrabble to count out £4.72 in small change because you have no note left
I have noticed how the people I am handing over the money to find it increasingly difficult to check. It is not just youngsters who struggle – people are just not fluent at it any more. A consequence of plastic & automated transactions I suppose
No wonder these machines which change coins into more manageable forms of currency are so popular. Though at 7% commission it will be a long time I think it worth saving myself the bother of counting
