WHAT IS THE BIG DEAL ABOUT change?

I am one of those people who notice many things and oftentimes, even small and inconsequential details. And when I do, I always ponder why things have to be the way they are…...I do not accept convention and status quo for the sake of time-honored tradition. Yes, I am not making my life easy.

Unlike other countries abroad where people use very little cash, credit and ATM debit cards are still not the norm in our country. I have to point out a major customer irritant of business establishments and service providers in Manila – THEY DO HAVE ENOUGH CHANGE FOR THEIR CUSTOMERS.

There are four incidences that happened to me and an American female friend of mine in the past few months to illustrate how prevalent this bad practice is across size and scope of businesses.

First, my friend rushed into my apartment panicked and asked me for smaller bills because her cab driver didn’t have change for P500. All this, while the cab driver waited downstairs, with his meter running, for my friend to come back with her money. On several other occasions, the cab driver didn't have change for P100.

Second, the same friend relayed this story to me. She had dinner at a busy bar/restaurant in the Makati Avenue area and had to settle her bill ahead so she could leave her dinner group for another engagement. She handed over P1,000 for a P500 plus meal to the cashier who smirked at her because of the size of the bill. The cashier then proceeded to tell her waitress to ask the others in the dinner group to cover my friend’s tab, instead of telling the waitress get change as she should have done.

Third, I was standing in line at a major supermarket chain in the capital of a province in Luzon. I watched this episode between the cashier at the check-out counter and the customers in utter disbelief. The cashier became frazzled when a customer gave P500 for her purchases. After that, another customer gave the cashier P500 for his purchases. The cashier then turned to me, who was next in line, to ask me if I could change her money. I wanted to get out of there quickly and had change anyway, so I did change the cashier’s P500.

Fourth, I was shopping at a tourist handicraft store in the Intramuros area and overheard a saleslady questioning another colleague why Filipinos get annoyed when you ask them if they have cash in smaller denominations. WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL?

The customer is paying for your product and service. In return, as a business establishment, you make the sale and earn the profits. It is the responsibility of the business, not the customer, to be properly equipped to process the transaction. SO YES, IT IS A BIG DEAL IF YOU DO NOT HAVE CHANGE.

Please show some courtesy to your paying customers by keeping change handy. Plain and simple.

Tina Vitas
Makati City