Can I get change with that?
This is a topic which will generate more questions than it will answer (unless you already know the answer!). It's perplexed me for some time but I've never taken the time to ask my Italian friends about it ... so I don't have any "from the horse's mouth" answers. Just ideas ...
The topic is best explained with a question:
Why does it appear that most Italian shopkeepers and vendors expect you to have EXACT change when paying with cash?
I know that others must have noticed this, because it's happened to us so many times, over so many years, in so many regions of Italy, over so many trips.
One goes into a store and wants to buy something for E4.25. One gives the shopkeeper E5.00. Shopkeeper actually picks through coins in hand (your hand) making up the E4.25 in twenty or thirty small coins ... and he ain't short on change.
Over 10 years, this has happened to us 20 or 30 times. No kidding.
It's also happened at gas stations.
Gas station attendant almost refuses to give change for a E39.00 purchase from a E50.00 bill. Only bill on my person. No cash otherwise. Finally, after much talk in Italian about why can't he "cambiare" ... and my Italian is good ... he finally relents and pulls out wads and wads of small bills as well as a change purse bursting with E2.00, E1.00 and E0.50 coins.
What gives?
My wife and I have hypothesized that it's a courtesy issue. If you're going to buy it, you should know how much it costs, and you should have the exact change ... or very, very close ... pennies maybe?
I'll make this a topic of research next trip (May 11 through May 19). I'll post my research here. In the meantime, please comment if you have an idea of what's behind this behavior. I'd hate to think I was being rude, or foolish, or stupid, or all three.
Thanks ... and Ciao!
-- Marco
The topic is best explained with a question:
Why does it appear that most Italian shopkeepers and vendors expect you to have EXACT change when paying with cash?
I know that others must have noticed this, because it's happened to us so many times, over so many years, in so many regions of Italy, over so many trips.
One goes into a store and wants to buy something for E4.25. One gives the shopkeeper E5.00. Shopkeeper actually picks through coins in hand (your hand) making up the E4.25 in twenty or thirty small coins ... and he ain't short on change.
Over 10 years, this has happened to us 20 or 30 times. No kidding.
It's also happened at gas stations.
Gas station attendant almost refuses to give change for a E39.00 purchase from a E50.00 bill. Only bill on my person. No cash otherwise. Finally, after much talk in Italian about why can't he "cambiare" ... and my Italian is good ... he finally relents and pulls out wads and wads of small bills as well as a change purse bursting with E2.00, E1.00 and E0.50 coins.
What gives?
My wife and I have hypothesized that it's a courtesy issue. If you're going to buy it, you should know how much it costs, and you should have the exact change ... or very, very close ... pennies maybe?
I'll make this a topic of research next trip (May 11 through May 19). I'll post my research here. In the meantime, please comment if you have an idea of what's behind this behavior. I'd hate to think I was being rude, or foolish, or stupid, or all three.
Thanks ... and Ciao!
-- Marco
posted by Mark Pukita | 1:05 PM
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