Exact Change Please

On Saturday, I went to pick up a few odds and ends.  Since the total for some nuts and bolts, a paintbrush, and some masking tape were rather minimal, I paid cash.  I handed the cashier a twenty and then patiently waited.  She held the bill her hand and just stared at me.  I felt awkward, so I did a double take to make sure I gave her enough, sure enough, I had.  She looked at me and repeated the total, “18euros and 42 cents”, with an emphasis on the later.  You see, French cashier like exact change, and I didn’t have it.

For the most part, I try to give the cashiers exact change, but I don’t always carry a fully loaded change purse with me.  Sometimes I can give them a penny or five cents to round it out; it makes it easier for them and my pockets a little lighter.  The “voluntary obligation” of always having the exact change is something I struggle with.  I was cashier back in high school.  I learned to make change without the register doing it for me, so I question why the obligation of always having that 42 cents on command.  Isn’t the register full of money to do that exact thing for them?

If I wanted to get philosophical, I can state I am doing my civic duty by helping out another human being by holding up the check-out line as I search my pockets for any spare change to make her life easier.  Or, I can argue I’m hurting society by making that cashier more dependable on computers and not letting her use her brain to do some simple math.  In the end, I’m not sure which is the right choice.  I’m either going to be shamed into carrying pounds of coins or simply have to accept the disgruntled looks.  For someone who’s been working hard on fitting in, I find it strange that I’m leaning towards the later.  But given that many of my pockets have holes and that I absolutely hate to sew, I seem to have no other choice.