The 75 cent trick rides again

[Skeptical Greg]

What I now refer to as the 75 cent trick used to be something I did to simplify cashier's jobs. Long ago, back when snakes wore tennis shoes, they used to appreciate it. Now I use it to infuriate them. Why? Because, as they got more innumerate, I got more scowls whenever I did this.

I understand Randi often confronts cashiers when the whip out the old counterfeit detecting pens. One of which, BTW, the aforementioned cashier used on me. Just made me giggle all the more to watch him whip out his magic pen and then get confused by the change I gave him.

Cheers,

Here we go on a tangent..

The counterfeit detector pens...


I have heard about this, but have gotten mixed mesages..

I know there are some genuine ones, because a bank teller demonstrated it for me.. She marked on a $20 and it was brown, then she marked on some plain paper and it was yellow...

Is it easy to fool by treating the counterfeit bills in some way, or are there just a lot of phony pens?

 

[BillHoyt]

Here we go on a tangent..

The counterfeit detector pens...


I have heard about this, but have gotten mixed mesages..

I know there are some genuine ones, because a bank teller demonstrated it for me.. She marked on a $20 and it was brown, then she marked on some plain paper and it was yellow...

Is it easy to fool by treating the counterfeit bills in some way, or are there just a lot of phony pens?

They are all phony. They are loaded with an iodine-based ink. Iodine reacts with starch, which is present in many cheaper papers. Basically, it simply detects cheap paper. Most counterfeit paper is not made cheaply. And, of course, one can drive them crazy by buying spray-on laundry starch, and spraying only the left side of the bills. Watch the faces as you ask them to mark the other half of the bill. What to do? Half is fake! Half is real!

Cheers,

 

[BillHoyt]

Uh... better add a disclaimer here. People have the right to destroy your money if they think it is counterfeit. If you're not careful with this trick, you could wind up watching in horror as your twenty is ripped up before your face. Before you get a chance to ask them to mark the other half of the bill.

Cheers

 

[Skeptical Greg]

They are all phony. They are loaded with an iodine-based ink. Iodine reacts with starch, which is present in many cheaper papers. Basically, it simply detects cheap paper. Most counterfeit paper is not made cheaply. And, of course, one can drive them crazy by buying spray-on laundry starch, and spraying only the left side of the bills. Watch the faces as you ask them to mark the other half of the bill. What to do? Half is fake! Half is real!

Cheers,

Thanks... Makes sense...

I like that...

Cheap Paper Detector ...........

 

[Soapy Sam]

People have the right to destroy your money if they think it is counterfeit. (my italics).
Really? Even people who need a computer to give correct change?
Now that IS scary!

 

[BobM]

Uh... better add a disclaimer here. People have the right to destroy your money if they think it is counterfeit. If you're not careful with this trick, you could wind up watching in horror as your twenty is ripped up before your face

Umm... I don't think that's true.

For one, if it really was counterfiet, they'd be damaging the evidence.

 

[BillHoyt]

Umm... I don't think that's true.

For one, if it really was counterfiet, they'd be damaging the evidence.

I'm trying to look this up right now. I've seen it done twice now. Once in a bank. Once in a sandwich shop. Both customers acted horrified. I can't find any references online for this, though.

The bill was torn in two in both cases that I witnessed, so the evidence was not destroyed. I'm looking for the law or regulations on this. So far, I can only find that the satellite FRBs are authorized to mark and pull counterfeits out of circulation.

Cheers,

 

[BillHoyt]

I found a few "cash handling" manuals online. They all instruct cashiers to retain the bill (not to accept it as legal tender, though) and to contact management or the police. The only thing I can think of that explains the ripping in half I've seen two times is ensuring the counterfeit is not put back into circulation.

Cheers,

 

[Solitaire]

They are all phony. They are loaded with an iodine-based ink. Iodine reacts with starch, which is present in many cheaper papers. Basically, it simply detects cheap paper. Most counterfeit paper is not made cheaply. And, of course, one can drive them crazy by buying spray-on laundry starch, and spraying only the left side of the bills. Watch the faces as you ask them to mark the other half of the bill. What to do? Half is fake! Half is real!

Uncut Bills at The United States Mint

Well, for fun you could buy a sheet of uncut bills and then pay the cashier
by cutting out the bills with a pair of scissors whilst complaining about how
lazy the government has become. I think some printers will perforate the
sheet for a small fee allowing you to just rip them out instead.

 

[jimlintott]

I have to make change where I work and we have no til to calculate it. I count it back with no problem and I would likely thank Bill for making it easier. Others that I work with have to grab a calculator to figure out change.

I have tried teaching this to some people. Might as well teach bricks to fly.

What is even more fun is to hold a bill in your hand so that it is obvious. Often they will punch it in as cash tendered and then you pull out your change and play the 75 cent game. It's hilarious. I'm not a little old lady so they never suspect I have a pocketful of change to get rid of.

 

[BillHoyt]

"little box that steals souls"

Riiigghhht.

As far as I know, being responsible for managing money is a cashier's primary job. Occassionally you might get your quarter in 20 seconds instead of getting it in 10 seconds, but you will get it.

T'ai,

You zeroed in on the sideshow and ignored ring 1. The point of my comment is this: the register tells them the amount, not the intent. So it shows 5.25. Do they give me back my 6 cents and 19 more to make the 25 or do they understand what I wanted? The evidence from experience says they don't understand the intent. (Otherwise they would not have questioned what I gave them.)

In the case of the argumentative fast-food joint girl from a few years ago, she argued with me. She thought she knew I gave her too much. Well, duh! Had I just given her the larger bill, I would still have given "too much." Right? She has no problem with that. She had a fundamental math problem. She didn't get it.

The problem, as I see it is two-fold: they don't know basics, but they are full of "feel-good" self-confidence. So much so, that they assume I'm the dummy. When I demonstrate to them that they are sadly mistaken, they get their dander up. Personally, when I was working various deal-with-the-public jobs I was always mortified and apologetic when I made mistakes. And I never argued with customers. I explained what I thought to be the case. And I offered to check with someone else if they didn't like my explanation.

Cheers,

 

[a_unique_person]

Uncut Bills at The United States Mint

Well, for fun you could buy a sheet of uncut bills and then pay the cashier
by cutting out the bills with a pair of scissors whilst complaining about how
lazy the government has become. I think some printers will perforate the
sheet for a small fee allowing you to just rip them out instead.

Did you see the price? $50 for 32 one dollar bills. I think I'll give that joke a miss.

In Australia, the one and two cent coins are long gone. Now I'm hoping they get rid of the five cent coins. Just a damm waste of time.

One comdian out here promised that if he was voted for, he'd bring out the 99 cent coin.

As for the coins, the 25 cent quarter is pretty stupid because it just makes the maths harder. The US tried to get a dollar coin out, but due to short sighted political opportunism, IIRC, it was pulled.

 

[Bluegill]

Uncut Bills at The United States Mint

Well, for fun you could buy a sheet of uncut bills and then pay the cashier
by cutting out the bills with a pair of scissors whilst complaining about how
lazy the government has become. I think some printers will perforate the
sheet for a small fee allowing you to just rip them out instead.

That would be really, really funny. I laughed out loud when I read this.

 

[Bluegill]

Did you see the price? $50 for 32 one dollar bills. I think I'll give that joke a miss.

In Australia, the one and two cent coins are long gone. Now I'm hoping they get rid of the five cent coins. Just a damm waste of time.

One comdian out here promised that if he was voted for, he'd bring out the 99 cent coin.

As for the coins, the 25 cent quarter is pretty stupid because it just makes the maths harder. The US tried to get a dollar coin out, but due to short sighted political opportunism, IIRC, it was pulled.

I'm happy to say that the Sacagawea dollars are still in circulation. I have one with my pocket change now. But I'm sad to say that their future might not be much better than the Susan B. Anthony dollar coins that came out in 1979, and which are rarely found in ciculation any more because they were so unpopular (looked too much like quarters.)
The problem with the Sacagawea golden dollars is sort of the opposite of the Susan B's. A lot of people like them, pocket them, and don't spend them. Never mind that you can go to the bank and get as many as you want. You don't see them too much in circulation because people put them in their piggy banks or their sock drawers or whatever.
I bought some vegetables at the market a week or so ago, and paid for them with nine golden dollars. The lady behind the counter said, "Oh! I'll buy these out of the register. I'm putting them all in my son's college fund!"

 

[a_unique_person]

I'm happy to say that the Sacagawea dollars are still in circulation. I have one with my pocket change now. But I'm sad to say that their future might not be much better than the Susan B. Anthony dollar coins that came out in 1979, and which are rarely found in ciculation any more because they were so unpopular (looked too much like quarters.)
The problem with the Sacagawea golden dollars is sort of the opposite of the Susan B's. A lot of people like them, pocket them, and don't spend them. Never mind that you can go to the bank and get as many as you want. You don't see them too much in circulation because people put them in their piggy banks or their sock drawers or whatever.
I bought some vegetables at the market a week or so ago, and paid for them with nine golden dollars. The lady behind the counter said, "Oh! I'll buy these out of the register. I'm putting them all in my son's college fund!"

The Susan B's are the ones I was thinking of, i hadn't heard about the Sacagaweas. There were the same complaints about the hoarding when they came out here too, but people get over it.

 

[heath]

inumeracy
I had a couple of incidents here recently in london that show the lack of maths skills of supermarket cashiers and opens up an oportunity to rip them off for the unscrupulous.

In both cases I gave them extra change to get large change back, 50p in both cases I think. (eg giving £35.23 for a £32.73 bill). In BOTH cases the cashiers gave me a pound too much change. The reason being I forked over the notes first then counted out the coins. They had punched in the notes amount in the register in each case and already started counting out my change while I fumbled for the coins. When they had to resort to mental maths to reconcile what they had already punched in and what I handed them, they got lost real quick. Being an honest person I gave back the excess change in each case and in each case the cashiers couldn't care less that they got it wrong.

dollar coins, plastic money
I remember when the dollar and 2 dollar coins were issued in Australia, people complained a lot about the extra weight to carry around primarily and I kind of agree. Knowing however that coins last about 100 years and low denomination notes last only a few months it makes sense for a govt to issue coins instead of notes. And/or plastic money like Australia has done. The new plastic notes apparently last many times as long as the old paper notes and are harder to counterfiet to boot.

 

[ZeeGerman]

Over here it's still quite common that the cashier asks YOU if you got 7 Cent if you pay say a 19.07 Euro bill with a 20.

It's those quarters I guess. Time to get metric and decimal isn't it?

Zee

 

[xouper]

Diogenes: Does it p anyone else off when they hand you the paper then put your change on top of it?

Yes, me too. And as a customer, I've taken to doing this more and more to see if the cashiers get pissed off. I haven't seen any indication that they get it, though.

 

[Soapy Sam]

My personal favourite whine is about receiving at least two paper receipts, a list of special offers and a 2p off a litre of petrol voucher, when I pay by credit card at a checkout. I then have a wallet in one paw and a credit card and several bits of paper in the other. Being too tidy (or anal) to just drop the receipts, and clumsy with it, I have a heck of a job getting the card back in the wallet AND end up with a wallet full of receipts.

Bah! Humbug!

 

[Peterson]

I'm assuming that many of you never worked retail. There is nothing more annoying than trying to get rid of a long line, and somebody has to dig through their pockets/purse to find the exact change so that they get back the denominations they prefer.
Just put your pennies in a jar and cash them in at the end of the year.