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So what's the deal with the penny lately?
True, it's become largely irrelevant, and kind of a pain in the buttocks given retail pricing strategies. $3.99 will somehow snag a sale, but $4 might not. On hectic errand days, I end up with what feels like a pound of coins in my pocket.
Then the world seems to come to a screeching, impatient halt around me if I bother to count the odd pennies out and spend them back into circulation. I can't remember the last time I could actually buy anything for a penny. Maybe some Bazooka bubble gum back when smokes shot up from 29 to 35 cents a pack. I quit both after the Hillsdale Piggly Wiggly closed.
But what's this new deal where cashiers in Plaids, 7-Elevens and certain eateries don't bother to return that penny with my change? It's not all that new, actually. More like 2-3 years now, and probably 2-3 times a month. Is it Portland? A "hip" generational thing? Better weed?
I ask for all of my change, and I get it. The overt response is something akin to "Oh yeah," (sort of like "I forgot," but lacking any vestige of apology). There's a deeper little vibe there, too, that feels like "You cheapskate bast*rd, it's just a penny."
Now and then, someone will ask if I want my pennies, implying that I might not be up for the ordeal. The cash drawer is still open Sparky. Is counting coins that big of a chore these days? At least they asked...
But what's the deal with this post-2010 assumption that I won't notice, or care, if they decide to blow it off? I'm not worried about moving my bedroll under the Hawthorne Bridge if I never get another penny back - ever. But the phenomenon makes me curious. I've asked more than a few friends and cohorts (of all ages) who notice this too. Like me, they want their pennies.
So what's the broader consensus around the NW?
True, it's become largely irrelevant, and kind of a pain in the buttocks given retail pricing strategies. $3.99 will somehow snag a sale, but $4 might not. On hectic errand days, I end up with what feels like a pound of coins in my pocket.
Then the world seems to come to a screeching, impatient halt around me if I bother to count the odd pennies out and spend them back into circulation. I can't remember the last time I could actually buy anything for a penny. Maybe some Bazooka bubble gum back when smokes shot up from 29 to 35 cents a pack. I quit both after the Hillsdale Piggly Wiggly closed.
But what's this new deal where cashiers in Plaids, 7-Elevens and certain eateries don't bother to return that penny with my change? It's not all that new, actually. More like 2-3 years now, and probably 2-3 times a month. Is it Portland? A "hip" generational thing? Better weed?
I ask for all of my change, and I get it. The overt response is something akin to "Oh yeah," (sort of like "I forgot," but lacking any vestige of apology). There's a deeper little vibe there, too, that feels like "You cheapskate bast*rd, it's just a penny."
Now and then, someone will ask if I want my pennies, implying that I might not be up for the ordeal. The cash drawer is still open Sparky. Is counting coins that big of a chore these days? At least they asked...
But what's the deal with this post-2010 assumption that I won't notice, or care, if they decide to blow it off? I'm not worried about moving my bedroll under the Hawthorne Bridge if I never get another penny back - ever. But the phenomenon makes me curious. I've asked more than a few friends and cohorts (of all ages) who notice this too. Like me, they want their pennies.
So what's the broader consensus around the NW?