The old man paid 30 Australian dollars with 30 Australian dollar coins and was almost rejected by the Coles clerk on the ground that it was illegal. (photo of the Daily Mail)
Last week, something interesting happened in Victoria.
An 82-year-old man, Maria (Maria), and his daughter, Garvey (Helen Garvey), went shopping at the Coles supermarket in Glen Caverley. They bought 130 Australian dollars and gave the cashier a 100 Australian dollar note. The remaining A $30 was being paid in 30 coins of A $1, only to be told by the cashier that it was illegal.
Under the rules of the Reserve Bank of Australia, supermarkets do not accept A $1 and A $2 coins with a total face value of more than A $20, the cashier said.
The old man and his daughter felt confused. There's a law like this?!
Although the cashier later closed his eyes and took the 30 Australian dollar coins, he also stressed that the next time he would only receive a maximum of A $20, the cashier would have to accept the Aussie dollar coins for up to 30 Australian dollars.
"my mother was confused because she didn't understand why her money was suddenly illegal," Garvey said.
Afterwards, Jiawei went to Facebook to ask netizens, have you heard such a law, the result quickly aroused hot discussion, received nearly 6000 replies, netizens also expressed a daze.
Some netizens replied: this is really humiliating, no matter how, money is money ah.
Garvey said that although they were embarrassed at the time, they did not express dissatisfaction with the cashier. However, she believes there should be more relevant legal instructions in supermarkets, and public awareness should be raised. "I've always followed the law, but it's better to put it on so that everyone can see it, and I never knew there was a law."
Garvey said there were a lot of older people in Glen Waverley, and some of the kids who used coins when they paid, and she didn't want that embarrassing thing to happen to them.
As you can see from the (Reserve Bank of Australia) website of the Reserve Bank of Australia, coins are legal payment currencies, but they need to be "subject to a number of restrictions," one of which is that if you use coins such as 5, 10, 20 and 50, The total amount should not exceed A $5; If a coin of A $1 or A $2 is used, the total amount cannot exceed 10 times the face value.
The Reserve Bank of Australia has limits on the value of coins used in a single transaction, but many people do not know.
Garvey did not blame the cashier, but sent a message on Facebook to Coles.
"Hello, Coles,. I just took my 82-year-old mother to Glen Waverley's Coles supermarket. Her bill was A $130 and she paid A $100 bills and A $30 coins. The cashier told us that she would accept the coins this time, but the next time she could only accept A $20. My mother and I were embarrassed. My question is, when does Coles have rules like this and what money can't be collected? It feels bad. My mom is a widowed old man, she's getting a pension, she doesn't know much about new technology, so she doesn't have a bank card-she's disappointed. Now she's embarrassed to go shopping there. Isn't a $30 coin worth less than a $20 plus A $10. If this is normal, I suggest that you create a logo so that no one else will experience the same feeling as a second-class citizen. "
Coles replied to her: "We are disappointed to learn about your unpleasant shopping experience at the Glen Waverley store. We abide by the legal tender of the Reserve Bank of Australia. "
Because of the online debate, the poll site polldaddy also got an online vote on the title: "is it a stupid rule to limit the amount of coins you pay?"
As a result, 81% of the population (more than 20,000 people) chose "Yes, money is money", complaining about the regulations; only 19% chose "No, who has so many coins in that big pocket?"
Eight adults find the rule ridiculous when it comes to voting on the polldaddy website.
"only those of us who have done it in the retail / service industry know the pain every time a guest pulls out a high stack of coins for you to count," a netizen said in a message. I call every Sunday in my shop 'change Sunday' because every minute a guest takes out a pile of coins and puts them on the counter for me to tree. Everyone said, 'dude, this is legal tender!' "
Some netizens also said: "I think the person is too ridiculous, should also have a law to limit the supermarket can give us how much change." I once took a bunch of coins worth A $9 because they didn't have A $5 bills, and obviously, they didn't bother to do it. What if you put a $30 coin on the self-service cashier? It doesn't mean anything to them! "
"I agree to limit the denomination of silver coins (5, 10, 20, 50). But the limit on gold coins (A $1, A $2) is too low. I think it's fair to limit the use of Aussie coins to A $20 and A $2 to A $50. "
Of course, some netizens understand both sides: "from a shopper's point of view, I understand that this rule is really a bit annoying." But for the cashier, this is a delay, and when we count the change, the other guests have to wait. Some people use coins shallow is a bit ridiculous indeed. Supermarkets and retail stores are not banks. "