New Addition to Pet Peeves

Like everyone, I have a set of small peeves that reallllllly annoy me.  As you might guess, folks who post comments to blog posts while ignoring what was actually written is near the top.

However, today I added one to my list of sales peeves.

I have in my time worked in any number of sales type positions.  I have sold at high end retail and low end retail.  I have sold goods door to door when I was in the Boy Scouts, and worked tree lots and fireworks booths while in adult civic groups.  I was generally a membership VP or officer in said groups, so still selling…

For years, one of my peeves happens in restaurants.  You get the check, give the waitstaff the check and an amount of money in excess of the charged amount, and sit back awaiting your change.

Said staffer will invariably look at you and say “Do you want change back?”  I hate that…it’s an attempt to run off with a tip higher than I might be planning to give.  The proper thing to do is bring back the chance and never ask the question-and probably get a higher tip in the meantime.

However, several recent trips in pursuit of souvenirs, school supplies, and other goods has added a new peeve to my list-”do you have exact change?”

Example-today I got to the Burke Wal-Mart.  My purchase with tax came to $33.02.  I had no change, and gave the clerk $34.00.  Clerk looks at me and says, “do you have $.02?”

I said, “No, ma’am”.  What I thought was “do you really think I am so stupid I don’t know $.02 is needed for exact change?  Does it really matter?  What if I have it and don’t want to use it so I can get change?”

I think such queries by sales staff are presumptive and insulting, and I wish they would stop asking them.

Yeah, I am reallllly holding my breath on that one.

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