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Community => Watto's Junk Yard => Topic started by: Scott on June 1, 2005, 03:47 PM

Title: Take a Penny, Leave a Penny
Post by: Scott on June 1, 2005, 03:47 PM
I just bought a pop at the local gas station and took a penny.  While walking back I thought of the time in high school when my friend was short 13 cents for his pop and candy bar and so he emptied the penny dish.

The guy working got mad at him, saying that you should only take 1 or 2 and not 13...that was abusing the dish.  I was with my friend, that dish represents people basically throwing that money on the ground and is fair game for the taking

So, JediDefender members, what is the limit on how many pennies you can take from the dish?  What is your personal best take?  Was the cashier out of line?

I think my personal best is around 4 cents...I remember that incident to this day and don't want to abuse the situation
Title: Re: Take a Penny, Leave a Penny
Post by: Famine on June 1, 2005, 03:49 PM
8 cents. >:(

Damn 8% sales tax.

Kevin
Title: Re: Take a Penny, Leave a Penny
Post by: JediMAC on June 1, 2005, 03:59 PM
I just bought a pop at the local gas station and took a penny.  While walking back I thought of the time in high school when my friend was short 13 cents for his pop and candy bar and so he emptied the penny dish.

Nice ethics they teach you guys up there in MN.  Buncha stinkin' thieves, you guys are!  >:(

I've always just assumed that the penny dish was just a cheap "tip jar", so I leave 'em be.  Unless I'm exactly one penny short and the cashier's not looking, then I may indulge...
Title: Re: Take a Penny, Leave a Penny
Post by: Scott on June 1, 2005, 04:01 PM
Tip jar?  Why would you leave pennies for the cashier as a tip?  Hey nice job ringing up my gas, have 3 cents ::)
Title: Re: Take a Penny, Leave a Penny
Post by: JesseVader08 on June 1, 2005, 04:24 PM
My pharmacy has a penny dish, and I've always figured that 4 cents was a reasonable amount to take from it.

I've never really thought about it until now, no one has ever needed/taken/used more than that.

(And I charge enough for the prescriptions, I don't need a tip.  Unless it's a $20 bill    ;D)
Title: Re: Take a Penny, Leave a Penny
Post by: Morgbug on June 1, 2005, 04:26 PM
Well, I'm a prude, so I'm on the cashier's side.  $0.13 out of what? $0.50?  That's a bit of a chunk I'd say.  Even if it was over a buck, it's over 10%.  I work on the impression that it's meant for 1, 2, 3 cents, no more.  Four and up you should cough up the nickel and leave the pennies behind.  

Personally I wish they'd do away with pennies anyway.  Go to a system based on 5 cents.  Round up for 3 and over, down the other way.  Not like computer based cash registers can't do that now.  I know the argument is that businesses will lose money but if the decision point is set at 3 they'll win on the balance of time.  
Title: Re: Take a Penny, Leave a Penny
Post by: Scott on June 1, 2005, 04:32 PM
It was probably around $1.50 total...I've seen penny dishes with like quarters and stuff in them, are those fair game?
Title: Re: Take a Penny, Leave a Penny
Post by: JesseVader08 on June 1, 2005, 04:34 PM
If it's in the dish, it's fair game.  In my mind, someone left it there to help another person who needs it.  How about maximum 4 cents or 1 coin? 
Title: Re: Take a Penny, Leave a Penny
Post by: Matt_Fury on June 1, 2005, 04:34 PM
Usually, if what I'm purchasing comes up to just over a dollar amount, the cashier will grab the pennies...I don't think I've ever touched it unless I was putting some in.

On a related topic, reading this thread reminded me of a time I was in a walmart buying something and the only money I had was a roll of dimes.  The cashier was kinda snotty and said they don't take rolled coins...so I smacked the roll on the counter let the dimes spill out an the countrtop and said, Is my money good now?"  The total for what I was buying came to about $4.95, and I waited until I got my change too!  ;D
Title: Re: Take a Penny, Leave a Penny
Post by: Scott on June 1, 2005, 04:36 PM
Why stop at 4 though, its all fair game as far as he was concerned.  It is no different than the people taking their pennies and walking out of the store and throwing them on the sidewalk
Title: Re: Take a Penny, Leave a Penny
Post by: JesseVader08 on June 1, 2005, 04:38 PM
Usually, if what I'm purchasing comes up to just over a dollar amount, the cashier will grab the pennies...I don't think I've ever touched it unless I was putting some in.

Good point, as someone on the other side of the counter, I'm usually the one that grabs the penny because it simply saves me the effort of counting out more change.

On a related topic, reading this thread reminded me of a time I was in a walmart buying something and the only money I had was a roll of dimes...

Thanks for the laugh Matt!  But if I was the cashier, I'd have to kick your ass.   (Of course, I'm much too polite to put myself in that situation to begin with)  ;D
Title: Re: Take a Penny, Leave a Penny
Post by: JesseVader08 on June 1, 2005, 04:41 PM
Why stop at 4 though, its all fair game as far as he was concerned.

I think another factor is:  how much change is in the penny dish?

If there's 13 cents in there, taking it all somehow seems wrong, even if the whole intention of the dish is to help someone who needs it.  If there was $1.50 in there, I don't think the 13 cents would even make me think twice (again, when I'm on the cashier end of things)
Title: Re: Take a Penny, Leave a Penny
Post by: Jeff on June 1, 2005, 04:42 PM
I know people who have taken ALL the pennies in the TaP/LaP bin, but I think the most I ever snaked from there was like $0.08 so I didn't have to break a $20 bill...

I agree, maybe it's just MN ideology, but that little TaP/LaP bin = FREE MONEY.  Maybe it's in poor form to take more than 1-3 pennies, but there is no law against it.

I guess it's kinda like that whole Army Builder issue - how much can you take before you are being inconsiderate?  The world may never know...    :-\

Jeff
Title: Re: Take a Penny, Leave a Penny
Post by: Famine on June 1, 2005, 04:43 PM
Matt, I was in a similar situation, with coinstar. I dumped 18 dollars worth of change into the machine, got my slip (them taking 8cents from each dollar in the machine) and then they wouldn't cash it unless I bought somthing. So I bought a 13 cent candy and sat there and waited till they counted out my change, and gave me my money.

Kevin
Title: Re: Take a Penny, Leave a Penny
Post by: Morgbug on June 1, 2005, 04:51 PM
Why stop at 4 though, its all fair game as far as he was concerned.  It is no different than the people taking their pennies and walking out of the store and throwing them on the sidewalk

Why not just wander around taking all the coins from various penny dishes and put them in the bank.  I'd guess if you did it every day you could put away a not insignificant sum of money over the course of a year. 

Can't really be answered I'd say as it is subject to personal philosophy.  I guess I just categorize it as not much different than panhandling when you start taking larger sums of money.  The intent[/i] is when you are short the difference from the nearest $0.05 so you don't end up with a pocket full of largely useless pennies.  $0.13 passes by the $0.05 and $0.10 mark. 

Greed is subjective, I suppose.  I don't know your buddy, but is he the kind of guy that doesn't chip in on a joint restaurant bill for the tip, just because others will?  I know and despise guys that take advantage of others charity so they can save a miniscule amount of money.  I work with a couple of them and steadfastly refuse to share bills with them.  If they want to cheap out and not tip, let it reflect on them.  No reason for them to assume any benefits from my charitable notions. 
Title: Re: Take a Penny, Leave a Penny
Post by: Jesse James on June 1, 2005, 05:01 PM
$.04 is the most I think I'd go for unless the penney jar had some larger value coin in it (dime, nickle, etc.) which those of course are fair game as well.

To me, you should never take more than the next highest value coin...  So if it's just penney's in there, $.04 is your limit.
Title: Re: Take a Penny, Leave a Penny
Post by: hansolo_506 on June 1, 2005, 06:58 PM
I have always thought that anything under a nickel is permissible.

Here's a story for yah....

I once ran the outbound post office services at a college in our town.  We had a penny jar, but not that many people knew about it.  One day a young co-ed came in and needed to mail a letter.  She reached into the penny jar and pulled out 37 cents (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

That was the end of the penny jar.
Title: Re: Take a Penny, Leave a Penny
Post by: Newman on June 1, 2005, 08:38 PM
I think the most I have ever taken was 3 or 4 cents.  Now that I think about it usually when I get pennies back as change I would put them in the jar, but for some reason today I didn't.  :-\
Title: Re: Take a Penny, Leave a Penny
Post by: Darth Kenobi on June 1, 2005, 09:56 PM
I haven't used the penny jar in a while and now usually the cashier would do grap a penny or two to save me/them the hassle of getting a bunch of change. 
Quote
On a related topic, reading this thread reminded me of a time I was in a walmart buying something and the only money I had was a roll of dimes.  The cashier was kinda snotty and said they don't take rolled coins...so I smacked the roll on the counter let the dimes spill out an the countrtop and said, Is my money good now?"  The total for what I was buying came to about $4.95, and I waited until I got my change too!

I would of been happy to taken your roll dimes, I hate it when people unload a bunch of change to pay for a large order.  I had a customer who only had loose change for a $15 order or so. 
Title: Re: Take a Penny, Leave a Penny
Post by: Jagdohh_Fett on June 2, 2005, 04:14 AM
I've never taken more than a couple cents from those things, but I say if you need the change then you got just as much right to as the next guy.
Title: Re: Take a Penny, Leave a Penny
Post by: Jedi Idej on June 2, 2005, 02:12 PM
I wouldn't feel right taking more than 2. In excess of that, I'll pay the amount outright and leave behind the 1 or 2 pennies I get back. Even if the total was $xx.53, and taking 3 cents would get me back 2 quarters, I'd skip the penny dish because I like to have small change for the parking meter. It's a lousy feeling when a nickel is enough for a quick run to a shop and all I have are quarters.
Title: Re: Take a Penny, Leave a Penny
Post by: Commander Cody on June 2, 2005, 03:22 PM
If I see one of those dishes, I usually empty it out, taking all of the pennies for myself...
Title: Re: Take a Penny, Leave a Penny
Post by: Scott on August 24, 2005, 03:41 PM
I was at my local conveinience store for the last time ever today and the lady with the mustache behind the counter gave me my change (after I took 2 pennies).  The change was 80 cents

3 Quarters (1 of which was the new Oregon that I needed for my quarter collection)
1 Nickel

Being excited about the new quarter I dropped the nickel out in the parking lot.  Being one to pick up spilled silver (I'll usually leave copper) I noticed the coin made an odd noise when it hit pavement.

I picked it up and it felt heavier than a nickel should feel.  I flipped it over and there was a second head on it...a two headed nickel.  I'd guess it was someones joke nickel that somehow got by Miss Facial Hair (shocked)

Anyway, two unique coins, all thanks to the TAP/LAP dish
Title: Re: Take a Penny, Leave a Penny
Post by: jjks on August 24, 2005, 05:03 PM
I took a penny last night when I bought a Gatorade at the gas station after my softball game. First time I've used the TAP/LAP tray in several years.
Title: Re: Take a Penny, Leave a Penny
Post by: Jayson on August 24, 2005, 05:13 PM
Screw the dish, I take the jar! ;D