Do you ever pay for your purchases with cash? When you do pay cash, does it seem as if making change presents a conundrum?

The other day I visited a restaurant in Grand Junction. My bill came to precisely $8.95. Yes, I know, I'm a big spender. As you can tell by the bill, this was not a candlelight dinner at an exclusive restaurant. In any event, it was one of my favorite restaurants, and the price was right. When I presented cash to the clerk, their expression quickly turned to that of dread.

I am a cash kind of guy. Like many Americans in this day and age, I spent years living the dream of massive credit card debt. I want nothing to do with them anymore. Cash, cash, cash. Note to thieves ... I'm kind of like a Domino's delivery person. My wallet has less than $20 in it at any given time. Twenty bucks, a library card, a blood donor card, and a Burger King two-for-one coupon aren't worth the jail time.

So, a crisp ten dollar bill was presented to pay for the exquisite $8.95 dinner. The presentation of cash was followed by roughly a minute-and-a-half of the clerk crunching numbers to come up with the proper change. The little display on the register clearly read "$1.05."

Change could have been made in a number of ways, the most likely include:

  • A one dollar bill and a nickel
  • A one dollar bill and five pennies
  • Four quarters and a nickel
  • Four quarters and five pennies

I certainly mean no disrespect to the cashier. More than likely, she had never encountered a cash payment before. Not that it was any of my business, but when the cash drawer opened, it seemed to be lacking when it came to cash. Seriously, one can't help but think this was the first cash transaction to come through the place in months.

Lately, it seems every restaurant in town has an app. With these apps you can order online, pay in advance, and have your order waiting for you upon arrival. The Chipotle in Grand Junction just started this feature, as did the various Homes of the Whopper.

Sorry, but I'm sticking with cash. Credit card companies can kiss my butt. My plans for the second half of my life do not include playing that game again.

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