Bored Panda works better on our iPhone app
Continue in app Continue in browser

BoredPanda Add post form topAdd Post
Tooltip close

The Bored Panda iOS app is live! Fight boredom with iPhones and iPads here.

“This Is Legal Tender”: Guy Tries To Break Up $100 Bill Twice, Gets Taught A Lesson By Getting Change In Coins
3

“This Is Legal Tender”: Guy Tries To Break Up $100 Bill Twice, Gets Taught A Lesson By Getting Change In Coins

Interview With Author
ADVERTISEMENT

We all perform multiple roles in our society, and each one has its own pluses and minuses. If everyone plays by the rules, that system usually functions quite well. However, there are always some entitled people who never miss a chance to take advantage of their position. 

A good example of this is a story one Redditor shared from their past. The person was working at a gas station when they encountered a guy who repeatedly came in and bought a single candy bar with a $100 bill just to break it into smaller bills. What he didn’t calculate was that his plan could backfire. Scroll down to read the full story!

More info: Reddit

The world is full of entitled people who believe they’re above everyone else, and being unafraid to stand up to them is the best way to humble them

Image credits: Erik Mclean (not the actual photo)

A person was working a graveyard shift at a gas station when a guy came in wanting to buy a candy bar with a $100 bill

ADVERTISEMENT

Image credits: Artem Beliaikin (not the actual photo)

The employee agreed to help out the guy just that one time, but it wasn’t long before he was back again, trying to do the same thing

ADVERTISEMENT

Image credits: Live Richer (not the actual photo)

The person saw that the man had smaller bills, so they asked him to pay with something else, but the man started talking about the employee’s legal obligation to break his $100

ADVERTISEMENT

Image credits: u/knighthawk82

The employee complied maliciously by giving the man his change in pennies, which shocked him and made him call for the manager, who wasn’t there and couldn’t help him

The story took place at the end of the last century when coins were still largely in use. At the time, the OP was working as a store clerk at their local gas station and would often work graveyard shifts.

One night, a guy came in, grabbed a single candy bar, and pulled out a $100 bill to pay for it. The poster was not too happy about this, but since the guy asked him for a favor by breaking up the bill, he agreed to do it just that one time. 

However, it didn’t take more than a few days for the same guy to come back and try to pull the same trick. The OP asked the man for a smaller bill, as it was clear that he did have some, but the guy refused, telling him that this was legal tender and they had to take it.

ADVERTISEMENT

But the author wasn’t going to comply, at least not in the way that the guy expected them to. They pulled out two boxes full of pennies and started collecting the customer’s change.

The entitled man was surprised and started questioning what the OP was doing, to which the person replied that this is, just like he said, legal tender, and they can choose how they’re going to give him his change.

The guy got furious and started asking for the manager, but to no avail, as no one else was around during the graveyard shift.

People in the comments section were very amused by this story and responded in various ways. Some offered clarifications and advice for similar situations, others shared unexpectedly wholesome stories, and some simply made jokes, but the overall energy was quite positive.

Image credits: Nielson Caetano-Salmeron (not the actual photo)

While the story was indeed amusing, it ended quite abruptly and left us crawling for a more complete conclusion. Thankfully, when Bored Panda reached out to u/knighthawk82, the OP was glad to let us in on those additional details.

ADVERTISEMENT

The poster first shared the story when giving advice to someone in another subreddit, only to realize that it would perfectly suit the Malicious Compliance audience. “It made me a little giddy that such a simple story reached that many people,” said the person, sharing their surprise about the success of their post.

The incident itself concluded when the entitled man came back to the gas station after the OP’s shift had ended and was handled by their manager. The author revealed that the woman was a little upset that they used the coins she had gotten from the bank the night before to teach someone a lesson, but she was supportive nonetheless. “If he had said yes to the change, she would have been very off-put going to the bank again the next day for more boxes of pennies.”

This taught the OP an important lesson about the value of having a boss you can trust to back you up. “Had I a similar boss from any of my other jobs, I might have faced disciplinary actions for antagonizing a customer. Know and trust your boss will support you before you risk your job over something malicious.”

In the end, the author left us with advice for anyone who might be dealing with a similar situation: “Stand by your convictions. If people think they can get something over on you, again and again, they will,” said the OP, adding that it’s wise to follow this rule, even if it is something as trivial as going against a policy for a small inconvenience. “It’s not about breaking a hundred; it’s about convincing people to do your bidding, and those people need to be stopped.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Ultimately, there will always be people who think they’re better than the rest of us and, therefore, are entitled to play by their own rules. But the thing is, they really are not, and if you only stand your ground, they’ll be left helpless.

What did you think about this story? How would you have dealt with such a situation? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

People in the comments section were very amused by the story, which inspired them to share advice, jokes, and similar stories of their own

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Share on Facebook
Dominykas Zukas

Dominykas Zukas

Writer, BoredPanda staff

Read more »

Hey! I’m Dominykas, and I come from Lithuania. According to my diploma, I’m a UX Designer. However, when during my studies, I (re)discovered my passion for storytelling, I’ve been doing that ever since, mostly in writing. I have written a few short stories, some songs, and a good bunch of articles, and I plan to keep expanding on all these fronts. Aside from that, I’m also a film buff, traveler, casual basketball player, video game enthusiast, and nature lover who will rarely pass up on a little hike through the forest or a simple walk around a park.

Read less »
Dominykas Zukas

Dominykas Zukas

Writer, BoredPanda staff

Hey! I’m Dominykas, and I come from Lithuania. According to my diploma, I’m a UX Designer. However, when during my studies, I (re)discovered my passion for storytelling, I’ve been doing that ever since, mostly in writing. I have written a few short stories, some songs, and a good bunch of articles, and I plan to keep expanding on all these fronts. Aside from that, I’m also a film buff, traveler, casual basketball player, video game enthusiast, and nature lover who will rarely pass up on a little hike through the forest or a simple walk around a park.

Monika Pašukonytė

Monika Pašukonytė

Author, BoredPanda staff

Read more »

I am a visual editor here. In my free time I enjoy the vibrant worlds of art galleries, exhibitions, and soulful concerts. Yet, amidst life's hustle and bustle, I find solace in nature's embrace, cherishing tranquil moments with beloved friends. Deep within, I hold a dream close - to embark on a global journey in an RV, accompanied by my faithful canine companion. Together, we'll wander through diverse cultures, weaving precious memories under the starry night sky, fulfilling the wanderlust that stirs my soul.

Read less »

Monika Pašukonytė

Monika Pašukonytė

Author, BoredPanda staff

I am a visual editor here. In my free time I enjoy the vibrant worlds of art galleries, exhibitions, and soulful concerts. Yet, amidst life's hustle and bustle, I find solace in nature's embrace, cherishing tranquil moments with beloved friends. Deep within, I hold a dream close - to embark on a global journey in an RV, accompanied by my faithful canine companion. Together, we'll wander through diverse cultures, weaving precious memories under the starry night sky, fulfilling the wanderlust that stirs my soul.

What do you think ?
Add photo comments
POST
Captain McSmoot
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm not gonna lie. I had to go back and read the article's opening line about eight times before I could accept the fact that the 80s and 90s are so far from the current year that you can successfully refer to them as "the late 1900s".

Kurtis Wethington
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As someone who used to work in a gas station, this *especially* irks me for a number of reasons (that I can't say all of.) 1) Like a number of commenters already said, the cashier is NOT obligated to take the money. 2) This is among the MANY reasons why Self-Checkouts are so essential despite customer acting like Skynet's taking over. 🙄 It's graveyard shift, cashiers are specifically told NOT to have more than $100 in the register and to deposit the extra $ in the safe ASAP, anything bigger than a $20 bill was to be directed to the SCO even if that means doing the screen for them and again, it's *graveyard shift* and the SCOs are there for security in protecting the cashier from being easy marks for robbery. I would and have straight up pointed customers to one and let the machine make change for these very reasons and then some. If they don't like it, they can go elsewhere, but the threat to tell the manager is often empty and if they do mean it, the manager says the same thing.

Mike F
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Especially in C-stores, the manager will always have your back in those instances because they have higher-ups to answer to as well.

Load More Replies...
Glitcher
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When I worked at Target, people would try to scam the cashiers by trying to overpay and then get change, and then trade the change for some other denomination. So if we ever had a large cash transaction or even if the person just made us uncomfortable, we could call a supervisor to recount the change. "So I don't make a mistake and shortchange you". *Cough cough*

Load More Comments
Captain McSmoot
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm not gonna lie. I had to go back and read the article's opening line about eight times before I could accept the fact that the 80s and 90s are so far from the current year that you can successfully refer to them as "the late 1900s".

Kurtis Wethington
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As someone who used to work in a gas station, this *especially* irks me for a number of reasons (that I can't say all of.) 1) Like a number of commenters already said, the cashier is NOT obligated to take the money. 2) This is among the MANY reasons why Self-Checkouts are so essential despite customer acting like Skynet's taking over. 🙄 It's graveyard shift, cashiers are specifically told NOT to have more than $100 in the register and to deposit the extra $ in the safe ASAP, anything bigger than a $20 bill was to be directed to the SCO even if that means doing the screen for them and again, it's *graveyard shift* and the SCOs are there for security in protecting the cashier from being easy marks for robbery. I would and have straight up pointed customers to one and let the machine make change for these very reasons and then some. If they don't like it, they can go elsewhere, but the threat to tell the manager is often empty and if they do mean it, the manager says the same thing.

Mike F
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Especially in C-stores, the manager will always have your back in those instances because they have higher-ups to answer to as well.

Load More Replies...
Glitcher
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When I worked at Target, people would try to scam the cashiers by trying to overpay and then get change, and then trade the change for some other denomination. So if we ever had a large cash transaction or even if the person just made us uncomfortable, we could call a supervisor to recount the change. "So I don't make a mistake and shortchange you". *Cough cough*

Load More Comments
Related on Bored Panda
Related on Bored Panda
Trending on Bored Panda
Also on Bored Panda