Time for Change
by
Economic times are tough. Gas prices are through the roof and families are scrambling to make ends meet, sometimes scraping change together just to buy food, or in this case gas.
At one Metro convenience store a woman was reportedly refused gasoline because she only had coins and not paper money.
Another patron who witnessed the alleged incident thought that was definitely messed up.
Her name is Lauren Anderson.
When I meet the 26-year-old, she is outside her business, holding a small jewelry type box. The box contains $10.
“I handed the clerk the change,” The woman tells me.
I look in the box.
It contains $5 in dimes that have been rolled. There is also $5 in mostly quarters scattered around the box.
“I want $10 on pump six,” Anderson says to the clerk. “She said they can’t accept that. Her explanation: ‘They are not a bank.’ I was outraged.”
Anderson is telling me about her June 25 encounter at a Smith Springs convenience store.
It is here that she sees a woman crying by the pump. She says the woman is with a boy, around 12 years of age.
Anderson says she is concerned and asked the crying woman what happened.
The woman tells Anderson that she attempted buy $10 in fuel with the silver money and the clerk said no.
The woman appeared to be down on her luck and Anderson leads her back into the store to talk to the manager.
“Gas is pushing $4 a gallon. Sure a lot of people are scrounging for change. The reason they couldn’t accept the other $5, it was loose was because their registers are generated electronically and that would throw off others in later shifts.”
Huh?
Isn’t silver money, money? I hold up a quarter that proudly shows the Great State of Wyoming.
Isn’t Wyoming part of America, I ask Anderson.
“Sure is,” she replies.
I pick a nickel out of the box.
Isn’t that Thomas Jefferson, Former President of the USA?” I ask.
She laughs. “That’s what I’m talking about. It is legal tender and they refused her.”
