Giving of Short Change Is Prevalent in City

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26904, 16 October 1948, Page 6

Giving of Short Change Is Prevalent in City

The practice, or frequent mistake, of giving short change appears to be increasing in city shops. At least, that is the impression gathered by some citizens who have mentioned the subject to the Daily Times. One woman said she had suffered to such an extent in recent weeks that she now loudly announces the amount of the money she tenders when paying for a purchase, and carefully counts the change before moving one step from the counter. In most instances, it is stated, the shop assistants are profuse in their apologies when their attention is drawn to the short change, and they readily make up the deficient amount. Gone are the days, it is said, when they would argue whether a twoshilling pice or half a crown had been tendered.

Shoppers say that, as in the past, the most frequent instances of short change occur when a half-crown is tendered, change out of . two shillings being given. It is a difficult matter to convince the shop assistant that a half-crown was tendered, unless the assistant’s attention had been first called to it by the shopper. On numerous occasions, it is said, change of 10s is given when a £ note is tendered by the purchaser. Shop assistants also mistake sixpences for threepences and shillings for sixpences, it is claimed. “I do not mind honest mistakes,” a man told the Daily Times, “ but when the ‘ mistakes ’ occur frequently I become suspicious.” Approached by the Daily Times, a man who has been in business in the city for many years said that short change had always been given and would always be given. Like the poor, he said, the careless assistant was always with us. While there might be an occasional dishonest assistant, he added, he had found in his long ex-

perience that Dunedin was singularly free from this type of person. There was, however, a greater number of young assistants who adopted a careless attitude to their work—a sign of the times noticed in many directions to-day. In a number of department stores, the assistants always “ checked ” with another assistant the amount of any paper money tendered by a customer, the business man said. This was an excellent practice which could be introduced profitably by all shops and stores. It went a long way towards making a satisfied customer. In his own expereince, the customer was not always right, and often mistook the amount of money tendered, but would be satisfied immediately his attention was drawn to it. “It. is all to the good if customers mention the amount of the money when they offer it to an assistant,” the business man concluded. “No one could possibly take exception to this, and mistakes would be avoided. It is good for business —and the customer as well—if mistakes are avoided.”