To make up for the lack of a post yesterday, I decided to add something that happened today. It isn't a rant, but it is something cool that happened.
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~In the service deck area, our store has a Coinstar machine where you can put in all your coin change and, for a fee, get paper cash for it. Today a nice couple in roughly their late 50's came around the corner with a shopping basket containing three, large, 5gallon paint buckets. I honestly didn't even notice the buckets at first, I just expected them to be normal store merchandise. Boy-howdy was I wrong.
When pouring change into the machine, it tends to make quite a racket with all the metal coins clinking and clanking down inside. My attention was eventually drawn towards them when the noise continued on for longer than any other usual patron. I looked up to realize that all three tubs were filled with coins. The man had a cup and was scooping up the change for his wife to dump into the machine. Watching their actions for a moment, I caught the husband's eye and asked, "Is all of that pennies?!" He responded with, "Thirty-five years worth!"
They're efforts and the raucous coin clanging continued on for quite some time. I'm not 100% positive, but they were at that machine for at least 30-45 minutes, if not longer. After they'd finally drained the buckets and the counting was done, the machine printed out it's cash redemption voucher. I had gone to lunch by that time, but my curiosity got the better of me. I dropped by the service desk before I clocked back in and asked my co-worker how much all those coins amounted to. She couldn't remember exactly, so she went ahead and pulled the voucher out of her drawer. Here's the tally:
It was a total of 24,313 pennies as well as a few other coins that had slipped their way in.
Yes, that is twenty-four thousand, three hundred and thirteen pennies.
The total cash value was $245.68.
Coinstar kept a fee of $21.87.
They walked away with $223.81.
Altogether they were a nice couple, which made it easier to get over the noise we had to endure. Its rather pleasant, for once, to have an interesting story to tell where I didn't feel the need to beat someone with a stick. If you're asking yourself why they didn't just go to the bank, I've already got that covered because I asked them the same thing. The bank wouldn't take the change. They probably don't want any of the dust or small pieces of trash that may have accumulated over those 35 years to gunk up their expensive coin counters.
When pouring change into the machine, it tends to make quite a racket with all the metal coins clinking and clanking down inside. My attention was eventually drawn towards them when the noise continued on for longer than any other usual patron. I looked up to realize that all three tubs were filled with coins. The man had a cup and was scooping up the change for his wife to dump into the machine. Watching their actions for a moment, I caught the husband's eye and asked, "Is all of that pennies?!" He responded with, "Thirty-five years worth!"
They're efforts and the raucous coin clanging continued on for quite some time. I'm not 100% positive, but they were at that machine for at least 30-45 minutes, if not longer. After they'd finally drained the buckets and the counting was done, the machine printed out it's cash redemption voucher. I had gone to lunch by that time, but my curiosity got the better of me. I dropped by the service desk before I clocked back in and asked my co-worker how much all those coins amounted to. She couldn't remember exactly, so she went ahead and pulled the voucher out of her drawer. Here's the tally:
It was a total of 24,313 pennies as well as a few other coins that had slipped their way in.
Yes, that is twenty-four thousand, three hundred and thirteen pennies.
The total cash value was $245.68.
Coinstar kept a fee of $21.87.
They walked away with $223.81.
Altogether they were a nice couple, which made it easier to get over the noise we had to endure. Its rather pleasant, for once, to have an interesting story to tell where I didn't feel the need to beat someone with a stick. If you're asking yourself why they didn't just go to the bank, I've already got that covered because I asked them the same thing. The bank wouldn't take the change. They probably don't want any of the dust or small pieces of trash that may have accumulated over those 35 years to gunk up their expensive coin counters.
3 comments:
I love this story, and I am the same, I would want to know also how it ended.
Heh, sounds like their bank needs to re-read the federal currency law, I've taken huge amounts of change to my bank before and they will pick out the coins that can't be counted. If I remember correctly, it's against the law to deny any form of legal American tender in any way, as long as it hasn't been defaced or is otherwise "unrecognizable". But maybe it was they [the old couple] were just meant to brighten up your day Sal =D
-Mace ;)
If someone else comes in with a ton of change like that again, I'll be sure to mention that to them. ^_^
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