As a customer, what is the proper way to hand money to a cashier?

Question

When using cash, there are two ways that customers will pay: they will hand the money to you or they will place the cash on the counter for you to pick up, whether in-or-out of reach. I've always found it very rude and condescending to put money on the counter when the cashier has an outstretched hand, ready to collect. And as a customer myself, I always wait until they are ready, then place the money directly into their hand. I've noticed, though, so many people don't...even many of my nice customers. Is it a cultural thing? How do you hand money to your cashier when paying? Putting yourself in the position of cashier, or sharing your experience if you've had this type of job, how do you feel when a customer disregards your hand and places the money down for you to pick up?

When you're ringing hundreds of customers for hours on end each week, its a bit difficult not to notice the process.

Didn't mean to make it seem I hold my hand out like a beggar for each customer. That'd be dumb. I'm in a postition where I'm standing and waiting for them to gather their cash and hand it to me. As the money comes out of the wallet and they extend...it either goes in my hand, or gets tossed on the counter.

Answer 1

If their hand is out I put it in their hand. They may be doing something when I pull out the cash so I'll set it on the counter while I'm getting change. I try to be respectful but it depends on what culture you are dealing with. I learned that the Asian race
considers it disrespectful to put money in someones hand so it is laid on the counter. I don't know how other races handle it but I'm curious. One cashier I deal with is from Turkey,others from the Middle East. I wish I knew how they see this topic.

Answer 2

It's hard for people who have not been in this situation to understand the frustration cashiers go through. Being a manager over several cashiers I tell them to place the money in the hand if the customer does the same. Usually a cashier knows the difference in someone sitting the money on the counter unconsciously or whether someone is being rude. Place the money and receipt on the counter if the do it in a disrespective type of manner.

Answer 3

I was a cashier/ manager for six years and I never held my hand out. You should wait for them to offer it to you. Holding your empty hand out is equally rude. And another thing, PUT DOWN THAT DAMN PHONE WHEN I'M STANDING THERE! Never wait on a customer with a phone to your ear. Even if you're talking to the company president, tell him to hold on and put the phone down.

And don't tell me how much my change is, that's also rude. Count it back. If I give you a $20 for $1.58, don't just give me all the bills and tell me there is $18.42 in that pile. Give me the coins and say 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 20. That way you are both protected by the money being counted in front of the customer. They can't take three steps and come back and tell you that you shorted them (people do that, you know), and I won't have to count it while I'm walking out with my hands full (I always check). And don't tell me it would slow you down. I did it every single time and worked in the second highest volume store in a 120 store chain near Daytona Beach. I could run more customers through a register than a zebra's got stripes.

Answer 4

When I am paying a cashier I place the money in their hand, and if I am searching for change I tell them that I am doing so, so they don't put something into their register just by what they assume I am doing.
When I am working, I dislike it very much when the money is placed on the counter. It isn't like I have cooties or anything..I just think it is rude when I am only serving them, and even smiling at them. I don't understand what is so hard to just hand me the money, you don't even have to touch my hand to do so.

Answer 5

I always make sure that i put all of the money in their hand. I will place the bills in their hand and when they are ready i will hand them the coins. It is rude to act like you are afraid to touch their hand. Like they are diseased or less than you. Now at a restaurant i just place the money with the bill but if i have the opportunity i will hand it to the server and say keep the change.

Answer 6

I always hand the cashier the money when they are ready. If i have to lay the money down to count it out myself, i always pick it up myself and hand it to them. And if i have any change, i will tell them i have change, because i don't want them to type in "$10.00" when i have the change also.

I'm a cashier myself, and i hate it when they just throw the money down on the counter, or just throw it at me when i'm trying to bag all their groceries for them *i work in a small grocery store*. sometimes they don't like it when i wait to see if they have the change.....they get all snobby.

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Answer 7

I figure that putting it on the counter would indicate they don't want to touch my hands. Its not rude, its just preference. Don't take it personally.

PS - Cashiers handing change back. Do NOT put the bills and the coins all piled into one hand. That is so frigging annoying. You have it in two hands, why would you dump it into one of the customers?

Answer 8

If the cashier is paying attn to me and holds out thier hand I will happily hand them my cash. If they couldnt care less then I will more than likely put my cash on the counter. But I always leave saying "thank you kindly", why that saying... I have no clue it just falls out. =)

Answer 9

I always hand them the money in hand. I agree that is rude to put my money on the counter when I have my hand out. I just had that happen to me. My change flew every. All she said was, "sorry". I just don't frequent any of the stores that do that.

Answer 10

I usually try to hand it to them, but when I'm digging for change, it's on the counter, and I push it to them, while I dig for bills.

In other words, I've never thought of it as an etiquette question, but a matter of physics. If I've put the money on the counter to find what I'm looking for, I push it to them; if it's in my hand (and their hand is ready to receive it), I hand it over.

At least you hold your hand out -- often I've got the money, and they're not paying any attention for me to give it to them.

Please don't do what you're told: Don't have my change in your hand, and spend 4 HOURS reading the receipt, in order to (wrongly) call me Mrs. and mis-pronounce my name.

Just give me the change and receipt, and murmer a meaningless nothing phrase ("there you are" "have a nice [whatever]" etc.).

I HATE standing there while you read the receipt in order to use (mis-use) my name.

I'm not looking for a friend, I just want to leave now. (Thinking of grocery stores, where plastic has been involved. The first few times they called me by name, I found it downright SPOOKY. Now I just find it annoying: I'm not married, and that's NOT my name.)