In a time when we’re all trying to save as much money as we can, every penny counts (literally). With that in mind, a lot of folks have started paying closer attention to each transaction, and one TikTok user noticed that a Taco Bell employee shorted her on her change.
What Happened?
TikTok user @makhelainez filmed herself ordering food at Taco Bell, with the intention of capturing a “cute little trip to Taco Bell.” When she got her change, she noticed that although the dollar amount was accurate, she was supposed to get 74 cents back and only received 55 cents — a difference of 19 cents. When the window opened again, she told the employee about the mistake; the employee seemed to fumble with her words, lamenting that the restaurant didn’t have “quarters or pennies.” At which point, the TikToker pointed out that even dimes and nickels could have gotten her change “closer to 70” rather than shorting her that much.
The Weird Part
Here’s what’s weird to us: We would expect that this was just a miscalculation on the cashier’s part, and that when it was brought to their attention, they would have apologized and made it right. Instead, the worker doubled down and began negotiating with the customer to try and give her any amount of change other than the amount she was owed, leaving the TikToker to finally say, “Thank you … the way I had to beg for my change.”
Other users commented on the video that this had happened to them, too — as well as the fact that had a customer been short 19 cents, the story would have ended differently.
“They did this to me at Wendy’s twice recently! And looked at me like I was crazy for questioning it,” one user mentioned.
“If you were short 19 cents, they wouldn’t have given you your food,” said another user.
The Aftermath
Once the customer returned home, she remarked that “the people aren’t mad enough,” and encouraged everyone to pay closer attention to transactions like hers to make sure they aren’t quietly being shortchanged the money they’re owed without even noticing. We get it. And we’re going to take a closer look at our change the next time we hit the drive-thru.
More From Cheapism
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- Check Your Pennies: These 3 Factors Determine Whether They’re Worth Thousands — A handful of pennies could be worth a lot more than their face value, with some rare coins capable of fetching fortunes at auction.
- ‘Two Words: Onion Soup’: People Are Confessing ‘Embarrassing’ Things Poverty Made Them Do — A number of Redditors told stories about digging through trash, often for receipts that could lead to free items or a chance at winning money.
