How to handle this situation? May have come off a bit rude but I am not a bank!

[RoxyGril]

I have posted before about where I work at which is a dealership. The owner(s) own this dealership which sells heavy duty trucks (which I am currently at) and another for all the cars etc. Well, where I am currently at I am the only one that handles the phones, filing, deposits, cashiering etc. With our car store they have a person who handles the phones and another that handles all the cashiering and filing.

 

So, my cash drawer only holds a min. of $200 which is an ok amount but it becomes hard when customers pay in 100's. When customers do that it restricts my cash as far as smaller bills. My issue is that the parts dept. guys and as well as the service dept. like to get change from me. So they take my 1's quiet frequently and again takes away my smallers bill for my customers. I feel like I am a bank to them and I don't have a problem telling 'no' due to the fact that I don't have a whole lot of 1 dollar bills.

 

Today one of the parts guys wanted to break a $5 and I told him I don't have a lot of ones, which I didn't give him the change. A hour or 2 goes by and our service writer ask for change give her some change. I don't feel like I am playing favorites with anyone here whatsoever though I don't know if thats how he felt. Honestly I felt that they have a change box for when I am gone out to lunch, they use while I am gone and that if he really wanted change he couldn've have gotten change out of there.

 

IDK I am probably taking it a bit harder on myself now because I am starting to feel bad. I did get change out of their change box to exchange the 5 but he refused the exchange (though he was a bit cool I just think that I am not a bank for their vending machine habits. I have cash for my customers that come in to pay for either their truck parts or service. IDK if they realize that I only have so much change that not only is it for my customers, it's also there is the service dept need petty cash for fuel for a customers truck that they are working on.

 

Did I come off a bit rude to him for telling him no? How or do I apologize for that and to make it known I wasn't purposely play favorites (that wasn't my intentions to do that)?

[LeftBehind]

There's nothing wrong with them asking, but there's nothing wrong with you saying no. I worked retail for many years, and finally got over the feeling that I was being rude when I said no. What gets annoying is when THEY get angry at you for not obliging. That's when I'd just call the next customer up to push them out of the way.

[BeatrixKiddo]

No, that's not rude, and you're right, you're not a bank. Two-hundred is not a lot of change, I would not make change for large bills for anyone anymore if it were me! If they ask you why, perhaps you could say that your drawer no longer holds as much extra money as it used to. My drawer only holds 300 and I never make change for large bills unless I already have extra money in there from previous customer payments that I haven't deposited yet.

[mdog]

I work at a hotel front desk and I only have 400 dollars in my bank. Restaurant and banquets always come up to us to get change..and I tell them no as well because they hand me large bills as well. The reason i have a bank is for guest who wants to pay cash for their rooms or they need change for vending machines and stuff. I am not a bank at the hotel. Therefore, I do not give anyone change unless it is for a guest personally. For example restaurant came over one day..to get change for a guest because they handed them a 50 dollar bill..but I no longer give quarters or dollars to employees because they could have gotten that done prior to coming to work. They need to get their change from the accounting department..and if its a weekend, then you should have changed your money on friday. I get in trouble when I do not have quarters or dollars to give to a guest..and so should they!

 

It is completely fine to tell them no...but they do have a right to ask as well..and if they ask why just tell them that I cannot give you change because I need some available for customers..and i do not have that much change to give out..BUT do it to everyone..do not pick favorites! I would tell my general manager no..if he asked me for change.

[RoxyGril]

Thanks for the replies! I do feel like he should understand and also realize that I only hold so much cash. It just seems like only him but other co-workers as well ask for change quiet frequently. When I do tell them 'no' they are fine with it and they go about their business. Funny that this happened on Friday afternoon and today he (wasn't here yesterday 2-20-12) is still acting all weird with me. I can say I have let the issue go and moved on because there is no point of the childish behavior. I try to have a normal conversation with him and I get either very little talk or one word thing. Really this person is still holding on to an issue of making change $5! Its not like I would break a bill for him another time when I do have enough change but that day I was low on 1's.

 

IDK if he is waiting for some sort of apology or something? I not sure if there should be one because at the time I was low on change. The only mistake I made was giving what I had someone else. Which I realize what I just did after the fact that it was already to late to take back the change.