long john, short (of) change

Yesterday I was ordering food at Long John Silver's. It wasn't peak hour lunch time yet, so the place wasn't crowded. I ordered a set meal, $5.50, I gave the cashier a $10 note. He told me he didn't have change. Neither do I.

It wasn't like me paying for $5.50 fast food with a $100 note, or me taking public bus with a $10 note and asking the bus driver for change. I always thought they start a new day's business with fresh supply of coins and notes in the cash register? (yeah, maybe he could have given me 4 dollars worth of 10 cents coins)

So I stood there, took a straw and sipped from my coke. In my mind I said "don't make your problem my problem (ie don't make me look for other customers for change)" But I didn't make things difficult for the cashier. So he asked me to go back with my food first, and he would settle with his manager.

I didn't mind the waiting, somemore I had my food and lots of office ladies around.