Aldi not giving change

flower tattoo

So was in Aldi earlier and the man in front of me spent €5.99. Cashier told him she had no 1 cent was that okay - he said fine, my shop my was €1.88 - gave €2, she said she had no 2 cent either.
I thought maybe her float was low but she she said they weren't holding 1 & 2 cents any more as they were going to be discontinued
I told her I wasn't happy that they were just keeping our money so she gave me back 5 cent in change
Obviously it's not about the cents but can they just decide they're not giving change??
Would they be happy if I gave €1.85 for my shopping??

njs030

flower tattoo wrote: »

So was in Aldi earlier and the man in front of me spent €5.99. Cashier told him she had no 1 cent was that okay - he said fine, my shop my was €1.88 - gave €2, she said she had no 2 cent either.
I thought maybe her float was low but she she said they weren't holding 1 & 2 cents any more as they were going to be discontinued
I told her I wasn't happy that they were just keeping our money so she gave me back 5 cent in change
Obviously it's not about the cents but can they just decide they're not giving change??
Would they be happy if I gave €1.85 for my shopping??

When the 1 and 2 cents are gone the price of your items will be rounded up or down to the nearest 5c. So €5.99 will be €6 and €1.88 will be €1.90. Though €1.87 would be €1.85 as it would be rounded down.

L1011

Rounding to the nearest 5c is being introduced nationwide by the Central Bank in late October. You're not the first person to mention this happening in Aldi though, so they may have unilaterally introduced it early.

delahuntv

Legally they are not obliged to give you change at all - even if you purchased a €2 item and offered a €50 note - it would be bad business practice, but not ilegal.

Thanfully those pesky 1c and 2c are going.

Lux23

delahuntv wrote: »

Legally they are not obliged to give you change at all - even if you purchased a €2 item and offered a €50 note - it would be bad business practice, but not ilegal.

Thanfully those pesky 1c and 2c are going.

Not obliged to give you change? What's the legal basis for this idea?

Paulw

Lux23 wrote: »

Not obliged to give you change? What's the legal basis for this idea?

The basis is offer/acceptance in contract law.

A good long discussion here - http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056334760

dudara

I lived in the Netherlands for a year, where the 5c rounding (no small change) in supermarkets is standard. Took me a few goes to remember though as I was conditioned to give exact change to the till person. Basically, the total amount is calculated correctly, i.e. €34.57 but the till operator will treat is as €34.55 and give change accordingly. I assume that it all works out on average.

Fuzzy Clam

About a month ago my shop came to something like 55.02. Tendered 60 and received 5 euro back.
Last week i was short changed 2 cents.
Not worth losing sleep over.

Lux23

Paulw wrote: »

The basis is offer/acceptance in contract law.

A good long discussion here - http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056334760

Ok, so you just refuse to hand over the money if they are not going to provide the change and they lose the business. Kind of a silly commercial practice.

L1011

Lux23 wrote: »

Ok, so you just refuse to hand over the money if they are not going to provide the change and they lose the business. Kind of a silly commercial practice.

Nowhere actually does it (intentionally, anyway); its just important to remember when someone flies off the handle about it being illegal as they do on here from time to time.

hillbloom

I noticed the same in ALDI today. He was due to give me 7 cent back, said he had no 2 cent & gave me back 5 cent. If the 1 & 2 cent coins are still in circulation its very greedy for ALDI to be acting like this!!

Fuzzy Clam

hillbloom wrote: »

I noticed the same in ALDI today. He was due to give me 7 cent back, said he had no 2 cent & gave me back 5 cent. If the 1 & 2 cent coins are still in circulation its very greedy for ALDI to be acting like this!!

if you read my post above you will see it works the other way too.

Howjoe1

flower tattoo wrote: »

So was in Aldi earlier and the man in front of me spent €5.99. Cashier told him she had no 1 cent was that okay - he said fine, my shop my was €1.88 - gave €2, she said she had no 2 cent either.
I thought maybe her float was low but she she said they weren't holding 1 & 2 cents any more as they were going to be discontinued
I told her I wasn't happy that they were just keeping our money so she gave me back 5 cent in change
Obviously it's not about the cents but can they just decide they're not giving change??
Would they be happy if I gave €1.85 for my shopping??

Funny enough, same thing happen to me in Aldi last Saturday. Seems like it may be a new policy to hold no 1 and 2 cents. Should have said, I'll accept a 5 cent instead.

I might hand them a few bags of 1 cent and 2 cent coins when I go shopping next time to help them out.

Help!!!!

delahuntv wrote: »

Legally they are not obliged to give you change at all - even if you purchased a €2 item and offered a €50 note - it would be bad business practice, but not ilegal.

Thanfully those pesky 1c and 2c are going.

When are the banks going to stop taking them?
I have quite a lot in the piggy bank

aujopimur

Shops rounding down prices, that'll be the day, it be up up up.

NoQuarter

delahuntv wrote: »

Legally they are not obliged to give you change at all - even if you purchased a €2 item and offered a €50 note - it would be bad business practice, but not ilegal.

Thanfully those pesky 1c and 2c are going.

Such a nonsense post.

Nichard Dixon

Whatever about the legal obligation to give change it is astonishing that people tolerate ALDI keeping their money in this way. If people start leaving items back, preferably frozen ones, they'll soon stop <SNIP> people of their change.

slimjimmc

NoQuarter wrote: »

Such a nonsense post.

Mod: Constructive posts only please.

Nichard Dixon wrote: »

Whatever about the legal obligation to give change it is astonishing that people tolerate ALDI keeping their money in this way. If people start leaving items back, preferably frozen ones, they'll soon stop <SNIP> people of their change.

Read the opening post again. Customers are being asked if it's ok not to give small change (1 cents & 2 cents). The OP said no and was given back more than he/she was due. There is no suggestion Aldi are doing anything wrong.

Nichard Dixon

slimjimmc wrote: »

Read the opening post again. Customers are being asked if it's ok not to give small change (1 cents & 2 cents). The OP said no and was given back more than he/she was due. There is no suggestion Aldi are doing anything wrong.

My mistake. Apologies.

No more 1c or 2c coins? My spare change jar is going to take a (rather small) hit.

Howjoe1

Nichard Dixon wrote: »

My mistake. Apologies.

But what happened to me personally and the customer in front of me on Saturday was that she just handed a receipt back and said "I've no 1 cent or 2 cent coins." and precoeeded to scan the next customer's items.

I got the impression, that the poilicy was not to offer unless the customer argued, and lets face it who is going to stand arguing about 2 cent, maybe 1 in a 100.

So they are in my experiencing using the situation to gain more than they are giving back.

Maybe they will re-price every product that is xx.99 to xx.95 to overcome not holding 1 & 2 cent coins.

TallGlass

Howjoe1 wrote: »

Maybe they will re-price every product that is xx.99 to xx.95 to overcome not holding 1 & 2 cent coins.

This is Ireland, nothing will ever come down in price. Mark my words this is an awfully bad mistake, customers will be taken for a ride with this.

Shops will use this as an excuse to confuse the crap out of customers while changing every SEL in there shops to match the 'new' rounded figures.

I imagine that something that was 93c will soon be marked 1:10€ as everything will be changed you 'might' not notice.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

TallGlass wrote: »

This is Ireland, nothing will ever come down in price. Mark my words this is an awfully bad mistake, customers will be taken for a ride with this.

Shops will use this as an excuse to confuse the crap out of customers while changing every SEL in there shops to match the 'new' rounded figures.

I imagine that something that was 93c will soon be marked 1:10€ as everything will be changed you 'might' not notice.

That's bunkum. It's the total shop that will be rounded, not individual items. At worst lose 2cent on a total purchase at best gain 2 cent. Swings and roundabouts.

Why on earth would 93 cent go to €1.10?

Varik

Jade Moldy Thanksgiving wrote: »

That's bunkum. It's the total shop that will be rounded, not individual items. At worst lose 2cent on a total purchase at best gain 2 cent. Swings and roundabouts.

Why on earth would 93 cent go to €1.10?

The same reason things thatwere £1 went to €2 when we changed to the euro.

And it'll be per item, not rounded at the till.

Fuzzy Clam

Varik wrote: »

The same reason things thatwere £1 went to €2 when we changed to the euro.

And it'll be per item, not rounded at the till.

Which items went from 1 pound to 2 euro?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Varik wrote: »

The same reason things thatwere £1 went to €2 when we changed to the euro.

And it'll be per item, not rounded at the till.

Exaggeration never helps an argument. Nothing went from £1 to €2.

L1011

Nichard Dixon wrote: »

Whatever about the legal obligation to give change it is astonishing that people tolerate ALDI keeping their money in this way. If people start leaving items back, preferably frozen ones, they'll soon stop <SNIP> people of their change.

To reiterate - this is becoming standard in 8 weeks time. Everywhere. 1 and 2c coins will no longer be minted by the central bank, be distributed by banks, etc.

http://www.centralbank.ie/press-area/press-releases/Pages/CentralBankannouncesrolloutofroundingof1cand2ccoinsnationally.aspx

NoQuarter wrote: »

Such a nonsense post.

Its entirely accurate. I suggest you do some research before accusing people like that.

Howjoe1 wrote: »

Maybe they will re-price every product that is xx.99 to xx.95 to overcome not holding 1 & 2 cent coins.

They don't need to - and they won't.

Items are still priced in random amount ends, and a lot of .x9 amounts at that, in the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, etc - where this rounding at the till has been the case for years. The Danes don't have anything less than a 50 ore coin and there's still items costing 21.32 or similar.

syklops

Howjoe1 wrote: »

But what happened to me personally and the customer in front of me on Saturday was that she just handed a receipt back and said "I've no 1 cent or 2 cent coins." and precoeeded to scan the next customer's items.

I got the impression, that the poilicy was not to offer unless the customer argued, and lets face it who is going to stand arguing about 2 cent, maybe 1 in a 100.

So they are in my experiencing using the situation to gain more than they are giving back.

Maybe they will re-price every product that is xx.99 to xx.95 to overcome not holding 1 & 2 cent coins.

So he/she owed you what 7 cent and gave you a 5 instead but you were still owed 2. So why didnt you offer to give them 3 cents so they could give you 5 and you'd be quids in?


Its also amazing how many people pay in cash in Aldi. If I make the effort to go there it'll be a 30 euro + shop so I just pay by card.

L1011

syklops wrote: »

Its also amazing how many people pay in cash in Aldi. If I make the effort to go there it'll be a 30 euro + shop so I just pay by card.

Lots of people still think they don't take credit cards (they have for years). I may be misremembering but I think they didn't take plastic at all in the first few shops? The card reader glowing in front of you should be a good enough indication now though.

Varik

Jade Moldy Thanksgiving wrote: »

Exaggeration never helps an argument. Nothing went from £1 to €2.

For one 500ml bottle, cans, and a lot of sweets.

I was a child at the time.

TallGlass

Jade Moldy Thanksgiving wrote: »

That's bunkum. It's the total shop that will be rounded, not individual items. At worst lose 2cent on a total purchase at best gain 2 cent. Swings and roundabouts.

Why on earth would 93 cent go to €1.10?

If you don't mind me asking what experience do you have in retail? I have over 8 years experience in one of Ireland biggest retailers. This is a perfect opportunity for a price rise.

The reason it will jump to €1.10 is because if every price in the shop is changed then chances are people won't notice and will be already stunned trying to figure out how its going to work without 1 and 2c, then in a few weeks the shop will be have 'price cuts' left right and center.

If its such a big problem for retailers they can easily make sure there prices are automatically rounded per SEL.

And if you and the people that thanked your post think I am joking have a look at the thread on boards about the outrageous price hikes if you don't think products jump that much on a regular basis. They may not hike everything up as much, but you would be very naive to think that they will drop prices here, a retailer is not going to take something on board that is going to cost them money, the customer will lose out on this. Be it a cent or two.

0ph0rce0

Hehe I love the way people say they will round it down. It's only a few cents but everybody in this country is a greedy ****. There will only be rounding up.

Greenmachine

Have heard very little about this month. Bought something in a local Centra, but rather than just give me the wrong change he asked for €X+1 instead of €X.99, this was several, months ago, I am sure I made a post about it in AH. Once they are consistent I don't mind.
Will have to upgrade my copper tin to include 10c and 20c now.

Sam Kade

delahuntv wrote: »

Legally they are not obliged to give you change at all - even if you purchased a €2 item and offered a €50 note - it would be bad business practice, but not ilegal.

Thanfully those pesky 1c and 2c are going.

What if you offered them €2 for a €50 item? It should work both ways

slimjimmc

Sam Kade wrote: »

What if you offered them €2 for a €50 item? It should work both ways

They're not obliged to sell so can refuse your kind offer and put their items back on the shelf.

L1011

0ph0rce0 wrote: »

Hehe I love the way people say they will round it down. It's only a few cents but everybody in this country is a greedy ****. There will only be rounding up.

There are rules on rounding up and down as appropriate.

Product prices do not need to change. The rounding only happens at the very end

The fantastical claims of price rises are based on an assumption that product prices will rise. They won't. Two major reasons:

1: We didn't have websites with prices on them in 2002. We do now. Minor price rises get called out on the appropriate retailer threads on here already. Price rises on every product would have people screaming, with proof
2: People will notice if suddenly all their receipts happen to end in .x5/.x0 and no rounding is ever applied

slimjimmc

slimjimmc wrote: »

They're not obliged to sell so can refuse your kind offer and put their items back on the shelf.

I don't get why it's so hard for people to get it.

Now if you used the fact that, by almost trying to publically shame you if you give out about the practice, they are placing you under duress you might have an argument

A_Sober_Paddy

Very everybody talking non sense about it all being rounded up...if the change is 1c, 2c its rounded down and 3c, 4c rounded up...Thats the way it will work

L1011

Deleted User wrote: »

Now if you used the fact that, by almost trying to publically shame you if you give out about the practice, they are placing you under duress you might have an argument

The staff member is being paid a minimum of 8.65 an hour - the reality is in Aldi is usually a lot higher

The ten seconds minimum itd take to "publically shame" someone over what can at most be 2c (as they round down in other scenarios) would cost Aldi 2.8c.

That isn't happening.

L1011

Varik wrote: »

For one 500ml bottle, cans, and a lot of sweets.

I was a child at the time.

500ml bottles were not £1 then nor are they €2 now

Cans were in the 50-60p range and are now just about hitting €1 - 78p. I remember the vending machine prices being either 70c - 55p, or 80c - 63p for actually years after that; and vending machines are usually dearer.

Your memory of the changeover is complete bollox. If you found yourself that less able to buy stuff after the changeover, may I suggest your parents did a 1=1 conversion of your pocket money?

There was a marginal rise in inflation at the time likely attributable to prices being 'smoothed' (as I heard someone call it).

Fuzzy Clam

0ph0rce0 wrote: »

Hehe I love the way people say they will round it down. It's only a few cents but everybody in this country is a greedy ****. There will only be rounding up.

Wrong. As ive already said in a previous post, Aldi gave me 5 euro in change instead of the 4.98 they owed me.

NoQuarter

L1011 wrote: »

Its entirely accurate. I suggest you do some research before accusing people like that.

I figured my primary law degree, post-grad Barrister-at-law degree and my 3 years in the profession was enough research.

It's not accurate and I had a click on that link and most of what was said was conjecture and incorrect. There is no position in law on this at all. If we want to use contract law as a basis for this, then it surely points the other way because if we are relying on the rules of offer/acceptance then the customer is offering 49.99 and not offering the 50 in satisfaction of payment. Saying "there aren't obliged to give back change" is nonsensical. It's like me saying I'm not obliged by law to spin around 20 times singing the hail mary while jumping on one leg. The law cant cover every eventuality.

For the legal professionals among us, if we really want to examine it, then surely we can say that handing a 50 for something 49.99 can't be done as it's not the terms of the contract. Or that there is an implied term the change will be given back. Or that accepting a deal for 49.99 and receiving 50 is a counter-offer which revokes the original, or is fundamentally changing the terms of the agreement and so on and so forth.

But the original post was nonsensical and has no basis in law. It's simply terrible conjecture.

That constructive enough?

L1011

NoQuarter wrote: »

I figured my primary law degree, post-grad Barrister-at-law degree and my 3 years in the profession was enough research.

It's not accurate and I had a click on that link and most of what was said was conjecture and incorrect. There is no position in law on this at all. If we want to use contract law as a basis for this, then it surely points the other way because if we are relying on the rules of offer/acceptance then the customer is offering 49.99 and not offering the 50 in satisfaction of payment. Saying "there aren't obliged to give back change" is nonsensical. It's like me saying I'm not obliged by law to spin around 20 times singing the hail mary while jumping on one leg. The law cant cover every eventuality.

For the legal professionals among us, if we really want to examine it, then surely we can say that handing a 50 for something 49.99 can't be done as it's not the terms of the contract. Or that there is an implied term the change will be given back. Or that accepting a deal for 49.99 and receiving 50 is a counter-offer which revokes the original, or is fundamentally changing the terms of the agreement and so on and so forth.

But the original post was nonsensical and has no basis in law. It's simply terrible conjecture.

That constructive enough?

Clearly you can provide us with the law that actually requires the giving of change, then? Oh, no - there isn't one. You called a post saying there was no legal requirement nonsense when you have just admitted yourself there isn't - meaning you were wrong, pure and simple.

A customer has every right to walk away from a transaction if they don't want to not receive change; but if they willingly enter in to the deal offering an overpayment there is absolutely nothing to require them to be given change. Calling something which is blindingly obvious "nonsense" is ridiculous.

Anyone who attempted any form of legal action against a retailer for failing to give change is going to fail rather rapidly.

Fuzzy Clam

syklops wrote: »

Its also amazing how many people pay in cash in Aldi. If I make the effort to go there it'll be a 30 euro + shop so I just pay by card.

It's not amazing at all.
If like me, you have a debit card, you make one cash withdrawal a week and pay by cash. One bank charge only. Every card payment incurs extra charges.

NoQuarter

L1011 wrote: »

Clearly you can provide us with the law that actually requires the giving of change, then? If you feel the contract law reference doesn't suffice as on the negative side, you can't use that.

There is no specific law that says that, as I said, the law does not cover every eventuality.

The post implies that someone can hand a store employee 100e for a 50e item and not be entitled to change just because it doesnt specifically state in legislation that a refund is required. Nonsense.

The contract law point as I picked up on the other thread of a very quick skim (because everything I read there was baseless, especially one of the first few posts which proffered to explain it) was that if you hand in 100 then you are offering that 100. No, just no.

The closest reality to what would go by the letter of the law, in terms of contract law rules, is that if an item was on offer for 50, and a customer handed 100 for that item (and there is no intention to give change back), that the transaction is impossible and cant go ahead. If the person gives 100 and the employee tells the customer they cant give change back, and the customer accepts that, that is a counter offer and that is the new agreement. But what is not the case is the person gave too much and is not entitled to change.

NoQuarter

L1011 wrote: »

A customer has every right to walk away from a transaction if they don't want to not receive change; but if they willingly enter in to the deal offering an overpayment there is absolutely nothing to require them to be given change.

You mean, then there is no change.

L1011

NoQuarter wrote: »

There is no specific law that says that, as I said, the law does not cover every eventuality.

The post implies that someone can hand a store employee 100e for a 50e item and not be entitled to change just because it doesnt specifically state in legislation that a refund is required. Nonsense.

The contract law point as I picked up on the other thread of a very quick skim (because everything I read there was baseless, especially one of the first few posts which proffered to explain it) was that if you hand in 100 then you are offering that 100. No, just no.

The closest reality to what would go by the letter of the law, in terms of contract law rules, is that if an item was on offer for 50, and a customer handed 100 for that item (and there is no intention to give change back), that the transaction is impossible and cant go ahead. If the person gives 100 and the employee tells the customer they cant give change back, and the customer accepts that, that is a counter offer and that is the new agreement. But what is not the case is the person gave too much and is not entitled to change.

All this boils down to the same situation. The retailer is not obliged to give change.

The customer can decline to go ahead in that case, obviously. They can't force the retailer to take the transaction and provide change.

You were wrong in claiming the post to be nonsense - as all you've provided is a lengthy explanation of why it is in fact correct.

Lawyers being deliberately obtuse and difficult - who'd believe it...

NoQuarter

I'll bow out because of your passive-aggressiveness!

But I was not wrong at all. I'm sorry you can't understand my point.

L1011

NoQuarter wrote: »

I'll bow out because of your passive-aggressiveness!

But I was not wrong at all. I'm sorry you can't understand my point.

Your point is nothing further than "there's no provision in law to require change". Which is what you claimed was wrong.

If you think you were making another point, you really need to review what you're writing.

NoQuarter

L1011 wrote: »

Your point is nothing further than "there's no provision in law to require change". Which is what you claimed was wrong.

No. Based on my understanding of contract law, which is fairly complete, the situation where a store withholds change and claims it can do so is wrong and cant happen.

That is as simple as I can make my point.

L1011

NoQuarter wrote: »

No. Based on my understanding of contract law, which is fairly complete, the situation where a store withholds change and claims it can do so is wrong and cant happen.

That is as simple as I can make my point.

You've already accepted the "we don't give change/we have no change" position as valid above (post 47). I know the entire legal profession lives off nitpicking, but any sane person can see there is no difference there. Fundamentally, there is no requirement to give change.